Author's Notes

Yay, new readers. :) Mind you, the next few chapters are a tad annoying to write up…and during my busiest time of the semester too. Right before the exams. Hopefully I can get them done. They're not bad reading per say; it's just that that part of the plan is a little…unhelpful largely. It basically says "everyone gets their beast spirits" and that spans over a few chapters. Looks like four of them for now, but I might change my mind later as I'm writing.

Almost midnight now. Excuse any blaringly obvious errors. I'm heading off to bed after a long week. Onami wa.

Enjoy, and tell me what you think.

Mirror Distortions

AU. What if the twins' parents never divorced? What if being pushed together was the very rift that divided them? What if envy was spurned from societal influence-and the gate opened amidst?

Kouichi K &Kouji M

Chapter 13

Clash of the Elements

'So your brother is epileptic,' JP concluded aloud. 'That's much better than the whole vampire rumour.'

'Vampire?' they all repeated…even Koji surprisingly.

'You don't know?' Koichi's classmate asked, turning specifically to the younger twin before answering by enlarge. 'Eh, there's a whole bunch of rumours going around school, wondering why he never watches movies, stays out of the sun and all that.'

They all managed a few giggles at that, except Koji.

'Man,' Takuya sighed. 'I can't imagine never being able to play video games.'

'That's the thing,' Koji muttered. 'I'm pretty sure the Doctor said he can. He used to play with me when we were a lot younger; Mum would set up the anti-glare thing on the monitor and then we'd try to blow each other up – '

'Now there's an idea,' the elder of the two (one currently a stranger to the others). 'I'll tell Mum she needs to get a second controller so we can beat each other up on the screen instead of in real life.'

Everyone stared at him and he rubbed a sheepish mat into the back of his hair. 'Well, he does get rather annoying,' he confessed. 'He follows me around everywhere, always wants to do things I want to do and can be an overall pest and somehow manages to turn around and make my heart melt.' There was a pause as he further scratched his head. 'I think I need to work on that.'

'Right.' None of them pretended to understand; they didn't have little brothers, although both Koji and Tommy were them…although the former was a tad questionable due to the close proximities in age. After all, the fact that they were in two separate year levels was purely a chance concerning the timing of their birth on either side of Japan's cut-off date. If they had started school in Australia, the younger twin would have been in the same class as his brother; their cut-off date was at the end of April. Somewhere else, he'd forgotten where, it was September.

'I didn't know about that,' Koji said, a little quietly. 'I doubt Mum and Dad did either; Koichi doesn't really mention anything personal about school. In fact, he probably talks the least out of all of us; it's normally Mum and Dad making small talk on the dinner table.' He folded his arms. 'I guess I never thought about that as a problem before. And then he frowned. 'When did I accept what others said so easily?'

Takuya cracked up at that. 'Instinct?' he offered. 'But it wasn't like you didn't have plenty of time to think about it.'

'…that's true.'

'At least we can see where you two were coming from,' Zoe offered after a small hiatus in the conversation, before grinning. 'Don't worry. You were a jerk, but we forgive you.'

They all laughed at the tone before jumping as Bokomon gave an exclamation and pointed at a sigh. 'Look!'

They looked.

'Forest Terminal,' Takuya read slowly, before sinking into the lush grass. 'Oh, finally.'

The others followed suit, except for Neemon who was sniffing at the air.

'What's that smell?' he asked, walking ahead a few paces. 'Ooh, food. I'm hungry.'

The rest of them were quickly back on their feet and following.

The last leg of their journey was the most uneventful by far, although they did wind up having a meeting with a Deramon whose cooking skills were worse than (as he admitted aloud) Takuya's…and Koji's preliminary attempts, even though he refrained from saying it out loud…for a time. In the end, it slipped out when the other had displayed pride in his inability to be taught how to cook.

The only other unusual thing that had occurred was their D-tectors opening up a path for them, straight up to the well-veiled castle…where they met with a solitude Gatekeeper who took his job seriously enough to almost skewer their heads before someone (none of them were sure how) had the sense to mention that a lady's voice on their D-tectors had sent them, not Cherubimon.

