-8 years ago-
The sky was full of dark Clouds, with a storm threatening with clashes of lightning in the distance, like it wanted vengeance for some unforeseen crime humanity had done against it.
Arukeni stood in the ruins of the mother's garden; she stared blankly into the distance, it had been years since there had been life in it, and the sound of her mother singing in the breeze, the heart was gone from her home, she wanted very much to kill everyone that had done this to her, but she had enough of death, she was going to cover her hands with blood, this wouldn't help her being completely alone, even her servants had abandoned her.
The rain begun to pour, like the sky was even crying for pain, and suffering, which Made her start to cry anew, but then something caught her attention, some child was playing in the rain, Aru walked warily toward this child, when Aru got close enough the child stopped before splashing a puddle that had been created from her splashing the previous one.
"You live in that mansion up, I thought it was abandoned years ago" said the child looking from Aru to the mansion on the hill, and then continued jumping into puddles.
"I am Arukeni, and yes I live in the mansion, usually no one even comes even near it what so ever, the villagers think its cursed or something" said Arukeni suddenly just noticing the little digimon that looked like a cloud, it was swinging in a nearby tree, it caught sight and reacted same way wild digimon did, and ran away.
"Come back here Moku" the child called after, she sounded really annoyed, she was confused by her digimon companion's actions "Sorry about Moku, he is usually a real people's person, oh I'm being rude as well you introduced yourself but I didn't my name is Tsubara, and I want to be your friend forever"
Years went by with Tsubara showing up each day, with them playing happily together, Aru was happy to finally have a friend and then suddenly one day she stopped coming, and seemed to vanish, it was like she never existed, and Arukeni was alone once again.
Arukeni stood at the edge of the road for days waiting for her missing friend, her frail aching for food stood there till she felt like fainting; she turned and walked face downcast, as she made her way to her empty, the hole in her heart ripping open as she did so.
-Present day-
"Spirit needle" shouted Arukenimon, and she watched Huang collapse like a ton of bricks, she went and picked, she hissed and went to pick him up. "I don't how you woke up, but I'll make sure you don't escape again, "I need to get your friends too, I don't want my cover blown yet"
She tied up Huang, his digimon companion more tightly this time; she hoped that he wouldn't break it this time, and they will all be here soon, all in her web, she wonder why it keep the other out, and this boy recovered so quickly, it must be because he is a Digidestined or something, She had to be wary about this now.
Digimon Sync episode 10 "Arukenimon's Shattered Heart"
-Yorda's house-
Hikaru sat looking out into the distance in silence, this was the second day of being without her brother, since the beginning of this adventure, he had not been away from her side for this long, she fear that she wouldn't see him again "I am looking for my brother now" said Hikaru getting up, she felt her legs shake with every step, but she was determined to find her brother and the travel companions, the fear of death was worse when they weren't around.
She didn't notice Yorda watching her from house window, a creepy smile on her face, knowing that another was coming to her, she could get her now, but not without anyone noticing an abduction in broad daylight, it was kind pushing it.
-Mansion's maze-
Mikuni sits, and lets out a sigh of annoyance; she has been walking through this entire maze without finding any sign of Takajin, only a few minutes after she sat down. Takajin runs passed, she shouted after him, just as he disappeared around a corner, Mikuni gets up, and runs after, she didn't know where he came from, she had search every inch of the maze as far as the map was concerned, she continued the chase till she reached a dead-end, she double checked the map, this path wasn't on it.
Going over the map several times, Mikuni came to the conclusion that even with this map, she was now lost in this mansion's hedge maze, which was confusing, the hedge growing over time was understandable, but it wouldn't make clear paths like this, which means someone had been making additions after this map had been done, she called for digimon partner Vasantmon, who promptly appeared in front of her. "Do you see Takajin, he came out of nowhere, now he has gotten me lost too, and somehow this map is out of date" She said looking at the map once again"
"All I see is rows and rows of empty maze, I can't see if he is even in this maze at all, I can't even see the mansion, we are completely lost your highness, I am sorry I failed you" said Vasantmon sighing with annoyance in the same manner as his master.
"I don't blame you, I blame that idiot Takajin, if he just waited and listened, we wouldn't be lost at all" said Mikuni looking up from the map "Keep looking there has to be a way back, she leaned up against the hedge, only to fall through into some kind of trap door. "Ouch" Mikuni groaned wiping dirt off herself, she looked around. She was now in some kind of catacomb.
