Chapter 9:
Neither Light or Darkness
"HOW COULD YOU?!" a woman's voice shrieked throughout the apartment building. "HOW COULD YOU JUST WATCH HIM DIE WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING?"
The young girl being berated by the woman could only stare at the ground in front of her. She didn't have the strength to look into the woman's tear stained eyes. She could only bite into her bottom lip, to try and keep her own tears from falling as well.
"He promised me that he'd be alright…" The woman sobbed into her hands. "That all of you would look after each other… But now he's gone… forever." The woman fell to her knees.
The girl couldn't help but stare at the mother that had fallen into view. She couldn't keep biting her lip any longer, and it wasn't just because she started to taste iron. She swallowed the metallic tasting fluid and gathered her courage. She reached her hand out to the distraught mother before her.
The girl was just about to touch the mother before the woman's lips released a whisper, "and it's all your fault…" The girl's hand froze like ice. The mother kept sobbing those same words, "it's all your fault." They grew louder with each completion. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"
Each word echoed throughout the girl's body. Each one struck through the girl's heart.
Each word would flash with a scene from that horrible night. She grabbed her head in agony, but the echo continued. She closed her eyes but the images still flashed. She yelled out, but her voice wouldn't come.
The girl finally tried opening her eyes again, only to finder her sight leveled with the yelling woman. Had she too, collapsed in despair? No… Unlike the sobbing mother, she was sinking into the floor as if it was quicksand. Even if she didn't have her voice, she couldn't help but try to yell.
"I'm sorry," was the only thing that would could be mouthed the voiceless girl's lips. She repeated it again, and again, as she sunk deeper and deeper. She was quickly swallowed up by the ground beneath; still apologizing.
Even in darkness, the girl kept shouting out her apology. She only stopped when she felt something brush against her face. Her eyes snapped open. She was no longer outside but in her familiar bedroom. It took her only another second to notice that the only woman calling out to her was her own mother. She slowly sat up and tried to gather herself.
"Hikari, are you alright?" The girl's mother asked. "You were yelling out in your sleep. You're even crying. Poor thing, you must have been having a terrible nightmare."
Hikari blankly looked down at her mother as the tears slowly stopped falling. Her haggard breaths were interrupted by the touch that had awoken her. She looked down to find Tailmon pressed against her. Her partner held the same look of worry as her mother.
Hikari wanted to tell the both of them that she would be alright, but just like in her dream, her words wouldn't come. Only a strained sound could be released from her throat.
"You might have strained your voice from yelling in your sleep. I'll go get you something to drink. Tailmon, keep looking after Hikari and make sure that she doesn't go back to sleep yet." With that, The girl's mother left the room.
Hikari looked down at her partner with tired eyes. She was still a bit sleepy but she didn't plan on going back to her dreams. She lazily stroked the cat like digimon in her lap, while her mind raced. She couldn't help but remember her horrible nightmare.
Her dream was completely different from what had actually happened at that apartment building. She had gone to Yamato's mother just the other day to pick up the addresses of the children that had been kidnapped. She had gone by herself, while the others went to get information on the kidnapper, Oikawa.
The brunette had expected not to be welcomed by the woman, but she was greeted kindly. She was even invited in to talk for a bit, over some tea. Ms. Takaishi asked how the other children were holding up with the bad news. The girl told her how the older children blamed themselves for what had happened to her son.
Back then, Hikari couldn't even bring the cup to her mouth. She was doing her best to avoid eye contact. She could empathize with the older chosen. She felt that if she had done more, things wouldn't have ended up as they had.
Ms. Takaishi had even asked about the information that Ken had told everyone the night of the incident. The boy had told them of what was whispered to him. All he could tell them was that everything would be okay and not to give up on hope.
Each of the children took the news with their own amounts of salt. Most took to the news well, while a few stayed skeptical. Ms. Takaishi had told her that she would do as told, and not give up on her son.
Hikari didn't have the same conviction. During their fight with Daemon, she had lost that original connection she had felt from the boy just earlier that day. She knew that the two of them didn't share some silly telepathic bond. She was only feeling the different digital souls that resided inside of his body. She was worried when that feeling vanished along with the second pillar of light but then he showed up in front of her and everyone else.
When everyone had thought he had died the first time, it was those feelings that kept her composed, even if she didn't like what they could mean for the boy in the long run. But the second time…
With him, and that feeling gone, she couldn't completely believe that he was alright. A small part her did. A large part wanted to believe completely. However most of all, she just couldn't shake off the fear of losing her friend forever.
Hikari shook her own worries aside and remembered the other reason she had made her visit. She had wanted to give Angemon's bracelet to Ms. Takaishi. She didn't think it was fair for her to hold onto the last thing the boy had left behind.
Ms. Takaishi on the other hand, had refused the item. She had told Hikari that her son had given it to the girl for a reason. If her son had wanted herself to have it, he would have said so. She had told Hikari to make sure to give it back to him while giving the girl the same light smile that her son occasionally wore.
Hikari was overwhelmed by the woman's kindness and silently cried. Even after the night she had gotten the bracelet, this was the first time she had wept for the boy. She couldn't help but quietly mumble, "sorry," into her cup. For better or worse, she was finally able to let all of her feelings out.
Hikari snapped back into the present as soon as her mother held up a cup of tea for her.
"The caffeine should wake you up and put a bit of pep in your step." Her mother smiled at her.
Hikari gave her mother a small smile as she took the cup. She slowly sipped at the warm beverage. She let the aroma flow through her nose and spread to the rest of her body before she swallowed her first sip.
"Thanks, mom," Hikari took another sip.
"No problem, sweetie." Her mother started making her way to the door, "I can't do a lot for all of you kids like the other parents, but I'm all ears for your problems. Just tell me if you want to talk."
"I will," Hikari answered quietly. He mother left the room, and only her and Tailmon were left to rest.
"Are you really alright?" Tailmon prodded.
Hikari stared at her cup, "…no." She took a big gulp, "but I can't let that get in the way of stopping Oikawa."
Tailmon didn't like hearing that. "You can't just push yourself like that. You haven't been sleeping well since we fought Daemon."
"Everyone else is out there doing something. I'm not going to be the only one to sleep in on the job."
Tailmon couldn't help but hold her tongue. Hikari could be unexpectedly stubborn without others noticing. She however, could tell when Hikari was acting that way. Sometimes it brought about something good but at the same time it also worried her. "You don't have to push yourself like this."
"I'm not pushing myself," Hikari explained while getting down from her bed. She picked up her D-terminal to check the time. She then rushed out of the room and into the bathroom.
It was already past noon and she wasn't even ready for the day. She had received a handful of e-mails asking about her. The only reason they stopped was because her brother told the group to let her rest for the day.
