The Friends of the Stones

by Debbie Dai-chan

Finally, the Stories of the Ten Digidestined and a new enemy that has a role to play . . .

3. 3 The Riddle of the Sleepers

Friends of the Stones: Part Three:
The Riddle of the Sleepers
By Debbie (Dai-chan)


"Ow!' Koushiro flinched and glared one raven-black eye over his bare shoulder to a sheepish-grinning Taichi.

"Sorry!" He again, as gently as he could, rubbed the cool ointment around the sensitive gashes on the fiery-haired boy's shoulder. He continued this for another moment until his large hands accidentally brushed against one of the gashes, discharging another stiff "OW!" from Koushiro. Taichi sighed, glaring at Yamato, who was snickering, stifled by a roll of cloth strips in his mouth.

As coincidence would have it, the group discovered a moderate cavern at the base of a massive range of mountains that reached for miles near the spacious jungle. In one area of the cave, the boys were tending to Jyou and Koushiro as the girls nursed Kimika in another hidden area. Thankfully, Jyou had just enough medicare and supplies for first aid.

Frankie was more careful, calmly caressing the ointment on Jyou's shoulder, the rhythmical rubs soothing the lanky boy into a light drowse. Koushiro was more aware of the pain, thanks to the clumsy Taichi. The injured boys had their shirts off, the torn cuts begin sewn by Sora.

Takeru was sitting beside Frankie, holding the bandages ready. He seemed curious about the gashes. He noticed something that the older boys haven't. The wounds. There were five gashes on the shoulder, but then he saw that three of them - the ones caused by the talons of the thumb, the fourth finger, and the pinky - were short, nothing but mere scratches. The gashes that were caused by the index and middle fingers were long and more deeper than the others. They were marked into an odd pattern, seemed like a crude replica of the letter 'V'.

Takeru cocked his head in bewilderment. Strange. How strange was that the Medawmon grazed just like that, on the shoulder. The right shoulder. Takeru blinked in awareness. Koushiro and Kimika were attacked exactly like Jyou, wounded on their right shoulders. Quickly, Takeru stood and went to Koushiro's side, taking a careful gaze on his wound. Taichi paused in his rubbing, puzzled at the boy's thoughtful face.

He was right. Koushiro's gashes were the exact shape as Jyou's wounds - the shape of 'V'. He wondered if Kimika's wounds would be the same. He turned to head for the back of the cave where the girls dwelled. They gazed up at his footsteps. He knew he wasn't supposed to be present, but at least he could catch a clear glimpse of Kimika's wounds. They were the same shape of the others' wounds.

Sora came in his vision, saying that he shouldn't come in and invade their privacy. Takeru said nothing, grabbing on her hand, and dragged her into the boys' area. The rest looked up in puzzlement at Takeru.

"I noticed something about the cuts!" said Takeru with excitement as he went to Jyou's side.

"What, TK?" Yamato questioned.

Takeru pointed at Jyou's wounds, careful not to touch them, saying, "Did you notice that Joe, Kim, and Izzy were attacked on the right shoulder?" The boys, including a waking Jyou and Sora, began to realize what was he saying. The fair-headed boy continued, "The cuts are shaped like a 'V', and what makes it weird is that the cuts look exactly the same!"

Takeru saw Frankie, Taichi, Yamato, and Sora taking a thorough scan at Jyou and Koushiro's gashes. Their faces were brightening with comprehension as the injured boys were puzzled, wanting to see what Takeru meant.

"Wow, TK!" Yamato said, grinning at him. "You are the first one to realize this. Smart kid!" He went to embrace him.

"It's strange, indeed," Sora said, standing at Frankie's side. "I mean, why were they the only ones injured, and how came the gashes look the same?"

"Wounds usually don't repeat the same pattern," Koushiro replied, "unless the attacker practiced the attack into perfection."

"Which is nearly impossible," added Jyou. "I know because I'm taught with medical stuff."

"Still, who knows how the Medawmon work?" Yamato mused.

"First, you need to finish to the wounds, then we will discuss about this and our missing Digimon," Sora said. There was a flicker of sadness in her amber eyes, but she then left to the back of the cavern.

***

Kimika, Mimi, and Hikari were filled in about the wounds. There weren't much to talk about since there were still a lot that they didn't know about the outlandish Digiworld. If their Digimon were here, they would know and tell them more. Speaking of their Digimon, They were still confused about why could they leave.

