September 12
Hope's Blade
By Vanilla
Edited by Crash
Author's Notes:
Hey everyone. I hope you liked my chapter five part B. I just wanted to warn you that, after this chapter, I probably won't be updating a whole lot. You see, here's the problem: My friend and I planned this out a year ago. We kind of stopped the story at chapter six, which is this chapter. So she and I have to get together again and figure out what was supposed to happen and when. Not only that, but we have school. And, I'm debating whether or not to just leave things here and make a 'Hope's Blade Part II'. I would really like to have your opinions on this, because this is a huge decision. Please help me out on this. Also, I'm really, really sorry I took so long getting this out. Please accept my apology...
Disclaimer:
No, I'm not doing that stupid 'roses are red' thing anymore. That got annoying after awhile. So, here's the disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Never have, never will. This story was my idea, so if you steal it, I'll sick WereGarurumon on you.
Reviews:
Chillin Dragon: I know I am cruel. I'm still deciding how to write chapter seven. I don't even have it started yet, so be patient.
Faithful Angel: Thank you so much! That was so kind of you to review. I hope you stick with it!
CRaZiE MiA: Thanks a lot! I will.
Well, on with the story then! (Sorry if I left anyone out)
Hope's Blade
Chapter Seven
'A Voice in the Shadows'
Takeru groaned, opening his eyes to greet the darkness of the dungeon. The prison was small, and smelled quite musty. There were no rays of sunshine to brighten the room, nor were there any other humans. The only connection to the outside world was a small flap in the wooden door which allowed small amounts of food and drink to be pushed in every so often.
The young blonde tried to support his own weight, but failed, hanging limp. The web of heavy chains restricted him from almost all movement, shackling his wrists, ankles, and waist to the uncomfortably rough stone wall.
Footsteps. He was amazed to find that his sense of hearing had remained sharp, if not grown sharper in the sudden quietness he had been thrown into, while his other senses had become dull. The footsteps grew clearer, seeming to ring throughout the hallway, until they stopped just outside the massive door.
'Must be the prison guard,' Takeru thought, a light haze surrounding his brain, manipulating his thoughts until they were made into a mass of twisted words that even he couldn't comprehend.
Just as the rusty knob turned on the door of his cell, his weakness caught him, and Takeru closed his eyes and sank into the black abyss of prolonged sleep.
The particularly round guard walked in, gazing around the confinement.
Shrugging, he muttered, "Damn. Thought the scum was conscious."
With that, he walked away, locking the door and muttering to himself, his numerous keys jangling merrily against his porkey thigh.
***************
Princess Hikari ran down the long hallway leading to the dungeons, her long, silky skirts billowing behind her, adding a surreal quality to her already angelic features. Tears streamed down her rosy cheeks, no matter how much she willed them to stop. She could barely remember what had happened since Takeru had been sentenced to death by her future husband; it all seemed like such a blur.
She did remember her flight to her private room in dispair. She had flung herself on her bed and mourned her savior's death. That is, until she realized that she could stop it. Then she went on a mission to find the laziest, most dilapidated guard there was. When she had found him, she had persuaded him to lend her his ring of keys. She had told him she had business with one of the prisoners and he had eagerly handed the set of keys over.
That is how she ended up running down the carpeted passage. She knew she had a matter of minutes before the first rays of the sun's light shone.
She must find Takeru, no matter what the cost. She must not let her true love die.
***************
Yamato ground his teeth in worry. Takeru had been caught with Princess Hikari by Daisuke, the princess's betrothed.
'I must go rescue him. He is important to the Rebellion, and... to me,' Yamato thought, the note that had told him about Takeru's capture between his teeth. He put his coat on in a heated rush and went off to the Kamiya Castle to save a man whom he loved like a brother.
***************
Dawn was slowly approaching, and Daisuke's face wore nothing but a look of utter triumph. He had finally defeated the scum who dared smile at his fiancé. A man who humiliated him in front of most of the towns people. He would finally get the revenge he had painstakingly planned for months.
(AN: Yes, all this takes place within months, not weeks or days... Sorry I forgot to put that in there...)