The girl quickly got herself together and was just about to head out of her apartment before she realized she forgot something in her haste. Hikari doubled back to her room and picked up Angemon's bracelet from her desk. Because Takeru had changed it's size, she too could easily wear the golden charm around her wrist.
The brunette quickly made her way into the frosty winter air. She wasn't in any particular rush but she felt like she had to make up for lost time. Everyone's response to her brother had been accommodating and it rubbed her the wrong way. She didn't want to feel like she was letting the team down.
After walking for a while, Hikari and Tailmon decided that meeting up with Miyako would be the best choice. Her and Hawkmon were the ones to keep tabs on everyone else. The two were about to pick up their pace until they heard a familiar beep.
The girl pulled out her D-terminal to read the new message. The two of them stopped dead in their tracks as they read and reread the e-mail. BlackWarGreymon had shown up to face Oikawa. That mail was sent out to everyone but it was most likely meant for her brother and Agumon. The two then broke out into a sprint to the location given. They had no idea of why BlackWarGreymon would show back up after being defeated. They just hopped that they would get there before something bad happened.
The pair ran as fast as they could and were beginning to hear yelling. Hikari and Tailmon both looked closer ahead and could spot a dark purple aura coming from in between some buildings. They had no idea of what it could be so they deiced to cut through the area.
As they made their way trough the tight space, they could make out both Paildramon and WarGreymon. There was a light mist along the ground but they could also make out the rest of their friends. The only odd thing was that BlackWarGreymon was down on his knees. The closer the two looked, the clearer the hole in BlackWarGreymon's chest appeared. Who could have done that to a digimon as powerful him? Their eyes then shifted to the one holding the menacing purple aura, Oikawa. Had he used that aura to defeat BlackWarGreymon? What was going on?
Hikari watched as the large man started another attack. His only hindrance was a blue cross that cut through the fog and ground in front of him. Her eyes fallowed the crosses' trajectory, and she was met with a metallic, silver and blue angel.
"I must ask you to halt your attack," spoke the floating metallic angel.
"…SlashAngemon…" WarGreymon whispered. The dragon-man had thought the angel had died, but remembering deeper, that wasn't the case. SlashAngemon's data hadn't been destroyed in Paris; he faded away from the real world. "What are you doing here?"
"Ah, we meet again, digimon of courage." SlashAngemon greeted. "I was given orders to make sure that he didn't leave the area," his blade pointed at the wounded BlackWarGreymon. "Dying would be the same as leaving, would it not?"
Hikari was slightly in awe of the metallic angel. She had no idea what was going on, but it seemed like he was on their side. He didn't appear to be hostile, but why did he want BlackWarGreymon? Who was he working for?
"What do the Harmonious Ones want with BlackWarGreymon?" The orange dragon-man asked.
"Nothing," a jovial voice laughed.
Hikari instantly recognized who was speaking. The golden bracelet around her wrist started to glow and jiggle on her wrist. Her eyes were instinctively drawn to the light and movement of the trinket, that it caused her to catch a glimpse of the digital gate opening beside her.
Out of the gate walked the boy who had been missing for only a few days, yet to her, it felt as if it had been months. The air around him seemed to have changed again. The only visible change was that his cloak draped further around him. Only a single open space was left before it would fully cover him.
She watched as the boy swiftly made his way over to BlackWarGreymon. He examined the fallen dark dragon-man with only his right eye open. Hikari wondered if his left one was still broken up like it was before. He seemed to be walking on two legs but with the way his cloak hid his body along with the thickening mist, she couldn't be sure.
BlackWarGreymon was as shocked as everyone else to see the boy. What surprises would he bring this time? Not that it mattered, with his currently pitiful state.
"So it seems you're still alive, huh?" Oikawa caught everyone's attention. "I hear you go by the title, 'the prince of balance,' but 'prince of darkness,' would suite you better, wouldn't it? I assume you want to stop me as well."
The cloaked blond slightly turned his closed eye towards him with a quizzical expression. He then went back to looking over BlackWarGreymon's wound.
Oikawa glared at the boy. How could he just brush him off like some worthless piece of trash? He wasn't worthless, or weak anymore. He had shown BlackWarGreymon what happens when people underestimated him. Now it was the boy's turn.
Hikari and the digimon gasped at the dark shadow that enveloped Oikawa once again. They watched as he once again shot out dark energy. They were about to shout for the others to move but it was too late. The attack had hit it's mark. Thankfully the boy and everyone around him were unfazed.
Like Oikawa, the blond was also cloaked in a dark shadow. It was much smaller but it perfectly shielded against Oikawa's attack. However, unlike Oikawa's, his was visible to even to the chosen. They all could see a dark orange aura cling closely to his body.
"Okay," The boy spoke, "how about we patch this up, and you can tell me what's going on."
As everyone watched the boy fill in BlackWarGreymon's missing data, the children and dragon-men shared their information. The boy was filled in on the dark spored children and how Oikawa was related. In turn the children also found out about how he was still alive.
"Well it's not like that was the first time, my body was broken into data, right WarGreymon, Tailmon, Hikari?" The boy looked over the three he had just called out. "I just had to make sure to get to the dark world in time. After that, I just needed to pull myself together. Luckily while I was there, I could meet up with SlashAngemon and persuade him to work with me."
"And that's why you're here for me." BlackWarGreymon finished.
"Aren't you sharp," The blond smirked.
"Wait, why are you working together with him?" WarGreymon asked SlashAngemon. "I thought you were ordered to kill him."
The metal angel looked down to the blond boy; his eyes hidden behind his black visor. "After my defeat and banishment to the dark world, I thought long and hard about what I was truly fighting for. While I can't say that I completely disagree with my past orders, this boy was able to show me his own justice. Not just through our fight, but also through the ones who work for, and believe in him. While he may have been the one who sent me to that horribly dark place, he came back to let me free. I was free to go back to the Harmonious Ones, but I decided to see what this boy's beliefs could bring about."
So that's why those two Tailmon sisters went to the dark world. They were looking for SlashAngemon. WarGreymon wondered how far ahead the boy was planing things out. He couldn't have known about SlashAngemon coming to attack him back in Paris, could he?
"So…" the boy regained the black dragon-man's attention, "will you fallow me? I can't promise you a lot of fighting, but there's going to at least be one that goes beyond your imagination."
BlackWarGreymon was still trying to comprehend all the information that had been shared. His only mission in coming here was to stop Oikawa from having his way with the digital world. He wasn't particularly interested in what the human was doing with other children. Even so, when his friends… didn't want to him to do the man any harm, he tried going about it their way. There were plenty of reasons, but it hadn't gone well. He wasn't even able to interject about the fact that Oikawa was being manipulated by something within.
