I walked outside, blinking at the sunlight, and Sora let me lean on her. I cleared my throat.
"I've come to a decision about the...predicament with Taichi." Sad, flat eyes looked up at me, and they all hurt me, burning my soul.
"Yamato..." Sora said quietly, "I want to go." I turned my eyes on her. There was no need for her to be so brave. I hadn't picked her.
"Sora!" Mimi threw herself on the redhead. "I won't let you....no!" She started sobbing, and I touched Mimi's head.
"Sora's not going. Neither is Takeru." A collective gasp.
"Oh, no, Yamato, you can't!" Someone grabbed my arm, but I shook them off.
"I'm the only one that can go. I'm leaving now. I love you all." Sora cried out and latched onto my waist, and before I knew it, all the Chosen Children and their digimon were hugging me, and crying. We stayed like for a while, but after a time I peeled out of them, and wiped my eyes on my glove. "It's time."
I could feel their eyes burning into the back of me as I walked away, with Garurumon by my side. After a while, in silence, I hopped onto Garurumon and we began to run towards the dark castle in the distance.
Garurumon slowed to a trot and I lept gracefully off of his back, landing on my feet. I looked up at the castle and curled my lip.
"Let's do it, Yamato." I nodded, and as I walked slowly up towards the castle door, one thought raced through my brain.
'I'm coming, Taichi. I'm walking your way'. I reached the door, and Garurumon licked my back. I turned and gazed on him with soft eyes.
"I love you, Yamato," his eyes radiated sadness and loyalty. "I always will." I rubbed his head.
"I love you too, man. Do you have the same feeling I do...?"
"Go on alone, Yamato. I'll be waiting." At these words, I turned from my best friend, my digimon partner, and headed into the unknown.
Pushing on the black door, it lurched open and I slipped inside. I knew for certain that this was it. I walked down the hallway where I was being drawn by an invisible lead. A sudden, booming voice alarmed me, and I spun around, peering nervously into the darkest corners.
"Why, hello, Yamato." I knew the voice.
"LadyDevimon..." I hissed. She laughed, the harsh, cold laugh of a snake. I shuddered. "Where is Taichi! Where!"
"Now, now, Yamato...patience is learned. Come this way. We have much to talk about." I followed her ethereal shadow down the hallway. She turned into a dimly lit room.
"Now then, Yamato. I see you've decided to give yourself for Taichi's return. Would you like to see him and make sure you want to?" I nodded fevrently.
A shady figure appeared before me. I reconized the large hair, the tan skin, but Taichi's eyes were the flat, dull eyes of a daemon.
"Taichi..." I reached out for his hand, and I felt the mist of something solid slip through my fingers. The sprite of Taichi opened it's mouth, but no sound came out. I turned, my eyes burning, on Ladydevimon.
"Where's his voice! Why can't he talk!" I demanded. She smiled.
"Very good. You can see the real Taichi." Suddenly, the waif before me dissapeared and a solid boy appeared before me. His wide grin split his meloncholy face, and he threw himself into my arms.
"Yamato! I missed you so much! Please say yes to her, please say yes..." he buried his face in my shoulder. "I promise I'll remember you! I promise I will!"
I looked at LadyDevimon. "What's he talking about?" She smiled.
"Your friend is very persuasive. He's conned me into a compromise."
"What's that?"
"Well, it's simple, really. You have three days to get Taichi to fall in love with you, and kiss you. A kiss of true love. But here's the catch- he won't have a memory of you, and you won't have your voice. If, in three day's time, you can get him to kiss you out of true love, you can have him back forever."
"And if I fail?" my voice was tight, apprehensive. She laughed again.
"Then I take Taichi and the Chosen Children, and I give Taichi his memory back, and you'll be cursed to wander the Digital World for an eternity- alone, with no one for company." She gracefully extended her hand.
"Do we have a deal, Yamato Ishida?" I looked at her hand, then met her gaze. I stuck out my hand and caught hers in a firm handshake. She laughed, delighted.
"It's set." I told her, and suddenly my voice was pulled out of my throat. She caught it in a glass vial, tucking it away into her sleeve. I tried to say something, but no sound came out of my mouth.
"Perfect." She handed me an hourglass with black sand inside. "Each time this falls, that will be a day. She put it in the palm of my hand. "You cannot trick it. Three days begin at sunset, in five minutes. Good luck, Yamato."
And with that I was swept back to the campsite in a whirl of crimson and black, praying I hadn't done something stupid.
