Chapter 9

"I believe the Forest Kingdom begins beyond that track," Bokomon stated, standing on a log and looking at the Trailmon tracks as one of the living trains moved along it.

"Sure looks big," Takuya stated, probably not even realizing how obvious his statement was.

JP turned to the radish-head Digimon. "Hey, Bokomon, how much farther do we have to walk to the Forest Terminal." Of course, whatever comes out of his frickin' mouth is a complaint.

"Don't worry, you should only have to walk a little bit more." And since this was coming from a Digimon, the words 'little bit' left a bit of uncertainty. Everything seemed so much bigger there in the Digital World.

"A little bit more?" JP hung his head and sighed. "These little bits are killing me!" Good, at least it would be a little more peaceful.

"Is there a time when you don't complain?" I mumbled, rather annoyed by the lazy personality of this jumpsuit-wearing idiot.

Bokomon and Neemon ran ahead of us and we strived to catch up, aside from JP and Tommy, who trailed along behind us in a slow, moping walk. Lazy kuso atamas, it's like they've never had to work before.

They began to complain about food and lack of breakfast and we stopped to discuss the matter. I wasn't really planning on stopping just because they grumble too much, but I couldn't ignore that I was a bit hungry also.

Takuya tried to become the voice of reasoning, though he had no reasoning really to spare. "I think we better stop here and make camp."

Zoe nodded in agreement. "It's been a long day for all of us," she stated, as if she knew what we had been through on the floating island of rampaging toys. How would she like to be chased by a giant yellow bear with a zipper on its back?

Koji realized that we were outnumbered, though this wasn't really a voting debate. "Yeah, whatever."

After some unnecessary comments by Tommy and JP, we searched the area for anything we needed or had to be wary of. It was Zoe who found something first and she held it up like she just found the map to Atlantis or something.

But it was just a light green apple. "Look what I found!" she proclaimed, showing it off to pretty much everyone. "I hope it's edible." She held it out and showed it to Bokomon.

He looked at it briefly before answering without much hesitation, "It's called a meat apple."

"Meat apple?" everyone repeated. Is there an echo in here?

Bokomon seemed rather excited that the question was purposed now. "Yes, each one has the flavor of a different meat. Quite nutritious, actually." Okay, so is it a meat or a fruit? That's what I wanna know.

Takuya pointed at it, looking at Zoe. "Where'd ya find that thing?" he questioned. Yes, 'thing', that's exactly what it is. Same as what's not in your head. That, as a matter of fact, would be called 'nothing'.

"It was just lying on the ground," Zoe replied, turning toward the direction she found it. "There has to be a tree somewhere nearby. Bokomon, will you help me find some more?"

The informational Digimon followed the lavender-dressed girl. "Certainly," he replied.

Neemon just stood there, looking rather confused about what was going on. "Can I come?" he asked.

Bokomon stopped abruptly. "All right…" He grabbed Neemon by the waistband and began to drag him along up the hill. Tommy followed quickly after them, yelling for them to wait.

Takuya nudged Koji in the side with his elbow and said, "Well, I guess we'd better gather some firewood."

We began to walk away in searching for wood as JP moaned, "I'm not going to have to lift anything heavy, am I?" I figured this was the beginning of some serious annoyance.

"If you don't shut the heck up, we'll make you carry everything," I warned, Demi hopping out of my hood and running ahead of us. I knew that with his luck, he was going to either get lost or lead some vicious Legendary Warrior-eating Digimon right to us.

We began to pick up twigs and sticks of all sizes, gathering them all up in our arms. I guess Takuya decided that a time like this needed some sort of conversation, since apparently to him, the silence was too dull.

So he just randomly started talking. "So what do you guys really think of Zoe?" he questioned, stopping his collecting of wood to glance at everyone around him. Obviously, he thought that since Zoe wasn't around, it would be a good idea to talk about her. Oh frickin' joy.

"Why would you eeever ask that, Takuya?" JP questioned in a really strange voice. Oh Kamisama, that was freaky. His face kinda looked like the jack-o-lantern Yukio carved last Halloween.

