Chapter 14: From the Heart
Who would have thought…
She…Kari Kamiya…The Eighth Child…would be dead…
It wasn't that she was all powerful or great or anything like that. It's just that if someone told her that this was the way she was going to die she would not have believed them for a second. It was so unjust, so senseless. To be killed by her closest friend, to fall literally into a darkness that she would never return from. How could she live with herself knowing what her friends were suffering through? How could she ever think about Tai again knowing the pain her death must have caused? Hours after losing Greymon he would lose his sister to this heartless war against an unknown foe. She wasn't sad at her own death, only sad at the sadness she had caused.
It was a single tear that rolled down her cheek knowing that she had so much more that she wanted to do. She would never say goodbye to Tai. She would never have any hope to see Gatomon again. She would never tell TK and Davis what she really felt. So much left unsaid and unseen. So much left to do...
So many more emotions to feel, so many more times she wanted to laugh, to cry, to love.
Never again…
Her eyes flew open, out of the darkness in her mind, back in to the light she hoped to be engulfed in. She was sitting it seemed, in a home, on a bed actually. It seemed, no rather it felt familiar, like a distant family member that she had seen as a kid, but never took notice of. It was one of those things that she got angry at herself over, trying desperately to remember until she was blue in the face. On the tip of her tongue, but impossible to put into words. Finally giving up she decided to walk around. In fact it was a lovely home, it was huge, but still something seemed empty. The house was a giant frilly present, not that she considered death a gift. It was straight out of the mind of Mimi actually. That box wrapped in layers of paper and ribbon only for the gift to be a pair of socks. Beautiful on the outside, unimpressive on the inside, where the box itself costs more than the present.
She was feeling the same way about death, maybe she was wrong, but the afterlife kind of seemed a bit…dull. All those discussion and debates people had, all of the wars people fought to know the answer. The grace of heaven, and having everything you wanted, the horrible torture of hell. Yet she was stuck in a house with nothing in it. It was sort of… well… lame.
That wasn't totally true, there were tables and chairs and obviously beds, but still it was empty. It was a house that was there but hadn't been moved into. No food, no toiletries, no silverware, no glasses, no beverages, no books in its bookcases, no sheets on its beds. She looked around forever, but it was dank depressing, and she could not find her way out. She was on the third floor it seemed, but there were no staircases. No way to explore the house beneath her feet, no way to get down. And there was no way she would jump out of a three story window. Though wait…she was dead! What would happen if she broke her ankle in the afterlife? Could she feel pain? She got her answer when she pinched herself. It still hurt. So if she hurt herself badly what would happen?
There was only one way to find out, and she opened up the window. Gingerly putting one foot outside she mentally prepared herself to jump out.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Said a voice with a tinge of amusement. Kari spun around in shock almost losing her grip on the windowsill. Though in her surprise she squarely hit her face on the window she had just opened.
"Oww…"she whimpered. Though the voice was human, and that human form came out to help her back inside. At first she assumed that her head injury was playing with her eyes. Though there was no mistaking that grin, that flaming jacket, and her brothers goggles that caught the light, her light, and shined it back on her.
"Davis…?" she said with wonder, and then realization took over. If she was dead, that meant he was dead. "NO! DAVIS YOU CAN'T BE HERE! DAVISSSSSSS NOOO!!!" Tears erupted from her eyes, and she cried like she had never cried before. Usually the gentle trickle of water that flowed down her face, now replaced with a waterfall. She cried into the chest of the boy she hadn't seen in forever. She punched him with blows that meant nothing. She was pure emotion, pure confusion, for that's what her emotion truly was.
"A hello would have worked too you know." He chuckled awkwardly clearly confused by her tears.
"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO COME BACK…THEY NEED YOU!!! I NEEDED YOU! YET YOU LEFT US AND GOT YOURSELF KILLED!" she looked up at him, watching through her tears as that grin turned sour.
