The Realms

The Realms: Chapter II

Author's Notes: …Loooooooooong time no post….…Anyway, this is the second installment of my Digimon AU series "The Realms." Okay…so that's kinda obvious. Anyway, I know that OBVIOUSLY, the makers of Digimon didn't want a Taiora or Kouyako ending so P to them. O.o;; Hehehe…ANYWAY, I hope you like this one! BTW, I JUST found out that Odaiba is a REAL city! *GAS-gagcoughchoke-P* and I guess Mt. Fuji ISN'T anywhere NEAR there…Soooooooooo, if you find a map or something of the Tokyo area, and there's a volcano SOMEWHERE near there, TELL ME SO and I'll change the name. Okay? Okay. Well, enough with my rambling! Ja matta ne!~ Britts

Taichi blinked rapidly as the world slowly came back into focus. Expecting to see billowing clouds of volcanic smoke and Japan in ruins, he was taken aback by the sight of colossal trees and dense undergrowth. He sat up abruptly and whispered, "Where…where am I…?" Standing up carefully, he spun around in slow circles to get his bearings.

Trees with odd foliage reached towards the heavens as ivy climbed the massive trunks. Colorful flora littered the landscape as the disembodied cries of forest creatures, both earthly and ethereal, drifted on the breeze.

Despite the warm environment, Tai shivered. It's like the DigiWorld all over again. A sudden crunching of leaves made him look up. He whirled around and came face-to-face with –

"Sora!"

The red-haired girl looked at him with wide eyes. Dirt was smeared on her skin and clothes and twigs were trapped in her matted hair. "Yeah, it's me…" she responded as she pulled a stick with a few leaves still attached out of his own tangled hair. "Where are we?" she asked. She looked around at the immense vegetation.

"I have no idea…I keep expecting to see Koromon bouncing around a corner…" he replied with a nervous laugh.

"I know what you mean…but if this is the DigiWorld, there's been some major changes."

"Yeah…like; 'where are all the Digimon?'"

"Here you two are!"

Sora and Tai turned to the sound of the new voice and found a small band making their way through the undergrowth to them. Matt and Jyou led the way as Miyako and Kari followed not far behind, their eyes glancing anxiously from side-to-side. Jyou proceeded to hold a large branch out of the way as the two girls followed Matt into the clearing before letting it snap back into position.

"We've been looking everywhere for you guys…" began Matt.

He was interrupted however by Kari as she asked hurriedly, "Have you seen anyone else?"

"No, no one. Not yet at least," replied a worried Tai.

"Don't sound so worried Tai…it seems that whenever we all seem to go through a portal of some sort, we all end up in the same general vicinity," commented another voice. The occupants of the clearing looked up as Izzy, Mimi, Ken, and TK made their way towards them.

"Yeah, and guess who else we found!" Mimi stated as she stepped aside to reveal another familiar face.

"Iori! How'd you get here?" inquired Kari as the group walked to their companions.

"I'm not quite sure, exactly. I remember reading a book in my room, then the earthquake hit, and suddenly there was a bright white light, and…here I am," the younger Digidestined said. He shrugged, at a loss for a real explanation. Apparently, so was everyone else.

"Hey, does anyone hear that?" asked TK.

"Last time someone said something like that the earthquake hit…" murmured Ken as Tai wrapped his arms around Sora. The other couples followed suit.

"No, he's right. I hear it too," agreed Miyako. She looked around her trying to identify the noise.

"It sounds like something's moving…" muttered Sora.

"Yeah, something big…can we get out of here?" requested Jyou hurriedly.

"Either something big…or a lot of little somethings…" said Matt as he looked around the others, scanning the underbrush for some hint of the cause of the rustling sounds. Suddenly, a caravan of creatures trudged through the foliage making the group already in the clearing jump about three feet in the air. The Destined dove out of the way as beasts at least nine feet tall lumbered through the clearing, snorting at the miniscule humans, saliva dripping from their small tusks that protruded from their lower jaw. The Destined stood, awestruck at the sight, too amazed and afraid to move.

As the creatures plodded passed the group, they found that there were more odd creatures following the leaders in an endless solemn procession. Winged, glowing things, no bigger than Iori's hand, fluttered among the larger beings. Humanoids with elongated ears, pierced with multiple gold rings, road horses. Smaller versions of the large creatures with tusks road in bands up to ten in straw-filled wagons. The cracking of whips, naying of horses, and snippets of grunted, growled, and snarled conversations assaulted the Destineds' ears. The foreign languages seemed impossible to translate.

As the traveling band of varied tribes thinned out, a small group of humans followed. Their red robes, lined with gold, were draped about their shoulders. Some appeared to be sleeping while others watched about them for any sign of danger. One of the women looked directly at the Destined.

She stared at the group of eleven as she reined in her auburn mare. She muttered something under her breath and a man ahead of her stopped. Following her gaze, he also stared at the teenagers. A short conversation in the unfamiliar language was exchanged and the two turned their steeds toward the newcomers. They drew their swords.

Tai's eyes widened and at the length of the broadsword; it looked even more frightening than the gigantic creatures at the beginning of the somber parade. Quickly overcoming his confusion, he glared up at the man who suddenly held the tip of the blade under the teenager's chin.

Now that they were closer, it was easier to distinguish the pair's features. The woman had emerald eyes that looked like they'd be able to slice through anything just as easily has the glimmering weapon she held. The man bared a coarse brown beard with eyes to match. His skin was tanned while, in great contrast, his female companion's was pale. The man said something, to which the woman rolled her eyes and replied. Laughing, the man retracted his blade, turned his horse and started to walk away.

"Now what do we do?" asked Kari.

"Well, judging by the sword point that she's sticking into my back, I guess we follow the crowd," answered Jyou whose back was arched considerably forward.

"Right…" Tai answered and turned. Taking a deep breath, he followed the path trampled by the clans before them.