Sora was starting to lose track of the days. They were all blending together now. Each morning she would wake up in the darkness, she'd be fed two measly meals in the darkness, and she'd fall asleep in the darkness. Not once did she leave the tiny cell she was cooped up in with her mother. But for as worried as Sora was about herself, her mother was a different story entirely.
The older woman had become quite unresponsive over the past few days. Ever since her shop got raided, it was like she'd lost all her hope. She would barely speak when Sora addressed her, sometimes answering in a single word. The girl looked over her anxiously, but it was like her mother didn't even notice her extended staring. She'd become some sort of droid.
Sora let her shoulders drop as she leaned back against the concrete wall. She'd had enough of being in here and she hated seeing her mother deteriorate like this. In her entire life, if she'd ever needed a parent, this was it. Sora needed her mother now, but like always, she hadn't come through. Sora clenched her fists. To be fair though, this was her own fault. Being a digidestined had gotten her and her mother into this cell. It all seemed like yesterday...
"Sora, no! Don't come in, it's a trap! Run!"
"Mom..?"
"Finally, our first chosen child."
Sora shuddered. She hated to admit it, but she'd never been so scared in her life. She'd only been gone for a few hours...
"What have you done to all the patients?!"
"We've speeded up their fate."
Sora dropped the medicine to the ground.
"Come with us, or we'll do the same to your mother."
"N..no.."
The clanking of keys tore Sora for her thoughts, and thankfully so. She hated reliving that memory. It was her fault that her shop got raided, it was her fault that Piyomon couldn't digivolve and protect them, it was her fault that so many people died... And now, it was her own fault that she didn't even know where Piyomon was or if she was okay.
"Get out."
Sora looked up at the open doorway. Phantomon was standing in it, holding a set of keys in his hand. The redhead glared at him as she rose to her feet, using the wall for support. The digimon smiled at her, like he was happy to see her so weak.
"Our master wishes to see you."
Sora narrowed her ruby eyes. "He's not my master."
Phantomon looked like he could spit at her. "If only I had the option to destroy you right here, digidestined, I would. Get moving."
The ghost-digimon backed out of the way and let Sora past, holding his weapon tightly the entire time. However, it wasn't like the girl was going to try and escape. She'd never get out of the maze of a castle Myotismon had built on the island next to the Rainbow Bridge. It's halls were dark and twisted, which Sora thought was fitting considering what the world had become. Even then, the redhead had only seen a small portion of the giant lair. Each day she was escorted from her cell, to Myotismon's chambers, and back. Today would be no different, and she would come up with no plan.
Phantomon slammed the cell door after she'd gotten out, once again not caring to lock it. He supposed the older woman wasn't going to try and escape considering she hadn't left her seated position for about a day now. She didn't even look up as Sora left to see her daughter straighten her posture and walk towards her daily torture with as much dignity as she could muster. The redhead always thought she would have been proud if she bothered to look, but then again, maybe she didn't want to see anything anymore.
Sora could feel Phantomon following her as she walked through the halls. She knew the way now. She walked mechanically, her mind outside of the brick walls she was trapped in. Maybe Piyomon was out there. Perhaps she'd managed to get away somehow.
"Get in your cell, chosen child. For your crimes against our great master, you'll never see your pitiful digimon again."
"You can't do this! Give her back!"
"Not a chance. The master has special plans for her."
Sora stopped in front of a door and waited for Phantomon to open it. He seemed to be the key bearer of this place. He must have had at least twenty golden keys clanking by his side at all times. He held his staff in his left hand and pushed the large stone door open with his other. "Get in, our lord will be up momentarily."
So, it was nearly sundown. Although Myotismon had control over Tokyo, he was still a vampire, which meant that he hid in the shadows during the day. The door was shut and locked behind her, and Sora noticed his large casket was still closed. He hadn't stirred yet, and Sora had to play the waiting game. She hated this most of all. She wondered if it would be easy to kill him during his slumber. If she could get her hands on a knife or a sharp piece of wood, or anything, it had to be easy to stab his heart and make him suffer. But, would she be able to do it? No, probably not. She hadn't done anything good lately.
After a few more moments of waiting, the lid of the casket rose up, and Myotismon quickly followed it. The first time Sora saw him, she was terrified. His harsh eyes sent chills down her spine that made her entire body shake. However, she was used to his cruel demeanor now and she wouldn't let him get to her. After all, he said he needed her. He couldn't destroy someone he needed, right? To be honest, Sora didn't actually know, but the thought comforted her.
