Digimon Frontier Fanfic

By Sakura Martinez

Author's Note:

I deeply apologize for being in hiatus for so long. If any of you have been following me on Twitter or have subscribed on my blog, you'd know perfectly the reason for that. If not, well, it's because of the book I had published (currently available on a number of online and mortal and brick stores worldwide) and the second book that I am currently writing (which will also be published). That had been eating up a lot of my time and had made it difficult for me to update any of my fanfics. Rest assured that I am going to finish every single one of my fanfics here in FFN (especially the McLaina Story one). It's just going to take a bit longer for that to happen with everything going on, though.

Anyways, thank you for your patience (and, hopefully, understanding as well) and I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Digimon. This story, however, is something that I do own, including the OCs that you will find here.

Chronicles of Time: Another Future

Chapter Twelve

Kouichi's Uncertainty

.::.

Der Mensch kann was er soll;

und wean er sagt er kann nicht,

so will er nicht.

A man can do what he ought to do;

and when he says he cannot,

it is because he will not.

.::.

"What do you mean you want to meet him, old man?" Katsuya couldn't believe what he had just heard, so much so that he found himself standing up and demanding an answer. Not that he didn't always demand answers but, this was one question he was not going to allow the old man not to answer.

"Exactly what I said," the old man calmly answered, sipping his tea afterwards.

"B-But, why!?" Katsuya couldn't understand it. "You never meet with anyone, especially anyone who is not from the Dead Sea of Dreams."

The old man looked at Katsuya, an eyebrow raised, "But I met with you."

That stopped Katsuya from saying anything more. He couldn't argue with that. The old man had a point. Though he wanted to say that it was different with him, he knew that that really wasn't the case. Here, in the old man's palace, the past, the present, and the future held no meaning. It didn't matter if he came from the future or if Kouichi came from the present...or if it was all thanks to Kouichi and Yumi that this whole apocalypse is going to come raining down on them.

Sighing, Katsuya shook his head and said, "Even if you do meet with him, I doubt that it would do any good."

"You don't know that, Katsuya." the old man admonished.

"Who?" Kouichi asked after he had gotten past the initial surprise with the fact that Katsuya had once again visited him and was asking him to get himself ready.

"The old man," Katsuya replied, sounding a little bit cold and distant.

"Yes, I get that. I am going to meet with an old man. What I'm asking is the old man's name." Kouichi huffed as he put on the clothes Katsuya had thrown at him.

Katsuya looked at him like he had asked the stupidest question known to man.

"What?" Kouichi asked.

"You don't ask that question. Ever." Katsuya almost growled in response.

"Why?"

"You just...don't. Anyway, enough of this. I'll wait for you outside. Don't take long."

And then Katsuya left. Once he did, Kouichi stared confused at the door. He wasn't, after all, expecting Katsuya to come to him. He also wasn't expecting to meet the host of the palace he was staying in.

Kouichi wondered what the old man could possibly want and who, exactly, the old man was. Not being given much to go on, Kouichi's imagination caused him to come up with various identities, all of them crazier than the next. Shaking those thoughts from his head, Kouichi went about preparing for the unexpected meeting.

Once he was sure that he looked presentable enough, Kouichi went out of his room to meet with Katsuya. It was the first time he ever stepped out of the confines of his room ever since he arrived at the palace.

Katsuya nodded at him to follow, and Kouichi did. The two of them walked down hallway after hallways made of what Kouichi believed to be crystals. It was a miracle that he wasn't blinded by the luster of the walls, the floors and the ceiling. Various pottery and statues, as well as crystalized plants dotted the hallways. Grand chandeliers hung in the ceilings, candelabras on the walls.

After a while, Kouichi found himself staring at what appeared to be the main hall with two curving staircases on each side reaching up to the second floor. In the middle of said staircases was a large door that led to who-knows-where. The ceiling of that hall was transparent and he could see past the glass that hung above, thereby being able to view the cloudless, night sky.

In the middle of this hall was a circle of well-trimmed grass and flowers that Kouichi had never seen before.

"Come on," Katsuya said, breaking whatever thoughts about the place Kouichi had brewing in his mind.

"R-right," Kouichi followed, looking back at the small patch of land in the middle of the room, all the while wondering why it was there.

Perhaps the old man likes flowers... He thought to himself as Katsuya led him towards the large doors which automatically opened up for them with a groan.

Kouichi had to squint his eyes when a sudden bright light erupted as the doors opened, blinding him. As the reflection of moonlight hitting the crystal floors receded, Kouichi quickly blinked his eyes to bring back his eyesight. Seeing this, Katsuya said, "Sorry. I should have warned you about that."

"Yeah, you should have." Kouichi said as he rubbed his eyes.

Seconds later, his eyesight was back to normal and he was greeted with a strange-looking room and an old man.

The room was wide and was shaped like an egg—domed. It was simple and held no decorations save for a couple of plants by the entrance. A large window, encompassing the whole northern wall, gave them all a view to the evening landscape of the Dead Sea of Dreams. Curved, white, marble sofas encircled the center of the room where a floating globe-like object rested. The whole room was lighted naturally, through the large window, by the moon and the sun—depending on what time of day it was.