The first rays of sunlight touched the lush hills of the valley and Daisuke sent for the executioner.
Daisuke smiled in satisfaction and took a deep breath of the fresh morning air. "Ah, dawn."
***************
Hikari fought to slow down her quickened pulse and wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her gown. She paced herself and brushed back loose strands of hair, hiding anything that might have suggested that she'd been in a hurry to get here.
Rounding the corner, she smiled prettily at the guard, who bowed and waved her through the doorway that lead to the lower dungeons.
After she was sure she was out of eye sight, she ran down the roughly cut stone stairs and turned into a long, narrow passageway that housed the cells with the prisoners in them who were sentenced to death.
She looked around for a torch, or something she could use as a light and continued on her way, aware that dawn was approaching and that her time was very limited.
Struggling to find the proper hall, she became flustered and scared. What if she didn't make it in time?
But just as she rounded yet another corridor, she saw a lone figure standing in front of a prison cell. Curiosity winning over tentativeness, she padded down the hall and approached the person, who happened to be male and have blonde hair, resembling that of her love, Takeru. She hovered behind him for a while, unnoticed, watching as he kept trying pick the lock with a hair pin.
Smothering her laughter, she taped his shoulder and held out the keys. The man smiled at her and took them, then did a double take.
"Princess!"
"Those could help a bit."
"But, I don't understand, M'lady."
"You know perfectly well what I am implying. And I suggest you get it done before the guards come to take him away," Hikari replied, nodding to the massive door.
"But, why help him? You know his past as well as I, M'lady."
"Yes, it is true. I know much about this young man. Let's just say that he did me a favor once, and I am just repaying my debt."
Yamato smiled at her for the briefest of moments and went back to unlocking Takeru's cell. Hearing the heavy-sounding click of the ancient lock, Yamato opened the door to find Takeru unconscious and limp, held up only by the rusty shackles that chaffed his wrists and ankles and made him bleed.
Hikari smiled sadly Takeru and left, leaving a very confused Yamato behind.
Recovering from his astonishment, he turned back to his wounded friend and entered the jail cell. Hefting one of the chains, he measured it's weight against his own strength. He knew that he must act quickly if he was to get both of them out of the castle alive. He banged the chain against the wall and the echo woke Takeru, drowsy from his long hours of sleep.
"Yamato? What's going on?" Takeru muttered weakly, straining to raise his head to greet his savior.
"Shhh. I'm getting you out of here. You don't belong here," Yamato whispered, grabbing the key ring with shaky hands.
Takeru groaned as Yamato freed his bleeding wrists from their confines, then his stomach, then ankles. Because the chains had been Takeru's strength, he failed to support himself and fell.
Yamato steadied him and helped Takeru hobble along the passage to his freedom.
"Come on Takeru. Let's go home," Yamato muttered, looking down on the limping Takeru with a sense of pride. Together, the two men went forward, into the rising sun.
***************
Daisuke roared with anger. "What do you mean he got away?!"
The guard who was on duty when Takeru had escaped cowered from the enraged future ruler. "I-I am so sorry, lord. Please forgive me--"
There was a knock on the enormous door and someone entered.
"My lord," the man bowed deeply. "I have just seen Lady Hikari's personal maiden follow someone out of the castle. I thought you ought to know, sir."
"Hmmm, I see. Now, what did this person look like," Daisuke thought to ask. Perhaps he or she was a tradesman or a kitchen maid.
"Two men with blonde hair, sir. One was limping. Bleeding all over the ground, sir."
"And the other one?" Daisuke asked with clenched fists.
"The other one sir? The other man looked remarkably alike to the first man, sir. No difference between them, sir. Except the second man was taller than the first."
Daisuke smiled. Perfect. "Right. I must follow. Fetch me my coat, Armund. I shall pursue the scoundrels on foot."
"Yes sir, right away."
***************
The princess sighed softly, content with the fact that she had saved someone's life. But this man was not just anyone. He was the man who had captured her heart. She didn't like to use this line, and didn't very often. But, no matter how corny it sounded, it was true.