Koushiro came to two conclusions that he could think of to explain the Digimon's dismissal. One was highly likely to the kids. The Digimon would have called by someone, due to Yamato's knowledge of the singing voice and left the kids behind. The other was kind of connected to the first, but the children were hesitant to accept it. The Digimon would have left because of the kids' powers. They could be equal in strength, and the Digimon, thinking the kids no longer needed them, just left in the middle of the night.

The kids found the second conclusion frighteningly. They knew that their powers were still weak, and they always relied on their Digimon for help. The Digimon were like smaller versions of the kids, and when they were gone, they felt like a big part of themselves were gone forever. They took the first conclusion to their minds, hoping that the second wouldn't be true at all.

Soon later, Kimika, Jyou, and Koushiro went to sleep after supper. They appeared weary and in a little pain from the wounds. The kids were concerned about them, but Sora reassured them by saying that their bodies must have reacted to the wounds, bringing them to slumber so the healing process could start easier. They knew that the healing process work faster in the Digiworld than in their home world, so the kids would get better in no time.

Taichi was sitting on a blonder, watching two of his friends using their powers to find any evidence of intruders or, hopefully, their Digimon. Mimi was watching the sunset, the pink and orange rays painting the thickening clouds. Taichi noticed that the clouds were growing darker, a sign of a storm, maybe a thunderstorm. Mimi was listening to any essence she was sensing in her chest, her hazel eyes unfocused as usual as she listened.

Yamato was sitting beside Taichi, his eyes toward the east, listening for any voices or smell any soul. The white lock mingled perfectly in his ash blond hair, although odd to fit to his dark nature. Yamato and Mimi were the only ones who can sense any creatures afar. Taichi and Frankie can only sense them if they were near.

Taichi putted his arms behind his head and leaned back on the blonder. He make a deep sigh, his tan eyes studying the blackening clouds.

"Something on your mind?" he heard Yamato saying, turning to him. He said nothing to him.

Mimi arrived to Taichi's other side and wrapped her arms around her legs. "Tai, do you think that the Digimon would leave us voluntarily? I can't imagine Palmon leaving me."

"Don't worry, Mimi," Yamato said with a reassuring smile. "I'm positive that we will find our Digimon. I'm sure of it. What do you think, Tai?"

Taichi gazed over to Yamato, then to Mimi. "Honestly, I don't know. There must be a reason why they left us. Do you think that we would be with them too long?"

The others blinked at him in puzzlement. Without knowing it, Taichi reached to finger the red strand in his hair, his eyes returning to the clouds. "I mean, we have been together since day one. I think we depend on them too much. Maybe we should start to learn to survive on out own without our Digimon."

Mimi looked slightly reluctant, playing with strands of her honey hair that escaped from her ponytail, the pale green tress teasing through the strands. Her eyes were lowered, her tiny teeth biting on her lower lip.

"You really think so, Tai?" Yamato asked.

Taichi shrugged. "I don't know. It's the only explanation I could think of."

"Guys," The boys turned to Mimi's voice. "I just thought of something. About the attacks. How did the Medawmon attack Izzy and Kim? I remember that a Medawmon jumped on Jyou's back, and I saw the right paw glowing yellow, I think. It clawed on Jyou's shoulder, then it was destroyed by him. Did the other Medawmon do the same thing to Izzy and Kim?"

Taichi arched his eyebrows and said, "Now, as you mention it, I remember. The Medawmon did jump on Izzy's back. Its right paw did glow and scratched him on his shoulder. It ran away after I attacked him."

Yamato was nodding. "A Medawmon did this to Kim. The same thing."

"And they attacked them only. They didn't even try to attack us at all," Mimi mused.

Taichi began to speak out, when he made a surprised grunt, his hand touching on the top of his head. He gazed upward and exclaimed, "Hey, it's raining!"

Yamato gazed upward just in time for a big wet drop to splash on his cheek. He wiped it away as huge raindrops fell into a sudden downpour from the black-grey clouds. Mimi squealed as she ran for the cave, narrowly missing the rain. The boys came in a bit too late, and they muttered as they shook water from their damp hair.

The boys followed Mimi through a narrow burrow into the cave. A smokeless fire was in the center, set in a crown of rocks. The injured kids were still resting in the back of the cavern. The boys' and Mimi's attention were attracted by the other four kids sitting in a huddle.

