Hatred and Despair
By: Theodore 'Blitz' Leung
Disclaimer: All Digimon and their characters (except for those introduced in this fic/series) do NOT belong to me. I do not have permission to use their characters, but it's a FanFic, so, who cares? =) This story line belongs to me and me alone. Please ask for permission if you wish to use it. Thanks. Now let's get onto reading!
Tao sat beside Shastina, holding her hand tightly in his own. The young girl lay on the couch in the Kamiya residence, under the watchful eye of her boyfriend.
"Come on Tiberius…where are you…" Tao thought. It's been about three hours since Tao carried Shastina back through a Digital Portal and into the Real World in Japan. Tao didn't answer any of their questions, only set her down and quickly e-mailed Tiberius. Tigramon and Harriermon filled the other Digi-Destined with the details.
A short knock on the door stopped all conversations at the moment. Everyone but Tao turned their attention to the door as Tai opened it. Another Digi-Destined entered the apartment, quickly took off his shoes, and headed over to the couch.
"Tao…" Joe spoke. The boy looked up, seeing the older person. "Let me take a look at her, see if I can figure it out." Tao didn't let go of Shastina's hand, but only stepped away so the young doctor had room.
Tao didn't ask if she was all right, being that Joe hadn't even started his prognosis of the patient yet. He only check the time, hoping Tiberius would come soon to shed some light onto the situation as well.
Minutes seemed to pass like hours for Tao. His thoughts raged on, mostly damning himself for letting this happen.
"If something happens to you Shas…" Tao thought, closing his eyes and tightening his grip around her hand. "If anything…I'm not sure I'll be able to live with it…"
"It should've been me there…I should've went down…not you. Why did you have to do that?"
"Shas…don't leave me…I don't know what I'll do…" Tao opened his eyes, watching Joe continue to examine Shastina. "I'll make him pay…Drowsmon will pay for this…just…please don't leave me…"
Responsibility and guilt crept into Tao's consciousness. He felt terrible with the past attack that he could have prevented.
* * * * * *
Tiberius whacked his alarm clock, cursing under his breath for forgetting to turn it off. He groggily checked the time.
"Eight …?" he muttered, flopping his head back down onto his pillow. "I should really remember to turn off that alarm clock on the weekends…"
"Yeah," Lepumon agreed, slowly getting up. "It's a pain to wake up so early…" Tiberius sighed, rolling to his front and away from Lepumon. He picked up his Digivice on the night table and opened it.
"Oh well…might as well check e-mail…" Tiberius told his Digimon, accessing his e-mail account. He had one new message, but the message awake him faster then the blackest coffee one could ever find. "Lepumon, get up! We have an emergency!" he exclaimed, quickly writing two e-mails to both K.H. and Marc.
"I hope they get up soon…" Tiberius thought, knowing that both New York and Toronto was five hours behind his own time. The boy leaped out of bed and got dressed.
"What's the rush…" Lepumon asked tiredly.
"Shastina might be dying…" Tiberius spoke softly, preparing to open a Digital Portal on his Digivice. Lepumon instantly awoke upon hearing the news.
"Hang on Shas…Tao…I'm on my way…" Tiberius though next, setting the coordinates for the Digital World.
* * * * * *
"Everything seems fine…" Joe told the group. "But…if she hasn't awakened yet…then I really suspect something is wrong with her." Joe glanced back at the couch, were Tao was kneeling beside, still holding Shastina's hand.
"He's taking it hard…" Tai whispered, though it wouldn't have mattered if he said that aloud: Tao wouldn't have heard.
"He's panicking…" Kari murmured, lowering her head. "He's in despair…he feel responsible…and he feels hatred towards the one who did this…" All eyes turned to Kari, surprised yet again with her insight.
"Is there anything we can do for him?" Harriermon asked, glancing back at his partner. Kari shook her head.
"If we try anything now…it might just make things worse then before…" Kari spoke softly. Once again, silence surrounded the apartment.
It was shattered by a soft knocking on the door. Tai slowly emerged from his chair and opened the door, being greeted by an unfamiliar person.
"And you are?" Tai asked.
"Tiberius…" he responded, revealing Lepumon from within his backpack. The rabbit Digimon hopped out and into the apartment. Tai let the other boy in. Izzy stood up, also greeting the boy.
"I hope you had more luck finding the effects of Darkness Blast then me," he told his younger counterpart. Tiberius nodded, asking for Izzy's laptop. The university student agreed, handing over the computer. Tiberius sat down at the table and quickly downloaded his own Digimon Analyzer program onto Izzy's. After a short search on the computer, he found the attack, and gave the computer back to its owner.