-Road to the mansion-
The road looked like it hadn't been repaired in several years, and nature was reclaiming via grass and weeds growing out of the cracks in it, it was the main artery for supplies to get to the mansion on the hill, from the road the mansion looked like a rotting corpse. The one place Hikaru didn't want to go is the place she had to be, looking at it ran chills down her spine, it wasn't a good feeling, and made her feel sick, her legs also felt heavier the closer she got. Images of her own past and fears haunt her every step, her fears were putting her digimon on edge, and she knew it, she picked up Moonmon, and continued. The ground shook again but it had lessened the closer she gotten to the castle because the last time it nearly knocked her down. Hikaru continued after the ground stopped shaking, she was nearly there, she hoped beyond all hope that her brother, and companions were ok, even Huang, who had suddenly vanished the night before. Minutes later the mansion was right in front of her in all its terrifying mass like an enormous monster that could devour her in one bite. The weight of her fear was crushing her, as she stared up at the mansion; Hikaru took a deep breath, suddenly a voice called her name a short distance behind her. She turned to see it was Yorda.
"I thought I told you this wasn't a good idea" said Yorda breathing, trying to catch her breath "but if you insist on coming I'll be your guide, since your friends have probably got lost. I don't want another person on my conscience"
The presence of Yorda eased Hikaru's nerves, making the fear lesson in her, it was like a weight was taken off her shoulders, made her wonder, but Moonmon was now acting, the fear just seemed to have gone 10 fold for her digimon partner, and was now shivering behind Hikaru's leg.
They entered through the front door of the mansion; Yorda leading the way, and Hikaru closely behind, Yorda smirked slightly, before using one of her threads to slam the door behind them "you guys should have listened to me and left, now I have you somewhere safe, by the way I am the monster you seek" she transformed into Arukenimon right in front of Hikaru.
"Yorda you were the monster all this time?" asked Hikaru completely terrified now.
"I was never Yorda, I am the monster that use to be Arukeni, you are in my home, where you will stay till the danger is over, the Villager I brought here are safe too" said Arukenimon turning back into her human form, and started playing with her hair "I don't want to stun, I feel you are a kindred spirit I can call a friend, please don't make me?"
"What danger are you talking about and what are you" Hikaru asked calming herself, she was still Frightened of the situation she was in, but she was getting the idea that the monster that she knows now as Arukenimon might mean her no harm at least that what she just said, she had mixed feelings about this.
"Didn't you feel the ground Quakes, since you came here, how they have begun to intensify, that is the mountain, and it's going to bury the village in molten lava. I tried to warn them, they didn't listen to me, they chased me away, now I take them village one at a time knocking them out as a do this and tying them up in my webs, the lava won't come near my home" said Arukenimon turning her back "I cannot forgive them for what they did to me, but I can't just sit here and let them all die" she paused for a second after finishing her sentence "You asked I don't really know, when I was born somehow instead of just having a digimon I combined with mine inside my mother womb" she then collapsed to her knee.
HIkaru walked up to Arukenimon, placing her on her shoulder, she went to her knees too, so she could look her in the face, she then embraced her in a tight hug "just trust me, like you said I am your friend, and I'll do what it takes to help you"
-Crispin Village-
It was quiet in the village of Crispin, as the sun set in the distance, and the moon now became to become visible and still a silhouette in the teal skyline. A strange girl in a black Kimono, with green eyes and Brown hair stood in the center of village, her head tilted to her right shoulder, she was grinning like Cheshire cat. Suddenly the house behind her burst into flames, and a store's sign landed at her feed, the ground split apart, and the crack spread into street till it was under another building, and that building exploded, the girl now walked over to the building and looked inside, her expression become that of confusion "No one was in there, why aren't there any bodies" she sulked a bit. "How are we going to serve justice if we keep hitting empty buildings?"
A hulking digimon stepped out of the wreckage of the second building; it was covered in chains with a metal face. It walked over to the girl "Yes this is inconvenient, our fun being cut short by an interloper before the real fireworks begun; there must be some people we can kill, mistress Tsubara"
"First SkullMeramon we first find out where the rest are hiding no one escapes justice for the pain they have caused to Arukeni, they all must burn for" said Tsubara
-Mansion-
Arukenimon shoves Hikaru away "How can anyone care for something like me, everyone that I thought did now are gone, either dying or just going away and never coming back" she turned to face Hikaru .
"We might leave but doesn't mean we will never come back, I give you my word that will never be alone forever, you are my friend, and nothing will ever change that"
Arukenimon's glassy as she began to cry again. "Let's go get your companions" she turned to face Hikaru's digimon partner Moonmon, who shared with her Digidestined's smile.