"Kari, you're not dead." He stated flatly. The waterworks quickly stopped, a dam from his words had sealed away behind her eyes. "Your hurt, badly in the head, but you're not dead."
"Wha?" she sniffled.
"Doesn't this place look familiar? Leme give you a hint, you were hotter than usual last time you were here." Once again that grin appeared, lighting up his face. She could see every tooth gleaming white.
"You haven't changed a bit have you?" but as she turned around in a fake huff, acting like she was deeply wounded by his immaturity, she was able to see out the window. Something she was too panicked to do before. It was a city, a large city in rubble. Though it wasn't her home city at all. Something was different about it, something that once again had a familiar taste to it. Finally her eyes landed on the French Arc de Triumph in shambles combined with the Roman Coliseum. Something that was of course impossible, the two of them were thousands of miles away. Then the digital world flashed into her mind, and it clicked.
"My fever" she gasped "That's what you meant about me being hotter than usual! That day in the digital world, this was the house we stayed at. When we found Andromon and all the Numamon. Then fought Machinedramon," she muttered. Davis's hands went to her shoulders comforting her, relaxing the tension that had consumed her over the past few minutes. "Why? Why here?"
"Beats me, this is all in your head." He shrugged, "I never understood why you acted like you did anyway. Why should I understand your dreams? Though I guess this could be a nightmare."
"So if I'm dreaming and I realize I must be dreaming shouldn't I wake up?" she questioned looking at Davis for the answer. Another question he had no idea what to do with.
"Technically I would say yes that makes sense, except for two situations. First off you're physically unable to wake up. Your body is in too much pain for you to wake up as it makes repairs. Second your brain is trying to make sense of something, but you're too busy worrying about other things. So until it works it out you won't wake up. Judging by the fact that I'm here I'm guessing it's the later, unless of course you normally dream about me."
"Shut up!" She laughed "Why am I making so much sense in my dream, when do dreams ever make sense?" she shoved him hard to the ground
"Don't question it, just enjoy the fact that I'm here!" He laughed harder striking a pose.
"You can be really impossible sometimes." She groaned half laughing with him, half actual annoyance.
It made no sense. Why was she still alive? How? Though she did not question what Davis had said. She was alive, she believed that. Somehow, someway it felt right, that this wasn't what death was.
Though what was more confusing was the dream she was having. She was standing in a house she had nearly died in years ago with Davis Motomoyia. She hadn't been to this house in years, she hadn't seen Davis in weeks, maybe months. Why was she experiencing this now of all times. Heck Angewoman could be lining up to destroy her, and she was off in dream world. Speaking of Angewoman, why wasn't she here? Why Davis over her partner? It was Gatomon she had worried about constantly over the past few weeks…
…Second your brain is trying to make sense of something, but you're too busy worrying about other things. So until it works it out you won't wake up. Judging by the fact that I'm here I'm guessing it's the later…
Maybe that was it, maybe it was because she had only worried about Gatomon over the past few weeks. Davis's disappearance had been hard on her, but she had not dealt with it. It had been hidden in the haze of her turbulent emotions. A single raindrop in the thunderstorm that was her mind. Wind and rain blowing hard, thunderclaps and lightning, as anger, sorrow and pain consumed her. She had worked long and hard to put an umbrella up, to protect herself from the elements, to defend herself from the emotions that were controlling her. Though that single rain drop that was Davis had fallen out of the sky it seemed and hit her squarely in the face.
Davis…
She had almost forgotten him at times, so used to him not being there recently. She never had taken a few minutes to worry about him. To make sense of his disappearance. Even when she admitted to herself that she might have feelings for Davis she always asked herself when. That was always the question, "When is Davis coming back?". It should have been why. Why did Davis leave?
"Why did you leave Davis?" she asked softly. She had asked the question, but realized the answer would not make sense. This wasn't really Davis, she would not get the truth.
"Why do you think?"