"Oh no…" Izzy gasped, unable to believe the side effects of Darkness Blast. Everyone; except for Tao, Tiberius, and Lepumon quickly huddle around Izzy to read the side effects. "Hold on!" Izzy exclaimed, pushing the people around him away. "I'll just read it out loud…" The mob of Digi-Destined and Digimon slowly receded, sitting down and getting comfortable, expecting the worst.
"Darkness Blast," Izzy read, loud enough for everyone to hear. "An attack designed to annihilate the target and anything within a certain radius from existence when used upon full power. However, the attack is also generally used just to knock down a foe with Gravity/Unholy energy."
"The unusual apparatus of this attack is the long term affect. When used for the general ability, the attack impacts, knocking the foe down. The energy afterwards is nullified."
"A low energy attack, however, has a completely different attack. On impact, the foe feels nothing. The energy from the attack does not nullify like before, but instead, enters the target's body and begins to wreck havoc on the system. The one infected will usually die within three days."
"The only cure is if the user of Darkness Blast nullifies the energy from the attack voluntary or if that Digimon is deleted."
Tao looked up, slowly releasing Shastina's hand and walking over to join the others.
"If…Drowsmon is killed…then, it'll be over," he asked, though more of a statement then a question. Izzy and Tiberius nodded. "Come on Harriermon, we're going 'mon hunting," he told his Digimon, heading towards the door and pulling out his Digivice.
"Tao, wait!" Tiberius exclaimed, running in front of the boy and holding him. "Drowsmon has an AE field-Holy."
"So?" Tao asked, angered by the delay.
"Which means only Harriermon's Hope Ultimate can hurt him," Tiberius tried to reason. "And Harriermon has not fully recovered from his last battle."
"I don-" Tao was about to protest.
"Listen to me!" Tiberius shouted. "You won't be able to defeat Drowsmon unless Harriermon can fight at full strength. Also, K.H. and Marc will be on their way. This has to be a team effort, not some one man crusade that will surely get you killed!" Tao regarded his Digi-Destined companion for a few seconds, before turning around.
"Fine, we'll do it YOUR way then…" he mumbled angrily, but loud enough for Tiberius to hear. Tiberius exhaled, heading back to the table.
"You have to admit…time is of the essence," Izzy told Tiberius.
"But recklessness can get you killed," Tai inputted.
"It will be four or five hours before Marc and K.H. will get up," Tiberius told the others. "When they arrive, we should still have two and a half days…five by Digital World reckoning."
"You'll need a plan then…a really effective plan…since you're one Holy elemental Digimon short…" Izzy told Tiberius.
"If we can, I think the main jobs for Lepumon, Xemon, and Kinoumon is to force Drowsmon into Harriermon's attacks," Tiberius spoke after a brief time of thinking. "Even if Drowsmon has an AE field, the force of our attacks can push him into the Holy attacks
"Great…we're going to be playing pinball with this Digimon…" Lepumon spoke, sighing and flopping onto the table.
"I would prefer the game 'tennis', but yeah, it's the same idea," Tiberius told his Digimon. He looked around, seeing Tigramon lying above Shastina on the couch. She was curled up on her stomach, her head directed towards her face. Tao on the other hand was outside, obviously anxious and impatient. He was definitely ready to head into the Digital World.
Tiberius headed to the couch, patting the Tiger. She looked at Tiberius, sadness in her eyes.
"Don't worry…we'll save her," Tiberius told the Digimon. She nodded slowly, dropping her head back down.
* * * * * *
"So, let me get this straight…" K.H. restated, the four with there Digimon following a path in the Digital World. "Our Digimon's goal is to knock Drowsmon into the attacks while Tao's Digimon is to slowly knock power away from him?"
"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Tiberius answered.
"Why don't we just ask him to play tennis?" K.H. spoke, lowering his head. Tiberius and Lepumon chuckled slightly.
"How coincidental," Tiberius told K.H. "Just what I was saying." Tao lead the group, unafraid of any dangers around.
"And just where do you propose we find Drowsmon?" Marc asked, trying to keep a pace with Tao, who hasn't broken his pace yet.
"Hope he shows up?" Kinoumon suggested, riding on top of K.H.'s head.
"Well, then you hope right," Drowsmon spoke. All the Digi-Destined quickly turned around, seeing their target. Tao quickly ran up to confront him, his Digimon faithfully following.
