The Long Winter: Chapter 6
** Disclaimers: I don't own digimon. Never will. This fic was produced for entertainment purposes only, and will not be sold. Leave me alone, you vultures!
**Author's notes: Well, actually, I don't have that much to say. Someone dies, and that's it. Onto the story…Oh yes! I just found out that Mr. Ishida's first name is really "Richard". Well, it's too late to change now, so please bear with me. He'll continue to be called "Kevin"
Kari felt like she was running through a nightmare. A really cold one.
Driving snow whipped against her face, and the howling wind whistled in her ears. Desperately, she struggled on against the elements. The sky behind her blazed with alien fire, and tremendous explosions lit up the neighborhood like crazy lightning.
"Move! Move! Move!" she shouted over the howling of the storm. Shoving Kevin, who was carrying TK securely in his arms, ahead of her, she dashed out into the swirling snow, blind. Mark ran alongside her, struggling through the white powder. "Don't stop! Keep moving!"
A sputtering ball of plasma-like energy slammed into the ground behind them, a stray shot from a Diaboromon. Mark stumbled, and Kari held him up as she ran. Gatomon bounded alongside her master, and Patamon flapped beside the group.
"Kari! Look!" Mark tugged on her arm, and pointed ahead, shouting to be heard over the deafening barrage of the explosions. Kari looked up. Through the swirling snow, she saw spindly dark shapes flying through the night. A sudden-wind caught her and spun her off-balance, the wake of low-flying Diaboromon.
"They're converging on the fight!"
Kari didn't look back. "Then we've got to take advantage of the distraction! Come on!" Dashing forward, she pulled Mark along. Kevin was at the front, blazing the path, and Kari followed him blindly. At the moment, where they were going mattered little. They just had to get away. Kari could lead them back later.
In the dark, swirling snow, all Kari could see of the city of Tokyo was a collection of shifting shadows, black against black. The only times of illumination were when flashes from explosions blazed in the sky. Kari stumbled ahead blindly, driven by her resolve to get TK to safety. You've saved my life more times than I can count, she thought fiercely. Now it's my turn to save yours...
A wave of heat blasted the group off their feet as a building beside them exploded in a rocketing fountain of fire. Kari twisted as she fell through the air, and landed hard in a snowdrift. Flaming debris arced downwards from the sky, and columns of steam shot up all around her as molten metal hit the snow. We've been spotted. For a moment, Kari lay on the ground, tasting the snow in her mouth.
Another pulse of wind, indicating another low-flying Diaboromon, shocked her back into action. Struggling back up, weighed down by five kilos of muddy snow clinging onto her jacket, she looked around desperately for the others. "Mark?! Kevin?! TK?!"
The entire street was a nightmarish field of destruction. Flames and explosions bloomed everywhere, and the sky blazed like chain lightning. Two more explosions detonated close to them, farther away. Diaboromon had noticed them, and now were beginning to target the fleeing group, though they were having trouble aiming through the swirling chaos.
"Kari!? Over here!" Kevin waved a free arm, his other arm still cradling TK gently. Kari nodded in their direction, then looked at Gatomon. "Nothing to lose now. Do it!"
Gatomon nodded. "Gatomon, digivolve to..." Once again, the cat digimon metamorphosed, turning slimmer as wings sprouted from her back. An iron mask appeared and covered her blue eyes. "…Angewomon!"
Without waiting, the angel flapped her wings and shot off into the blazing sky. Kari covered her face as the down-draft swirled snow all around her, then she ran to Mr. Ishida's side. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, though I think the fall hurt TK more." Kari gazed at the injured boy worriedly. TK shifted and groaned in his father's arms, and a trickle of blood dripping from the gash on his head. His blood stained the snow bright red. Just looking at the boy almost made Kari cry, but she pulled herself together.
Reaching out, she ruffled his blond hair hastily, but fondly. She forced a fake smile of confidence on her face. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. TK's a lot tougher than you think." Then she dropped the smile. "Where's Mark?"
"Don't kno-"
Another explosion rocked the ground as Angewomon battled in the air. Kari shielded her face as burning shrapnel whistled by them, keeping low to the ground. She certainly didn't want to get hit again. A building on their left collapsed upon itself, its inner floors lighting up with burning fires.
"You were saying!!" Kari had to shout over the incessant explosions, even as she struggled to her feet, and pulled Mr. Ishida up along with her.
"I said! I don't know!"
Kari looked around frantically. Where is he...
"Kari! Where are you..."
Kari's head turned abruptly to the right. Through the blinding snow, she saw a dark figure waving a hand. "Over here!" She waved back. "Come on! We have to keep moving!" Explosions still blossomed all around them, though thankfully none near enough to threaten them. Kari couldn't see Angewomon in the swirling darkness, but she could definitely see the tremendous lightning flashes that lit up the sky.