What did she think? It was a good question…
"It was my fault wasn't it?" she muttered. "Again. You never really got over me the first time you took off."
"You think I really left because once again I could not deal with my feelings for you Kari. I care about you Kari, but that's pushing it." He snickered.
"I kissed you, remember that? Back when you were in the hospital! And you just blew me off, you ended it." She protested arms outstretched.
"That kiss wasn't for me Kari; I think we both know that." He said, his eyes two piercing spears, burying themselves deep within her head and her heart.
"What are you talking about? I was trying to thank you for saving my life."
"You were so confused about what I had done. I had been your knight in shining armor that day. What I had done the pain I endured for you. You thought you had feelings for me, it was written all over your face. For those few hours you thought you were in love with me."
"You're always so full of yourself. Why can't you concede the fact that TK won that round? I was not in love with you Davis." She instantly regretted what she said.
"This isn't about me trying to better myself. If I was really as narcissistic as you pretend I am I wouldn't deserve to live. This is you trying to understand what is truly down there in your heart. That's your problem Kari you're too afraid to look inside yourself. You're too afraid to look down and speak your mind, you are too afraid to act on what you think is truly right. It's why you always ask for help, for guidance from Tai, TK even me, because you never know how to react to everything comes your way. You live your life asking the magic eight ball for answers. Yes. No. Ask me later. Guess what? It's a stupid piece of plastic! Though you take the easy way out! If the magic eight ball gives you the wrong answer, you can just blame it! Simply put you are JEALOUS of me." His words were like fire, every stunning realization a searing pain as tongues of flame grazed her skin. They danced around her, encompassing her, trapping her in a circle of doubt. They had a life of their own.
"Why would I be jealous?"
"Because speaking from my heart is what I do best. Every action comes from within me. I give advice I don't receive it…"
"So I need to learn to speak from my heart, that's what you're saying."
"Before you can speak from it you need to learn what your heart is saying. Try it out, why do you think I left?"
She really wasn't sure what she was doing, but she sat down. Davis certainly was a bit crazy but his advice usually had some merit, she just had to find the part that had merit to it.
"Close your eyes." And she did.
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"Actually TJ I do mind anyway I don't have time for this. I am going on vacation I need some time to think. There is a general dislike of me on the team and I need to separate myself from you guys before I start breaking down like I sort of am now."
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"Takes a real friend to go behind another's back and date while not even telling me. The only reason I knew is because I saw you making out and got the truth from Tai
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"Kari its my fault for crushing on you, I am the one that should be sorry for making things so hard for you. Forget me, you have pretty boy, he is obviously way better. And Kari tell everyone of my vacation, except for Ken that is, I don't think anyone else will understand seeing how you guys acted."
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"Shhh kari… it's my battle let him try…"
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"She's my friend too TK, I was not going to leave a friend back there to die…"
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"Kari a thank you would have sufficed"
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"I was wrong to act like a four year old when I saw you guys in the park…I was a real jerk going out to the digiworld to put a lot of unneeded stress on you guys… That it was wrong to treat you like that over something that petty. You guys mean so much to me…"
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"Now I ask you to look what has happened to us, look at us, fear has taken over, we are weak. Now we are stressed like we were back then and at our weakest for we are only strong as a team. So here is my plan, when our enemy is at its weakest we strike. We strike for surprise and we strike for victory…"
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"Now is a time of ACTION!! AND I PLAN TO FOLLOW SUIT!"
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That's it! She thought. That has to be it!
"Davis, I think I understand it now." Her eyes opened and she awaited his praise and the gleaming smile that would come with his pride. Though the glint of his goggles did not catch her eyes. The orange on blue flames did not jump into view. Davis was gone as if the boy never existed.
"Davis…" she whispered in disbelief, confused, unsure. "Why did you leave Davis?" she asked again. A second time, the same question, a completely different answer.