He let them in after that with apologies, and all of them got a glimpse of the end result of loneliness, but he brushed off any impending pity before it arrived.

'I have something to protect,' was all he said as he led them through a gleaming hall and to a crystal that hovered above a circular room made from crystal.

'This is Lord Seraphimon,' Sorcerymon introduced, gesturing at the being encased in the crystal. It reminded them of the Western fairytale of Snow White, who'd eaten a poisoned apple and slept at still as death till her lover's kiss awoke her from the deep slumber.

They all stared in awe at the Celestial Digimon…until their D-tectors beeped simultaneously. Before any of them had reached for the device, a voice familiar to one of them echoed across the room as if originating from the crystal finish itself.

'Let your light shine as one…'

'That's Ophanimon's voice!' Sorcerymon exclaimed, showing…if one dared to say it, joy.

Ophanimon…

At least now they knew who their mysterious benefactor was.

Koichi, or Duskmon rather, didn't quite know why he continuously returned to the Chamber of Light. Light was, even in the Digital World where the physical effect thereof couldn't touch him, painful. The shadows, as they always were, were far more soothing, and unlike the claustrophobic atmosphere that had morphed from what had once been his comforting room, they took away the rest.

The light brought it back. So what the heck was he doing there again?

The chamber was made from two things: light and mirrors. Both of which he…well, perhaps despised was an unnecessarily hard term. He didn't like the light for obvious reasons; the fact that his brother of all people possessed the spirit thereof seemed like both a curse and a blessing in disguise. With him having chosen the path of Darkness where there was no turning back, there was nothing that could drive them further apart than this world and its struggle at the edge of the abyss. As for the mirrors, there was several reasons for his distaste. Not only did they show the same face so warped while many cooed about how similar they looked – after all, they couldn't be more different if they consciously tried – but his own eyes had turned almost black in a matter of days. This was before he'd taken the spirits. He was in their form now. It was easier, more comforting. His thoughts were clearer; he could meld over the world without emotion getting in the way. Those feelings dulled into something far away.

Like that, he could go on living for quite a long time. Maybe he would; there was no rush after all. It was true the world tended towards disorder, but human action alone somewhat attempted to slow the process. And from what he'd heard, digimon were no different. They took, throughout their evolution, all the fallacies of their (perhaps unintentional) creators. But despite the new darkness that blanketed him, he knew that wouldn't be possible.

He was standing in the chamber of light, wasn't he? Within minutes, it reduced any defence he had to nothingness. There was no point holding a form that could not help him, and so he devolved before stepping further into the chamber.

Ophanimon, from far above, looked down at him.

'You've come again,' she commented softly, her tone somewhat sad. 'Why?'

'If I knew,' the other responded in equal quietness. 'I wouldn't be here.'

Seraphimon's tale served to fill in some blank holes in their knowledge, but otherwise collaborated with Bokomon's story of the Ten Warriors…which was just as well, considering there would have been a distinct issue of trust if it had not.

In any case, there was already an issue. The Celestial Digimon wanted them home, and none of them were willing to go.

'This isn't your war,' the angel explained. 'I can't defend this world and you children.'

'We've protected ourselves just fine,' Takuya protested. 'We saved you.'

'Yes, and I'm grateful for that,' Seraphimon said impatiently. 'But-'

'And we're the Legendary Warriors.'

What was Ophanimon thinking? The angel grumbled to himself as he massaged his forehead. Bringing a group of stubborn children to the Digital World and guiding them to the spirits?

He knew well though she only had the Digital World's survival in mind. They all did; they simply went about it in different ways.

'Why did you choose to follow Cherubimon?' Ophanimon asked suddenly.

'You've asked me that before.' There was a dim shadow cast by her cage and he stood in it, right below the apex of the heart. It was the one place that was remotely safe, but his body still trembled without his violation. It was little comfort to know he wouldn't collapse from a seizure right then and there. Perhaps that would be better; the waiting was going to kill him one day.