The dark figure began running over. "Good thing I found..."
A fountain of fire erupted from the ground right in front of them. Kari and Kevin were once again blown back by the concussion. It was as if a giant's hand had scooped them up, and thrown them carelessly away.
Dazedly, she heard Mark scream...
Then, for the second time, she tasted mud and snow as she landed. Kevin lost his grip on TK, and Kari desperately maneuverd herself to catch him. The young boy landed heavily on top of her, and Kari's breath came out in a gasp. Hugging the unconscious blond boy securely, she struggled to sit up in the snow, gazing around wildly.
Above her, she heard Angewomon cry out her attack. "Heaven's Charm!" Then a bright, pink flash blazed across the dark sky like chain lightning. Kari thought she heard the screech of Diaboromon being deleted, but she couldn't be sure. All of a sudden, the sky was dark again, silent. The storm howled on.
"Mark!!"
Horrified, she saw the crater in the ground where Mark had been. A column of steam and smoke rose from it, and flaming debris still arced downwards all around. Kari painfully pulled herself upright. She strained to breathe, and choked on mud and snow.
"Mark!!!!!"
She stumbled over to the crater, dragging TK's unconscious form along. Her eyes blurred with tears. "Mark! Where are you!" All she could see was destruction. At least the incessant explosions had stopped. Angewomon dived down from the sky, exhausted, and devolved back to Gatomon.
Kari dug frantically in the snow. "Mark! Mark! Can you hear me! Answer me!!" Then, suddenly, she saw a hand reach out for her, half-buried in the snow. Almost choking on her tears of relief, she grabbed it, and pulled.
Mark's hand and forearm, and nothing else, slid out of the snow. In horror, Kari dropped the severed limb.
Despite the storm, she heard it hit the ground.
Kevin staggered up beside her. "Where's Mark? What's the matter…oh sh*t."
Kari didn't answer for a few moments. She felt sick to her stomach. Gatomon padded up to see what the commotion was about. Her cat eyes widened, and she placed a paw over her mouth, like she was going to be sick. The never-ending snowstorm shrieked and howled, the full rage of war enveloping them.
Kari looked at both of them numbly. This was war, in all its naked, horrifying glory. No fancy technology to save you, no fancy machines, just the blood and guts spilled on the battlefield. She closed her eyes, tears traced their way down her mud-coated cheeks. This is madness…she thought bleakly to herself. I'm losing them all…one by one…
Then she turned, and she saw TK, his unconscious form still slumped in the snow, and her eyes hardened with a new resolve. Perhaps she couldn't help Mark. Perhaps she couldn't help Tai. But she could help TK. That was one thing she could control at least.
"Kevin. Get Takeru, we're going home." Her voice sounded flat, emotionless, concealing the roiling emotions she kept bottled inside. Kevin strode wordlessly over to Takeru, and picked up his son's form gently. Kari walked up beside him, and checked him over. He was still bleeding, and his breathing was becoming more laboured with pain. To make matters worse, his lips were beginning to turn blue from the cold, and he was shivering violently.
Kari clenched her fists. I'm not going to lose you too… she thought fiercely. I've lost enough people. I can't lose you…I can't… Taking off her jacket, she sucked in a quick gasp as the bitter wind struck her. Putting it on TK, she tucked it gently, but firmly around the boy's shivering frame. "Let's go." Turning on her heel, she kept one hand on Kevin's shoulder to prevent them from getting separated in the blinding blizzard. Patamon and Gatomon followed mutely. Together, the battle-weary group trudged on towards the dubious safety of home.
The storm howled on…
**Two days later**
Quiet reigned in the room. Dust motes drifted gently and peacefully in the sunlight. Willis looked at them, mesmerized. Outside, the air was bitter cold, but inside, it was slightly warmer. He sighed and looked around at the abandoned building. It wasn't much, but it was shelter, and home. He looked sadly out the window. But home for how long? It seemed like forever since he had lived in one place for more than 2 weeks in a row.
Tai padded softly out of the room. Behind him, he could hear Sora's soft breathing as she slept, Biyomon standing eternal guard over her fallen mistress. "Come on Agumon…" he said softly. "Let's go and let Sora have some rest."
Agumon reluctantly followed Tai out of the room, and the brown-haired boy closed the door softly behind him. Turning, he saw Willis look at him concernedly. "Will she be all right?"
"She's got a couple cracked ribs, and a few bumps and scrapes, but nothing that won't heal over in a few weeks. She'll be fine." Tai stared at the boy coolly. "No thanks to you."
Willis looked away, ashamed. "I…I'm sorry. I didn't know at the time that you weren't out to get me. I guess I was being too paranoid…"
Tai sighed, and walked over to their bags of supplies, pulling out a water bottle. "I'm sorry. That was low. I know you were just scared. I suppose I would be as well if I didn't have these friends to stand beside me." Tai uncorked the bottle and took a long pull. "She doesn't hold it against you, you know."