"Boy," BlackWarGreymon started, "I'll work with you. The only condition is that you have to stop that man for getting into the digital world. I don't know what's controlling him, but he seems to give off the same kind of aura that you do. I think he's possessed by a dark force. I need you to remove whatever that's inside of him."
The blond gave the dark digimon an annoyed look, "I'm not possessed." He then turned and gave Oikawa a good stare down. The shadow that surrounded the man started to take a familiar shape. The more he stared the sharper his glare became. "I don't believe this," he whispered. "Fine, I'll see what I can do," frustration could be heard within his sigh. He slowly made his way to where Oikawa was standing.
Everyone had over heard the quick agreement. Only the digimon and Hikari could perceive the dark shadow that the two had spoken about, but they didn't think Oikawa was being controlled. They thought it had came from the dark flower he had absorbed.
Being late, Hikari had to put all of the pieces in place for herself. She had caught up with everything except for the possession part. She strained her eyes to see if the shadow around Oikawa would change, and it did, but not enough to make out something distinguishable. Whatever it was, it was strong enough to defeat BlackWarGreymon with his guard down. She just hoped they would be able to beat it without harming Oikawa. They still needed him to remove the dark spores.
"Humph, I hope you don't think you can beat me," Oikawa boasted. "You couldn't even defeat Daemon. You should just go back to that lonely dark world, along with him." Oikawa once again released a wave of darkness. This had been his largest attack yet.
The boy released another dull sigh, "foolishness." As the darkness came into contact, his body lit up in flames. A pillar of fire erupted into the sky and burned away any darkness that tried to hinder the boy's progress. The flames dispersed as soon as they had came, and they revealed that his cloak was now orange with a red trim. His red iris was complemented by an accompanying orange within his right eye. "I've already defeated Daemon; his power is already mine."
Oikawa was at a lost for words. The blond was soon upon him and he couldn't move. He had been frozen in place ever since the hooded boy had shown up. While the boy acted like he wasn't worth his time, he could feel himself being watched the entire time while he fixed BlackWarGreymon. His first attack had been to see if he could find a way to escape but it had clearly failed. With his last attack also having been unsuccessful, he didn't know what to do.
He never found his answer in time. Within a blink of an eye, the boy was already less than a step away, but the boy's left hand was already closer than that. He could feel intense heat burn though his thick coat. As soon as he felt the boy's fiery touch on his skin, he knew that it was already his loss.
That loss however didn't come. At least, not how Oikawa expected. The boy's hand had turned cold. His face carried a puzzled look as if he didn't know what to do next. He did however, have enough mind to keep his hold on the man's coat.
"Sorry, BlackWarGreymon," the blond yelled without looking away. He was planning to yank out a digital core, but he couldn't grab something that wasn't there. "I don't think I can destroy what's inside of him. Do you have any other requests?"
The black dragon-man was shocked. If the boy wasn't able to reach what was possessing the man, then likely no one else would be able to either. If killing Oikawa was the only way… "Take his life, boy. Whatever that is inside of him can't be allowed exist, let alone enter the digital world."
The entire area when quiet. The cloaked boy was willing to kill digimon, but he wouldn't do the same to a human, right?
"TAKERU!" Hikari had yelled out the blond's name. She didn't know what she wanted to get across to the boy, but her voice came out on it's own.
It was only for a moment but the boy did turn her way. It was slight, but she caught a glimpse of his left eye. She couldn't feel the same intent to kill form a few days ago, but something else lingered within his eye. In only a moment, the boy's hand to heated up once again, ready to pierce through Oikawa's body.
Hikari watched as Takeru leaned in, ready to give Oikawa a thrust of his flaming palm. Just as he was about to reach the climax of his motion, the blond suddenly jumped back. It seems he was quicker than her at noticing that someone else had entered the fight. That someone else, carried a sword that would have cut off the boys arm if he had kept going. She didn't know what would have happened if Takeru had been able to fallow through with his attack. Would he have really killed Oikawa? Even so, killing the man apparently wasn't worth the boy's other arm.
Hikari watched the newest participant with wonder. His hooded robe covered his face but she definitely knew who it was. What would he be able to do in this tense situation?
"What are you doing here, Gennai?" Takeru cooled down.
The digital man lowered his hood, "I'm just here to tie up some loose ends."
The blond gave Gennai a dull stare, "well if that's the case, then it seems like I'm not needed here any longer." Takeru turned around towards BlackWarGreymon, "it seems like I couldn't hold up my end of the bargain. Even if you don't come with me, I'll give you a lift back to the digital world free of charge." Takeru couldn't hide his embarrassment at all.
BlackWarGreymon didn't know what to say. The boy still left his offer open, but he himself had came here with a mission. "Can this, Gennai, handle that man?" He knew that he and the boy weren't able to answer the other children's request, but he wanted to make sure the job could be finished.
"No idea, but I know that I can't do it, so why not leave it to him. I mean, if I was able to fallow through on my attack I might have gotten to what was inside of him."
"Then why did he-"
"Because that might have also killed him? It's like his whole body is a digicore. I could try pulling it out but…" Takeru let the others figure out the meaning for themselves. "If it worked, good for him and everyone else. If not, well… I can't say I'd feel too bad over the risk. Either way, I couldn't care less whether he lives or not, it's not like he's a risk to me."
That man held a darkness that even acceded his own, but the boy wasn't worried in the least. The dark warrior was impressed with the boy's own power, so he could believe in his words. "Fine, if you will allow it, I'll join you in your endeavors." He wasn't able to fulfill the other chosen children's wishes, but the boy wanted him for something that only he could do. He could only hope that the other children and Gennai could handle their own problems.
Hikari was stunned at the boy's apathy. Was he really just going to leave like that? Without really talking to any of them? Without taking back his bracelet? Without even going to see his own mother? All of her worry and anguish was turning into frustration and anger. She would have ran over to him if the boy hadn't been stopped in his tracks once again.
"What do you think you're doing, Gennai?" Takeru asked with a doubled edged blade resting to the side of his face.
"I told you that I'm tying up loose ends," the man explained seriously.
Everyone watched as Takeru turned around to face the digital man. There attention was then stolen by Oikawa who had finally managed to run off an escape. He yelled about his plans coming to an end, and that the digital world would be filled with the darkness of his heart.
"After hearing all of that, you still want to only stop me?" Takeru pondered. He watched as the sword next to him trembled. "Or maybe it's because you can't stop him either?" The boy grinned at the impending irony.
"You're the larger threat right now," Gennai whispered.
"I don't know about that," Takeru brought up his hands. "It sounds like he's about to make his last move. I still have more preparation to do." Gennai's glare managed to return to his face. "But hey, if you would rather try and stop me instead, go right ahead. Just understand that this failure might result in death."
