Izzy's heart

by koukacs

Koushiro's biological parents did not die in an accident. Their research in the Digital World created a chaotic entity who rules over all and wished for their death. When the boy touches a code in the wall of a mountain, he becomes targetted by the gods. And to save himself and everyone else, he must face the truth about his origins and look into his own heart.

25. Goodbye, my love

Yeah, I ended up being able to write the chapter before August, so I posted it already. Please, review me.

Chapter 25: Good-bye, my love.

A little boy used to be alone, even if there were people around him. He felt he didn't belong to anywhere or anyone. He was lonely. What did his family mean to him, if it was not a real family? The life didn't seem real. Those faces of people who smiled at him. The praises he received from everybody. His parents always said he was a good son. The emptiness never disappeared, though. The smiles... were they all making fun of him? His so-called friends were like that too. Everything felt so distant and surrealist. It was sad, like living in a nightmare without ever been awaken. His eyes had been always closed; he had been always asleep. Until...

"Why do you force smiles to people? You don't need to act as if everything is OK with you."

The sun reached him. So sudden, so violent... he got scared. He hadn't realized yet how much he needed that sun.

"I think we're similar, Sabine."

The world wasn't so dark anymore.

"It's true that Koushiro is coward when it comes to open up to people and that he fears to be left alone. It's true either that he hates himself and his life. But by hating himself it doesn't mean he hates people..."

Things were clearer.

He loved those people. But they had been taken away. Even if he still had the sun, what there was left to see was just awful. He couldn't leave things that way and just go with her.

My family. My friends. My home. They took everything from me. I can't forget what they did. I can't forgive.

He needed to erase that horrible feeling. He had to destroy...

Izzy attacked. He was fast enough to make a hole in Glaube's left arm with the spear and teleport before Glaube could reach him. Does it hurt? He kept doing that over and over again. A hole in the enemy's right leg. How does it feel, Glaube? Teleport. Stab his chest. Does it feel like you're dying? Like the whole world is meaningless? Teleport. Suffer! Suffer more! FEEL PAIN! Glaube was destroying the entire place by hitting it with the spear, unable to harm his target.

"STOP PLAYING AND SHOW YOURSELF!" Glaube roared, hitting the ground with the spear and making the entire palace tremble. He's different from before. Colder. Is it because he's fighting without having to worry about others? Or maybe it's another thing. It doesn't matter. I won't lose to him. Not to him! Even if it kills me!

Flash-back

A man with orange hair opened his eyes for the first time. A woman with green hair helped him to sit. She smiled at him softly. She didn't seem special at all. A light was seen inside a tissue cylinder in his front. It was so beautiful.

"Welcome to the world of the living, Glaube."

That was his name.

"You are the third. My most loyal soldier."

The goddess was talking to him. Her voice was like a miracle. The feeling he had couldn't be described in words. How could someone describe the contemplation of a perfect being?

"Fight for me and never doubt of me."

Just a heretical would go against a goddess.

"Trust me and obey me. I will always have you in my heart."

End of flash-back

Always in her heart? The heart of the Digital World... was everything a lie? Am I a clown to entertain her? Why she never talked to me the way she talked about the Digital World's Heart?

He felt as if a knife was tearing him into pieces. Izzy had stopped the attacks after Glaube had used the spear. It was necessary for the boy to think in a good plan. Glaube couldn't think of anything else besides Unschuld. Memories came like waves in the sea.

"Someone like you, Glaube, cannot understand. I don't seek power. I want the Heart because of a more important reason."

She never shared anything with me. I never understood her. What was so wrong with me? Why couldn't she have me as something important? Has she ever felt something toward me?

Far from there, Sabine went back to the spot where she had arrived with Weisheit earlier. The black sword that was supposed to be there had vanished. It's not here. Why? Does it mean Weisheit...? The girl clenched her fists; she knew what that meant. She couldn't spend too much time thinking about it, though. She needed to go back and find Koushiro, not just to inform him about Weisheit, but also because she was worried.

Koushiro was so different. He didn't seem himself. He wanted to stay there and fight. Do I have the right to interfere?

The ceiling began falling apart. Large blocks plummeted. Sabine was able to dodge some of them, but she fell after trip over a piece of the ceiling. I have to get out of here, or I'm going to be smashed!