Willis looked up surprised. "She doesn't? After what I did to her?"
Tai shook his head. "No. She's that type of person." A small smile hovered around his lips. "Sometimes, I think she's too forgiving, but that's just me." The smile turned a little wry. "Though…I would be a little careful around the subject of hair-clips."
After escaping from the dragnet, they had been forced to take refuge in yet another building, this time well away from the center of town, where the patrols were more scarce. They had all opted to lay low for some time, since Sora needed the time to heal. Izzy and Mimi were out gathering supplies, while Tai and Willis remained behind to guard Sora. Terriermon was outside, standing guard.
Several moments of silence passed. Both boys sat in the abandoned room, gazing at the dust motes. "Um…Tai? You still haven't explained to me exactly who…or what…you and your friends are."
Tai swallowed his water. He turned. "I haven't? I thought one of the others would have told you by now."
Willis shook his head. Tai sighed. "It's a long story…"
"Well, since we've got nothing better to do right now, why don't you tell me?"
Tai smiled. "Well, I guess you have a right to know. After all, I did promise you I'd tell you everything." Sitting down, he leaned back a little. "All right, here goes."
"We are of a special group called the digi-destined. We were chosen since birth to be digi-destined, so we didn't do anything special to earn it. Sometimes things happen without any reason at all. It's called destiny."
"Each one of us is paired off with a digimon. I know you're familiar with the concept of digimon and the digi-world, so I won't go into that. Basically, the digi-world, somehow…chose us…to become their saviors. Our life-forces are linked with our digimon through these." Tai held up his digivice. "With these, our digimon can tap into our power, and digivolve at will, achieving more powerful forms."
Willis remained silent, but gestured for Tai to continue. He did.
"There used to be more of us. Eight in total, but when this war started, we got separated. Now, I have no idea where the others are, or whether they're even alive. My sister was one of them…" Tai's eyes were suddenly pained.
An awkward silence fell over the two boys. Willis shifted uncomfortably. "I'm…I'm sorry."
Tai forced a smile. "Don't be. We digidestined are a tough lot to kill off. She'll be all right."
"What about your digimon? How can they digivolve three times?"
Tai grinned. "That took you by surprise, didn't it? Not all of us can digivolve three times. Only Agumon, and another digimon whom you haven't met yet can do it. The third stage is commonly called the "mega" stage. Everyone else can at least reach the "ultimate" stage, or the second stage. Kind of like MegaKabuterimon and Lillymon did."
Willis looked interested. "But what about those weird symbol thingies I saw glowing on your chests? What are you wearing under your shirt?"
Tai looked puzzled. "None of us are wearing anything under our shirts." He pulled the neck of his sweater down to show Willis. "See? What are you talking about?"
Willis looked confused. "But I definitely saw something glowing on your chests when your digimon digivolved. Izzy had some weird spectacle thing, Mimi had a teardrop, and you had some kind of sun…"
Tai self-consciously rubbed his breast-bone. "Those are our crests."
"Crests?"
Tai sighed. "Each one of us digidestined has a crest, a trait of human nature that is special among us. Those traits are our crests. By using these crests, we can make our digimon digivolve to the ultimate, and the mega level."
"Izzy, for example, has the crest of knowledge. Mimi has the crest of sincerity. Sora…has the crest of love." For a moment, Tai glanced at the room with Sora in it. "And I have the crest of courage. That was what you saw glowing on our chests."
Willis remained silent for another moment. "So…how can I help? You already possess so much power, much more than Galgomon has. What do I have that you don't?"
Tai leaned forward. "Willis, you're a digidestined as well."
The blond boy looked stunned. "Me? But I'm just a normal kid…"
Tai nodded. "That's what we thought at first as well. We were just normal eleven-year-old kids. Well, TK was eight. But you're more than that Willis. You're a digi-destined, and thus, you have an incredible power at your disposal. I still don't know what your crest is, but time will tell. We also needed to find you because you seemed to know a lot about Diaboromon."
Willis looked away, ashamed. Tai gazed at the younger boy concernedly. "Willis? What's the matter?"
The young boy looked distraught, and extremely guilty. Should I tell him? Will he ever trust me again if I do?
"Willis. We need your help. If you can't be totally honest with us, then we can't help you."
The younger boy took a deep breath. "Fine." Mentally crossing his fingers, he launched into the story of his greatest failure and shame.
"I used to have two digimon. One day, they just…popped out of my screen. I'm not joking here. Terriermon was one of them, the other…" The young boy trailed off, and Tai looked at him concernedly. Willis almost looked like he was going to cry, but he pulled himself together, and continued.