Frankie was sketching something on a middle-sized notebook, his hazel eyes repeatedly darting to a stone Hikari was holding. Yamato noticed that the stone was the octahedron-shaped pebble Hikari has found earlier this morning.

"What're you doing, man?" Taichi asked as he peeked over Frankie's shoulder.

Frankie responded, keeping on sketching. "Did you know that it's really rude to disturb an artist during his work?" Taichi arched an eyebrow, but said nothing. "Sora, fill him in."

Sora said from his side, "Frankie has this idea that he would draw our crest symbols and Kari's stone. He think there would be 'a reasonable explanation.'"

"Here!" Frankie grinned at his finished sketch and showed it to Taichi. He took it and flipped pages to gaze at the skilled and realistic drawings of the crest symbols. Every symbol seemed to have its own mood and feeling, so real that they seemed alive. Then he went to the paper that had Hikari's stone's drawing. The sketch was very 3-D with realistic shadows and edges. The diamond-pedaled flower seemed to stand out from the 8-sided diamond.

"I didn't know you love to draw," Taichi said impressively as he handed the notebook back.

"It's the only thing I have pride in," Frankie said, although there was a slight touch of sadness in his voice.

"Why do you want to draw them for?" Sora asked, wondering abut the sad tone in Frankie's voice.

"I'm curious about why do the crests have symbols for. They would have the colors, yeah, but they have symbols. Why? Like, why does your Crest of Courage have the symbol of a eight-pointed star? Why not a lightning bolt or a sword image?"

Taichi made an amused chuckle and turned to Yamato. "What do you know? Another Izzy."

"I'll take that as a compliment." replied Frankie with a small chuckle of his own.

The blond boy smiled back, then sat beside his brother. "I have something for you to draw." He reached out the disk stone from his pocket.

"Where did you get it?" Takeru asked with curiosity as he tried to take a glance at the stone Yamato passed to Frankie.

"After the fight," Yamato replied, then became uncomfortable under six pairs of surprised eyes. "It was just there. Besides, it has my symbol on it. What do you think, Frankie?"

Frankie said nothing, already sketching the disk stone in Sora's open hands. Yamato watched the russet-haired boy's hand as it went in a flowing blur, drawing the stone. The sketch soon came to life as the yin-yang symbol stood against the stone's top, so realistic that the sketch and the real stone seemed like twins.

As Yamato studied the sketch, Frankie said, "To answer your question, I honestly don't know. Someone must know why we have these symbols. Maybe this Gennai person you talk about could help us out."

Mimi tightened her lips, shaking her head, a light puzzled expression on her face. "I don't think we can find him. I mean we haven't seen him since the Dark Masters' defeat. It seemed that he and the other Digimon are avoiding us."

Frankie turned to her, puzzled. "He's not like what I heard from your stories."

"Gennai has his own reasons to be secretive," said Sora. "There's nothing we can do for now."

Taichi stood, stretching his arms. "We need to sleep tonight. I will check on the others."

"I will go with you," Yamato offered. The boys strolled to the cavern back.

"You guys sleep," Said Sora. "I will keep first watch."

"Wake me after, okay?" Frankie said as he flashed a wink at her.

Sora smiled back and turned to head for the cave entrance. She could see heavy rain pouring the black sky. She cupped her hands in the rain and drank the icy cold water. She then sat down, leaning on the rock wall, liking the cool air casting from the rain.

Taichi soon came in and informed her about the sleeping kids. They appeared all right, just in a sound sleep. Taichi seemed concerned about them. Sora again reassured him that they will be okay in no time. Satisfied, Taichi went back to sleep.

Sora took off her sky blue hat and ran her hand through her warm chestnut hair. She found it an odd sensation. While her hair was always hot under her hat, she could feel coolness from the silver tress, like it was really metal, cool to the touch.

Turning to watch the rain, she began to wonder if Mimi was right. Was Gennai avoiding them for a reason? They haven't seen any Digimon for more than a month since the defeat of Dark Masters. The only evil Digimon they had encountered was Atmamon, who sought to steal Frankie's soul. Although she never saw him, Frankie said that he was one scary guy.

Sora blinked. She thought she saw something odd. She saw something floating downward through the hard rain. It was gently floating, not minding the rough beating of the rain. She moved closer to get a better look. It was . . . a stone?! A stone floating from the sky? Sora rubbed her eyes, then took a good gaze.