When she had walked back to her room, she was the picture of calm. But on the inside, she was a raging inferno of emotions, ready to explode at any given time. Her heart had raced and her face had become flushed, but she had fought it. She had acted like any normal princess would, smiling and nodding courteously at everyone she passed.
That was when she had met Miyako just outside her private room. And then Hikari had gotten a brilliant idea. "Miyako?"
"Yes, princess?"
"I just saw two young blonde men leaving the castle. Would you do me a favor and follow them until they arrive home, and then report back to me? I desperately want to know where these men live," Hikari said, smiling.
Miyako smiled. "Is one of those men the one who saved you?"
Hikari's graceful smile had widened. She had told Miyako everything that had happened after she had escaped Daisuke. She even told the maiden about the first night she had met Takeru.
"Yes, it is indeed. His name is Takeru. He is slightly injured and the shorter one of the two," Hikari had said, becoming serious. Hopefully, this will help Miyako in her search.
"I will find them, M'lady."
Hikari had sighed and watched as her friend and personal maid walked out of the room, a wide smile plastered on her face.
Now, as Hikari thought over what she had told Miyako to do, she realized that it was very dangerous. Miyako could have been spotted by one of the royal lookouts, spotted by Takeru, even spotted by Daisuke himself, which would make for the worst situation.
Gasping, Hikari knelt and prayed to the gods above to help Miyako get to her destination safely. Hikari loved Miyako dearly, like a sister. The two where very close and shared nearly every secret with each other. She didn't know what she would do if she were to lose Miyako...
***************
Sighing happily, watching blue birds chase each other around trees, Miyako caught a bit of a conversation. Shaking herself, she followed the voices and came upon a path in the woods, where two blonde men were walking, one limping.
'Lady Hikari was correct,' she thought, following loosely behind them, staying hidden within the trees. She strained to catch snippets of their conversation, and didn't have to strain very hard.
"You okay, Takeru?" the taller one asked.
"I don't know," the shorter one, he must be the youngest one, answered.
They were silent for a while, and only Takeru's grunts of effort were heard.
They were coming out of the forest, and Miyako panicked. So far, the trees had been her refuge. Now she must think hard.
'What must I hide behind now?'
***************
Takeru groaned from the effort of walking, but he was getting better at it. He looked up at an older version of himself and wondered if they might not actually be brothers.
Mentally shaking his head, he continued until they reached the edge of the forest.
"Yamato, I need to stop for a second. Just for a second," Takeru said, plopping on a rock, trying to calm his pulse.
Yamato sighed. 'Is he ever going to heal?' Then he caught himself, 'Yes, he is. He's strong. He will heal. It will just take time.'
Before he knew it, Takeru was ready to go. Yamato wrapped an arm around Takeru's waist and grasped his friend's hand to help steady him as they continued.
Takeru looked up after a few minutes of traveling in this manner, and nearly leapt for joy. 'Home!'
"Yamato, we're here. Home," Takeru whispered, barely able to contain his excitement.
Yamato chuckled. "Yes, home. Now come on."
Yamato helped Takeru limp over to the door and go in, and Miyako crept closer to the apartment-sized building.
Smiling brightly and leaning against a tree, she studied her surroundings carefully, noting every little detail, remembering every backroad, "M'lady will be proud."
To her great surprise, a voice emanating for the shadows near the tree whispered, "I am proud of you too."
Miyako whirled around, coming face to face with whatever was in the shadows, and screamed.
Author's Notes:
Ooooh, cliffhanger! I've always tried and failed to do one of these in a story I was writing, and I think I finally succeeded. Now, remember what I said before? I need your vote on some issues dealing with this story. Please, in your reviews, could you tell me whether or not you'd like to split this up and make a Hope's Blade Part II, or keep going with this. Also, keep in mind that it will be awhile before I can get the next chapter up, because I've got school and marching band..... Sorry again for the delay in posting this chapter. That was entirely my fault, but since we are out of school for a four-day weekend, I'm working as hard as I can to get everything caught up. Anyway, ja ne!