Before they could head toward the catacombs, Arukenimon's attention was diverted as she spotted a plume of smoke coming from the village of Crispen, and panic spread through her "this was sooner than I thought, I haven't gotten everyone out yet. Get your friends freed I'll look into this" she ran off towards the village, and following her was Hikaru.
-Catacombs-
Takajin opened his eyes, and tried to move, but he was tied up in some kind of sticky net, he tried to free himself, and failed. How did he get here, he had entered the Catacombs again, only to be wake up here. He couldn't free the people bound here and went looking for something to cut them down because he didn't want Sunmon to try to burn them, they would have ended up being cooked.
From the corner of his eye, he saw motion, and then he suddenly was falling to the ground, he struggled to his feet, he saw feet, tracing them up came face to face with Mikuni, who promptly slaps knocking him back down.
"Are you awake yet" she said getting ready to slap Him again, "heroes do not get captured by the enemy"
"I am awake, I am awake" said Takajin rubbing his cheek, and then looked around "we need to free these people before the monster comes back. "Huang is around the corner, he was fine the last time I checked I hope he is still ok now.
They began to free the villagers tied up in the Catacomb, they were fine, but none of them would wake up when slapped, they were in some sort of deep sleep, and nothing could wake them.
Mikuni had Vasantmon free Huang as Harshly as was done with Takajin, and Mikuni even slapped him too even though it was obvious that he was already, which made him wonder why she kept doing that. It downed on him that it was like a master punishing a pupil for failing a lesson. He signed now wondering when Mikuni become their teacher.
Huang didn't handle well to being slapped, and yelled in annoyance, and glared at a Mikuni, who just shrugged it off like someone dealing with a child.
-Village of Crispin-
When Arukeni arrived the city was almost entirely destroyed, and several houses were up in flames, but the hasn't erupted, and was threatening to do so at any moment, if it wasn't the Volcano that did this, then what was going on here. "Aru" said a cheerful voice behind; she turned around to face a girl who looked very familiar too. "Tsubara, what are you doing"
"I am taking Vengeance upon the people who killed your family, and made you into some kind of monster, when they are the ones that are the monsters, they will burn in your name, and she then took something out of her pocket and swallowed it. Her eyes glowed, and mumbled that sound like "We are the light, and we are the purifying Flame" she closed her eyes "it's weird almost all the village is gone, where did they go" she now screamed with SkullMeramon appearing behind Arukeni, putting into a bear hug.
Ducking Arukeni got out of the bear hug, and then jumped away from the enormous SkullMeramon, she shifted into her digimon form, but instantly shifted back to her human form "I don't want this, no one should kill in my name" she said.
"Why do you protect them, to them you are a monster, the mountain is going to blow and take them all away Right now I am having fun till it happens. But you have hid them from judgement, and from me that will hand it out which makes me sad" said Tsubara taking a finger and pointing toward her right then tracing it down her cheek like she was pointing out a tear drop.
At that sign from Tsubara, SkullMeramon charges at Arukeni, driving his fist into the ground as she dodged him
"Tell me where they are now" shouted Tsubara throwing a fit like an infant not getting the candy they wanted, making her look rather silly, and somewhat scary.
"Spirit needle" Arukeni shouts back, with needles flying from her hair, and flew at Tsubara, they were intercepted by SkullMeramon who took the hit instead of his master, he shrugged them off as they were nothing.
Tsubara bottom lip twitched and she was now grinding her teeth in annoyance "even if you save these people they will never accept you like I have. Why not let me do this and we can travel with this new group I found, they will accept you as well, just come to your sense and accept reality"
-Mansion-
Vasantmon returned with another set of unconscious villagers, setting them down and heading back into the catacombs for more, Mikuni sat across from them trying to think how to wake them up.
Takajin paced back and forth, till he saw that one of the villagers brought out was Yorda, "Oh Crap" he said turned around heading to the village.
"Where are you going, we have Villagers to rescue" said Mikuni catching sight of Takajin leaving, "Oh fine just leave, sometimes I swear I am the only hero in this group.
Takajin spotted his sister at the end of the road, she was watching two other girls arguing, he couldn't make out a word they were saying, one of the girls had a digimon that seemed too advanced in level for someone who age, and the other the one with white hair didn't have one or at least it wasn't there presently, his sister was shaking the conflicted she was witnessing was scaring her.
-To be Continued-
Will The Digidestined stop Tsubara from destroying the village, and will Arukeni have to kill her friend, to answer these questions, and more, please tune into the next Digimon digital monsters!