It was definitely a stone, no doubt. It landed near her outside, shaped like something familiar. She was curious to see what it was. Pulling her gloves, she quickly reached outside and grabbed on the stone. Even in a short time, her hair, arm, and hand were drenched already. Squeezing water from her hair, Sora gazed down to the grey stone. It was shaped like a feather, so real that it seemed like a fossilized feather. And there was her crest symbol of a hollowed heart on both sides. It was like Yamato's and Hikari's stones. Why? Sora took her time studying her stone, not seeing a flash of green in the shadowy trees beyond.

***

"Wake up, Oniichan."

Taichi opened one tan eye, and the freckled face of his grinning sister. He grunted and yawned. Kari was still at his side, her face still close. She used to do that nearly every morning, her own way to wake Taichi, and every morning, he always took his revenge by tickling her. Laughter filled the cave, waking the other kids as the siblings rolled around in a tangle of tickles.

"Hey, some of us would like to sleep some more!" Yamato shouted as he returned from his dawn watch, his steel-blue eyes flashing.

Taichi and Hikari stopped, still giggling. Hikari had tears of laughter on her face as Taichi cleared his throat, but broke in snickers. "Sorry, Matt," he reassured him. "We just do that every morning."

"Well, do it quietly, would ya?" Frankie muttered from near, straightening his unkempt russet hair.

"Lighten up, Matt," Mimi said as she stretched her body, a blithe smile on her lips. "We have been depressed lately. We need to cheer up for now." She stood and went to the back of the cavern. Soon, the kids could hear the cheerful voice as she woke the others.

Several seconds later, a worried yell came from the back of the cave, startling the kids, followed by a frightened-looking Mimi, her hazel eyes widened.

"They won't wake!" cried Mimi before Sora could calm her. "I tried to shake them, but they won't wake!"

The kids went to the back and went to the three sleeping kids. They were sleeping on their stomachs, careful of their shoulders. They were slumbering together for warmth and sanctuary. Their eyes were softly shut, their breathing deep and even.

"Joe? C'mon, Joe, rise and shine! You're gonna miss school!" Frankie chirped as he gently shook the oldest boy. Jyou didn't stir, not even to Mimi's coaxing "Funny, that always works…" he blanched.

Koushiro and Kimika wasn't responding to the others. The three kids seemed too deep in slumber to be able to wake.

Sora placed a hand on Koushiro's forehead and frowned. "He's not sick or anything." Taichi and Frankie did the same to the rest and found that they weren't ill or something. "How could this happen?"

"The wounds?" Takeru whispered. The others gazed at him, then to each other. Taichi quickly reached to touch Kimika on her shoulder when a faint lavender glow surrounded Kimika. He yelled in surprise, jumping back as the rest reacted the same. Jyou and Koushiro were surrounded by the same glow, their appearances and clothing all different shades of purple.

Mimi began to speak when Frankie stopped her. The sleeping kids abruptly opened their eyes, and what made it more bizarre, their eyes were glowing with a green light. Then they spoke out at the same time, their voices sounding like one voice.

"By the Stones that exist for ages,
We shall digiunite with our selves.
Ten they are, different for purposes
That bring peace and peril to all.
Four stones that connect with the Outside,
Four that connect Within,
And Two that connect them all.
Set them in rings of two, Eight of them,
The Two will join when the time is right.
Beware of the Twins,
For they are your allies and foes.
Beware of the Male,
For he is your ally, but with a precious price.
Beware of the Female,
for she is your enemy, but with a hidden heart."

The purple glow vanished, and the kids were back to normal, yet they were still sleeping. The others were silent, astonished at what just happened. Then Taichi hissed over to Frankie, "Quickly, get your journal! We gotta write the words down!" Frankie was obviously perplexed, but he went to the front to get his journal.

When he got back, Taichi told him, "Write down everything you heard. I mean everything."

As Frankie wrote, Sora asked, "Tai, is there an idea on your mind?"

Taichi brushed his hair, looking serious for a moment. "I'm not sure. Something has happened. Our Digimon disappeared. Our friends got wounded in the same pattern, then they spoke a poem or something like that. We have to take caution to this. These happened for a reason."

"You mean we have to do one more 'mission' before we can go home?" Mimi murmured. When Taichi nodded firmly, she worriedly gazed to Jyou, brushing his black-blue hair.

