Episode 37: Striking A Fire
Izanami stamped her foot on the ground. She wasn't normally an impatient sort of person, but her patience seemed to have left her. Veikko wandered about the woods beside her, kicking the roots of trees and cackling when the birds that lived in the branches fled cawing and frightened.
"Would you stop that, Veikko?" Izanami demanded. "It's kind of annoying."
"But it's so fun to watch the little helpless birdies fly way in fear~!" Veikko laughed, kicking another root.
"If you kick the wrong tree, a hawk is going to come down and claw your face off," Izanami grumbled. If that's the only way you'll learn, then fine. She had no problem with Veikko's attitude – if it could be called that, anyway – but sometimes he made absolutely no sense.
At least I can stand him more than I can stand Evan, Izanami thought, sighing. She really had no problem with Evan, either – she had worked with so many delinquents in the past that she had learned to tolerate their behavior, and even make it work to her advantage. Evan's attitude wasn't that of a delinquent, however; just that of an arrogant jerk. She couldn't count on two hands how many times she'd kicked him in the groin since the three of them began working together.
"He'll be here soon!" Veikko sang, bobbing his head back and forth to an invisible tune.
"I'm just worried that it might have gone wrong," Izanami admitted. "He's never taken control of a majorly powerful digimon like this before. With Kimeramon it was different – Kimeramon had a really simple mind and it was easy. This time, though…"
"He'll be fine~" Veikko promised, kicking another root. Izanami flinched at the force he used, and she wondered if he even felt it. Veikko's face gave away no hint of pain, though, and Izanami was left wondering just what the hell this guy was running on.
The leaves above him rustled and suddenly a hawk soared down, cawing ferociously and flapping its wings. Veikko let out a screech and took off running, the hawk chasing him. Izanami sighed, yawned, and watched, feeling satisfaction at being right.
Veikko stopped running and allowed the hawk to catch up to him. When the hawk bared its beak and talons for tearing out his eyes, Veikko skillfully grabbed the animal by its wings and, in a flash of light that made Izanami swear and cover her eyes, the hawk was nothing but ash and dust on the ground. Veikko held the bones from its wings in his hands, and he flashed them triumphantly.
"Will you be careful?" Izanami swore, narrowing her dazzled eyes at him. "We don't want those Digidestined to know that DigiPower works here, too." It might not be as powerful or potent as it was in the Digital World, but DigiPower did indeed work in the Human World. Izanami didn't want to reveal that part of their hand, though – without digimon partners to lean on, their reserve s of DigiPower were lower than that of the Digidestined.
We're better at using our powers, though, Izanami reflected, thinking of the battle with Kimeramon. She had almost gotten Yukio right where she had wanted him… If the Princess hadn't stepped in, he would be nothing but sallow flesh and bones.
"Don't worry," Veikko promised, "that didn't take much out of me at all. I'm saving my strength for Tatsu."
"Don't be so confident," Izanami warned. "These guys aren't dumb. How are you so sure that she won't just worm her way out of it?"
Veikko turned and gave her a devilish grin. "Because I'm the one who's going to ruin her life." He dropped the bones and raised a hand to Izanami, and she saw it flash with his Ruinous power. Izanami was a little unsettled by it, but she brushed it off. They had to do whatever it took to get rid of the Digidestined – before they found a way to defeat Crisis.
"Besides," Veikko went on, his voice lighter, "I have some revenge to exact. I want to get her back for what she did to me. I'm sure it's no different for you or Evan~"
"No, it's not," Izanami decided. "But don't get yourself hurt."
"I don't plan on it~" Veikko sang.
Izanami was about to mention something else to him, but her phone began gyrating in her pocket. She pulled it out, curious, and found that Evan was trying to contact her. She glanced at Veikko and said, "Come on."
"Evan's here~ Oh, goody!" Veikko cackled.
"He needs our help," Izanami mentioned. She read the message in more detail and smirked, adding, "He said he's found a… wild one."
I'm only sixteen… Loaño thought. She leaned back against her chair, feeling strangely overwhelmed. Just sixteen…
It felt really strange to be told that. She had lived for so long in the Digital World… she had thought that it was always the way that time worked. The Boss, however, told her differently – the books that he had given her that were about the Human World showed her how time worked there – or here.
Does that make me… old? She wondered. Humans didn't commonly live past a hundred, unless they kept themselves healthy. She had defied that – she had lived for far, far longer than most humans would ever hope to.