Davis had always been her conscious it seemed. He was the magic eight ball. Though she had learned how to become independent. Like the old saying; give a man a fish and he can feed his family for a day, teach a man to fish and he can feed his family for a lifetime. She had finally learned how to fish it seemed.
With the why answered she could finally go back to asking when.
When is Davis going to come back?
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The intensity of the pain in his shoulder was without words to describe it. Every breath he took, every time his heart beat, a flash of pain circulated throughout his body. Yolie was his crutch, but in many ways it felt like she was doing more harm than good. She was trying incredibly hard to minimize the shock that every step had, but even still it was like somebody was taking a jackhammer, sharpening the head to razor blade, and then constantly going up and down on his back shoulder.
It wasn't like the mighty Ken ichijouji couldn't take pain. What he was going though right now would have driven many people to unconsciousness. Though he dealt with it for now, to busy worrying about his friends to drift off. Stars and haze clouded his vision, constant reminders of the agony, but he stood strong a castle door refusing to let intruders in.
The battle above him was fascinating for one thing. MagnaAngemon versus Angewoman, an old friend who clearly had been touched by the night. Her flesh had been tainted, blackened by shadow. Her very essence seemed to be filled with hate. Her presence alone had increased his pain, many times over. She was an amplifier for every negative emotion that you felt. Pain, sorrow, anger, envy, hate, furry, seemed to be growing like weeds inside his mind. It was a tribute to her power. He felt like the digimon emperor again, and he hated her for it. That hate was increased many fold because of midnight entity. And because she was increasing his hate he hated her more. A never ending cycle of abhorrence and rage created from the blight that surrounded their old ally.
Surely things would be much worse if it wasn't for the divine spirit of MagnaAngemon. His prescience was the only thing it seemed that was saving them. He was the light against the darkness, cliché as it was. He was the one holding the dam preventing a torrent of water from destroying everything. If he lost all hell would break loose.
What really caught his eyes though was the fighting style. It was so familiar to him a flashback from his everyday life. Angewoman reeked of experience and power, no move was careless, every move could kill if landed in the right spot. She was not kidding when she stated she could take down WarGreymon, mega level seemed beneath what she was capable of destroying.
MagnaAngemon though still seemed unsure of his talent, not scared of unleashing it, but uncertain of how to use it. He was inexperienced in this form, bulky, robotic almost. It was as if Knight was trying to fight a Ninja. They may be equal in every physical quality, or at least some degree of equality. The difference was the fighting style. One smooth and graceful, the other bulky and power seeking. The Ninja knew when he was beaten. The knight kept fighting till death, praying for some sort of home run shot. Though there was something unmistakable, MagnaAngemon wanted it more. And after TK, Matt and Kari had disappeared into the rubble that intensity only grew. He was filled with…with…passion. Desire that Ken had not seen in awhile. The same passion that Ken wished he had. The passion that only one other person he see possess. Davis…
Ken, brilliant strategist that he was could not help but notice similarities. Unfortunately he was best represented by the enemy, the black widow. When the two boys played soccer he was the better, more talented one. No ego involved into that statement, it was a simple fact. He had the experience, the skill, the accuracy, the speed, the power, the strategical prowess. In every conceivable way Ken had the edge, except for one. The one that seemed to matter the most. Davis wanted it more than Ken, a lot more. That simple fact made everyone of their games close, heck Davis may have even had a slight advantage. Davis had passion, desire. Davis had the will of fire. There was no way to defeat someone that just kept coming at you. If they could take your best shot over and over again they could keep going forever. Eventually you would lose; they would get the homerun shot in.