"I've come to a decision about the...predicament with Taichi." Sad, flat eyes looked up at me, and they all hurt me, burning my soul.
"Yamato..." Sora said quietly, "I want to go." I turned my eyes on her. There was no need for her to be so brave. I hadn't picked her.
"Sora!" Mimi threw herself on the redhead. "I won't let you....no!" She started sobbing, and I touched Mimi's head.
"Sora's not going. Neither is Takeru." A collective gasp.
"Oh, no, Yamato, you can't!" Someone grabbed my arm, but I shook them off.
"I'm the only one that can go. I'm leaving now. I love you all." Sora cried out and latched onto my waist, and before I knew it, all the Chosen Children and their digimon were hugging me, and crying. We stayed like for a while, but after a time I peeled out of them, and wiped my eyes on my glove. "It's time."
I could feel their eyes burning into the back of me as I walked away, with Garurumon by my side. After a while, in silence, I hopped onto Garurumon and we began to run towards the dark castle in the distance.
Garurumon slowed to a trot and I lept gracefully off of his back, landing on my feet. I looked up at the castle and curled my lip.
"Let's do it, Yamato." I nodded, and as I walked slowly up towards the castle door, one thought raced through my brain.
'I'm coming, Taichi. I'm walking your way'. I reached the door, and Garurumon licked my back. I turned and gazed on him with soft eyes.
"I love you, Yamato," his eyes radiated sadness and loyalty. "I always will." I rubbed his head.
"I love you too, man. Do you have the same feeling I do...?"
"Go on alone, Yamato. I'll be waiting." At these words, I turned from my best friend, my digimon partner, and headed into the unknown.
Pushing on the black door, it lurched open and I slipped inside. I knew for certain that this was it. I walked down the hallway where I was being drawn by an invisible lead. A sudden, booming voice alarmed me, and I spun around, peering nervously into the darkest corners.
"Why, hello, Yamato." I knew the voice.
"LadyDevimon..." I hissed. She laughed, the harsh, cold laugh of a snake. I shuddered. "Where is Taichi! Where!"
"Now, now, Yamato...patience is learned. Come this way. We have much to talk about." I followed her ethereal shadow down the hallway. She turned into a dimly lit room.
"Now then, Yamato. I see you've decided to give yourself for Taichi's return. Would you like to see him and make sure you want to?" I nodded fevrently.
A shady figure appeared before me. I reconized the large hair, the tan skin, but Taichi's eyes were the flat, dull eyes of a daemon.
"Taichi..." I reached out for his hand, and I felt the mist of something solid slip through my fingers. The sprite of Taichi opened it's mouth, but no sound came out. I turned, my eyes burning, on Ladydevimon.
"Where's his voice! Why can't he talk!" I demanded. She smiled.
"Very good. You can see the real Taichi." Suddenly, the waif before me dissapeared and a solid boy appeared before me. His wide grin split his meloncholy face, and he threw himself into my arms.
"Yamato! I missed you so much! Please say yes to her, please say yes..." he buried his face in my shoulder. "I promise I'll remember you! I promise I will!"
I looked at LadyDevimon. "What's he talking about?" She smiled.
"Your friend is very persuasive. He's conned me into a compromise."
"What's that?"
"Well, it's simple, really. You have three days to get Taichi to fall in love with you, and kiss you. A kiss of true love. But here's the catch- he won't have a memory of you, and you won't have your voice. If, in three day's time, you can get him to kiss you out of true love, you can have him back forever."
"And if I fail?" my voice was tight, apprehensive. She laughed again.
"Then I take Taichi and the Chosen Children, and I give Taichi his memory back, and you'll be cursed to wander the Digital World for an eternity- alone, with no one for company." She gracefully extended her hand.
"Do we have a deal, Yamato Ishida?" I looked at her hand, then met her gaze. I stuck out my hand and caught hers in a firm handshake. She laughed, delighted.
"It's set." I told her, and suddenly my voice was pulled out of my throat. She caught it in a glass vial, tucking it away into her sleeve. I tried to say something, but no sound came out of my mouth.
"Perfect." She handed me an hourglass with black sand inside. "Each time this falls, that will be a day. She put it in the palm of my hand. "You cannot trick it. Three days begin at sunset, in five minutes. Good luck, Yamato."
And with that I was swept back to the campsite in a whirl of crimson and black, praying I hadn't done something stupid.