Back to Glaube, he was trembling in pure fury. That child... she was always thinking about him. All that she did to my body was because of him. The precious heart she wanted so badly! Cursed child! I'll destroy him! He must die and pay for everything! Memories were passing through his mind.

Flash-back

"I'll give you a new body, Glaube."

"Can't you just restore my body?"

"No. The body I'll give you will be important for your next mission."

"I must go look for Wesiheit. He must die, that traitor..."

"Stop talking. Your mission has nothing to do with Weisheit."

End of flash-back

This body of mine. That human child. What I've been through for fourteen years...

Flash-back

"Glaube! Where have you been all these years?" Traum asked.

"What are you doing here?"

"Unschuld sent me here. The Heart appeared in this place."

"What?"

"I'll look for him. You must deceive the digidestineds while I do it."

"What do you mean? Capturing the Heart was my mission!"

"Sorry, Glaube. But you failed. Now it's my mission."

Glaube was furious. Traum seemed scared.

"Hey, take it easy. You still can beat Weisheit, right? But remember, you must pretend to be on the digidestineds' side."

I want to kill them all. Why can't I? I've been locked up for so many years. Why did I wake up now?

"Oh, there's a thing Unschuld told me to tell you," Traum suddenly remembered. "She said, 'You have an important mission. Everything has a meaning. Don't lose your faith in me.'"

End of flash-back

All this really had a meaning? Or was is it just her way to punish me? That man...

Flash-back

"Why did you kill him, Glaube?" Unschuld asked.

"He was a heretical human."

"I told you I didn't want the humans to die anymore. Just that woman should die."

"You're too innocent and confused. Soon you'll go back to your senses and realize..."

"Why did you kill Shunsui?" Unschuld's voice sounded sad. Glaube noticed that.

"Why do you care? HE WAS JUST A WORTHLESS HUMAN!"

End of flash-back

All this time I was just deceiving myself. I never was special. I never was in her thoughts.

Flash-back

"She locked your mind for 14 years in this body. And you would have stayed like that if the incident in that mountain never had happened. But you woke up and found Weisheit. She had no choice but to send Traum there and make up some ridiculous excuse that only you would believe. She doesn't care about you, Glaube. She doesn't care about the Digital World or the human world. All she wants is what she never had the courage to pick up."

End of flash-back

Glaube couldn't take it anymore. The air was becoming hot. Fierce winds were forming around him. The lines over his body were shining. From where he was hidden, Izzy could see that. What is he going to do?

"Verurteilung." Glaube whispered. Far from there, on File Island, Leomon was walking when Orgemon attacked him in surprise.

"Again with this, Orgemon? You have been doing this since my rebirth!" Leomon scolded him.

"Stop winning, defeating you is my... what is that?" Orgemon was pointing to the sky. The other turned to that direction and saw a huge ball of fire increasing. Hot winds and detritus on fire were been thrown by it.

"RUN!" Leomon yelled, but there wasn't any place to run. The winds and the fire were destroying and melting everything in the Digital World. Even Gennai was trying to escape. I don't have time to bring anyone with me, if I could open a gate to the human world... He was thinking while working in his submerse house. The water outside was evaporating and the residence was being taken by the flames. Gennai managed to open a gate and pass through it in the last second.

In Izzy's apartment, the digidestineds were in the living room, while Masami and Yoshie were in the kitchen. Nobody talked. The sound of a computer exploding was heard in Izzy's room and made them run to there. They became very disappointed when they saw who was lying in front of the destroyed computer, though.

"It's you, Gennai." Tai said almost in anger.

"What are you doing here? What's the meaning of this mess?" Tailmon asked. Gennai was astonished by such cold reception.

"Sorry for coming like this, but I had no choice. If I had waited more, I would be dead now."

"What do you mean?" Kari asked a bit worried "Some evil digimon attacked you?"

"I wish it had been like that. I can't really explain what happened, but the sky had been taken by an immense fire ball, and fierce winds, along with a rain of fire, was destroying the Digital World! I'm probably the only survivor."

The others couldn't accept such a thing.

"Digital World is destroyed?" TK was terrified, "How?"

Tai automatically ran outside. He, followed by the others, headed for the ceiling of the building, where Weisheit's followers were.