"Someone got a crush?" Koji asked Takuya, grinning rather deviously.

The look that appeared on Takuya's face after Koji asked that almost made me burst out laughing. He reminded me of that of a tomato. I could mentally see steam coming out of his ears. "No, I don't. You guys are crazy." He averted his gaze off us and at something in the distance.

Demi came running out of the bushes suddenly, hopping up with enough momentum that when he connected with Takuya's hat-covered head, he knocked Takuya over and all of the wood that was previously in the Warrior of Flame's hands went clattering to the ground.

"Davis! Davis!" Demi wailed.

Takuya shoved the little dragon off of him and began to pick up the wood again that he had previously dropped. "For the last time, it's not Davis! It's Takuya!" He glanced at me and Koji. "I think you broke this kid. Did you drop him on his head too many times?"

Demi continued before either one of us could answer, his voice having turned from the previous whine to a rather excited tone, "Your girlfriend's coming with lots of meat apples!"

There was a single moment of silence while we watched as Takuya's jaw and once again the wood drop, and then JP, Koji, and I suddenly roared into laughter. It was the first time I ever laughed since I arrived in the Digital World and I had to admit, it felt great, especially since it was because Takuya was being mocked by a little Digimon not even a foot tall. And the timing couldn't have been better, either.

Takuya and his tomato head said nothing, scowling and picking up his wood again for the third time. "Okay, let's get the fire started," he said, trying to pretend nothing happened, and walking over to where we designated our campsite.

I looked at Koji, who shrugged, not saying anything and we followed Takuya, leaving Demi behind to ponder what had just gone on. It was seen on his face that he didn't know most of this was his doing, since there was a creepy little smirk on his face at that moment.

When the golden sun had finally set on the horizon, we had the wood organized in a manner for it to burn well and all the extra stacked nearby. I watched in amusement as I had for the past ten minutes, my eyes on the fire Takuya was attempting to start. I made no effort to help whatsoever, just watched as he strained to even make a single spark.

He tried to speed up his pace and a small puff of smoke began to arise. He collapsed as he put a weird look on his face, looking at Koji. He then questioned, "Am I done yet?!"

Koji gave a slight nod. "Yep. I'll take it from here." He hunched over the small glow coming from the wood and blew lightly on it. It satisfied me a little that he made Takuya do the hard part of the job.

I glanced over at everyone else, who were sticking the meat apples on sticks. But the mood I was in was soon ruined by JP, who held up a meat apple on a stick and said, "Apple, you're my best friend!" He took a chunk out of it, but soon his face turned a purplish color in distain for the apple. He immediately spit it out and yelled, "Disgusting!"

Bokomon turned to the now poisoned jumpsuited kid, advising, "You don't eat them raw, you know." Though he was smiling while saying this, so I was assuming that he got some pleasure in seeing JP almost kill himself on something that's always on his mind.

But when the radish-head said this, it was already too late for Neemon, whose eyes were as large as baseballs. His voice came out as a whine. "Why didn't you say that before?" he asked.

Annoyed with the scene going on before me, I got up and walked over to Koji and Takuya, who had now gotten the fire started. Takuya was presently asking Koji, "I got a question: All five of us kids now have the Spirits of Legendary Warriors, right?" I think he left me out because he wasn't sure that I even was supposed to get a Spirit. Or just didn't really care. "So tell me, even when we combined our forces, we still couldn't beat that stupid Grumblemon!"

Koji glanced away from the fire and looked at Takuya out of the corner of his eye, explaining the battle and how Beetlemon (apparently that's what JP's Spirit's name was). "At one point, we seemed to have the upper hand, but then…" He began to recall when Grumblemon changed into Gigasmon. "He Spirit Evolved into that crazy Gigasmon—" At the name, Koji's voice gained a poisonous feel.

I sat down across the fire from Koji and Takuya, as the goggle-headed boy said, "But he called it Beast Spirit." He watched as the fire suddenly grew in size. "Just what does that mean? Any clue?"