That was the signal of battle, but Gennai was to late to notice. Takeru once again burst into flames. The man quickly backed away from the burning child. He could only try to shield himself from the intense fire that seemed even brighter than before. How could he have not noticed the boy's attack?
Gennai's only way of finding Takeru had been because of the boy's use of Daemon's power. Once the boy acquired that large, dark power, he could track him just like the other holy beasts. Qinglongmon sent him on a quest to fined the boy and decide if he needed to be taken out or not.
It was not long after that he lost track of the boy, but he still kept up his search. It was only when Takeru appeared in front of Oikawa, that he was able to find the boy again. That was also when he judged the boy for risking the man's life. Even if the intent to kill wasn't there; if he was willing to let another human die without even batting an eye, the boy must not be in as much control as he thinks he is. Still, he didn't want to make a mistake he would come to regret.
"Takeru, what are you really planing on doing?" Gennai yelled.
Takeru's flames quickly died down, "you should already know, shouldn't you? Or is it that you still have no idea who's in control." Takeru could only release a tired sigh, "I keep telling you all that I'm not possessed."
"I don't want to hear that from someone who also plans to spread darkness around the digital world."
"My ego's not that inflated," Takeru grinned.
"Then, what? You can't tell me you're going to call forth some sort of, twisted light." Could the clashing souls, somehow perverted the boy's high morals? Was that how he managed to get the other holy beasts to work together with him? He promised them a world of peace through destruction?
"I'm not that shallow either," the boy's face became unamused. "Tell me Gennai, why does it always have to comeback to light and darkness? Isn't that a too dull?"
"So you're going to destroy the digital world just because you can?" If that was the case, then the dragon of destruction had gained control of the boy's mind. Needlessly destroying just because it could.
"I'm going to destroy it because of that dull, light and darkness."
Once again, the boy had shocked his companions. How could he say something so drastic?
"I don't believe in the fragile light that the digital world clings to so desperately. Nor do I believe in the inflated darkness that tries to snuff that light out."
"I see," Gennai grimly accepted the boy's worlds. "Oikawa was right, 'prince of darkness' would have suited you better." He had heard all that he needed. Controlled or not, there was no way of getting this boy to change his mind. He gripped his sword with both hands and prepared himself to fight, and too kill.
The look in Takeru's eye had taken on a more irritated look. It was as if, his condescending nature had been burned away. "So you really do plan on taking my life," he glowered. His right shoulder rolled beneath his cloak, "then you better come and get it."
Gennai rushed with his sword over head. The person who had helped the first generation so much in their first adventure was now attacking one. There friend had openly admitted to planing to destroy the digital world. In their eyes, both were in the wrong and no one could find the courage to move.
Then it was too late. The digital man swung down with all of his might to split the boy. His sword was about to make contact when he noticed the boy move his arms from underneath his cloak. Even if he defended himself, Gennai would cut the boy down limb by limb if he had to. He fallowed through only to hear a fallowing metallic clang.
Hikari watched as Gennai landed into a crouched position. The look of shock on his face matched her own, but she knew that his was for different reasons. She could tell that Gennai was surprised about his broken blade, but what got her, was Takeru's arm, specifically his right one.
The blond had slashed through the incoming blade with his perfectly intact, right arm. If she hadn't seen it torn off before, she wouldn't have believed that it had been lost in the first place. His naked right arms looked perfectly fine. That also wasn't the only body part that seemed to have reappeared.
Gennai looked at his broken sword carefully. His blade hadn't been cut through or even snapped. It had melted from the extreme heat the boy's hand had given off. The digital protector looked up to find another surprise.
Takeru's left eye looked completely healed and it was completely red. Not just the iris but the pupils and scale. His cloak had also changed. Half of it's leaves, changed to the color red with a yellow trim. No two leaves that touched were the same.
Gennai could only gnash his teeth together at the revelation, "when…?"
Takeru looked down at the defeated man, "that's right, you've been looking for me, so you wouldn't know." His eyes were smoldering, "I defeated Zhuqiaomon just yesterday." The binding on his left hand glowed just a bit at the name of the one it formerly belonged to. He grabbed at Gennai with the same hand. "Well, Zhuqiaomon or not, you wouldn't have been enough to defeat me."
Iori and the others watched as Takeru, threw Gennai into their direction. WarGreymon was about to go and catch him before a fireball hit the man. Everyone watched as the chard digital protector fell into the mist ridden ground.
The orange dragon-man gathered himself to try and make to the fallen man again. This time however, he was stopped by a transparent, golden pyramid that covered the man.
"He shouldn't be able to break out of that before I leave." He turned to BlackWarGreymon once more, "do you still plan on coming with me?"
The dark dragon-man looked stared down at the boy, "did you ever plan on telling me you're true objective?"
"Once we got to the digital world."
BlackWarGreymon kept staring into the boy's eyes, "I'm sure that there's more to it than just destruction. I'll at least come along to hear you out. If I don't like it, I can at least expect you to put up a decent fight."
As soft look crossed the boy's face,"thank you." SlashAngemon landed next to BlackWarGreymon and both looked on as the boy turned away and opened up a digital gate. "Well then, let's get going."
"Stop!" a voice cried out.
Everyone turned to find Taichi walking in from behind his sister.
"You're not just going to leave, without explaining anything, Takeru," Taichi spoke. "I saw the whole thing with Gennai. While I don't like what Gennai did, you did say that you would destroy the whole digital world. I agree with BlackWarGreymon; there must be a deeper reason for all for all of this, so just tell us."
The blond just glanced back at his once leader. He turned back around to the digital gate and started heading towards it. He was about to set foot in the portal until it turned jet black. He backed off slightly and turned his gaze to the person who was holding up their digivice.
"I want to hear what you have to say as well," Ken brought down his digivice, along with the gate.
"There's nothing more to hear," Takeru finally spoke. "No matter my reasons behind it, would you really let me go off and destroy the digital world?"
"But maybe we can find a better way to accomplish whatever it is you're doing," Iori added. There was no way Takeru could have came to that conclusion easily. Maybe there was something he had missed, and they could help him figure it out.
"There is none," Takeru stated, "besides, you couldn't help even if you wanted to."
"You don't know that for sure," Daisuke interjected. Daisuke didn't believe that there was nothing that could be done. Takeru didn't have the face of a quitter, so why was he saying all of this, end of the world nonsense?
Hikari couldn't seem find her voice once again. She didn't know what to say. All she could do was watch Takeru roll his eyes and look back at the two Mega digimon who had decided to fallow him. The smile that soon graced his lips quickly caught her attention.
"You know what, Daisuke? You're right, I don't know if you all could help. So how about we have a little test to see if any of you can. If all of you can manage to defeat me on my own, we can at least talk some things out."