He knew at that moment that there was no way he'd ever be able to wait that long. It really was impossible…for him anyway. No matter what the surroundings, or the circumstance.

'You never replied,' the angel replied, looking upon the shadow too. The child's aura was clouded, as were his eyes. One could easily conclude from that that the entire soul, or spirit, was darkened in a dense fog looming about. He carried that fog with him from his own world, and it had easily grown and festered. He'd fought it off for a time, but allowed it dominance in the end. But she knew better. Her dominion was life and love after all. While someone else could easily see his reasons as hatred, and death, she saw the opposite. But it was a fragile balance between the latter and her counterpart.

Koichi looked down. 'Because it's the easiest thing to do,' was his response. 'You're safe in your cage, but how long do you think you can watch the world around you shatter before it consumes you?'

'Not long,' the woman admitted. 'But isn't a one-sided war without hope.'

'It is,' the other disagreed, and she wasn't the right person to argue the point. If it did accomplish something, it would not be the outcome most favourable to all. Not only to her, or the Digital world, but a pair of brothers who'd gone almost as far apart as was possible.

In any case, he looked like he was preparing to bolt at any moment. His voice was flat, a monotone even, but his body shook. His fingers fidgeted. His eyes stayed their inherent clouded blue like the ocean sinking into its own depths.

'Nonetheless,' she said softly, and with sympathy. Her heart cried two-fold for such an image; for a sorrow she had helped along and for that which had existed long before she laid eyes on the drifting child. 'You've chosen your path. I pray you've made the right choice…'

The boy had evidently had enough and he retreated like the shadow he possessed. It was almost as if the word "choice" had set him off. It probably had, but what substitute could she use for it?

Nonetheless, she completed her statement to her empty chamber. '…for yourself and all whom you love, even though the path you've planted under your feet differs from the one you see stretching out in front of you.'

It was wrong, bringing innocent children with their own problems into a world that would fester that, but their survival had been at stake. She hadn't any choice.

They had a half-second warning before the castle shook and crystal began to shatter around them, and that was only thanks to Sorcerymon.

'They're here,' he managed before something hit the walls and the first shard fell.

But it was all the time the others needed to evolve…except for Zoe who still lacked her spirit.

'You give back spirit.'

Apparently, she wasn't the only one as Grumblemon burst through the door…and he had brought friends. One who looked familiar, two who did not.

'See?' the earth warrior said by enlarge. 'Me brought friends.'

There was the relief in knowing the fight was four on six with two beast spirits in their favour.

'Arbormon.'

'We've met,' JP scowled, glaring at the tree. Takuya glared too. Koji hadn't actually met the walking Arbor before, although his brother had.

'Ranamon.'

The blue water sprite giggled and waved. 'Ooh,' she trilled. 'These look like fun toys to play with.'

'Mercurymon.'

'Thy capability for introduction is only decreased by thy stature,' the walking collection of mirrors scowled…or so the lips indicated. There were no eyes or any other part of one's face to speak of.

For a moment, the nine legendary warriors (or conduits of such) faced off, with one notably absent on both fronts. One human, for all five remembered Koichi. One digimon too, but they weren't sure which side the currently unseen Warrior of Darkness stood upon.

They had discussed it though. Most of the time, darkness never meant anything good. The odds that it would be a spirit on their side were pretty slim, but that also meant, as Tommy had pointed out, that it reduced Koichi's chances of finding a spirit and getting home to almost zero. After all, he had no D-tector to speak of either as far as they knew. And of all ten warrior spirits were accounted for, what was left? The only possibility was if one of Cherubimon's corrupted spirits belonged to him, in which case the boy would have been better off with them.

Koji in particular was starting to worry. Really worry, because they'd never been apart for so long, and not only that, but his brother was wandering around a dangerous world with no defence. He couldn't help but slowly think that his brother leaving the group was prompted by his own arrival on the scene; hadn't he shunned the other in their last encounters? The guilt festered, but they'd had a destination, and he'd hoped Koichi would meet up with them. He knew where they had all been heading after all, even if he had claimed to diverge his path. Part of him hoped he would change his mind.