As soon as Kouichi had stopped gawking at the room, he turned his gaze to the old man standing by the floating-globe-thing.

There was nothing to denote that the "old man" Katsuya had said wanted to meet him was, indeed, old. The "old man" standing before him, after all, wasn't like what he imagined him to be. He didn't look like Gandalf. He didn't look sage-like at all.

The "old man" looked more like an "older man" so much so that Kouichi pegged him to be somewhere around his forties with hair the color of platinum-silver. The old man's face was wrinkled, but not so much that he looked a little over that particular age-range that Kouichi had labeled him in. His eyes were as blue as the bluest of oceans and seem to sparkle with something that Kouichi can't quite identify...not yet, at least.

He wore lose clothing that made him look like an Arabian monarch, minus the headdress. A pair of sandals were on his feet.

The old man smiled when he saw Kouichi and greeted, "Finally, we meet in person, Kouichi Kimura."

The jovial tone to the old man's voice, surprised Kouichi so much so that it took a while for him to bow and thank his host for having him. "T-thank you for having me and I apologize for the trouble I may have caused you."

The old man waved his hand in dismissal, "Ah, no need for that. And no need to sound so formal, too."

"Ah, r-right." Kouichi righted himself, then he followed Katsuya as the other young man sat down.

"I am certain you already perceived why I asked to meet you, although Katsuya seems to disagree with me in this course of action." the old man said.

Katsuya huffed, though he didn't seem embarrassed having been called out by the old man like that. Kouichi nodded. At the back of his mind he suspected it had something to do with his inability to do anything to help Yumi.

"Let's be honest, shall we?" The old man continued on, "We would not be in a dire situation, facing the imminent destruction of all worlds, if neither you or Yumi sent forth your desires to be able to live in a world that would not pose a problem with your relationship with one another. Though there are countless of explanations that stemmed from such an act to explain why we are in such a situation, there is one prominent fact that ties it all together: because of your wish, though innocent and not harboring any intent to push forth the apocalypse, you and Yumi created a different future—branching it away from the future that would have otherwise been the path all worlds would walk on. The consequences of your actions will forever be a burden that you have to carry, Kouichi Kimura."

This old man doesn't hold back. Duskmon commented.

Expecting that the old man would not be able to hear him, both Kouichi and Duskmon were surprised when the old man suddenly addressed the Tainted Spirit, "The time for holding back has long past, Duskmon. No amount of words can sugarcoat what Yumi and Kouichi had inadvertently done. Kouichi must come to understand and carry the weight of the burden."

"You can hear Duskmon's words?" Kouichi asked surprised as soon as the old man had finished talking.

"Yes, I can. It is one of the many things I am able to do."

If I can converse with you this way, then perhaps you can answer my question, old man. Duskmon said. Why do you need to keep mentioning what Kouichi has done? Surely he understand that by now.

"There is a big difference between understanding something and accepting it." the old man answered. "It is true that Kouichi has come partly to that understanding that all of this could be traced to both him and Yumi, and the guilt he feels for it is apparent. However, one has to wonder if Kouichi had truly accepted the fact. Judging by how you are acting, and your current state of mind, I would say that you have yet to come to accept the consequences of your actions."

Kouichi looked away, unsure as to how to respond to that especially with Katsuya observing. Duskmon also kept quiet for he knew better than speak on Kouichi's behalf. He felt that it was something Kouichi need to deal by himself.

Seeing as neither would speak, the old man went on, "It is not easy to end up with such a deduction. After all, if you truly understood and accepted everything, you would not have remained here, in my abode, for long. You would have rushed out to stop the catastrophe that has been set to motion. You would have done everything in your power in order to rescue Yumi. But, instead, you chose not to. Whether that decision is born of pride or shame, one can only guess...after all, pride can easily be hidden as something else and it takes a good sense of character to know when to lay down your pride and see what it is that caused Katsuya's contempt."

"I am not here to make you feel guilty, Kouichi Kimura. I had not asked to meet with you, breaking eons of traditions, just to make you feel that way. How you feel from my words is something I cannot control. But you are here for a reason and I will attempt to put you back in track. Perhaps you can tell me why you chose not to act."

Kouichi exhaled, "I didn't see what I could possibly do. During that battle with those shadow creatures, I was unable to do anything...and anything that Duskmon tried proved futile."

"So, you figured that there as nothing you can do to thwart the plans of the Evil One?" the old man asked, a thoughtful expression on his face. "But, I believe you fail to see something, Kouichi. Despite how difficult Duskmon found it to be, despite how it seemed nothing was working, did you not see how he continued to fight? I am afraid that with how you lost sight of that, the Evil One might have already have a hold of you."

"W-what do you mean?" Kouichi asked. Duskmon remained silent.