"Alright, time to die Drowsmon!" he exclaimed, unable to hold his anger in any longer. Tao lifted his Blue Digivice towards Harriermon.
"Harriermon…Digivolve to…Haeromon!"
The massive bird like Digimon flew low, ready to attack or protect his partner at a moments notice.
"Hateful, aren't we today?" Drowsmon asked, slowly drawing his blade. The other three Champion level Digimon joined Haeromon.
"We still don't have enough power," Tiberius told the other three. "Let's take it up another step!" With those words, he loaded his Crest of Knowledge into his Digivice, knowing full well that the AE Field would absorb all the Gravity attacks Raipumon would toss at him.
Marc entered his Crest of Friendship. Metamorphazimon was a powerful Digimon, but lacked something if wasn't in water. The Ice Dragon would prove more tactically advantages.
K.H. in turn loaded his Crest of Courage. If anything, he believed Epralmon's frame could pressure Drowsmon into moving to other places better then Dirubramon can.
As for Tao, well, he definitely loaded his Crest of Hope, but he failed to notice something tragically wrong with the Crest.
"Bukkomon…Digivolve to…Kagepumon!"
"Vormon…Digivolve to…Crysdramon!"
"Legionarimon…Digivolve to…Epralmon!"
"Haeromon…Digivolve to…"
There was a long silence, Haeromon wasn't changing form or appearance anyway.
"Haeromon…what are you waiting for?!" Tao shouted out.
"I don't know…I just can't Digivolve!" the Digimon shouted back.
"Don't tell me that! Just do it!" Tao yelled out. Haeromon tried again, but failed miserably. Drowsmon began to laugh uncontrollably seeing how the second attempt failed.
"Well, well, well, I do believe I knocked out two birds with one stone," he spoke, stepping towards the Digi-Destined and their Digimon. The all growled viciously, but they all also knew they were powerless to do anything, not if none of their attacks can penetrate that field of his.
"Who would've known disabling Light could have such an effect on Hope…" Drowsmon mocked, tapping his blade against his shoulder now.
"What did you do?!" Marc questioned angrily.
"I didn't do a thing," Drowsmon told him. "Your friend did it to himself…" Tao gritted his teeth, his courage and determination fading quickly.
"What do you mean?" K.H. asked. Strange how these enemies could possibly have a straight conversation. Drowsmon stared at Tiberius, looking at him for an answer. Tiberius noticed the stare, then his Digivice.
"The Crest represents certain traits of the holder," he answered after a moment thought. "Thus…when that trait is shown, the Crest will begin to shine."
"However, if the opposite trait of the Crest is shown, then the Crest will begin to fade."
"What I do not understand is how Tao's Crest of Hope is faded," Tiberius mused. "His hatred could fade the Crest of Love…but what can be fading Hope?" Tao remained silent, losing himself again, but still keeping his mask up. Drowsmon grinned, stepping towards the bearer of hope.
"You are in despair…" the Digimon told him. "Your determination and hatred masks the despair you carry deep in your heart…but Hope isn't fooled. It knows you have given up. You don't think you can save Shastina anymore."
"You're wrong!" Tao yelled out forcefully.
"There's a thin line between determination and hope," Drowsmon told him, walking away now. Tao remained silent and motionless. "Your determination is fading, as is your hope."
"Until you get back that Hope, you will never be able to destroy me." Those last words struck a chord in Tao's mind.
"Without Hope…all is lost…" Tao thought. "All is lost…"
* * * * * *
Tao held Shastina's hand in his own, watching over her features.
"I gave up…" he whispered. She seemed so pale, so lifeless. "I remember when you used to be so energetic…so free…" he spoke, dropping her hand. "The untamed wind…and so caring…it's no wonder Light chose you."
"But I? Hope has chose me for what purpose? I have given up. I don't know what to do."
"I…let you down…" the words came slowly out of his mouth, difficult to articulate. "I can't go on…"
"I'm sorry Shas…you're going to die because of me…"
"I'm such a hypocrite, saying 'never to give up' or 'there is always hope'. But I couldn't bring myself to believe that…and now…you'll pay for it."
Tao turned away, unable to face the girl anymore.
"You shouldn't have met me…all it led to was disaster…" A small tear formed and ran down his cheek.
On the table beside the couch lay his Blue Digivice, with the Crest of Hope loaded onto the screen. The Crest was blacker then the charcoal coloured armour Drowsmon wore.
Fin
Completed: 01/06/01