"What?! You aren't making any sense, Takeru." Miyako exclaimed. Words she knew were constantly being spoken, but each sentence that came out of the boy's mouth sounded foreign. Not matte what, she didn't want to fighter her friends.
"What I'm trying to do requires a certain amount of fortitude. Your mind and will have to be flexible and strong. You need to be able to effect both the light and the darkness." The braces that the boy wore started to shine as he spoke. It was as if they were demonstrating what kind of power was expected from those who could help.
"Even if none of you are capable of helping me, this little exercise should be enough to put you all in your place. You'll let go of foolish ideas, like trying to talk your enemy down. I mean, it's not like that's ever worked for you guys, look at Oikawa." The blond's smirk just grew winder.
"You must be cracked in the head, Takeru." Daisuke might get a little too rough from time to time but he didn't intentionally want to fight his friends. In fact, that was something he could never willingly bring himself to do.
"Don't just blow me off like that~ It's your own fault that things have come to this."
The others could only stare on in anxiety.
"I mean, you could have just let me leave." The smirk never left his face.
Taichi had reached the end of his patience. If the boy wanted a fight then he would give it to him. He rushed out to the blond, planing to stop him himself.
WarGreymon yelled for his partner to stop. He didn't want what had just happened to Gennai to happen to Taichi as well. But once again, the orange dragon-man was too slow.
Taichi stopped dead in his tracks and bent over. The feeling of vomiting quickly overcame him as he looked down at what had just struck him. Takeru's left foot was firmly planted underneath his ribcage. He then scanned upward to find the boy still grinning at him. His cloak had become a dull beige and his eyes a familiar blue.
"You guys shouldn't worry; I'm not heartless," Takeru pulled his leg back to let Taichi fall to the ground. "There's no way I would use those ridiculous powers on you. That wouldn't be fair. That being said, if your digimon want to join, I can't afford to hold back on them."
"Your eye…" Taichi managed to gasp. He was referring to the boy's left eye. It looked cloudy, hazy, and a little unfocused.
The blond humorously sighed, "well I couldn't bring everything back perfectly. Unless I'm putting some power into it, it's permanently damaged."
Taichi was soon placed in a transparent golden pyramid like Gennai had been. WarGreymon immediately dedigivolved back to Agumon who ran up to his trapped partner.
"Even until the end, you're a courageous leader." Takeru lamented. "It's a shame that the holy beasts didn't act sooner in giving you the ability to fight." He turned his attention to the others. "Next," it was no longer the time for questions.
"You really plan on fighting all of us?" Iori gripped his covered shinai.
"Is that your signal to start?" Takeru dashed out at his DNA partner. The blond reached his hand out to finish things in one swift motion. He was just inches away before he felt himself being lifted off the ground. Faster than the blink of his eye, he was staring up at the sky and his back was in great pain. The wind had been knocked out of him.
Iori turned to his right to find Ken glaring down at the blond. He was surprised that the dark haired boy had come to his aid. Ken had made a clean side throw and flipped Takeru. He remember that the boy wasn't only good at just soccer and studying when he was the Kaiser.
"You really want to fight us." Ken whispered.
"Quit repeating what's already been said. You all keep talking about helping others without any clue on how to do it," Takeru looked up. "You run in to an enemy that you can't fight normally and you all fall apart," he slowly got to his feet and dusted himself off. "Finally you run into a friend," he flicked his thumb at himself, "and you hardly take him seriously when he's trying to attack you."
"But I don't get it?" Miyako distressed. "Why destroy both light and darkness?"
"Because the light and darkness that the digital world clings to are worthless," the blond looked over. "What's the point of a light that can't protect, and a darkness that can't overcome?"
"But that, 'light,' is something precious, isn't it?" Miyako asked squeezing the tears out of her eyes. "It's the love and friendship that we share with each other."
"Then what about our, 'darkness?'"
Mikayo opened her eyes to find Takeru right in front of her. She watched him reach out his hand and fell back in terror. She shut her eyes and braced for the pain to come, but she only felt a hand rest on her shoulder.
"You really are the type to give your all at only one thing," the blond said from beside the girl. "You easily lose focus on the other things around. Well, at least when you're that focused, you do that one thing very well." The boy quickly got to his feet and placed Miyako in her own pyramid barrier.
Ken was starting to get even more nervous. Takeru has said that he'd be fighting normally but he didn't even notice when the boy had moved over to Miyako. His attention had only be taken for a second, but that was enough for him to make a good amount of distance.
"Daisuke!" the dark haired boy cried out, "we need to digivolve Paildramon." Ken didn't dare take his eyes off of Takeru, but Daisuke hadn't answered back. "Daisuke?" The only answer than came was Leafmon, flying into his hands. He jerked his head back to his DNA partner in utter confusion. What had happened? "…Daisuke?"
The you goggled boy looked down at Chikomon who was staring back at him from his hands. "…I cant."
"But Daisuke…" Iori didn't even know what to say to boy who had always gone into any situation head first.
"How can I fight Takeru?" Daisuke was asking himself more than anyone else. "I know that I get into some fights with him but… not like this." Daisuke rose his head to reveal the absolutely pitiful look on his face. His glistening eyes looked straight into the blonds, "I can't fight you."
The others were completely thrown aback, even Takeru. Even he couldn't have guessed Daisuke to act quite this drastically, at least not on that aspect of his feelings. Takeru slowly made his made to the fragile boy. Ken and Chikomon rushed to intercept him but he stopped both in their tracks when he threw the Fresh digimon into the brunette's face.
Daisuke looked the blond boy in his eyes and didn't know what to do. To him, Takeru's eyes were sharp and piercing.
"I don't know if you're the worse kind of, selfish idiot, or the best." Takeru assessed the goggled boy. He flicked Daisuke's forehead and he too was placed in a golden pyramid. "Your pigheadedness is your strong point, so try not to think so much the next time something bad happens."
Ken was at the end of his rope. He and Iori were pretty much the only ones left to fight off, their friend. From the looks of things, the only digimon who seemed to be able to fight would be Tailmon, and she was busy keeping Hikari safe. He grit his teeth and turned to Iori and the boy's grandfather.
"Can I ask you to look after them," he gave them both Chikomon and Leafmon.
"Wait Ken, we should at least both go." Iori objected to the boy implying that he would go it alone. He was stopped by the grip of his grandfather's hand.
"No Iori, he should go alone," the old man advised. "A haphazard form a teamwork won't help you two. Both of your martial arts are too different, and to fight together with someone as a team take's time."
"But we've always fought together before," Iori asserted.
"Sorry, but your grandfather's right," Ken removed his scarf. "We aren't digimon; we can't just combine attacks like they can." The dark haired boy turned to the blond with a sharp stare, "besides, this is something I need to do alone."