"Do you know anything about what happened in the Digi-" Tai began, but he stopped when he saw the three digimon crying. Persefonemon was punching the ceiling in despair, Ceresmon was sobbing with a pearl necklace on her hands. A lot of the pearls were gray. Chainmon was crying in a more controlled way.

"What happened to you?" Yoshie questioned, trying to not show the fear she had. Chainmon decided to explain.

"Some time ago, master Leben gave Ceresmon a pearl necklace. She instructed her to write the names of the people and digimon she knew on each pearl. While the pearls stayed white, it would mean the correspondent people or digimon were alive. However, if the pearls became gray..."

Chainmon didn't finish. Mrs. Izumi took the necklace from Ceresmon's hands and searched for a name. She dropped some tears in relief when she saw the pearl Koushiro was still white.

"Koushiro is alive. Thank God!" she sobbed. The others seemed to cheer up. Gennai was trying his best to understand what was going on and who were those strange digimon. Masami was the person who realized why the three digimon were so sad, by analyzing the necklace.

"Weisheit's pearl..." he pointed to the gray pearl with the name Weisheit written on it. The joy vanished from everybody just as quickly it had appeared.

"Weisheit... is dead?" Sora asked in a shaken way. Chainmon confirmed with the head and added.

"Master Leben also died."

Persefonemon punched the ceiling harder. "That stupid! Idiot! He knew he had no chance and even so..."

"Stop it, Persefonemon!" Chainmon scolded her, "I know how you feel, but don't say these things about him. He died like a hero."

"WHAT DIFFERENCE IT MAKES? HE DIED! HE'LL NEVER COME BACK! We sent him to death..." Persefonemon couldn't stand the pain. Everybody was sorry.

"But Weisheit defeated Lucemon. He was so strong, how could he...?" Cody was asking.

"He was the sixth in a group of six." Chainmon muttered.

"H-hold on a second." Yoshie managed to say, "Weisheit went to rescue Koushiro, if he died, how is my son going to return?"

"Perhaps Sabine brings him back. She's still alive too." Chainmon informed.

"Sabine?" Matt asked, "Sabine went with Weisheit?"

"WHAT?" Tai couldn't believe it, "Why that girl? He forbade us to go, but let her go?"

"Sabine had more chances than you, besides, she wouldn't just stay behind. It was impossible to dissuade her." Persefonemon said.

"Why?" Tai asked, "She barely knew Izzy! Why would she insist so much to go? And why would Weisheit let?"

Matt and Sora exchanged some looks. Masami and Yoshie did the same.

"It's a thing you only can understand..." Ceresmon spoke in a sad way, "when you have this feeling, this connexion with someone. A thing stronger than anything else. Master Leben had it until the very end... I hope she finally found her peace."

Meanwhile, Izzy was lying on a white structure. He opened his eyes and realized what had happened. The structure he was on seemed to be the skeleton of the palace. Better said, of what had been the palace. The only thing left behind was the structure floating in the sky, like a rib cage without meat. The rest of the place had vanished.

Sabine! Weisheit! No! Izzy was about to cry. If he had finished Glaube off earlier, if he had stopped him before using that technique... Koushiro, don't worry! The boy heard the Heart talking to him. When I saw what Glaube was plotting, I took control of you and made a barrier strong enough to protect you and Sabine. I used the structure of the palace to conduce my energy.

"The structure?" Izzy questioned, taking a glance at the white building skeleton he was on.

"Yes." The Heart continued, "It's Unschuld's own power crystallized, a thing Glaube can't destroy. This palace was built to be indestructible and invisible to outsiders, by having a protective dimensional barrier around it. Unschuld probably never thought Glaube would do such a thing, so she never worried in making a stronger barrier. But the skeleton..."

"Wait, what about Weisheit? He's okay as well, right?"

The lack of an answer made Izzy realize what had happened. Several tears fell from his eyes. The Heart decided to speak again.

"There's no sign of Achtundzwanzig either. I assume Weisheit was able to kill him, but died in the process."

Izzy was suffering a lot. Weisheit died to give me and Sabine a chance to escape. I'm the only one responsible for all of this. His attention was caught by the strange behavior Glaube was having, some meters below. He seemed to be arguing to himself.

"He died. That brat burned to ashes."

"No! This can't be!"