A far smaller part realised he might be happier in this world, where the light couldn't drive his body separate from his mind.

For a moment, it looked as though they had failed. Sorcerymon had lost his wand and was badly wounded, unable to continue. The legendary warriors, save Zoe, were all bearing the wounds of battle and were devolved. Mercurymon was shining like the day he was born. The rest of Cherubimon's warriors were somewhere in between, leaning towards the "perfectly alright" end of the spectrum.

And Seraphimon…had been hit with a reflected version of his own attack and reduced to a digi-egg as Mercurymon scanned the data.

'But-but-' Neemon stuttered, hiding behind a particularly large clump of crystal.

'No!' Sorcerymon sank to the ground. 'Our last hope is gone.'

'No!' Unlike the previous cry of despair, Zoe's was filled with pure stubbornness and purpose as she caught the fallen egg. 'If we have his digi-egg, it can hatch again.'

'Yes.' The wizard's eyes rose with hope. 'WE need to get that egg to Ophanimon. It contains the last of our hope.'

But Zoe was being flanked by the four warriors, and none of them were in any condition to help her. All they could do was cheer her on – and watch in horror as a red laser suddenly hit her feet and she tripped. Where the egg bounced off to, none of them saw. Presumably it got swallowed up in the blast because the dual waves of horror…none of them had ever heard anything akin to it before.

'So the Prince of Darkness finally decides to grace us all with thy presence,' Mercurymon commented, somewhat mockingly. 'I hope this endeavour does not involve thy stealing our hard-earned credit.'

'If you mean the spoils you take by letting others do the menial labour and striking with the iron burns,' the other replied with a far more chilling coldness. 'I wouldn't dream of it.'

During the brief exchange, the boys managed to pick Zoe up and set her upon her feet. The green eyes anxiously scanned the debris for any sign of the egg, wincing slightly as she put weight on her right foot.

'Is it a sprain?' Takuya asked.

'I don't know,' the blonde replied, distractedly. 'It doesn't matter anyway.'

'You must leave,' Sorcorymon interjected. 'I will hold them off.'

'You can't,' they protested, but when the fists flew at them again, they realised they had no choice. Perhaps they could manage another digivolution, but with another joining their ranks (and validating their earlier hypothesis), they stood no chance at all.

In the end, they ran with the castle crumbling about them, right into the back of a Trailmon and bringing a heap of debris along with them.

'We follow,' Grumblemon shouted, but Sorcerymon barred his way. Without his wand, his attacks were severly weakened, but both he and the castle had a few more tricks up their sleeves.

'Not so fast sugar,' Ranamon trilled, aiming a stream of water that was quickly dodged before a punch was parried with some greater difficulty. 'Oh, shoot.' The sprite didn't seem worried though.

Duskmon turned without a sound and passed through the back wall.

'Where art thou heading to?'

Duskmon turned back, the mark upon his cheek glaring in the sparkling light of the shattered castle. 'I have no desire to waste my time here,' he replied cooly, before passing into the next room.

The noise followed him, but everything else faded into a bubble. This particular room was untouched from the chaos adjourning it. There was nothing notable save the centre display, a replica of the three Great Angels in crystal form, shining with digicode.

He reached a hand and touched it gently, and it responded, trilling like a bird singing in the breeze.

His lips parted slightly, before pressing together. The next touch was far more firm, and more purposeful.

Sorcerymon knew the instance the one Mercurymon had called "Prince of Darkness" passed through the wall towards the fractal code for the castle that both his time and that of the place he had sworn to protect were drawing to a close.

He simply hoped the children had made it out. Now, they truly were the last hope of the Digital World.

The other thing he found himself hoping, when his world was engulfed by white, was that Seraphimon's digiegg had somehow survived. After all, they hadn't seen it. Possibly it had buried itself into the debris. Hopefully the children had found that too; if all three angels fell, who would guide the children on their noble quest?