For Our Children

Chapter 9

Tai glared into the darkness, unable to see any shape. "Show yourself!" he yelled, "Or are you too chicken? Afraid that the digidestined will soundly defeat you?"
"Yeah!" Izzy joined in, "Are you pusillanimous to be quenched by our unassailableness?"
With an expression of clear confusion, Davis added to the message, "He just means that you're a lily-livered bully for getting to us through our families," he blinked, "a-at least I think that's what he meant…"
"I have no time to listen to these puerile arguments. Proceed to sit,"
Scuffling was heard from throughout the room, and twelve chairs emerged from the darkness, seeming to float inches above the ground. When the chairs came closer, the digimon and their partners could see that many black rats were carrying the chairs. "That's cruel!" Palmon protested, "Making those poor rats do the work for you!"
One of the rats sat up on its haunches, "We do it for Meshugamon. Our life is to serve Meshugamon,"
They bowed back into the dark corners of the room. "Sit," the voice ordered again.
"You're Meshugamon?" Joe questioned.
"Yes that is I…" the voice hissed, "Now please sit of your own will, before I force you to sit myself,"
At this moment, Ikakkumon peeked out from over the edge of the hole where he had gone in to rescue the family members of the digidestined. He tried to clamber over the edge, but for some reason could not. "Guys!" he bellowed, "A little help here,"
The other digimon jumped and attempted to run over, but a barrier of light sprung up in a circle around each one. "Hey!" Gabumon protested.
"Let us out!" a certain ruffled pink bird seemed rather upset.
"Drastic Beam!"
With a loud yelp, Ikakkumon flew backwards into the hole as a beam of red contacted him directly in the chest. Screams and wails of fear were heard from the children and adults as they plummeted downwards.
"Keiko!" Cody cried out in alarm, running towards the hole.
He was trapped however, a circle of light surrounding him as well. In a quick second, all the digidestined were imprisoned in a tube of coloured light. Meshugamon finally revealed himself. Kari gasped in fear and reached out for Davis, only to contact the solid light instead. Meshugamon was large, ten feet tall and a menacing grin decorated his face. Small beady eyes glinted in the darkness, and the snubbed nose was wrinkled. Overall, the face was ugly. Small ears were perched on the top of his head, and he was covered in brown, shaggy fur. A large tail whipped behind him, but what was most frightening were the razor sharp talons garnishing each finger and toe. He pulled back his thick, and apparently stretchy, lips into larger smile, revealing many sharp teeth. "Frightened? It has taken me many years to digivolve to this state. I'm proud that it finally worked,"
With a flick of his wrist, the columns of light moved across the floor with the digidestined inside. Each one stopped when the chairs brought out by the rats were also encased in the light. "Sit…" Meshugamon's voice was taking on a darker tone now, there was no mistaking the suppressed fury.
"NO!" Mimi jumped up and pounded against the solid light, "No! Azura! Clover!"
Meshugamon snapped his fingers, and Mimi flew backwards into the chair. She struggled to move but found that she could not. Without a second thought, the others sat down. They had no wish to be unable to move, especially in a situation like this. The large digimon glanced down at the watch strapped onto his thick wrist and his lips stretched themselves into a smile once more. "Only a minute behind schedule. It is now time to appease me,"
"How do we appease you? We'll do it! Anything to get our loved ones back!" Yolei pleaded.
Black eyes glinted and bore into her own eyes, and she flinched as she felt an emotion of pain and unhappiness wash over her. "I want to feel your pain. I want to see you suffer, but not physically. Physical infliction of pain is not satisfying enough. Before long the body is too battered for more. But… the mind. Ah, the mind can take much more torture, and there is much enjoyment to be had, watching one inflict pain on themselves," he looked around the room, eyes eager and tongue licking his lips, "Who shall be the first?"
Immediately, Tai and Matt jumped up. "I will!" they both shouted, "Don't hurt the others!"
Shaking his head, Meshugamon maintained his smile. "No, you won't do. What will torture you the most is to see your friends suffer," he scanned the room greedily, and his gaze stopped on Mimi, who was cowering with fear. "You, you will do. Let me enter your mind…"
The colour drained from Mimi's face and she let out a small shriek before her eyes dimmed. She slumped, almost lifeless, into her chair. "Mimi!" Sora yelled, pushing her chair away with a clatter.
A snap of the fingers and the chair was uprighted. "Sit still and do not move," Meshugamon growled dangerously.
Sora did as she was told.
~~~
"I got the forms. Everything's filled out. All I need is for you to sign here."
Mimi watched in shock as the pen marked a bold "X" on a line before the papers were shoved in her direction. She looked up into cold gray eyes. David's eyes. "M-me?" she stammered out.
David let out a sigh that clearly showed his irritation. "We've made all the agreements, remember? You get the house and the children. I'll see them every other weekend. I get the car, you get the van. I get the piano, you get the computer. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Don't tell me you've forgotten already!"
Looking wildly around the room, Mimi realized she was in a lawyer's office. Standing behind David was a thin, sharp looking man. Everything about him was angular, his face, his body, his fingers, even his smile. He stepped forwards and moved beside Mimi. "Please, Ms. Tachikawa, we've discussed this before. You agreed most vehemently. Your children are waiting outside, and you may go to them as soon as you have signed this,"
Mimi glanced at the door, and sure enough two small faces were pressed up against the window along the side of the door. A closer inspection showed that tears filled their eyes and spilled down their cheeks, their noses red from crying. A pang in her chest informed her that her heart was breaking. She was getting divorced? She was making her children suffer? "No! David! Think of our children!" Mimi demanded.
David's expression softened as he regarded the two small faces, "I am. You think it makes them happy to hear our fights? To hear us argue non-stop day and night? This will be much healthier for them. They have to understand that we don't… we don't love each other anymore. But we still love them,"
Something twisted inside of Mimi at that moment. There's no more love between us, she thought to herself, our children will suffer because we didn't try to repair our relationship sooner…
And then she started crying. She knew in her heart that she didn't want to divorce David, that she still loved him. But how could she tell him when he had already said he didn't love her? She'd just have to try. "No, David!" Mimi grabbed at his arm, "No! We have to stay as a family! I don't want the kids to deal with the back-and-forth thing! I promised myself as a child that I would never divorce! David I… I love you!"
Her soon-to-be ex-husband frowned down at her, "Mimi, that's not what you said last month. Look, this relationship's past salvation! No Mimi, I'm not turning back. I don't love you,"
With a moan, Mimi threw herself at David, clutching at his arm. "No David, no! Anything is salvageable! We have to try!" she looked out to the two anxious faces, so full of pain and hurt, "We have to try for our children. Please, please don't do this to me! It breaks my heart…"
~~~
Izzy watched nervously as Mimi's body twitched in her chair. Tears formed in the corners of her blank eyes and trailed down her cheeks. "No…" she mouthed, "No…you can't…" and then she let out a heart-rending moan, a moan filled with distress.
As the others watched, unable to do anything, Mimi continued to make emotional sounds of grief, before leaning her head forwards against the light and banging her head against it. The room was soon filled with her muffled noises and the sound of her head contacting the light. Meshugamon opened his eyes and grinned maliciously. "That was fun. I can tell this one will bring me much pleasure, already I am feeling much happier. To feel her emotional pain…you will finally experience what I felt all those years I waited to become the ultimate evil,"
"Someone? Anyone help!" there was a faint cry from the gaping hole in the floor.
But the digidestined dropped their heads in defeat. All would be lost.