*slinks in* Heh... sorry for taking so long with this chapter... I hate writer's block... *apologises profusely*
Disclaimer ~ Digimon isn't mine. You must be reaaaally dense if you don't get that. The story is mine, Viserpimon & their attacks are mine, as are D'etur, the Shintol, and every other insane little aspect of this story that I made up. Thank ya!
Read. Review. Yada, yada, yada.
Turn Back Time
Chapter Seven
Sora's POV
"I'm still confused..." whined Daisuke, running a hand through his spiked, reddish-brown hair. "So, like, what are these nine talismans? Are they important?"
Miyako sighed in exasperation. "Dai, if they weren't important, Gennai... er, Aquarius... um... whoever this guy is wouldn't've told us about them!"
Gennai bowed to her, a small smile tugging at the corner of his wrinkled mouth. "Call me Gennai for now. The Nine Talismans are what you know of as the crests and tags."
"But there are only eight!" Hikari protested, confusion evident in her soft brown eyes.
Gennai shook his head. "No, Hikari," he replied. "There are nine."
I joined the conversation hesitantly. "Then... whose is the ninth, and what does it stand for?"
Gennai took a deep breath. "The Ninth Talisman belongs to... Ken Ichijouji."
I stared at him in disbelief, as Daisuke moaned and hit himself on the forehead. "Aw, man..." he complained. "What do we do now? I beat the dude up!"
Ken's POV
I lay silently on the shallow pile of straw in the corner of my dreary cell, mulling over the situation I was in. I'd been knocked unconscious, taken to a world against my will, tied to a tree, beaten up, taken for a ride on some flying serpent thing, realised my brother was a tyrannical dictator, knocked unconscious *again*, threatened by my dearest brother, and locked in a cell. What other fun and delightful things would I get to do?
I sat bolt upright as I heard something rustling in the far end of the cell, but the darkness obscured my vision. "That was a rhetorical question," I muttered under my breath, as a pair of threatening blue eyes glared out of the darkness.
"Wh... What do you want?" I demanded, trying to hide the shaking of my voice. "Who are you?"
A gravelly voice answered my inquiry. "I am Elecmon." The creature limped out of the darkness, the menace fading from his clear azure eyes, although they retained a hint of pride, and some shame was also evident at being seen like he was. I could see cuts and burns that stood out clearly on his red-and-blue skin. He staggered over to where I was sitting, and collapsed on the damp floor beside my feet, landing heavily on his snowy stomach. He flexed his feet, short red stumps with bright blue jagged stripes decorating them that ended with large white claws, in an attempt to stand, but failed. He lay still, his rabbit-like ears falling limp over his head, although the spines on his back stood tall, bristling in a wavy motion that made the blue-and-red designs seem like roaring flames dancing across them.
I quickly picked him up. He had a small body, and was very light, and I set him on my lap despite his indignant protests. "E... Elecmon?" I asked, rolling the foreign-sounding name off of my tongue. He nodded weakly, finally relaxing. His jewel-blue eyes stared searchingly into my own as I posed another question. "What is this place? What are you?"
He glanced at me again. "You must be a Digidestined child, in order to gain access to our world." He noted my perplexed expression, and continued. "My world is that of data. It is called the Digital World. I am an inhabitant of said world, known as a Digimon. The term 'Digimon' is a kind of nickname for 'Digital Monster.' How did you come here?"
I realised with a start that he had finished speaking, and so I related my own tale to him. When I had concluded, he was nodding once again. "You wouldn't have been able to be dragged into this world had you not been a Digidestined. Ah-ah-ah, Ken." He lifted a claw when I opened my mouth to forestall my inevitable questions. "You can ask me anything when I'm done, but for now, let me explain."
I sat, enraptured with his tale of action and tragedy, my mouth hanging open in awe and amazement. "So, what you're saying is," I ventured tentatively, when I was positive that he had completed, "I'm... destined to save this world?" I would have burst out laughing at the very thought had he not seemed so serious, and somehow, I knew I could trust him. "But... why me? I'm nothing special." I looked down at him dejectedly. "My parents only ever loved Osamu, and..." I trailed off as he stiffened in shock. "What?"
He leapt off my lap and gazed at me accusingly. "You said the Kaiser's real name. No one may do that, on penalty of death! How is it that you can say it so... easily?"
I gazed at my fingers, entwining them nervously, as I admitted, "'Cause he's my brother."
"What?" Elecmon jumped in shock, and I half expected him to attack me. Instead, he shook his head, as if confused. "But... how can someone so kind and gentle possibly be related to the Kaiser?"