Hope's Blade
By Vanilla
Edited by Crash
Author's Notes:
Hey everyone. I hope you liked my chapter five part B. I just wanted to warn you that, after this chapter, I probably won't be updating a whole lot. You see, here's the problem: My friend and I planned this out a year ago. We kind of stopped the story at chapter six, which is this chapter. So she and I have to get together again and figure out what was supposed to happen and when. Not only that, but we have school. And, I'm debating whether or not to just leave things here and make a 'Hope's Blade Part II'. I would really like to have your opinions on this, because this is a huge decision. Please help me out on this. Also, I'm really, really sorry I took so long getting this out. Please accept my apology...
Disclaimer:
No, I'm not doing that stupid 'roses are red' thing anymore. That got annoying after awhile. So, here's the disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Never have, never will. This story was my idea, so if you steal it, I'll sick WereGarurumon on you.
Reviews:
Chillin Dragon: I know I am cruel. I'm still deciding how to write chapter seven. I don't even have it started yet, so be patient.
Faithful Angel: Thank you so much! That was so kind of you to review. I hope you stick with it!
CRaZiE MiA: Thanks a lot! I will.
Well, on with the story then! (Sorry if I left anyone out)
Hope's Blade
Chapter Seven
'A Voice in the Shadows'
Takeru groaned, opening his eyes to greet the darkness of the dungeon. The prison was small, and smelled quite musty. There were no rays of sunshine to brighten the room, nor were there any other humans. The only connection to the outside world was a small flap in the wooden door which allowed small amounts of food and drink to be pushed in every so often.
The young blonde tried to support his own weight, but failed, hanging limp. The web of heavy chains restricted him from almost all movement, shackling his wrists, ankles, and waist to the uncomfortably rough stone wall.
Footsteps. He was amazed to find that his sense of hearing had remained sharp, if not grown sharper in the sudden quietness he had been thrown into, while his other senses had become dull. The footsteps grew clearer, seeming to ring throughout the hallway, until they stopped just outside the massive door.
'Must be the prison guard,' Takeru thought, a light haze surrounding his brain, manipulating his thoughts until they were made into a mass of twisted words that even he couldn't comprehend.
Just as the rusty knob turned on the door of his cell, his weakness caught him, and Takeru closed his eyes and sank into the black abyss of prolonged sleep.
The particularly round guard walked in, gazing around the confinement.
Shrugging, he muttered, "Damn. Thought the scum was conscious."
With that, he walked away, locking the door and muttering to himself, his numerous keys jangling merrily against his porkey thigh.
***************
Princess Hikari ran down the long hallway leading to the dungeons, her long, silky skirts billowing behind her, adding a surreal quality to her already angelic features. Tears streamed down her rosy cheeks, no matter how much she willed them to stop. She could barely remember what had happened since Takeru had been sentenced to death by her future husband; it all seemed like such a blur.
She did remember her flight to her private room in dispair. She had flung herself on her bed and mourned her savior's death. That is, until she realized that she could stop it. Then she went on a mission to find the laziest, most dilapidated guard there was. When she had found him, she had persuaded him to lend her his ring of keys. She had told him she had business with one of the prisoners and he had eagerly handed the set of keys over.
That is how she ended up running down the carpeted passage. She knew she had a matter of minutes before the first rays of the sun's light shone.
She must find Takeru, no matter what the cost. She must not let her true love die.
***************
Yamato ground his teeth in worry. Takeru had been caught with Princess Hikari by Daisuke, the princess's betrothed.
'I must go rescue him. He is important to the Rebellion, and... to me,' Yamato thought, the note that had told him about Takeru's capture between his teeth. He put his coat on in a heated rush and went off to the Kamiya Castle to save a man whom he loved like a brother.
***************
Dawn was slowly approaching, and Daisuke's face wore nothing but a look of utter triumph. He had finally defeated the scum who dared smile at his fiancé. A man who humiliated him in front of most of the towns people. He would finally get the revenge he had painstakingly planned for months.
(AN: Yes, all this takes place within months, not weeks or days... Sorry I forgot to put that in there...)