"It means," I answered, staring into the deep, mesmerizing flames, "we have a problem on our hands." I pulled my legs up to my chest, watching the fire crackle and flare wildly.

"The fire's ready, bring your apples!" Bokomon called to the other DigiDestined while holding a large handful of the strange fruits. At that remark, Zoe, JP, and Tommy all came running carrying a ton of those apples on sticks. I was pretty sure they had enough there to feed all of the white Digimon with the ear-wing-things that I saw in the Village of Flame.

They put the apples in the fire and sat around it. Takuya was again the first one to speak, saying, "Hey Bokomon, anything in your book about a Beast Spirit?" For once, he was staying on track with our objective in this world.

Bokomon gave him a confused glance. "I haven't seen anything."

"If it's not too much trouble, couldjya just take another look?" he questioned, almost sounding eager for something knew to learn about, and moreover, fight with. Things never changed with that rash kid. Always getting into some new sort of trouble—or if not, causing it.

"Certainly." Out of his tacky pink waistband, came out the ugly green book. It kinda made me wonder who was the one to write and publish it. "Let's see now…" He began to page rapidly through it. "Beast, Beast, Beast, Beast…" He stopped in the middle of the book. "I'm afraid I still don't see anything!"

Neemon began to rub on the page of the book, much to Bokomon's outward irritation, so much that he said for him to buzz off and proceeded with calling him a baggy. "But I think I found something!" came the rabbit's response as he pulled at a page. "This page seems to be folded over! Maybe there's other stuff inside!"

"Okay, how the heck did Neemon figure that out?!" I questioned in pure shock, noting the slight wisdom that the pant-wearing rabbit displayed. I would have expected some sort of reaction from everyone else, but I think they were too absorbed in what Bokomon was now saying to care.

He pulled out another part of the page. "Oh, it's a miracle. You're actually right. This changes everything. It seems there are two Spirits for each of the Legendary Warriors."

"Which means…?" I trailed off, though it seemed like no one heard me.

Bokomon continued as if I didn't say anything, "The first is the Human Spirit like Agunimon, but the second is called the Beast Spirit. That explains where Gigasmon came from. But how did he summon the Beast Spirit?"

Neemon put his hand to his chin. "I wonder what life would be like as a beastie?" he thought aloud.

Bokomon turned to his idiot friend. "Let's feed you to one and you can find out from the inside. Don't you realize what this means? This means that the children my have the power to Spirit Evolve again."

Koji looked into the fire while beginning to summarize what Bokomon had just explained. "Well, then, if Bokomon's right, each of us should be able to get a Beast Spirit."

"But if that's true, then we're only halfway there," Zoe stated, pretty much answering my question. What I didn't need was a comment from JP as well, and of course, it was some sort of complaint.

"Aww, man, it's like starting over!" he wailed, as a few statements came from the rest of the group, minus me and Koji.

At that moment, Neemon began tapping Bokomon in the back of the head. "Bokomon, Bokomon, Boko—ow!" He earned a swift whack from the radish-head Digimon, though he continued to tap. "Bokomon, Bokomon, Boko—ow!" He then turned toward the fire. "Is this a good idea?"

Bokomon glared at him. "What's the matter with you?" He suddenly jumped to his feet and got into a determined position. "We have to help you find your Beast Spirits as soon as possible! After all, it may be the only way to save the Digital World! We haven't even made it to the Forest Terminal! We're running out of time! These Beast Spirits must be our number one priority!"

Neemon didn't even move through any of that speech. "Nope, not good." It was suddenly apparent to his comrade that it wasn't the Beast Spirits he was referring to at that moment.

Bokomon turned and stared at the yellow rabbit. "What is not good?!"

Neemon pointed toward the fire. "The meat apples. While you're talking, they're burning up!" Of course. Food.

Suddenly, everyone dove at their apple, which was now burning to a crisp in the flames. I sighed, knowing that their next topic was going to be food, and got up, walking away from the fire. I wasn't really in the mood to eat, anyway.