He was trying really hard to worry about his friends, but the battle was fascinating. He was glued to it, through his pain, like a five year old to the television. He wasn't the only one; everybody knew what rested on this bout. If MagnaAngemon lost their only real hope was gone. The only one that deserved this fight that could take down the darkness was the angel above him. It was his fight. Ken barely could imagine what was going through MagnaAngemon's mind. Though he had a small idea…
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"Ummph!" MagnaAngemon grunted out in pain. Another spinning kick had beaten his shield of light to the target. The block was late only by a few hundredths of a second, but the pure force of the blow went straight through the small amount of beam shield that he managed to put up in time. He felt the nauseating pain before he heard the crunch of his body against hers. Though as his eyes flickered with every color of the rainbow, and his body accelerated through sunset's purple haze, instinct took over. Her foot met his chest for less than a second, but it was all the time he needed to grab hold of her ankle. The same arm he had failed with on the defensive was now taking a new tactic, and the momentum he used to build up to block, was now being used to grasp. Her foot was stuck between his bicep and his ribs. Not exactly a rock and a hard place, but more than enough to keep her close to him as he spun away from the point of impact, dragging her with him across the sky.
He thought he might have heard a growl of anger, which to him was a good sign. They slowed as friction began to bring them to a stop. She did not wait for physics to take its course. When the rotation of their bodies put her on top of him she made her move. At first he was surprised that she would attack when he had such an advantage. She was being dragged along with him by a leg, which meant both of her legs were essentially useless until she made an escape. Her arms were her only hope. Simply she had two limbs to use, versus his three for one of his was holding her leg. Then he realized even being down a limb, she still probably had an advantage.
She swung foreword with the arm opposite of the pinned leg. Her fist squarely hit him in the face, but he did not try to stop it. Knuckles met cheek, nose and mouth, but he rolled with the punch. Instincts told him what was coming, and instincts told him to take the hit. It hurt certainly, not quite the eyes flashing with colors pain that the kick had brought on, but enough for him to feel it. Luckily in her position she could not build up to much force to put behind the punch, plus he had taken the blow perfectly to minimize the effect. He might not be too used to his body, but he certainly how to fight, and every second this battle rolled on, the better he became. She was fighting on strategy, experience, and skill that seemed to drastically outclass his. His advantage was the ability to react before he could think. Even still he was having trouble keeping up.
At the moment though he found himself in the perfect position, something that you dream of whenever you fight. Her attack had sent her spinning around within his grasp, but she was still in his grasp. She had hoped that she would be able to knock him away with that punch. She underestimated him. Now she was in attack range, plus she was facing the wrong way. No way to block, only take his punishment.
Though instinct again took action, his eyes saw what was happening. She spun in his grasp further, building up speed and torque. Her opposite arm coming towards him at unheard of speeds. Every one of her blows he had seen through, but never able to physically put shield to fist, sword to body. His instinct was always one step ahead of her, but his body could never keep up. This time things were different. Spinning further her arm whistled through the air, she pointed her arm as her elbow bore down on him. Targeting the same place she had just struck with her fist. He had taken the punch knowing this was going to happen. It was the only thing that could happen. The attack had enough force to tear his head from his body if it hit him. Though his shield arm was currently in use, so he blocked with his blade, pointy end first.
The sound was sickening, not a thump or crunch, more of a combination between a slice and a thud. Through the corner of his eye he saw her flesh engulf his divine blade as the holy sword disappeared inside the shadows within her. If the noise the blade made was sickening, words could not describe the scream that slipped through her lips. It was horrifying; it broke windows, shattered crystal and china, and he saw cracks in his own shield growing from the relentless weight of the sound. The digidestined below covered their ears in agony.
She was stuck though; screaming was her only attack at the moment. Her right arm was imbedded into his sword; her right leg was firmly stuck. She was tied up like a knot and there was no way she could land another blow on him for the time being. Her back faced him as she struggled a little bit before realizing the futility of the situation. He moved in a little closer and whispered in her ear, loud enough so it would resonate over the screaming.
"Shut up" though she did not actually shut up. So he made her. Bringing his foot up he gathered up every amount of strength he could.
"I told you to shut up!" he growled and let loose. His foot struck her in the small of the back and she was wrenched from his grasp by his own force. Her arm came loose from his blade and she fell in a vicious down spin towards the earth. She clipped the radio tower on the way down with her foot before falling face first into concrete.