"It would be so easy to kill you now, chosen child, but that would make you into a martyr, and I don't have time for a rebellion."
She stood tall as the vampire stepped out of his casket and looked at her, trying to intimidate her as usual. However, Sora knew how this would go. He'd ask her where the other chosen children where, and she would say she didn't know. Then he'd threaten her, and depending on what type of mood he was in, things would progress from there.
"Good evening, bearer of love." Myotismon smirked, flashing his fangs.
Sora remained silent, but she didn't break their eye contact. Her lips were firmly shut and her eyes were angry.
The vampire-digimon frowned. "Silent again, I see." He took a few steps towards her and stared down. The monster must have been at least five feet taller than her. "I'll start off by asking nicely, where are the others?"
Still, Sora remained silent, her glare unfaltering.
Myotismon's frown thickened and he narrowed his eyes. He raised his hand and Sora only had time to flinch before he knocked her to the ground. The redhead winced in pain, but she wouldn't show him mental weakness. Even if she knew where the other digidestined were, she would never tell.
Myotismon stood over her now. "Where are the others?!"
Sora lifted her head, trying to ignore the pain in her side. "I told you, I don't know." Each time Myotismon asked, the girl said she didn't know. The truth was that she wasn't lying. Part of the digidestineds plan to separate was because of this exact scenario. If no one knew where the others were, how would they be able to tell, even if they fell into Myotismon's dirty hands?
"Liar!" Myotismon reached down and pulled her up by her hair, causing her to wince again. He must have been in a bad mood- he didn't normally act this aggressively with her. "Tell me!" His face was in hers now, and his voice was getting louder.
"I don't know!" Sora kicked her feet, realizing Myotismon had pulled her completely off the ground. She winced again, but still looked angry.
The digimon glared at her, and the cruel look in his eyes told the girl that he was close to throwing her. However, much to her surprise, he didn't. He dropped her to the ground and started laughing. "That's funny, because your digimon came across a chosen child last night."
Now that took Sora by surprise. She felt her eyes widen and she hoped Myotismon didn't notice it. He must have though, because he took that opportunity to torture her with the information. "Oh, that's right, I haven't told you about your digimon, have I? Silly me."
Sora got to her knees and looked up at him, her ruby orbs on fire. She didn't need to respond to him, she knew he'd continue either way.
"You see, she works for me now."
"That's not true. She would never!"
"Oh," Myotismon smiled sadisticly, "but she does. It was easy to corrupt her simple mind. It only took a little bit of dark-"
"NO!" Sora's eyes widened again, but this time it was because of her own outburst. Had she really just shown weakness? After days of trying to hide it? She cursed herself, and Myotismon beamed.
"After I got word that a Bakemon fell last night- at the hands of an alleged chosen child, nonetheless, I figured that'd be the perfect first mission for her. She behaved quite well. I'll put her to good use in the future."
"The real Piyomon would never listen to you, you scum!" Sora shouted up at him, aware that her emotions were getting out of control. She was digging herself into a hole too deep to get out of. But, this was her digimon he was talking about! Was this even true? The mere thought of it angered her like nothing else had in the past six years. How dare he use her digimon against her!
Myotismon grabbed her hair again and yanked her up so she was close to his face. "How dare you raise your voice to me! You're lucky I don't call your digimon in here right now to be rid of you once and for all!"
"Do it!" Sora threatened, willing to take the chance to see her digimon with her own eyes. Had Myotismon really turned her? Was she brainwashed? Was she suffering? All the hope Sora had that Piyomon had somehow made it out okay was crushed, and it was hard to recover from that. "Destroy me! You'll never find out where the chosen children are then! You got lucky with me, but the others will never fall into your hands!"
"ENOUGH!" If Myotismon hadn't been angry before, he was now. He face was inches from hers, and his fangs gleamed in the reflection of her shaking eyes. The sight pleased him, and he licked his lips.
"W-what are you doing?" Sora questioned, her voice now quiet.
"Like I said, girl, your digimon found a chosen child. It was the child of friendship, to be exact."
Yamato? Myotismon had used Piyomon to find Yamato? Was he alright? He didn't fall into the same fate as she had, had he? Sora had thought about her friends a lot over the years, but now the sound of Yamato's name crossing her mind felt strange.