I laid on the ground, my hands under my head, watching the night sky and the three moons glowing overhead. It was full of stars, so full of life. The night was warm, at a comfortable temperature and the only sound besides the conversation going on with everyone by the fire was the soothing whisper of the wind in the trees, singing of the clear, tranquil darkness.

But the serenity was only short-lasted; as of soon, dreary clouds blew over, blocking my perfect view of the heavens above. They seemed rather mysterious, the shadowy colors mixing together, a spell-binding scene.

My attention was turned away from above and to the forest that surrounded us from all sides. The trees were emitting an ominous, pale blue glow, making this wooded area all the more full of inscrutability, so much that I just had to get up and see them for myself, just as everyone else did.

When I got closer, I realized what the glow was. On the tree trunks were screens, like TVs, and on them, were scenes from the real world. Real life, going on while we were here, just as it was when we were there. Nothing seemed to have been changed in the slightest.

As everyone was taking in the sights of the real world, of places they knew, I looked at a single screen, immersed on what I was seeing. But not of pleasure or of any sort of happiness in seeing my world again. No, of anger. Of a jealous hate.

I watched as my mom sat a pan of food on the kitchen table as Yukio sat down, smiling. As my dad—who was always away on business trips, so I never saw him—sat down next to my brother and put his arm around him, also smiling. In a few moments, my mom joined them at the table and as they began to dish out the food—something we never did; we never even ate together—onto their plates, they were laughing, talking…as if I didn't even exist.

I knew it all along: They didn't care about me, they were better off without me. It was painful to see it with my own two eyes, witness it before me, feeling forgotten and without love, which I knew I was. I had to tell myself the truth, hear it coming out of my own mouth…

"They don't love me…they never did. In fact, they don't care if I'm gone…they don't care if I'm dead…" I banged my fists against the stupid tree. "Why doesn't anyone care?! They're just living their lives as if I never even existed! They never gave a kuso if I was around!" At my outburst, everyone began to turn and look at me. But I wasn't doing this for show, I was too full of rage, too full of sadness, every emotion that made everyone stay away from me.

It became a tear-stained sensation. I couldn't care less if I cried in front of them now, I just couldn't stop. "I was only getting in the way of their happiness, I stood in the way of this." I stopped, taking a long strained breath. "Fine, then, maybe I won't go back, you—" I let out all of the curses and swear words I knew, even if they were out of context, yelling at my family, myself, and all of the lies I accepted and believed. Everything was against me, I could lay my trust in no one.

"And—and now, I'm here, where Yukio should be! I stole his phone, I stole his Spirit! I'm Legendary Warrior? What a load of crap! I'm supposed to protect the Digital World; how can I do that; I can't even face the truth?! This isn't even my destiny, why should I car about this stupid planet?! I should be at home, bearing that hellhole, not helping another!" I could feel my heart, pounding near out of my chest and fists were shedding crimson from beating the tree repeatedly. I didn't even feel that pain; it was the pain inside me that hurt.

I felt a light, warm hand on my shoulder and then heard Takuya's voice trying to soothe me, "Kaz, why don't you talk to us, then we'll understand, and maybe we can help you." That was the last thing I wanted; I didn't need them or anyone else. Putting up that façade of caring, I could do without that.

In an instant, my fist connected with his face, my voice like poison, "Does it look like I want you to understand?! Just back the hell off, it's not your problem!" My now fiery eyes cast him a glare full of anger and hatred.

Demi approached me feebly, as if he was actually scared of me and my wrath. "Ma—Mama…"

"Get away from me!" I gave him a swift kick of my leg and sent him against a tree. I didn't care how much agony I gave others now; it didn't lessen the sting of the feelings I had coursing through me.

I walked out of the clearing into the deep, dark forest and no one tried to stop me. That was good, I didn't want anyone to. I just wanted some time to—

Just thinking of the Element of my Spirit sent another wave of foul sentiment pulsing through me. I was a reprobate, I was angry, but most of all: I was alone and unloved. There was no one that cared about my health and my safety, my happiness or my sorrow. Not. One. Person.