"Shut up! You've lost! He died and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"I'll destroy you."

"I'm a lot stronger than you. You're nothing more than an insect!"

"DISAPPEAR! I'LL MAKE YOU LEAVE MY BODY, NOW!"

"Trust me, I'd be glad to leave this worthless body of yours. I'm ashamed of the time I spent in it and the things I was forced to tolerate. I don't see any reason for me to stay like this. This existence doesn't have any meaning anymore. After everything ends..."

Glaube suddenly noticed something in the distances. A girl was lying on a bar of the structure some meters ahead. When she woke up and took a glance at the place, the shock and the horror of what had happened filled her heart. What place is this? It's floating in the sky, above the clouds. Is it the palace? What happened?

When Sabine looked up groggily, she noticed there was someone coming. It was Glaube. She put her hand on the bar when he aimed at her with the spear.

"How can you be alive?" He questioned. "My attack destroyed the palace, the barrier around it and probably Digital World as well. How can you be alive?"

Izzy had followed him without being noticed and went pale when Glaube said that the Digital World had been destroyed.

"I have no idea." Sabine simply answered. Glaube didn't like her fearless tone of voice. He prepared to attack her, but a black fog came from the girl's hands and took the shape of an arrow and a bow.

"That's...?" Koushiro and Glaube were in disbelief. Sabine explained:

"Just a favor I asked Weisheit. He taught me how to use the black mithiryl." Sabine paused, pointed the arrow at Glaube, "So I could protect the most important thing to me."

The most important thing... the girl's words echoed in his mind. She means that boy? She has come here... she's fighting me... all for that boy? Why is he so special? What does he have that I don't?

She launched the arrow, but Glaube made a movement with the spear that made her lose her balance and fall, much to Izzy's fear. She can't die. I can't let her die...

"SABINE!"

Sabine had fallen few meters already when the boy used the bars to conduce his energy and make it envelope Sabine gently, preventing her from keep falling down to the void below. He placed Sabine on a bar near the point she was and teleported to there. Glaube didn't go down to their current location. Something was preventing him to do that. He was paralyzed, but it wasn't the same phenomenon that had happened the first time he had fought that boy, in Tokyo. What was stopping him? Why couldn't he take his eyes of those two young humans?

He gave his location when he cried for her. I could easily have killed him... he must have realized it. But he went to her rescue despite it. Even now, he seems to be more worried about her than about the danger he put himself in. She's more important to him than his own life?

"Are you all right? Are you hurt?" Izzy asked with pure concern. Sabine was just staring at him.

"You're alive..." She said in a weak and amazed voice that made Izzy feel guilty.

"I worried you, didn't I?" He asked. "I'm sorry."

Sabine gave him an understanding look. "I didn't have the chance to tell you a very important thing. After you were taken away, Unschuld denied the deaths of everybody. They're all fine."

Izzy's eyes got wide. They're alive. They're all alive! Happiness and relief were filling him. He hugged Sabine tightly, as he never had hugged anyone before. "Thank you, Sabine. I'm glad you're okay too". Izzy's hands were shaking a little. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone. Please, forgive me. Forgive me, Sabine."

"That's fine. It's good to hear your usual self talking again."

"Sabine..." Izzy let go of the hug in order to look into her eyes, "I'll make you a promise for an entire life. No matter what happens, I will never leave you again."

"That's something out of your control." Sabine said. Izzy gave her a soft smile before adding:

"You're probably right. In this case, even if something happens, I promise I will always go back to you."

Glaube was able to see them and hear what they were saying from where he was standing. Good ears and eyes were a common thing among the six, after all, even if Weisheit in particular had an ocular power a lot better than the others had. The effect of the words made Glaube shiver.

What is that? What is there between those two? That human boy is acting totally different from before. What's the meaning of this?

You really don't understand, Glaube? The voice that bothered Glaube, the voice of that worm he despised so much, the original mind of that cursed body, was talking to him again.

You again? Vanish!

I'm not going to vanish. And I'm not going to let you harm him anymore.

What are you going to do? You're weak and pathetic, just like him.

You're wrong. The only one pathetic and weak in this whole story, has always been you, Glaube. That's the reason, isn't it?

Reason?

The reason why, right now, you are so envious of what Izzy and Sabine have.

What?