"I only just found out today that he *was* the Kaiser," I replied, ashamed of my sibling. "Before that... I mean, he was never really... nice or anything..." I trailed off, fidgeting anxiously. "But then he captured me... said he needed me for something... By the way, how did *you* manage to get captured?"
Elecmon scoffed. "I am the guardian of Primary Village, where digimon are born and hatched. The Kaiser attacked, hoping to steal the eggs and convert them into strong, trustworthy slaves, but I managed to deflect his forces." He averted his gaze and continued, mumbling rather shamefacedly, "Unfortunately... I was taken prisoner in the process."
I offered him a gentle smile. "You did all you could, Elecmon. How long've you been here?"
"A few days," he replied sullenly. Suddenly, he stopped, placing a claw over his mouth. "Shhh," he hissed. "Someone's coming!"
I peered out through the bars, and, sure enough, I could see the silhouette of my spiky-haired, tyrannical brother striding down the hall, tossing some sort of ring from hand to hand. He whistled as he neared the cage, and stopped right in front of us. I backed away, Elecmon at my side, from the bars, until my back hit the far wall of the cell.
Osamu laughed, the sound sending cold shivers of fear rippling down my spine. "Well, well, little brother," he said quietly. "What have you been doing?"
Koushiro's POV
I stared in shock at the immense copy of Kyuudai that greeted us casually. So this was the Chief of this exotic land... I mused quietly as I swept my gaze around the hut. It was sparse of furniture except for the large, wicker throne the Chief was perched upon and a small table next to it. Taichi, Kyuudai, the Chief, and I were the only creatures in it.
"Kyuudai, leave us," ordered the Chief. "We have something to discuss." He smiled disarmingly at us, and I couldn't help but shiver at the rows of sharp teeth that were crowded into his mouth. Kyuudai bowed and left swiftly, taking large strides out the opening. "Please, sit," the Chief said, gesturing around us. I glanced at the expanse of the hut, shrugged, and sat down in the dirt, which was surprisingly blue. Taichi followed my lead.
"You might be wondering why you're here," the Chief commented, examining his deeply tanned hands. I just barely refrained from making a sarcastic comment, remaining respectfully silent. He sighed before continuing. "I found you adrift in the sea of data, and used my powers to summon you to our land." I exchanged an inquisitive glance with Taichi. Powers? I shifted slightly on the ground, eagerly soaking up the information. This was getting better all the time.
"It was not by my will that the portal was destroyed on the other end, therefore stopping your journey, but it *is* extremely beneficial to me. I believe you two are acquainted with a parallel universe to both this one and your own native one called the Digital World?"" Taichi and I nodded mutely. "This colony is all that is left from a great and prosperous city there, after the Kaiser brutally attacked our humble settlement."
"But Kyuudai said that he'd never known anything called the Digital World," I protested.
The Chief smiled, his face taking on a melancholy expression. "We are known as Viserpimon, strong and stubborn to the last. Our attack of Serpent's Whip is incredibly powerful, and although only Champions, we can easily stand up for ourselves. We were some of the first to rebel against the Kaiser's rule, and we were crushed under an army of Ultimates.. He was not strong enough yet to make us his slaves, but he was not so stupid as to leave us to grow stronger. Instead, he used his black digivice to throw us into this exotic world. He posted guards at the portal back, so we may never return."
"That still doesn't explain why Kyuudai doesn't know of the Digital World," I interrupted, squirming impatiently.
"True," he replied. "But this does. Just before the Kaiser cast us through the portal, he used his digivice to cast a black mist over us, to make us forget. Somehow, it missed me. I am the only one who remembers our glorious homeland." He suddenly rammed his fist into the arm of the chair. "I have tried to raise them against the guards of the portals, but it is no use!" he ranted, fury slowly turning his face a bright red. "We are not strong enough, and without the memories of our homeland to drive them on, they do not have the heart to fight! The do not understand why I want us to rebel, and to find our way back to our world."
He calmed down gradually, and Taichi broke the awkward silence. "But... what do you want *us* to do?"
"You are two of the Digidestined, right?" We nodded slowly. "I want you to help us get back to our homeland, to the Digital World! Once there, I pledge myself and my fighters to help in the war against the Kaiser."
Taichi and I exchanged nervous glances, and I nodded a meek affirmation at the prodigious form of the Chief. Did we really have a choice?