"They did everything with me. I was never very social, so I never had many friends. They were everything to me. We played together, we slept together, we ate together. Sometimes, they even did my chores for me. To make a long story short, that was when I first got the idea of making my own digi-egg." Willis shuddered. "Now, I regret it with all my heart."
Tai sat back, stunned. He tried to make his own digi-egg?! Willis was a lot smarter than he looked, perhaps smarter than Izzy.
Willis continued haltingly. "Things went well at first. I was building it with my computer. Then my computer got infected with a virus. The unformed digi-egg was corrupted and consumed by it, and then it disappeared. Diaboromon hatched from that egg, and because of his viral nature, was able to digivolve much faster than other digimon. Within a day, he had reached the "mega" stage you mentioned to me."
Tai motioned for Willis to continue. "Well, you know the rest of the story from there. I was the one who created him, and I know what he's capable of. His viral nature absolutely dictates that he infect, corrupt, and take over everything in sight. He doesn't need a reason, or provocation. He's like a fire. All-consuming, sparing nothing."
Tai was silent for a moment. So that's how Diaboromon was formed. Then the brown-haired boy looked over at Willis. The young boy's eyes looked haunted, dogged by the terrible mistake he had made. Tai walked over and put a comforting arm around his shoulders. "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known that a virus would infect your computer. It was fate that it formed, freak chance. You shouldn't beat yourself up over it."
Willis shook his head. "That's what I keep telling myself. But the truth is, if I had never built that thrice-damned digi-egg, Diaboromon wouldn't have happened. This wouldn't have happened." He gestured expansively at the ruined city around them. "And now look. The human race is all but gone. Civilization has been crushed into ashes. All because I thought I could build a digi-egg!"
The young boy shuddered again, and tears stung his eyes. Tai remained silent for a moment. Then "You said you had two digimon? If so, where's the other one?"
A tear rolled down Willis' cheek. "He's dead. He was killed trying to defend me."
"Oh."
Tai was stunned. So that's why he seemed so adamantly against charging the Diaboromon. He himself couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose Agumon. Tai exchanged sympathetic glances with his digimon, then looked back at the young boy beside him. He's only the same age as Kari. He shouldn't have to be put through this. Hell, no-one should… "When did this happen?" he asked gently.
Willis swallowed his tears. "About three months ago. We were surrounded, and Chocomon stayed behind to hold the Diaboromon off, while I ran off like a coward. Terriermon had already been defeated."
Tai closed his eyes. No wonder he's so afraid of everything. He's lost everything in this war, and there was no one there to stand with him…
Gently, he patted the boy's back, trying to comfort him. "Then why don't you join us?"
Willis looked up surprised. "J…Join you? After what I've done? I caused this!"
Tai stared into the green eyes of the young boy beside him. "Willis, you're a digidestined. In a war like this, we'll need every ally we can get. Your help would certainly be appreciated. Your knowledge of Diaboromon, his strengths and weaknesses would be invaluable. And we certainly don't hold any grudges. Sora definitely doesn't, I don't, and I know Izzy and Mimi don't."
Willis looked hesitant, still reluctant to believe that he could be accepted this easily. Tai went on.
"Willis, this is your chance to ensure that Chocomon didn't die in vain. That your friends, your family, and all those brave souls that died trying to stop this menace will be avenged. Diaboromon must be stopped, or he'll just keep expanding and corrupting, dividing and conquering."
"With power, comes responsibility. We, the digidestined, the chosen, have a responsibility to fulfill, a responsibility to the world, to the human race, and to ourselves."
Tai held out his hand. "So, are you with us?"
Willis stared at the outstretched hand. Images flashed through his young mind.
His mother and father, brutally slaughtered in front of his eyes…
His friends, screaming in panic and agony as they tried to escape the wrath of Diaboromon…
The ruins of the city of New York, the pungent scent of death drifting on the air…
Chocomon, standing fearlessly before overwhelming odds, to die so his master may live…
Battle…
War…
Death…
Because of him…
He closed his eyes, the flames and horrors of war flashing through his mind. Then suddenly, inexplicably, a new light began to flood his senses.
The hope of salvation that Tai now offered him, the chance to fight back…
The chance to redeem himself for his sins…
The young boy stared again at Tai's outstretched hand. He looked up into the brown-haired boy's hazel eyes, eyes filled with a wisdom and compassion far beyond his years, yet also with a burning drive to do what was right.
And instantly, he found he trusted the other. Tai radiated an aura of competence, of leadership, yet was also compassionate and gentle to his followers. With a simple gesture, Willis placed his complete and total trust in someone else's hands. Something he had never done before, even to his parents.
He reached out and shook Tai's hand firmly. "I'm with you."
** Hehehehe…had you frightened there for awhile didn't I? Did you seriously think I was going to kill off TK or Matt? Well, Mark's cool too, too bad he died…. Oh, and Cat, sorry about killing off Chocomon, but then it would be too messy if Willis had two digimon with him.