I may not know a lot about you, but you're so obvious with your feelings. All what you have desired... the only thing you have truly desired...

Stop it. STOP IT!

... was to be loved like that by the one you love.

STOP TALKING!

Glaube clenched his fists and looked at Koushiro and Sabine from that high place, with a hatred he never felt before. He jumped down in their direction, screaming.

"."

Izzy was able to stop his attack with his black spear. The sequence of hits Glaube was giving were becoming more aggressive and destructive. The onslaught of blows was making Izzy's spear crack. Unable to counterattack and deflect the other's attacks at the same time, Izzy asked a favor to Sabine.

"Sabine, I need you to fire your arrows at him! I can't contain his hits forever!"

"Okay!" Sabine did as he asked and Glaube was hit by her arrows in his arms and chest. However, the pain was unable to stop him. His lines began to glow again, intensively.

"KOUSHIRO! HE'S COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL!"

Izzy put his left hand on the structure, while keeping his right hand holding the black spear. Heart, I need all your power. Protect Sabine.

Sabine put her weapon on the structure as well, in order to help in the defense.

"VERURTEILUNG!"

The attack was stopped by a white and black glowing barrier. There's too much power focused at us, if he keeps it, we'll not be able to hold it up for long. Izzy was worried, his spear was breaking apart and he could feel the energy flowing in his body. Even if the structure was helping in dispersing the tension, Izzy was still getting hurt. Resist, I beg you, resist!

All of a sudden, Glaube stopped. He walked away from there, with both hands on the head, as if he was in deep pain. Soon, he fell to his knees.

"What's happening to him?" Sabine asked, helping Izzy to stand up.

"I have no idea." Izzy answered. Glaube was trembling.

"I-Izzy." He called the boy. "You need to... absorb his code... while I can hold Glaube... AAAAHHHHH."

This way of talking... Izzy had a strange feeling.

"Koushiro, it's not Glaube who's talking. Do you know who is it?" Sabine asked. Izzy just walked to where the other was. Glaube kept talking.

"I'm sorry, Izzy. He's too strong, I can't hold him forever. Before, I didn't even realize he was in my body. I couldn't stop him from doing horrible things... I hurt a lot of people... Mrs. Izumi... Tai... even you. There's no excuse for my weakness... I couldn't protect you..."

"Why would you protect me?" Izzy questioned. His voice almost didn't come out. He had a horrible feeling.

"You're... my best friend... don't you remember the first time we saw each other in the Digital World? You were afraid... you thought you were alone there... so I told you... 'you're not alone. I'm here with you... I'll always be..'"

Izzy's eyes were getting wet. "Is it you, Tentomon?"

Sabine went pale, especially when she saw Glaube's head nodding. So that's what happened! Unschuld had put Glaube's code in Tentomon's body! Tentomon probably never noticed his presence. With their codes fused, it was impossible, even for Weisheit, to see that Glaube was in Tentomon's body. And that's why Glaube showed up suddenly inside the barrier that time. He had been inside it all the time, but as Tentomon.

Koushiro was trembling in front of Glaube.

"How? How can this be?"

"I don't really know, Izzy. I think he was always with me. Sometimes I couldn't remember things I had done... like when I vanished from the mountain and reappeared in Tai's apartment... I just realized when he hurt you that time in Tokyo... I'm so sorry."

The digimon was crying and sobbing. Izzy didn't know what to do. It was clear that Tentomon was fighting Glaube to create an opportunity for their victory. But could he just sacrifice his friend like that?

"What happens to you if I absorb his code? Are you going to be all right? Or are you going to be absorbed as well?"

"You shouldn't care about me now. I'm begging you, Izzy. Do it, quickly... aaaaahhhhhh."

Izzy lifted his shaking left hand in his direction. Tentomon... I... I can't do it...

Sabine yelled in horror, Izzy felt something warm and wet coming from him. A terrible pain was felt too. He looked to his chest and saw Glaube's spear sticking out of it. The digimon took it out and threw Izzy in Sabine's direction.

"KOUSHIRO!" She screamed, leaning over him, trying to contain the bleeding with her bare hands.

"Run..." He asked her. Izzy's vision was turning black, but he could see Sabine's eyes full with water. She's crying...

Glaube approached them from behind. "I killed you the same way I killed your parents. It's kind of poetic, don't you think?"