The redhead remained quiet as she waited for Myotismon to finish speaking. The small shield of confidence she had about being safe from an untimely demise felt like it was deteriorating, and she had no clue why. Well, maybe she did, but she didn't want to think about it. He wouldn't.. he couldn't.. She was visibly shaking now, and she hated herself for it.
"Your digimon does a better job of tracking than you do. There's no doubt that I can use her to lead me to your friends. I'm sure she'll be heading back to me, another chosen child in hand, any second now. And that means, I can start exacting my revenge.." He chuckled a little and parted his lips, revealing his fangs once more. They gleamed, and Sora's pupils grew small. She tried to kick again, but she could hardly move. The panic settling into her gut made it hard to think, hard to plan. Was there even anything to plan? Could she even get away? It didn't look likely, but she would try.
Sora pulled her foot back and kicked Myotismon as hard as she could near his knee. It probably didn't hurt him, but the feeling of it shocked him, causing him to drop the girl to the ground once again. She took the opportunity to scramble over to the door, forgetting that she was locked inside. Desperately, she pulled at the handle anyways, realizing that it was her only option, and a useless one at that. Myotismon dashed over to her in a second, spun her around, and pushed her up against the cold stone.
"I'm done with you disobeying me, bearer of love. Now hold still."
Sora cringed. Was this really the end? She couldn't save the world from Myotismon, and now she was going to die at his hands too? He parted his lips once more and leaned in to her neck. His fangs touched her flesh, gently at first, and he smiled once he felt how badly she was shaking. He wanted to revel in it, make it last, but hell did her fear make him hungry. Sora shut her eyes as his teeth broke her skin. Her heart was pounding and her breath was short and quick, as if she'd just run a marathon and couldn't catch her breath.
The redhead felt herself grow weaker and her vision became blurry. Was this what it felt like to die? It was like her body was slowly deteriorating, and her mental self was parting ways with it. It wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as she'd always imagined it to be, but it was still an untimely demise. There were so many things she had yet to do. She'd never see Piyomon again, or her friends. She'd never see Mimi or Koushirou or Yamato or Taichi. She'd never-
"Sora, I'm coming!"
The girl opened her eyes again, expecting her surroundings to somehow be different. What did she expect though, to be surrounded by angels and clouds? She was still alive, and she was still in Myotismon's chamber. Where did that voice come from? It was hard to focus with the small amount of energy she had left. A loud bang could be heard from the other side of the door, and then it was thrown open, pushing both the vampire and Sora to the side.
The redhead fell to the ground while Myotismon merely stepped out of the way, curious about and frustrated with who had stopped him from killing his first chosen child. To both of their surprise, it was Sora's mother wielding Phantomon's staff.
"M-mom..?" Sora asked weakly, her eyes drooping. "How did you.."
Her mother looked down at her, and Sora could tell she was scared. She was trying to look strong for her daughter for the first time in days, but the girl could see right through it. Still, the effort meant the world to her. Her mother had gotten through Phantomon and was challenging Myotismon... for her?"
"Quiet, Sora." The woman looked stern. "I won't let him hurt you, not anymore." She held the staff tightly in her hands and glared at the monster.
"M-om..." Sora looked up at the woman in awe. Tears began to well in the corners of her eyes. If she didn't want to die before, she definitely didn't want to now.
Myotismon laughed at the woman. He didn't destroy her right away, which Sora knew meant he wanted to draw this out. He wanted to make her demise painful. "A mother's love," he spat, "how pitiful." He raised his hand to her and stepped closer, prepared to strike.
"Mom.. move.." Sora tried to yell, but it came out as nothing more than a whimper. "Mom... mom..."
But she didn't move. She held her ground. What was she doing? Even if she could buy Sora some time, the girl was too weak to run. Not only would Sora die, but her mom would die too. Why was she doing this? Why?!
The older woman took a swing at the vampire with her stolen staff, but Myotismon easily shoved her aside. She fell hard to the ground, her weapon clanking as it rolled away from her.
"Mom!" Sora yelled, loudly now. She felt like she was getting her energy back, but how? She had no time to think about it, because Myotismon was heading straight towards her to finish his job. But, at least her mother was safe- for now, anyways.
"Stupid child!" Myotismon roared. "Your death is inevitable, and nothing can stop it." He bent down to pick her up, but just as his hand touched the collar of her shirt, a bright red light came beaming from her chest. The digimon reared back and covered his eyes, screaming in pain. "WHAT IS THAT LIGHT?! DAMN YOU, CHOSEN CHILD!"