Taichi stood. "We need to figure this poem out, then find out how can we solve this. Everyone, to the front."

"How could you leave them here like this?" Mimi protested.

"There's nothing we can do for them right now. They need to be alone, Mimi." He sharply gestured with a slice of his hand through the air, his tan eyes dark. "End of discussion." He then left.

The kids were silent, taken back by their leader's sharp words, then they walked out, Mimi taking a worried gaze at the three kids. They sat down in a huddle, watching as Taichi took a look in Frankie's journal.

"All right." Taichi finally faced his friends. "I honestly don't know what to do, but we must do something. First, we need to find a way to restore our friends, perhaps a cure."

"What can we do, go find a Medawmon and ask it for help?" Frankie mumbled.

"Perhaps." All stared at Taichi in astonishment. He continued, "I haven't told you this because I thought it could be a mistake or a trick of my mind, but I sensed someone. I'm sure, but I could sense a faint body heat out there in the jungle, as if it is waiting."

"A Digimon?" Hikari questioned.

Taichi shrugged. "All I knew is that I sensed it since we arrived here. It's always there, never moving at all. And just now, right after the poem, it grew hotter, as if now closer, maybe asking me to go to it."

"What if it's a trick, man?" Yamato spoke out, a light scowl on his face. "I mean, how came Frankie, Mimi or I didn't sense it?"

Taichi was silent, his tan eyes now staring toward the entrance. "I don't know. Either way, I'm going to find it. Perhaps it has a cure for our friends."

"It's an outrage!" Yamato exploded. "I won't let you do this!"

Taichi narrowed his eyes. "I have this feeling about it. There ought be a cure for them! And also about the stones. The stones you three have must be the stones in the poem. Maybe this someone has the answer."

"Maybe? Is this all you rely on, 'maybe'?" Yamato said, unhappy.

Taichi went to kneel beside Yamato and bore deeply in his steel-blue eyes. "Do you trust me?" The blond boy tightened his lips, quiet. Taichi seemed to sigh wearily and continued, "I have been thinking about this for a while, and I think that it's time for me to have a second-in-command."

The kids blinked in surprise. Yamato was taken back with disbelief. "What?"

"Would you accept it? I need you to watch over our friends while I'm gone. You are the only one I could trust with this role. Are you up with it?"

The deep certainty in Taichi's tan eyes really overwhelmed Yamato. They have been grown close since the painful encounter with Alonmon, but Yamato never thought that Taichi would ever trust him, at least with this role. He began to feel that he owed him for everything they've been through.

"Yes. I would be honored," Yamato said with a rare genial smile.

Taichi smiled back, nodding with gratification. He stood up, but then Yamato stopped him. "But, then, as your second-in-command, I cannot let you go alone." Taichi gazed back with blazing eyes. Yamato was calm. "If you are truly positive about this-"

"I am," Taichi spoke firmly.

"Then you should have someone to be with you for extra protection. It would be foolish to go out there all alone."

"Why not me?" Frankie spoke out. "I could go with Tai. Keep him out of trouble." He then smiled toothily at Taichi, who looked slightly irked.

"And me."

Yamato turned to Takeru, fiercely shaking his head. "No, TK, you won't."

"Aw, Matt," Takeru pleaded. "Let me go with Frankie and Tai. I wanna help." Yamato still refused. Takeru then met his brother's eyes. Yamato suddenly saw something in his azure eyes. Pure confidence. "Matt, I may be a kid, but I've grown up, remember? I'm capable, and you know that. Please trust me this time, Matt. You wouldn't want to make the same mistake again, would you?"

He could see wisdom and courage in his brother's eyes, and he made a faint but soulful smile. "I trust you, TK. Make me proud." Takeru then made a beaming smile and gave him a warm hug.

"Come on, Frankie!" the fair-haired boy called as he ran outside. Frankie chased after him, shouldering his backpack.

Taichi turned to Yamato, also smiling. "Don't worry, Matt. I will watch over him as if he is my brother."

"I'm sure you will." Yamato then gazed over to Hikari. "I will watch over Kari, too, as my sister."

Taichi nodded and went outside, now shouting after the two boys to wait for him. The rest stood outside, watching as they disappeared into the jungle.

"Be careful, all of you," Yamato whispered softly as Hikari slid her hand in his hand.