Takeru's POV
I was having a tiny bit of trouble grasping this overload of information. I mentally reviewed everything Gennai had told us... of the Prophecy of the Nine Talismans, of himself being an angel under the service of Fate, of him reversing time to bring Osamu back to life, of the consequences from that action...
I shook my head, slightly disturbed by when Gennai had said that my life had been altered by his changing of history. How could my life possibly be different? I couldn't imagine it any other way, and I knew Yama couldn't either, nor could Iori, Hikari, Taichi, Ken, or any of those who Gennai said their lives had been changed.
My musing suddenly piqued my interest, and I interrupted Daisuke's moaning about how Ken would never join us because he'd beaten him up. "Gennai?" My voice sounded small, but I continued as Gennai nodded. "Can you... tell me how my life would have been different?" Beside me, I saw Yama nodding in agreement.
Gennai sighed impatiently, glaring at the ranting Dai. "Fine," he relented, but then he shot a calculating glance at both my brother and me. "I doubt you want me to tell you in front of them," he said quietly. "I will show you." He raised his hands, and in a blinding flash of light that silenced even Dai, he reverted to his form of Aquarius. I could feel his sky-blue eyes centered on me as a cloud of pearly white settled over my vision. I saw a scene begin to play out in front of my eyes as he told me gently, "This is what would have been." I somehow knew that Yama was seeing the same thing.
A small toddler sat in the middle of the room, with shining golden hair and sparkling blue eyes. An older boy with the same countenance snuck up behind him, and I judged him to be Yama, and the younger to be me. The other-me looked up in surprise and giggled wildly as Yama tickled him. Suddenly, the other-me and other-Yama froze, as their... our... wildly bickering parents strode into the room.
Other-Yama whispered into the other-me's ear. "Let's go to the drugstore and get some candy, 'kay, TK?" The other-me nodded eagerly, and the other-Yama looked up questioningly at our parents, interrupting their furious fight. "Can we go to the drugstore?" he asked innocently.
Our father nodded, but our mother shook her head vehemently, berating our father. "Remember that boy who died? Osamu? How can you be so careless with our children? They could get killed!"
Our father tried futilely to pacify her. "Natsume, calm down. That wouldn't happen to our boys. Yamato is responsible enough." Beside the other-me, the other-Yama threw out his chest in pride.
Our mother flew into a panic. "You don't care at all about what happens to our children? You're such a..." At that point, the other-Yama covered the other-me's ears, so I couldn't make out what our mother called our father, but I could guess. The other-me's ears were uncovered just to hear our mother demand for a divorce from this 'uncaring, irresponsible -" The memory was cut off, and I stared wonderingly at the bright form of Aquarius.
"So... they would've been divorced?" I asked, shaking slightly.
Aquarius nodded sadly, as another white mist covered my eyes. I could hear his voice echo inside my head in a melancholy tone as he whispered, "This is your memory. Without Osamu's death, your parents fought longer. Your father started drinking, and..." He trailed off.
This scene was different, in that I wasn't watching it, I was in it. I remembered this day all too well, the smell of liquor heavy on the air as my father slouched drunkenly at the kitchen table, a half-empty bottle clutched limply in his hand. Suddenly, my mother flew out of the her small bedroom holding a stuffed suitcase, stopping momentarily to stare in disgust at my father.
"I've had enough!" she cried out suddenly, pointing an accusing finger at him. He struggled to open an eye, peering confusedly at her. He lurched to his feet as she continued. "You're a pig! I hate you! I'm leaving and never coming back!" I felt Yama come up behind me as tears welled in my eyes. My mother stormed out of the apartment, never offering a backward glance.
She slammed the door shut, and tears spurted wildly down my cheeks. "Mamaaaa!" I wailed. My father whirled harshly, approaching me with such menace that I backed slowly away, still sobbing.
"This is *your* fault Takeru!" he screamed. Yama dodged behind the couch quickly, but I wasn't so smart. I stared up at him, my lips quivering.
"My... fault?" I stammered. My father dealt me a vicious backhand, and I screamed in pain, stumbling backwards and falling over.
"Yes!" he cried out, kicking my unprotected side. I curled up around the bruised spot, tears rolling unchecked down my cheeks. "Your mother left because of you! Because you're. Such. A. Damned. Crybaby!" He punctuated each word with a kick, but I was too much in shock to fight back. He continued to direct blow after blow at me, until I went limp.
He then staggered back into the kitchen, grabbing another bottle of beer. I stayed on the ground, curled up, tears staining my cheeks, as Yama ran up to me. He knelt by my side and tenderly lifted my head, and I opened my eyes to see him crying too. I couldn't feel the pain of the bruises, though. All I felt was my heart ripping in two.