And suddenly, Sora didn't feel injured anymore. She looked down and saw the outline of her crest through her shirt- it was bright, and it was the source of the light that had scared Myotismon off. She knew instantly that this chance was one in a million- she'd never have time as perfect as this to escape. Quickly, the redhead turned to her mother.
"Sora, go!" She called out, still on the ground. She tried to get up, but appeared to be unable to. Myotismon had injured her in their short fight.
"Mom, no! Not without you!" Sora called back, lines of worry forming on her forehead.
The woman grunted. "Sora, I can't move! Go! I'll be fine! The world needs you! Don't let my efforts go to waste!"
Sora stared at the older woman, mouth agape, tears now trickling down her cheeks and dripping off her chin. Myotismon was beginning to recover now, and it would only be a matter of time before he was on them again.
Mrs. Takenouchi was beginning to look angry. "Go!"
With one last sob, and one last helpless glance at her mother, Sora turned around and ran. She could hear her mother calling after her, telling her to run faster, but as she got further and further from the chamber, her voice became quieter until it didn't exist anymore. The redhead breathed heavily as she willed her legs to carry her faster. She couldn't even look over her shoulder to see if she was being followed- it would slow her down. The only reason she knew Myotismon was now on the chase was because of the loud roar that echoed through the stone hall. Her crest light was dimming, and so was her opportunity to get out of the castle. The vampire was gaining on her. She could hear his fast-paced footsteps.
But where could she go? Where was the exit? All Sora was doing was guessing as she made turn after turn, choosing left over right, or right over left. Were there no windows? No doors? Sora decided to try her luck by going into a room. She stopped outside of a large wooden door and pulled it open, hoping no henchmen would be waiting for her there. Thankfully it was empty, so she dashed inside and closed the door behind her. And then her eyes lit up- a window! There was a small window on the far wall! Sora ran over to it and looked out, the light in her eyes instantly fading. She was a good way up from the ground. The girl guessed she was about two stories up or so, if she used her old apartment building as a reference. But Myotismon was closing in on her, she could hear his voice as he shouted at her to reveal herself. He was nearing her, and she could either die once he found her, or she could try her chances jumping out the window. At least if she jumped, there was some form of hope.
Using her elbow, Sora smashed the glass and climbed up onto the window sill. She could duck through the opening if she crouched. The redhead took one last look behind her, staring just long enough to see the doorknob of the wooden door turn before she jumped.
And she was falling. Sora was only in the air for a second or two, not long enough to form a complete thought before she hit the ground and a searing pain shot up her leg. Instantly, she realized she'd rolled her ankle, but she was alive! At least, she was alive for now. She'd have time to celebrate once she got off of Myotismon's island.
Sora got to her knees and looked around. She was surrounded by water, but the shore of the main city wasn't too far away. The redhead stood, and bearing the pain of putting weight on her ankle, ran as fast as she could towards the shore. With moments to spare, she dove in and started kicking as hard as she could underwater. Did she dare put her head above the surface? Myotismon could be flying right above her, waiting for her to show herself so he could strike. She'd need air eventually, but she was so close to the other side, she could feel it, even if the sensations she felt through her physical form were slowly starting to fade away.
Taichi painfully tried to keep the conversation going. There was really nothing to talk about. Kaori was a stranger to him, but he felt the need to keep her there. She was his only connection to one of his old friends. It was like a direct port to Koushirou. It was just, well, the silence was killing him.
"Oh, let me get that for you." Taichi said, happy to be able to speak up once the woman finished drinking and put her cup down. He quickly snatched it up and walked it over to the sink, taking his time while cleaning it. After he made sure each drop of water was cleared from it, he went and sat back down, hoping she'd thought of something to talk about while he was up. Apparently, she had.
"Can I ask you something?" She spoke quietly, her eyes locked on his like she was trying to read a reaction he wouldn't show.
"Er, sure." Taichi replied, the tone of her voice making him anxious to hear what she wanted to know.
"If you're a chosen child, where's your digimon?"
Taichi hesitated. He hadn't expected that. "I, er.." He fumbled with his words, half of him not wanting to recall what happened, the other half happy that someone had cared enough to ask. "I.. I don't know, really."
And all the familiar feelings came back. All the loneliness Taichi had learned to repress over the years came swirling back into his stomach, weighing him down like an anchor at the bottom of the ocean.
"Sorry." Kaori said abruptly, blushing a bit. Had she been embarrassed for asking? "It's just.. Koushirou still has his digimon- or at least he did the last time I saw him- and he's been a big help. I was wondering if you and your partner had been up to anything. You know, trying to fight back.."