The first rays of sunlight touched the lush hills of the valley and Daisuke sent for the executioner.
Daisuke smiled in satisfaction and took a deep breath of the fresh morning air. "Ah, dawn."
***************
Hikari fought to slow down her quickened pulse and wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her gown. She paced herself and brushed back loose strands of hair, hiding anything that might have suggested that she'd been in a hurry to get here.
Rounding the corner, she smiled prettily at the guard, who bowed and waved her through the doorway that lead to the lower dungeons.
After she was sure she was out of eye sight, she ran down the roughly cut stone stairs and turned into a long, narrow passageway that housed the cells with the prisoners in them who were sentenced to death.
She looked around for a torch, or something she could use as a light and continued on her way, aware that dawn was approaching and that her time was very limited.
Struggling to find the proper hall, she became flustered and scared. What if she didn't make it in time?
But just as she rounded yet another corridor, she saw a lone figure standing in front of a prison cell. Curiosity winning over tentativeness, she padded down the hall and approached the person, who happened to be male and have blonde hair, resembling that of her love, Takeru. She hovered behind him for a while, unnoticed, watching as he kept trying pick the lock with a hair pin.
Smothering her laughter, she taped his shoulder and held out the keys. The man smiled at her and took them, then did a double take.
"Princess!"
"Those could help a bit."
"But, I don't understand, M'lady."
"You know perfectly well what I am implying. And I suggest you get it done before the guards come to take him away," Hikari replied, nodding to the massive door.
"But, why help him? You know his past as well as I, M'lady."
"Yes, it is true. I know much about this young man. Let's just say that he did me a favor once, and I am just repaying my debt."
Yamato smiled at her for the briefest of moments and went back to unlocking Takeru's cell. Hearing the heavy-sounding click of the ancient lock, Yamato opened the door to find Takeru unconscious and limp, held up only by the rusty shackles that chaffed his wrists and ankles and made him bleed.
Hikari smiled sadly Takeru and left, leaving a very confused Yamato behind.
Recovering from his astonishment, he turned back to his wounded friend and entered the jail cell. Hefting one of the chains, he measured it's weight against his own strength. He knew that he must act quickly if he was to get both of them out of the castle alive. He banged the chain against the wall and the echo woke Takeru, drowsy from his long hours of sleep.
"Yamato? What's going on?" Takeru muttered weakly, straining to raise his head to greet his savior.
"Shhh. I'm getting you out of here. You don't belong here," Yamato whispered, grabbing the key ring with shaky hands.
Takeru groaned as Yamato freed his bleeding wrists from their confines, then his stomach, then ankles. Because the chains had been Takeru's strength, he failed to support himself and fell.
Yamato steadied him and helped Takeru hobble along the passage to his freedom.
"Come on Takeru. Let's go home," Yamato muttered, looking down on the limping Takeru with a sense of pride. Together, the two men went forward, into the rising sun.
***************
Daisuke roared with anger. "What do you mean he got away?!"
The guard who was on duty when Takeru had escaped cowered from the enraged future ruler. "I-I am so sorry, lord. Please forgive me--"
There was a knock on the enormous door and someone entered.
"My lord," the man bowed deeply. "I have just seen Lady Hikari's personal maiden follow someone out of the castle. I thought you ought to know, sir."
"Hmmm, I see. Now, what did this person look like," Daisuke thought to ask. Perhaps he or she was a tradesman or a kitchen maid.
"Two men with blonde hair, sir. One was limping. Bleeding all over the ground, sir."
"And the other one?" Daisuke asked with clenched fists.
"The other one sir? The other man looked remarkably alike to the first man, sir. No difference between them, sir. Except the second man was taller than the first."
Daisuke smiled. Perfect. "Right. I must follow. Fetch me my coat, Armund. I shall pursue the scoundrels on foot."
"Yes sir, right away."
***************
The princess sighed softly, content with the fact that she had saved someone's life. But this man was not just anyone. He was the man who had captured her heart. She didn't like to use this line, and didn't very often. But, no matter how corny it sounded, it was true.