In a way it does, the King told her. In a way it does not. Little one, you are not "old" – you are experienced. Age is merely a number, little one. Your maturity is determined by how you act, and how you perceive situations. Your body is young, but your heart and mind are mature.
Mature, how? Loaño wondered. I know a lot about the Digital World. This world… I don't know anything about this world but from what I've read. In the Digital World, I'm a Princess – here, I'm… a fugitive. I'm a child.
The King was silent for a moment. Loaño pulled her knees up to her chin and then wrapped her arms around them, curling her toes around the edge of the char. The house was silent without Wild at home – she would be home from school soon, but in the meantime Loaño was mostly alone. Warugamon was downstairs with the other digimon, and Yukio was doing work. She was alone in her borrowed room with her thoughts.
You are no child, the King reasoned finally, his voice calm and sage-like. You are much more than you realize.
"Thanks for the advice," Loaño groaned. "But I've already figured that out. The Boss might be good at hiding things from people, but he's not that good. Can I just be melancholy without you trying to cheer me up?"
Is it that you don't want to be cheered up, or is it that you don't want me to cheer you up? The King wondered. Loaño could sense a smirk in his voice.
Loaño flushed, and then insisted, "Shut up."
The King chuckled. Nikolai won't be home from school any later than Wild, he offered. You could always speak with him about this.
Loaño rolled her eyes and then groaned, "Will you quit it with that? He's my friend. Just my friend."
Uh-huh, the King chuckled. So that's what it's called?
Loaño closed her eyes and then mumbled, "He wouldn't want someone like me, anyway."
And why would you say that?
"Because he practically fainted when I told him how old I am," Loaño replied. "And… I'm a Princess. He probably thinks that… I'm too good for him or something."
The King's sympathies washed over her. Oh, little one… I'm sure he doesn't think that.
"How could you know? You can only read my mind."
Because it would be obvious, the King answered. I care for you, little one – I care very much. Now put this worry out of your mind. There is much to do and experience in this world!
"Then why do I have the feeling that this is going to end badly?" Loaño murmured. "I feel like something is going to happen. Something bad."
I feel that, too, the King admitted. But with the good comes the bad. You found something out about yourself yesterday – that was good.
"So it's all right for the universe to turn around and smack us in the face?"
One turn deserves another.
"The universe sucks."
Nikolai held his head in his hands and then complained, "This project tis going to kill me, I swear…"
"Which one?" Meg wondered dully. "The one where if you don't do good, you don't pass, or the one for your girlfriend?" She grinned at Nikolai, knowing full well that she was provoking him, her fork stabbed securely into her food.
Wild rolled her eyes and Nikolai retorted, "She's not my girlfriend!"
"Oh, give it a rest, will you?" Wild complained. She threw Meg a glance and then asked, "Why do you insist on pestering him?"
"Because his hair gets fluffier when he's upset," Meg replied, smirking lazily. "It's hilarious."
"Why, you…!" Nikolai seethed, frowning at her. Wild blinked at him, and then realized that Meg was right – his hair did fluff up a little more when he was upset. She found herself smirking at it.
"See? It's funny!" Meg chuckled.
"I'll give you that," Wild decided, losing the smirk. She poked at her arranged food and then said, "But leave him alone."
"So, this is where you sit at lunch, then?"
A shadow passed over the group, and Wild looked behind her to find Izanami Sugeshini standing there, a tray of food in her hands. Her long black hair was done up in a tidy, neat bun, and her uniform was perfect in every way. The food on her plate was sparse, but healthy.
"Izanami!" Nikolai gaped. "What're you doing here?"
"I thought that since we're working together on that project, we ought to take all the time we can to work on the details," Izanami replied, her tone intelligent and, to Wild, a little condescending. In fact, her entire demeanor radiated a subtle arrogance that just rubbed Wild the wrong way.
"Suddenly I have no idea which project I was talking about earlier," Meg grumbled, before Wild jabbed her with an elbow.
"You want to sit with us?" Nikolai wondered, an eyebrow raised. "What about your friends?"
Izanami shrugged, and then offered, "I need a change of pace. Besides, I want this project done as much as you do – and I want it done well. I don't think your… companions… will mind?"
"Pfft," Meg scoffed, "the day I give a shit is the day that they stop serving food here." Then, she promptly turned and resumed packing her face with food.