Taichi leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and letting his hands dangle between them. "Well," he began, "Fighting back had been the plan. Six years ago, a few weeks after Myotismon first... defeated us..." he said those words with such distaste, "we were trying to hatch a plan. We needed help."
"What happened to it?" The woman leaned forward as well, intrigued.
"Well obviously we couldn't go through with it." Taichi looked up at her, a certain sadness in his eyes. They were empty and nostalgic at the same time. "My partner, er, his name... his name was Agumon... he went into the digiworld, the world Myotismon came from, in order to get help." The boy paused. He didn't realize how long it'd been since he'd spoken his partner's name out loud. It didn't sound real, as if the tiny dinosaur had never existed. "But before he could get back, Myotismon blocked off all the ports between his world and our world. I haven't seen him since."
Both Kaori and Taichi remained silent after that. The air around them became heavy and tense, and Koushirou's cousin shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She wanted to say she was sorry, but would her apology mean anything? No. It couldn't fix his sadness. Kaori had heard a lot about Taichi from her cousin, but the boy who was sitting in front of her now seemed to only be a shell of the boy from the stories she'd heard. He'd been living in this terrible sorrow for the past six years, so no, she wouldn't say anything. Her apology would be unhelpful, and most likely unwanted.
The silence was getting painful again, though. Both of them were searching their minds for something to say, but it was hard for either of them to focus. Taichi could only think of his partner, and Kaori could only think of futile ways to try and cheer him up. So the silence went on, until-
"CAW!"
Taichi instantly lifted his head up. "What the hell was that?" He'd heard that sound earlier that night, but he hadn't paid much mind to it until now.
A confused look from Kaori let him know that she had no idea, so both of them jumped up and ran towards the tiny window. Their eyes searched the city, but they couldn't see anything. It was only when Taichi noticed a familiar figure in the distant sky that he began to feel nervous.
"Is that..?" He started quietly, unable and unwilling to finish his question. He squinted his eyes, trying to focus on the distant bird. It was flying closer, getting bigger and more distinct. It was familiar and different at the same time. It was a digimon with bright, possessed eyes. After a few more seconds, Taichi recognized the figure as Birdramon- Sora's digimon.
And his hands tightly gripped the windowsill, but the rest of his body felt weak. His knees shook and his mouth fell open. Time slowed down as he watched Birdramon fly around, obviously searching for someone. Her red eyes scanned the streets, but behind them Taichi could tell she was struggling.
"Do you... do you know that digimon?" Kaori asked, her eyes still locked on it.
Taichi didn't move. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. The last time he'd seen Birdramon, he was fighting beside Sora six years ago. Now she was flying around the sky, her physical form under Myotismon's control, but her mind screaming and crying for help. The sight disturbed him until he finally had to look away, the self-hate building up inside of him once again because he was powerless to help her.
"I used to." Taichi said, his voice shaking as it left his quivering lips. "That's not the digimon I used to fight with."
"Who's is it?" Kaori asked, still staring at the creature, oblivious to Taichi's struggle.
He didn't answer. He turned around so he could lean up against the windowsill without having to look at the digimon, although her calls still rang through his ears like nails on a chalkboard. Taichi didn't want to think about how Birdramon might have ended up in Myotismon's hands, but he didn't need to in order to assume the worst. He'd been good at that lately. But what could he do? Even if one of his... his best friends was in trouble, how could he help? He was useless, especially without Agumon. There was no way he could win, as angry as he was. Myotismon had now taken too many people that Taichi cared about.
"Caw!"
The boy closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the glass. He needed to stop thinking- anger was a dangerous thing. Trying to control his pounding heartbeat, he breathed steadily in and out.
"Caw!"
Sora was alright. Birdramon would be alright. Someone would think of something to do, someone with a digimon.
"Caw!"
Sora was alright. Sora was alright. Sora was alright.
"Caw!"
"DAMMIT!"
Kaori, startled, turned around just in time to see the boy form a fist, and with his head still leaned up against the window, he lifted it up and slammed it back into the wall. "Dammit, Sora!"
Thanks so much for reading the chapter! To everyone who reviewed the last one, thank you! It was really encouraging to hear what you guys thought. If I couldn't PM you back for some reason, please know that I really appreciate any and all feedback that you offered. As always, please let me know what you think as you continue to read.
-surflilu