Ken walked up until he was just about three steps away from the blue eyed boy. He took a fighting stance that looked ready to toss his opponent aside. He needed to focus on his opponent and on himself. Even if it was only a bit, he needed to recall what it was like when he was the Kaiser. Even he wanted to throw up form remembering, he would swallowed the bile back down. If he wanted to defeat Takeru, he had to at least go that far.
"Do you remember what you told me the last time we fought?" Ken asked. Takeru's eyes perked up. "You said that I didn't understand the darkness," a dark violet shadow surrounded Ken. "Did you?"
Takeru smirked at the boy's feelings pouring out of him. "More than you," Takeru boasted, "but no, not completely."
It was Ken's turn to see a deep yellow shadow surround Takeru, "and now?"
"I'd have to say that we're both closer than ever before," The blond smirked.
"On the day I was defeated as the Kaiser, you told me that if I ever relapsed, you would take responsibility."
"So I can expect you to do the same?"
Even when wallowing in his own regrets and guilt, Ken managed to crack a smile, "I'll take you down right here, right now."
Both boys rushed through the low mist. Takeru was the first to strike out with his right hand. His fist barely grazed Ken's cheek as the brunette rolled under it and into the blond's chest with his back. Ken rose up and collided the top of his head with Takeru's jaw. His back pressed into the blond as hard as it could. Ken grabbed the boy's right arm and steadied his legs.
Takeru suddenly felt himself being lifted from the ground again. This time however he was prepared. As soon as he reach the peak of the throw's ark, he struck out once again with his left fist. He got Ken square on the head and the boy let him go. Before he lost his advantage, Takeru made another pyramid barrier that encased Ken. He flipped forward and slid down the pyramid's face on to the ground.
"That was tough," the blond huffed. He had planed to activate the barrier before the throw started, but Kens darkness managed to interfere with the process. He wasn't quite sure how, but there would be time to look into it later. Without a doubt Ken showed the most aptitude in being able to help him. There was only one other person who he thought had the ability to stop him.
Iori's grandfather was amazed at both boys. He didn't know how or why, but the two of them were able to bring out every last bit of their spirit while carrying such heavy eyes. It was one thing to be able to fight for sport, or because you believe what your doing is right, but to fight at your best with a heavy heart deserves it's own praise. He wondered what could have happened for such young boys as them to carry such transparent negativity.
The old man was able to pick up on the atmosphere that the two boys were giving off even if he couldn't see their physical manifestations. It's not like the aura the boys gave off was truly anything special. In fact, it was something all of the children did plenty of times. It was just a different manifestation of the light of their digivices. The first person to have done this trick was still watching the events unfold.
Iori had already took out his shinai. It may have just been a bamboo sword, but it was still his weapon of choice. He watched as Takeru made his way over to him and his Grandfather as Ken banged on his golden cell.
"Iori, don't hold back," the dark haired boy yelled. "Attack him with the intent to seriously stop him, even if he gets hurt."
Iori rose his shinai at the ready but couldn't stop his hands from shaking. The aura around the blond was intimidating and gave off his aggressive intent. He only calmed down when he felt someone touch his shoulder.
"Iori, I may not have any idea of what's going on, but it seems that Takeru doesn't want to hurt any of you who aren't willing to fight back. You have the choice to fight him or not. If you do chose to fight, seriously face him just as he is doing to you. That's why if you do fight, be sure to use a thrust strike."
Iori was easily fallowing his grandfather's words until the end. How could he suggest to attack Takeru's throat. "But grandfather that's dangerous, he could die. I have only just started practicing that." He didn't even want to fight Takeru, but to have been suggested a move that could kill even an armored opponent if mishandled. To someone without a face guard it was almost guaranteed death sentence.
"But Iori that's the only chance you have to stop him. He'll bush aside any other attack you try. Besides, it times like this you should trust you friends. He's holding himself back, can't you do the same?"
Iori absorbed his grandfather's words. He was telling him to not only believe in his ability to use the technique, but Takeru's ability to survive it. He was also telling him that even if the technique was dangerous, that didn't mean it had to be deadly. His bamboo sword steadied as he took his stance. Takeru was sill too far away to make a move. Had he waited for him and his grandfather to finish speaking?
The younger boy watched the blonds movements. They were slow and steady until he suddenly dashed at him. His shinai fallowed the bounce of Takeru's every step. His eyes stared into his. He wouldn't hold back in attacking, just like Ken had asked, but he would also seriously attack to just incapacitate his friend. Whether he stopped Takeru or not would be decided in one decisive strike.
As soon as Takeru had reached the shinai's range, it thrust out. Just like Takeru had done before, he aimed for the solar plexus. It was then that shock overcame him when the blond suddenly leaned forward into his attack. Iori watched as his shinai made contact with the blonds neck. It dug in just a bit before it started moving to the side. He eyes widened in shocked as his weapon brushed along the side of the boy's neck. He didn't know if it was because he lost focus or Takeru simply out maneuvered him, but his attack had completely failed. It was when the blond took his next step that he felt himself being lifted off of the ground. He was flung to his grandfather and the other's who had tired themselves out. A barrier was soon placed around them as well.
"Ow," Takeru croaked as he rubbed his neck. That was the most danger he had been in that day and he couldn't come up with a remark. Iori's grandfather had said enough, so it would be fine to leave the boy as is. He had forced to the into his own little test as well. His visible pain should be enough of a conformation that the young boy's attack was amazing.
The blond turned his attention to last person standing. As he stared into her eyes, he couldn't get a read on what she was thinking, but he would confront her the same way as he had the others.
Tailmon watched as Takeru made his way to both her and Hikari. She had wanted to help the others, but also didn't want to leave Hikari alone. The girl had gone deathly quiet since her brother had been entrapped. She knew the other digimon wouldn't attack Takeru if given the choice. Realistically, she might have been the only one of them willing to fight off the boy. She was just about ready to pounce. He just needed to get a bit closer.
"Tailmon, don't move," a calm voice echoed in the cat's ear. She looked up to find Hikari with a hard scowl. "Takeru wants to deal with me," her face betrayed the calmness of her words. She wondered if her partner had gone mad. The answer Tailmon received was a white light emitting from Hikari. She watched as her partner walked up to the approaching boy.
Takeru watched Hikari closely. He had expected her to act, but didn't think she would have activated her light that quickly. He had no idea of what she would do next. Unlike the others, she seemed to be fallowing her own pace. Would she attack, or would she try talking him out of his plan? The only thing he knew for sure was that she wasn't about to give up.
As the girl got closer, she reached out to him with her right hand. The boy didn't know what to make of the gesture. Her hand slowly crept closer to his face. He still couldn't get a read on her, even when her hand quickly came into contact with is cheek.