Wild, however, remained silent, staring at Izanami, daring the black-haired girl to look her in the eyes. Izanami seemed to be avoiding it, however, acting as if Wild wasn't even there. Something isn't right, she decided. I don't like this. Never in the past ten years of her schooling career had she had anyone approach her like this, other than Meg. She had normally enjoyed her lunches in privacy. She had tended to get violent with those who questioned her strange eating habits, or her strange habits in general.
Again, a time when having a friend who doesn't care about much of anything but food – if anything else at all – came in handy.
Izanami didn't wait for Wild to confirm or deny her sitting – she sat down anyway, close to Nikolai, who looked rather flustered and uncomfortable with her intrusion. Izanami smiled at all of them and then said, her voice painfully cheerful, "Don't you guys get tired of sitting all alone like this?"
"I prefer it," Meg commented, slurping a noodle loudly into her mouth without care. "People are annoying."
"I-I just came here recently," Nikolai answered. "And I met these two. We're…"
"Friends," Wild said curtly, her tone terse and threatening. She gripped her chopsticks, feeling her nails dig into her palms. You shouldn't be here – go away, she thought, narrowing her eyes, I don't like you here.
"Tatsu-chan, you OK there?" Meg wondered quietly. She laid a hand on Wild's whitening fist, slipped her thumb inside, and then with a kink of her knuckle, she loosened Wild's fist.
Wild blinked out of her trance, glancing at Meg. She mouthed, Thanks, to which Meg replied with a shrug, though concern showed in her eyes.
"You know, all of that tastes better together," Izanami pointed out, gesturing at Wild's food.
Wild looked up and her and then said tartly, "You don't see me telling you how to eat your food."
"Are you always this grumpy?" Izanami wondered, frowning. But there was a sparkle in her eye, a sparkle that Wild didn't like. "Or is it only when someone sits where you don't like?"
Wild stood up.
"Hey, hey!" Nikolai called, raising his hands. "Quit it, will you? Wild didn't do anything to you, Izanami."
"I was just asking a question," Izanami admitted, shrugging, as if she had done nothing wrong. "It's up to her if she get so upset about it."
"I wasn't getting upset," Wild said coolly, "I was going to throw my food away. I'm done eating." She picked up her tray, which had about half the food eaten from it, and then blinked at Izanami. "If there's a problem with that, I don't see it."
"See, Nikki? No problem here!" Izanami giggled. "You get worked up easily!"
But there is a problem, Wild realized. I just can't see it. She didn't like that. "I'll see you guys later," she said, before turning away from them.
She tossed her food into the nearest receptacle, and then opened her palm. There were marks from her fingernails there – sore, red little crescents embedded into her skin. It would have gone much further had Meg not stopped her from tearing into her skin.
It had been a combination of Izanami's arrival and something else that had made those marks. Wild didn't like the feeling she was getting – there was a tension in the air that she didn't like. Despite being in the noisy lunchroom, things were too quiet, in her opinion, and they'd been quiet for too long.
Something is coming, she thought, closing her fists to hide the marks. Something bad.
"What's up, Wild?" Koromon wondered. "You've been pretty quiet today."
Wild looked down at him, where he rested in her arms. The evening sky was turning him from pink to red, and his eyes gleamed up at her. Wild fumbled with her ascot, frowning, and then said, "It's nothing."
"I don't believe that," Koromon noted, "but all right."
Wild walked towards the great tree in her backyard. Nikolai and Yukio, along with their digimon, had gone home, but they would be back tomorrow, like always. It had been a while since Wild had just… come outside.
She approached the swing and then sat down, Koromon on her lap. She moved the swing just a little, so that they were lightly swaying to and fro. The glass sculptures caught the light of the fading sun and sparkled everywhere, speckling the world around them with tiny, colorful dots.
"What are those, Wild?" Koromon wondered. "You said that they were memories, or something, but… what are they, really?"
"They are memories," Wild replied, "of a sort. They're charms that my mother made – the last things that she ever made. They represent my father and my brother, Tekku's, spirits."
"Oh," Koromon breathed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad."
"It's fine," Wild said curtly, though her voice was taught and tight. She felt a lump growing in her throat as images of her father and her brother flashed before her eyes. "It was a long time ago. I'm fine."