Though MagnaAngemon wasted no time in his brief victory. She would be back up soon.
Soul Banish!!!
Taking Excalibur, the vorpal sword recently freed from Angewoman's elbow, into both hands he held it towards the last remaining hints of sunlight. Normally it would have been too dark to use this attack, but his will at the moment was more than enough to coax the power into the blade. Then with a mighty heave he flung it along the same path that the black angel had fallen. Spinning towards the surface it landed within the fallen angel, tip first. The ground shook on impact as sword met where heart should be. The screaming stopped. Nothing no movement no nothing, not even a breath of air from his own lips.
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Laughter…
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No screams of pain, no last gasps of life, and no tears as death took over. The angel was laughing, standing with a blade going through her chest. Light emanated from her from the sword's point of entry and every other hole in her body. She was a Christmas tree, yet she was laughing. MagnaAngemon prepared for a second attack, but she stopped him when she reached for his sword. He watched in horror as the divine blade was grasped by her and slowly removed from flesh.
"Soul Banish?" she laughed "A powerful attack to be sure, though one problem." she grinned malevolently and with one last pull took blade from body. "I don't have a soul…"
"WHAT ARE YOU?!?" MagnaAngemon screamed.
"I am light reborn…I am shadow…"
"Shadow?! You are pure darkness, pure evil, your essence is as black as night."
"There is no such this as darkness, only shadows."
"Of course there is darkness, look at the sky." The last rays of light had left the horizon and only blackness existed. "What do you call that?"
"Don't you understand, what is darkness you fool, what are shadows?"
"EVIL!"
"WRONG! Darkness is the absence of light. When you stand on the ground you block the light, you create shadows. Darkness doesn't exist without light. Don't you see that?"
"My mission is to eliminate darkness, and with sword in hand I will vanquish you!"
"So noble… All you do is put light where there isn't any. When shadows rule you simply add light to make us non-existent. Though you can never kill us, wherever there is light there will be darkness. The only way to slay the darkness is to slay yourself. You can never kill me. I exist because of you. You can hide me all you want, but until light ceases to exist I will live."
"What if light exists completely, no room for darkness…?"
"Keep on trying, it will never happen. Humans and digimon alike will never be a righteous as you."
"It doesn't mean I won't stop trying…"
"Then you might want your sword back." She laughed hurling the sword back at him at twice the speed he had thrown it at her. Somehow barely, he was able to put his beam shield up, it was pointless though. The sword tore through the shield as if it was flesh. Through the shield it made its way though his arm, stopping millimeters from his chest when the hilt was held in place by his bony arm.
"Arrrhhh" MagnaAngemon screamed in agony.
"We have reached an impasse it seems. The only way that you can win is for me to win, but if I win you lose so therefore you can't win. Yet if you lose I lose, but if I win I also lose which means you lose. Confusing eh?" she laughed. "We both refuse to lose, so in reality we are both refusing to win. If we both refuse to win or lose then nothing will ever happen."
"So we fight!" growled MagnaAngemon.
"Why, fighting and not fighting accomplishes the same thing, that is nothing. Nothing will ever happen either way."said an exasperated Angewoman
"Enough with the psycho bullshit. If I don't do anything I won't ever be true to myself. I do everything from the heart. Without that I am nothing"
"So I guess I will be forced to tear out your heart…"
"You can try…" and he charged hellbent on blinding the earth with light so darkness or shadows could never exist.
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Well I am sorry…again…another late chapter…I really don't have time to explain…Its just hard to write in the summer before senior year. Anyway I am leaving for a backpacking trip in Wyoming for a month so don't expect another chapter for awhile…Sorry again…This isn't the whole chapter, but as I said I am leaving tomorrow….
Sorry….-avoids tomatoes-
Peace out
And hope you enjoyed…