Hikari's hand was stinging but she guessed that it wasn't in as much pain as the boy's face. She watched as he brought his hand to his red cheek. His confused eyes locked onto hers. Was he surprised that she actual hit him, or did he not under stand why she was upset? "What do you think you're doing, Takeru?" she asked.
"Well, you guys wouldn't let me leave, so I thought I'd tease you all for a bi-" his sentence was finished by the girl's left hand slapping his other cheek.
The look on the girls face hardened to stone, "if you have time to mess around like this then you should have at least gone to see your mother. I'm sure you know how worried she is right now. You didn't even tell us to let her know that you're alright."
"That's what you're upset about?" The blond mumbled to himself as he rubbed his freshly bruised cheek.
"It's more than that. It's for running off without telling us anything. It's for fighting your friends. If you really wanted to get away from us, then you could have just left. I'm sure you're fast enough to out run us." Hikari was completely speaking her mind. It was her turn to get Takeru talking about what he was feeling. "Why do all of this? Why this way?"
The blond looked over the girl berating him. "I did all of this to prepare for future battles. I did things this way because talking won't solve anything." Hikari lashed out again but he managed to catch her wrist. His own aura was fending off Hikari's light. "I will defeat Qinglongmon," he took her hand into his grip, "I'll awaken the two dragons," he flattened his palm against hers, "and then I'll reshape the digital world."
Hikari could feel Takeru's aura turning darker. His darkness was trying to overtake her light, She kept herself firm against the negative onslaught. She wouldn't let Takeru have his way.
"You really are something special," the boy managed a smile. "You can easily outshine my light and have enough will to overcome my darkness." Takeru couldn't help but marvel at the girl.
"What about that person you made a promise to?" Hikari managed to ask. "Is this what they really want? For you to just change the world by destroying it with that stupid power of yours?"
The boys smile shrunk, but it also softened, "that's exactly right." Hikari suddenly felt that something was off. Takeru wasn't fighting back anymore. She felt absolutely no resistance from him. Before she could speak, she too was soon encased in a pyramid.
Takeru let his fingertips bush against the transparent barrier. "I didn't think that trick would work. Thanks for providing the light to make that barrier."
Hikari's hand was resting against her temporary cage in bewilderment. She couldn't believe that the blond could use her own light against her. With all of her might she started banging on the golden barrier. Takeru had just said something different than, destroying the digital wold. She was getting closer to figuring everything out. She just needed one final push.
Takeru watched as the girl tirelessly banged against her prison. Even Tailmon attacked it's back, in hopes of breaking the girl out. He was just about to back away until he noticed small cracks starting to form. He let out a light chuckle for her being able to breakout so quickly. Could it be because she was the one to supply the light, or was her light truly that fearsome?
The blond looked back at Ken to find that his barrier was also starting to break down. His darkness was no match for Hikari's light, so it made since that he would take a longer time. Well, it was thanks to his interference that he was able to come up with that trick to trap Hikari.
"It's a shame that I can't take you and Ichijouji along with me," Takeru smirked at Hikari. "You two would have been helpful." He finally pulled his hand back. It would be best to leave before one of them broke out. "Bye-bye, Hikari," he waved.
Hikari was still pounding away at the thin piece of energy that was separating her from her friend. She was beginning to shout out again before she choked on her own breath. The golden barrier was suddenly coated in red spots. Takeru's face tensed up in pain. She watched as he turned his head with all of his strength just to glance at the person behind him.
There stood Gennai, who barely emerged from the fog. He kept a tight grip on his broken blade as it impaled the blond in front of him. He had finally managed to break out of his barrier. He wasn't going to waste this moment getting caught, so he hid himself amongst the mist on the ground and waited for his moment to strike.
"Even if you're holding back, you should watch your back, Takeru" Gennai spoke.
The skewered blond managed to give a bloody smile, "you're right." He body started fading away, "one should always watch their back"
Gennai eyes became the size of plates. How had the blond disappeared from right in front of him? Even the blood on his blade had vanished. He couldn't even manage to stand before he felt something at his back. Not even a cry could be released before a hand found it's way through his chest.
"When?" Gennai managed to utter. When had he laid this trap?
"Since I first got here. I've been using the mist's illusion's this entire time. I'll leave how much up to your own imagination."
Gennai cursed himself for not noticing Xuanwumon's technique earlier. "You know not of what you're doing," the digital man croaked. He still tried to persuade the boy with his last breath.
"I'll let you chose," Takeru could no longer stand the man's chatter. "You can either drown in the dark ocean, or I can delete you right here."
"Even with good intentions, you couldn't possible control those dragons."
The boy closed his eyes, "so be it." He twisted his arm and grabbed at the man's face. His body turned pure black before bursting into bits. Takeru slowly stood up as his cloak covered his arms once again. "Let's go," he spoke to SlashAngemon and BlackWarGreymon, "dragons can be impatient." A digital gate opened behind the two monsters. He opened his eyes to the shocked look on Hikari's face. His lips couldn't help but twist into a smirk. "Stay alive so that we can meet again," he turned and made his way through the gate, "at the end of the world."
Hikari watched as the gate closed in front of her, and the barriers vanished along with it. The loss the team suffered slowly set in. Normally the digimon would lose, but this time the defeat was there's alone. Takeru fought with them equally and overcame anyone who had challenged him. She had managed to put up a good fight, but that still wasn't enough to stop him. If only her heart had be stronger, she might have been able to break out of her barrier in time.
The girl looked around to see if the others were doing alright. Daisuke and Miyako were a mess. Miyako was one thing, but she had never seen Daisuke so upset. He had willingly ran away from helping his friend and it was tearing him up inside.
Iori, looked alright. He too was upset but his grandfather was there to calm him down.
Ken was hard to read. Hikari couldn't tell if he was resolute or frustrated… probably both. The boy's eyes were even sharper then when he had fought with the blond. She could feel the darkness swell up just underneath his surface. The next time he met Takeru, he would truly fight back with everything he had.
The girl's attention was quickly captured by her brother. The boy had rushed to her side as quickly as he could. He had overcame the attack to his solar plexus. He looked her over to make sure she was alright but she hardly payed him any attention. Her mind was still stuck on what Takeru could be thinking. She felt like she had missed a clue but couldn't seem to find it. She was going deeper into her mind until he brother's voice shocked her.
"Hikari, did you hear me?" Taichi asked for the third time. He watched as his sister shook her head. "I said we all need to hurry and get home." He got to his feet and helped his sister do the same. "We… we can't waste our time worrying about Takeru." He saw his sister about to object, "we need to focus on Oikawa right now. You heard Takeru, he still needs time to awaken those dragons."