Koromon snuggled close to her and then said, "I'm sure they were awesome people, Wild – just like you…"
Wild smiled, and then patted him on the head. "They would have liked to meet you, Koromon." Tekku would have loved you instantly, and my father would be so interested in the Digital World… he'd be so proud of me… I… Dammit, I need to stop. Toushi is right – who could be proud of what I've become?
"Wild?" Koromon wondered, his ears twitching.
"Hm?" Wild wondered. She thought for a moment that he had sensed the disturbance in her thoughts – he had before – but this seemed different. "What's wrong?"
"Something broke inside the house," Koromon said, his ears twitching more. "I think I hear your Mom crying."
Wild felt her heart rate begin to accelerate. She hopped off the swing, Koromon held securely in her arms, and said, "Something's happened. Come on."
She rushed into the house, finding it quiet. She listened carefully, and indeed heard her mother crying. She looked at the kitchen table to find that there was a pile of glass – ironically the teacup she had just bought – on it. Wild bit her lip and shivered, wondering what had happened.
Wild stepped into the living room, and she suddenly became aware of the fact that the television was on. She saw her mother sitting on the couch, her face buried in her hands. Loaño was sitting with her, an arm on her back and a lap full of tissues. Warugamon stared at the flashing screen, but when Wild entered the room, he grunted, "Ya migh' wanna ta'e a look 'at this."
Stepping into the view of the television screen, Wild nearly dropped Koromon with what she saw.
"Toushi…" she whispered.
The University of Tokyo was displayed on the screen – and it was ablaze. Half a building seemed to have exploded, according to a reporter, and more explosions were seen in the background as the frantic reporter tried to give some sort of explanation as to what was happening. Police, firemen, and ambulatory staff were everywhere, and there were half a thousand students gathered about behind their lines, most of them injured.
None of them were Toushi.
And then something rose from the smoke and gave a terrible ROAR that caused the camera man to drop his camera. All they could see was the ground for a moment, before he picked it up and got a view of a massive, monstrous creature.
"It's them," Warugamon growled.
"They brought out some big guns this time," Loaño determined. "And they're attacking the University."
"Hey! Isn't that where your other brother goes?" Koromon wondered, having not heard Wild earlier.
"Toushi…" was all Wild murmured. She shook her head – she had to pull it together. There was no way she was going to let Toushi get hurt – or worse. I let Tekku die; I won't let you do the same!
Her phone was ringing before she even dialed a number. She put it to her ear and said, "I know."
"What do we do?" Yukio demanded.
"We stop it," Wild said curtly. "No matter what. It can't be allowed to do more damage. Yukio, I want you and Nikolai to meet me there."
"Done," Yukio declared.
"We don't have time to fool around on this one," Wild reminded him.
"They aren't giving us time," Yukio commented. "We'll be there." He hung up without another word.
"What about us?" Loaño wondered. "I can -!"
"No," Wild said immediately. "You need to stay here – Warugamon, too. If they're attacking the University, it must mean that they're trying to attack me. They could come here, and I don't want my mother undefended."
Loaño opened her mouth to protest, but Warugamon butted in and then said, "Understood. Go – like ya said, ya don' got time to fool about."
Wild didn't bother asking her mother for permission to steal the keys for her car. There would be no other way for her to get to the University – it was too far to get to on foot. She found the keys by the door and, Koromon in tow, she left the house.
Outside, she could hear the sirens from here. Koromon's ears twitched, and he commented, "This is bad, Wild – this is really bad. They could kill people!"
"If they haven't already," Wild grumbled. "It's our job to make sure that they don't hurt anyone. I won't let it happen, Koromon. I won't let someone die because of me." Not again. And not Toushi.
"Then let's go kick their ass!" Koromon cheered, baring his teeth.
Wild unlocked her mother's car and slipped inside, plopping Koromon on the passenger's seat. She closed the door, buckled up, and started the engine. She adjusted her mirrors, put it in gear, and then Koromon commented, "Wait… can you even drive?"
"That's not really the most pertinent issue right now, is it?" Wild asked impatiently.
"Well, I was just wondering… Nikki said you needed a license to drive…"
"All the police we have are at the University, Koromon. I don't think I'll be stopped on my way there. And if anyone stops us, we'll just have to let them know by force that we're there to help," Wild declared.
This time, they've gone too far, she thought, taking off onto the road at a high speed. If they can go any further than this, then I'll be decently shocked. They can splice together digimon to create a monstrosity, act like complete assholes, and who knows what else… but this… attacking me… That is not something that I will stand for.
They will pay.