"I should just face it…" I mumbled monotonously, staring at my blood-covered hands. I didn't bother watching where I was walking; I had no reason not to get lost. "I could die out here, no one will notice. Heck, they'd be glad if I'm out of their lives…" I pulled my hair out from under my hat and out of the ponytail, letting it cascade down my back, like a black waterfall.

"Mirai…" Deep red eyes appeared in the shadows of the night, glowing brightly, but concealing who they belonged to. The whispering voice sent an ice cold chill down my spine. "Mirai Kimishima…"

I was already on my guard, my D-Tector in my blood-stained grasp. If it was a fight they wanted, it was a fight they would get. "What do you want?!" I demanded sharply, daggers in my eyes and my voice.

"Oh, you should know well of what I seek…thought there is no reason for you to be so harsh. I'm your friend." There was a hint of amusement and pleasure in his cold, devious voice.

"I have no friends," I growled back. "And what makes you so sure that I know what you want?!" I watched warily as the eyes shifted to my right, though still not leaving me.

He gave a slight chuckle, as if making me angry was nothing more than a little game to him. "You don't have to think very hard, Legendary Warrior of Time. Because what I want is you."

"And why do you assume that I would join with the likes of you?! What would you do for me?!" After seeing what was on that screen, I wasn't about to give my trust out to anyone that soon.

"I know your soul, Mirai. I know your feelings—your very emotions." He began to slowly circle around me, still in the shadows, but I kept my gaze straight forward in front of me. "You feel rejected by everyone around you, especially your family. Your parents always treated Yukio as the favorite; you were just the unloved second child. The spare. The mistake."

I bit my lip until I broke the skin. What he said was all true; all I was…I was nothing more than something else at home taking up space. I was stuck under Yukio's shadow, never seeing my own light.

He kept speaking, gathering that I wasn't going to reply to all that he had said. "And at school. You used to have friends, but the changes you made with yourself drove them away. You pretend to not care about your loses, but deep down, you're just a scared little kid, begging for love. You blame others for this, for your pain and sufferings, but every time you look in the mirror, you know the truth."

I decided finally that it was my turn to have a word. "It is their fault, all of it. I didn't choose this life, nor do I want it. But what does my life matter to you?" I wanted nothing to do with the beings of the Digital World; I just wanted to be alone to ponder all of my thoughts.

He didn't answer my question anyway. "Do you not remember Koichi? Yukio blames you for what befell him."

I stopped breathing for a moment and I felt my heart stop beating. "Ko-Koichi?" All of my thoughts turned to someone I vaguely remembered in an instant. He knew about Koichi, he could tell me everything I failed to remember. "Nii-san?"

He disappeared right before my eyes. "Wait!" I cried, lunging toward where I last saw the hypnotizing red eyes. I had lost my chance to get some sort of answer for any of my countless questions.

Putting my hair back up into the hat, I continued walking. It was almost pitch blackness, but I could dimly see the silhouettes of everything around me. Sure, I was lost and broken, but I felt I couldn't return to the group of which I had left behind. Nothing changed the feeling of isolation I had growing within me. I was alone; no one would side with me anyway.

The forest soon dispersed into a clearing of bright moonlight, there being three moons in the Digital World. I saw everything around me in shades of grays and faded tinges. Tall grass came up past my waist, making walking a little more difficult than it would have been.

I neared a large boulder and decided to turn in for the night, it being rather late. But something bothered me, so I picked up a stick and began to carve on the soft, warm soil more lyrics, "I'm tired of being what you want me to be. Feeling so faithless. Lost under the surface. I don't know what you're expecting of me. Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes…"

I sighed, more or less contented with the lyrics. I wasn't getting any happier at this point. So, sitting up on the rock, I watched the grass blowing in the breeze, waves on the ocean. It was quiet, leaving me to my thoughts without disturbance. Just the way I wanted it, alone and silent.

My thoughts began to run wild, question after question, thought after thought. Who was that and why does he know so much about me? What does he know about Koichi?...God, I miss him…though I barely even remember him… Nii-san, what were you like? And just what happened to you? I want to remember…