When she had walked back to her room, she was the picture of calm. But on the inside, she was a raging inferno of emotions, ready to explode at any given time. Her heart had raced and her face had become flushed, but she had fought it. She had acted like any normal princess would, smiling and nodding courteously at everyone she passed.
That was when she had met Miyako just outside her private room. And then Hikari had gotten a brilliant idea. "Miyako?"
"Yes, princess?"
"I just saw two young blonde men leaving the castle. Would you do me a favor and follow them until they arrive home, and then report back to me? I desperately want to know where these men live," Hikari said, smiling.
Miyako smiled. "Is one of those men the one who saved you?"
Hikari's graceful smile had widened. She had told Miyako everything that had happened after she had escaped Daisuke. She even told the maiden about the first night she had met Takeru.
"Yes, it is indeed. His name is Takeru. He is slightly injured and the shorter one of the two," Hikari had said, becoming serious. Hopefully, this will help Miyako in her search.
"I will find them, M'lady."
Hikari had sighed and watched as her friend and personal maid walked out of the room, a wide smile plastered on her face.
Now, as Hikari thought over what she had told Miyako to do, she realized that it was very dangerous. Miyako could have been spotted by one of the royal lookouts, spotted by Takeru, even spotted by Daisuke himself, which would make for the worst situation.
Gasping, Hikari knelt and prayed to the gods above to help Miyako get to her destination safely. Hikari loved Miyako dearly, like a sister. The two where very close and shared nearly every secret with each other. She didn't know what she would do if she were to lose Miyako...
***************
Sighing happily, watching blue birds chase each other around trees, Miyako caught a bit of a conversation. Shaking herself, she followed the voices and came upon a path in the woods, where two blonde men were walking, one limping.
'Lady Hikari was correct,' she thought, following loosely behind them, staying hidden within the trees. She strained to catch snippets of their conversation, and didn't have to strain very hard.
"You okay, Takeru?" the taller one asked.
"I don't know," the shorter one, he must be the youngest one, answered.
They were silent for a while, and only Takeru's grunts of effort were heard.
They were coming out of the forest, and Miyako panicked. So far, the trees had been her refuge. Now she must think hard.
'What must I hide behind now?'
***************
Takeru groaned from the effort of walking, but he was getting better at it. He looked up at an older version of himself and wondered if they might not actually be brothers.
Mentally shaking his head, he continued until they reached the edge of the forest.
"Yamato, I need to stop for a second. Just for a second," Takeru said, plopping on a rock, trying to calm his pulse.
Yamato sighed. 'Is he ever going to heal?' Then he caught himself, 'Yes, he is. He's strong. He will heal. It will just take time.'
Before he knew it, Takeru was ready to go. Yamato wrapped an arm around Takeru's waist and grasped his friend's hand to help steady him as they continued.
Takeru looked up after a few minutes of traveling in this manner, and nearly leapt for joy. 'Home!'
"Yamato, we're here. Home," Takeru whispered, barely able to contain his excitement.
Yamato chuckled. "Yes, home. Now come on."
Yamato helped Takeru limp over to the door and go in, and Miyako crept closer to the apartment-sized building.
Smiling brightly and leaning against a tree, she studied her surroundings carefully, noting every little detail, remembering every backroad, "M'lady will be proud."
To her great surprise, a voice emanating for the shadows near the tree whispered, "I am proud of you too."
Miyako whirled around, coming face to face with whatever was in the shadows, and screamed.
Author's Notes:
Ooooh, cliffhanger! I've always tried and failed to do one of these in a story I was writing, and I think I finally succeeded. Now, remember what I said before? I need your vote on some issues dealing with this story. Please, in your reviews, could you tell me whether or not you'd like to split this up and make a Hope's Blade Part II, or keep going with this. Also, keep in mind that it will be awhile before I can get the next chapter up, because I've got school and marching band..... Sorry again for the delay in posting this chapter. That was entirely my fault, but since we are out of school for a four-day weekend, I'm working as hard as I can to get everything caught up. Anyway, ja ne!