He aimed the spear at Izzy and Sabine. "Are you sure you're going to stay in the way, girl?"

"I will not leave him." Sabine muttered, "I'll be with him... until the end..."

Glaube frowned, but then added "As you wish."

Koushiro, before you, I was in a lifeless world. I felt like I was already dead. You showed me the opposite. I could feel the heat. I could see many different colors. Thanks to you, for the first time, living was not a burden to me... when I was with you... I felt happiness... you changed me and I'm glad... that's why I don't fear dying by your side... Danke, Koushiro... Ich liebe dich.

She was stabbed by the spear and fell upon the boy's body. With her last energy, she held his hand. The final thought of each one of them was the other. Glaube was staring at them. It's all over now. I won. Why do I still feel this emptiness? Why do I still envy them?

An immense pressure almost smashed Glaube. This power? Could it be?

"What have you done, Glaube?" A woman asked behind him.

Glaube used all his energy to turn to see her. He was not prepared to see that face, though.

"No. You're not Lady Unchuld! YOU'RE NOT HER! WHERE IS SHE? WHERE'S MY LADY UNSCHULD?

The woman sunk her hand into Glaube's chest and a digitama was pulled out. Tentomon's digitama. Glaube was disappearing. He looked at her with tears.

"That's why... all what you did..." He said. The comprehension he desired for so long had finally been reached. She loved that man... she wasn't that woman... she hated that woman... killing Catherine felt so wrong... her obsession with the kid... the man he had substituted... He didn't know what Unschuld was, but he got to know why she was like that. She wanted to have that woman's life. The goddess he loved wanted to be a simple human woman.

Unschuld was staring at him with contemning in her eyes. Glaube was fading away quickly. "I'm really pathetic, aren't I? I was wrong since the beginning... I'm sorry, Leben... I'm sorry... all what I did was for loving... a heretical human... Isn't it just stupid?"

She walked away from him, heading to Izzy and Sabine. Glaube spoke again.

"At least look at my eyes... while I'm vanishing." He said, turning to her. Unschuld stopped walking, but didn't turn around. "... my entire life was for you. All my thoughts and feelings were always about you. I'm begging you... please, look at my eyes. LOOK AT ME!"

"I won't turn around to see such a pathetic being dying. You killed the man I loved... you murdered my child... you are not worthy of my attention or pity."

He tried to grab her before vanishing, but it was too late. I see. He smiled while tears were falling and disappearing. I'm really pathetic. Good-bye, my love.

Unschuld didn't cry over Glaube, even after he vanished. She walked slowly in Koushiro's and Sabine's direction. Soon, everything will end.

Far from there, Yoshie was trembling uncontrolably. Masami held her and asked what was wrong. She merely pointed to the necklace. Izzy's pearl, along with Sabine's pearl, was turning gray quickly.

"No, this is not happening, no... my son... Koushiro..." she was muttering. The digidestineds were falling into despair as well.

"SEND US THERE!" Tai ordered to Weisheit's followers, "SEND US THERE NOW!"

"It's pointless, you don't have black mithiryl" Chainmon explained.

"We can't just sit here! TELL US WHAT TO DO!" Matt screamed.

"Someone explain to me what is going on." Gennai was confused, Tailmon approached him to explain the situation.

"THE PEARLS!" Masami yelled, pointing to Izzy's and Sabine's pearls. They were turning white again.

"What does this mean?" Sora asked. It was Persefonemon who answered.

"It must be Unschuld!"

While that was happening, Charles and Aurélia were heading back from Felicity's hotel.

"She's very nice. I'd like to go visit her again soon. It was odd that you didn't ask more about your father." Auri commented. Charles didn't say anything about it. A white light appeared in the sky and fell somewhere near they were.

"What is that?" Auri questioned. She and Charles ran toward the place and arrived in a park. A person they knew very well was sleeping on a bench next to an odd egg.

"Sabine?" Auri called the girl. Sabine didn't seem to have any injuries.

"Weird girl! Wake up! What on Earth happened?" Charles asked. Sabine opened her eyes, confused.

"Where am I?" She asked.

"In a park. What happened to you?" Auri was intrigued. Sabine didn't seem well. In fact, she was about to cry. Where's Koushiro? What happened?