Hikari wanted to fight back. She knew her brother was right, but that didn't change her feelings. She averted her gaze and saw Iori helping up Miyako. She also saw Ken doing the same to Daisuke. She felt something start climbing up her coat. Tailmon had perched herself atop her shoulder and nuzzled their cheeks together.
"Don't worry, Hikari," Tailmon spoke, "we'll stop both Oikawa and Takeru."
The girl mulled over those words in her head, "stop Takeru." Even though it was something she had been trying to do, the way Tailmon spoke them didn't sit right with her. She had just wanted to pin the boy in place so he could explain himself. She hoped that he could have at least visited his family. It was vexing but she relented her desire for finding the blond boy. She wouldn't let him mess up her plans from that morning. She would deal with Oikawa first and then go after him when that was over. She just hopped that she would have the time and the ability to do both.
The mountains were cold and lifeless. To be fair, that statement could be said about the digital world as a whole at the moment. The ground was a discolored grey to match the contently cloudy sky. A small group of digimon fallowed a boy in a blue and white cloak. Even with abysmal scenery, the group managed to keep a light conversation.
"I can't believe that some digimon think that just because the wold is tearing itself apart, it means that they can do whatever they please." SlashAngemon mused.
"To think that we would be attacked in our sleep," BlackWarGreymon spoke up. "You would think they would know better."
"I'm sure they were just hungry and wanted some of our left over fruit," LadyDevimon defended.
"Why should we let them steal our breakfast?" Angewomon interjected. "They can look for their own food like the rest of us."
"..." The final digimon kept it's mouth shut. It kept in pace with the others at the back of the group.
"Will that one really be alright, Takeru?"
The cloaked leader looked back at his silent, armored companion. "I think they'll be just fine once they get their spirit back," the blond smiled. "They're just resting for now." He turned back, with his fully covered blue cloak with white trim.
"Speaking of spirits, do you think it was wise of you to crush your friend's, yesterday?" asked SlashAngemon.
"Something like that won't slow them down…" Takeru said slightly downcast. "Besides, I'm sure I did more good then harm. If things go bad, I'm counting on them to pick up my slack." The air around the group became silent for only a moment.
"How much longer is it until we reach our destination?" Asked LadyDevimon.
Takeru looked up the mountain,"not much further now, the top's just ahead."
"I can't believe you absorbed Qinglongmon the same day you found BlackWarGreymon." Angewomon laughed. "I mean, that was just yesterday, and now were about to finish our little adventure."
"Our job won't be finished by just climbing this mountain, you know," the boy laughed.
"I hope not," BlackWarGreymon cut in. "You promised me a battle worth my time, boy. I never expected Qinglongmon to just roll over like he did."
"The master didn't have any other choice but to concede to Takeru," SlashAngemon explained. "Would you willingly fight a battle you were guaranteed to lose, or would you put your faith into this boy's hands?"
"..." the silent armor started taking lighter steps.
BlackWarGreymon also kept quiet. They all knew that they had also made the same decision in trusting the boy. The rest of the way they kept up their light banter.
As soon as they all reached the top the group quieted down. They were greeted to the flat mountain top and the thin air that it brought. Their eyes were quickly drawn to the ground and the carvings etched into it.
The carving depicted two dragons. One had many wings and a mask that covered it's eyes. It carried an orb in it's two upper body hands. The other dragon, was a long quadruped. Orbs lined it's spiky backside. The two dragons were carved in a way that they were swirling into each other.
Takeru looked down at the carving as if he was trying to analyze a work of art. In all honesty, it looked more like art than an ancient seal.
"So you're really going to awaken a dragon bent on destroying the digital world?" LadyDevimon shook. "This is kind of scary after all."
"There's nothing to be afraid of sis," Angewomon nudged her sister. "There's a reason Takeru got these two Mega levels."
"That's right," SlashAngemon reassured. "As long as we all fallow the plan, things should work out."
"Even if they don't, I don't plan on losing," BlackWarGreymon asserted. "That goes for all of you as well."
"..." The silent armor stood at attention. The light reflected off it's silver and blue plating.
The blue that contrasted the boy's red iris turned golden, "that's right. This is the beginning of the end so you all better be prepared."
"So who's it going to be, boy?" BlackWarGreymon asked. After the long explanation the boy had given him the other day, he still hadn't said which dragon he would be awakening. In all honesty the boy could achieve his goal without awakening either one. The boy's motives were clear, but what wasn't were the motives of those dragons. The moment either of them awoke form their slumber, their plan could become complicated by over one hundred times. The dragon-man would have been bothered by that fact, but the boy had even taken that outcome in consideration.
Takeru couldn't hide his excitement. It had been a hard journey but it was about to be over. He was finally closing in on the final stage.
"Who is it going to be?" he smirked. "Obviously I'll awaken both at the same time." The boy's eyes shined like never before, "I'll awaken both Huanglongmon and Lucemon." The light that erupted from the carvings were bright, but they still couldn't match the light of delight in the boy's eyes.
AN: Finally got another chapter done. This one also changed a lot. The only thing that managed to stick was Gennai's part. I was inspired by a fight from the final episode of Stream. This is also the only time I could have Takeru seem like a true villain so I kind of went all out. That being said I couldn't make him too antagonistic, so keeping true to my interpretation, I had him play off of the others even if he was the main one instigating the fighting.
If there is one thing that bothers me about this story, is that for how long winded it is, all of the events are rushed. To be fair I'm fallowing the anime's time span, but I could still artificially lengthen it. But that wouldn't really make the story any better in my eyes.
As I was writing this chapter and took it in the direction of Takeru fighting the other children, I didn't notice how much of a full circle it would become with Ken. It really reassured me of my character focused writing style. All of those allusions and references to past chapters came out really smoothly for something written on the fly. It also goes to show that a lot of what goes into writing is just revising the stuff you make up off the cuff.
I have no idea what I'm doing with Hikari. I don't feel like I have a full grasp of her character in this story. I don't know what compelled me to bring out more of her character while writing this but I'm still giving it my best.
Then there's Ken. I'm only able to touch on him a bit but I really want to do more with his character. While I think the show handled him poorly, I like the idea that people come away with two completely different interpretations of Ken. There's the super cute, shy Ken who cries all the time. Then there's the super snarky, almost Kaiser-like Ken. With my writing style, you can guess which side I lean towards.
As I'm writing this I only have a few scenes of the ending planed out. I wrote the words, "beginning of the end," mostly because I don't know how many chapters it may take. I'm hoping for one but knowing me that's a bit of a stretch.
Were finally getting close to the end. I don't really know how to feel. I really didn't think this story would take this long but I'm glad I'm about to finish it. I hoped you all have enjoyed this chapter as well and will leave a comment. Next time, everyone will be racing towards the end of a world.