"Light always exist amidst the darkness," the old man explained. "Everyone has light inside of them...even Duksmon, though it might seem strange to think of with him being the Tainted Spirit of Darkness. But, it remains true. Light shines in the hearts of all. The Evil One can get a hold of a person's heart by three things: fear, anger, and hopelessness. His grip on a person's heart strengthens with time unless that person becomes aware of it. It would seem like you are in the hands of fear, for if that wasn't the case, you would have done everything within your power to summon the Elemental Sword and you would have succeeded."

"You knew about that whole Elemental-Sword-business, huh?" Kouichi sighed, a sad smile on his face.

"There's nothing the old man doesn't know about, especially when it is within his realm." Katsuya supplied.

Kouichi then turned his attention back at the old man who awaited his response.

Shaking his head, Kouichi gave a soft, bitter laugh. "I suppose you're right then. But you can't honestly blame me for not being able to summon the Elemenal Sword of Light. What I did before, back then, it was an accident—even though everyone seem to think otherwise. Given how I am now, it is impossible for me to call it again."

"It is only impossible because you believe it to be so. A man can accomplish great things if he doesn't limit himself to what he thinks is impossible." the old man argued. "The sword would have reacted to your need had you believed that you can wield it. But, for whatever reason, it seems you have forgotten about it. And here I thought you held the same fervent and burning will as Takuya Kanbara."

"I'm not him." Kouichi said. How many times had he heard such comparison? "Takuya...is a strong person. I, on the other hand...well, I'm not like him at all."

"Yes, you have made that quite apparent." Katsuya shook his head.

"Katsuya, enough!" the old man admonished. "Do not strain your relationship with this boy more than it is already strained. The fate of the world, of your sister, and of your friends hangs in the shoulders of your teamwork...which is sorely nonexistent." He then turned towards Kouichi and said, "You understand why he speaks that way to you, do you not?"

Kouichi nodded.

"You and Takuya shared the same kind of will. Both you and him are not easily deterred and value loyalty and friendship so strongly that one might think it is both your fatal flaws. The burning fire that allowed Takuya to be the Bearer of the Spirit of Fire also resides within you, though not of equal strength. Which is why you must overcome whatever darkness currently resides in you, the same way Duskmon overcame his own darkness...and you must overcome it soon. If not, I am afraid that the fate of your friends and of the worlds are sealed."

"You keep separating that: the fate of world and the fate of our friends." Kouichi noticed.

"That is because the demise of one is much more closer than the other." the old man replied, confusing Kouichi.

It irked Katsuya so much that he ended up saying, "He means that Takuya and the others are going to die even before the world ends."

Kouichi stared at the darkened sky, his bedroom window wide open letting the breeze blow in and gently ruffle his hair. He wasn't expecting to learn that Takuya and the others had been defeated by a group who called themselves 'The Valkyries'. He didn't expect to hear the old man supply him with information that pertained to the status of their captivity—or, the captivity of their consciousness, rather.

He had learned that after dealing with them, The Valkyries separated their consciousness from their bodies, taking it to the realm where the Evil One resides. So, not only does he need to find and rescue Yumi, he also needed to find a way to reach his friends and bring them back to their senses. He questioned how he would be able to do that when he, himself, was having trouble bringing himself back to the person the old man and Katsuya believed him to be.

We have to act soon, Kouichi... Duskmon spoke to him. Don't you think that you've had enough time sulking?

Don't you think I know that, Duskmon? Kouichi conversed back telepathically. I know I have to act. I know I have to work with Katsuya...but the way I am now, I am only a burden to him and his mission.

Doing nothing makes you a burden. Duskmon argued. Though you may feel that you, yourself, are powerless, you have to remember that you are not alone. I am here, ready to help...and so is Katsuya, though he may act like he does not want to have anything to do with you. That should be enough to make you act.

Kouichi remained silent, giving Duskmon time to add, Besides, your uncertainty is only natural. Everyone feels uncertain, and everyone feels the same fear you harbor in your heart when given such a monumental task. However, you must overcome your fear. You must not allow it to stop you. You might have lost the power to summon the sword, but that doesn't make you powerless. Take one step, work to regain that which you have lost. That is better than doing nothing.

A longer round of silence filled the air before Kouichi burst out laughing. He laughed so hard that he had his arms wrapped around his stomach and tears running down his eyes.

W-what's so funny? Duskmon querried, confused at the sudden outburst. He had never seen Kouichi laugh like that before, not since the whole fiasco with Yumi started. Did you find anything funny with what I had just said?

No, Kouichi replied, wiping the tears from his eyes. No. There was absolutely nothing funny about it. I just find it amusing that you are the one telling me that. That you are trying to lift my spirits up. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're Loweemon and not Duskmon.

I-Idiot! Don't say stuff like that!

Kouichi calmed down after that, a small smile on his lips. I don't know what truly brought the change to you, Duskmon...just as I don't know what caused me to change so much so that I've forgotten things I've learned back in the Digital World but...I am grateful for your words. Thank you.

D-Don't think anything of it. I just don't like seeing you acting so pathetic. Countered Duksmon, then he asked, So, does that mean—?

Kouichi nodded.

It was time.