Before I succombed to the darkness that had been wrapping steadily around my mind, I whispered again, "It's my fault..."
The mist of the memory slowly faded away, and I found myself gazing tearfully into Aquarius' compassionate blue eyes. I looked aside at Yama, and saw that he was crying at the memory. I lifted a hand to my own cheeks and felt the tears falling unchecked. I hastily wiped them away, and turned to see the rest of the Digidestined staring at me. I offered them a weak smile, but couldn't get the memory out of my head.
Iori's POV
I had been watching, awestruck, as Aquarius showed Takeru and Yamato what would have been, and what was. Both of their eyes had dulled to a blank sapphire blue, except for right near the end, when they had both started crying. I wondered what had them so upset, when Aquarius turned to me.
"I suppose you would like to know what would have happened, too," he commented in his gentle, echoing voice. I nodded rather bashfully, and he smiled, although he seemed somewhat impatient. "I suppose I can spare a few moments."
Suddenly, a haze descended, and wrapped around me. I could see a chibi version of myself seated in my living room, playing with building blocks, when a shriek resounded through the house. The other-me looked up questioningly as my mother ran into the room.
"Mama?" The other-me lifted his arms to my mother, who had tears running down her cheeks.
She picked up the other-me, caressing his soft brown hair. He looked up at her, concern and foreboding in his emerald eyes. "Iori, honey, Daddy won't becoming home."
"Why not?" asked the other-me innocently. My mother's grip on him tightened protectively as she replied haltingly.
"He was... chasing a drunken driver this afternoon. The drunk man hit and killed a small boy who was going down the street, and apparently was so panicked that he got out of his car and got out a gun..." Her voice broke, and the other-me stared up at her, unsuspecting. "Your father got out of the police cruiser and tried to calm him down, but the other man was crazy. Oh, God, Iori, he tried to shoot an old woman, but your father pushed her out of the way..." She collapsed in sobs. "He was shot instead... Iori, your father's dead."
The other-me stared in shock, and tears ran down his cheeks. "Daddy... gone?" he whispered quietly.
Aquarius' voice broke into the scene. "Instead, this is what happened." The picture distorted and swirled into another incident that I barely even remembered. I was in the memory.
My father strode tiredly into the kitchen, laying his belt on the cluttered counter as my mother ran up and hugged him. He bent down and ruffled my hair, smiling gently. "Hey, Iori, how's Daddy's little boy, eh?"
I smiled delightedly at my father, who was my role model in every single way. "Fine, Daddy," I replied shyly.
"Good boy," he said. Turning back to my mother, he began to tell her of the day's events, and of a wild chase after a drunken driver. My mother began to pale as he told her of the reckless pursuit through the dangerous, winding streets of the city.
"Oh, Hirogi!" she cried at one point, "that sounds so awful!"
"You won't believe how it ended, though," my father replied with a slight chuckle. "He crashed into a fruit stand, and a watermelon knocked him out!" They both began to laugh, and I joined in, although I didn't quite grasp the humour.
The mist slowly lifted, and I stared gratefully at Aquarius. When I had regained my voice, I started to babble. "He would've died! Thank you, thank you, thank you..." I trailed off and shivered at how close I'd been to losing my precious father.
Beside me, Hikari shifted. "Um," she started hesitantly, "Would you mind showing how my life was different?"
Aquarius gazed around, clearly impatient. "I'm sorry, Hikari, I don't have time to show you. You'll have to settle for a brief explanation."
Hikari nodded, and the angel continued hastily. "You life was not changed in a major way, like that of the other's. When Osamu died, his mother withdrew from the social circle. Without the death of her eldest son, she became best friends with your mother. She has two incredibly talented sons, and your mother grew jealous, as she only has two - pardon the expression - mediocre children. She, therefore, constantly compared the both of you to Osamu and Ken, causing you to feel inferior."
Hikari looked around at the group, shifting uncomfortably as she blushed. Aquarius apologised. "I'm sorry for blurting it out in the open like this, but we must go! Ken is in grave danger."
We all looked at Aquarius, our interest piqued. "Osamu wants to use him to locate the Ninth Talisman. If he succeeds, the Digital World is doomed."
Ken's POV
I glared at my brother as he entered the small cell, as did Elecmon. "What do you want?" I snapped angrily, immediately knowing it was a mistake as his eyes narrowed into slits behind his lavender glasses.
"I want *you* to help *me*," he replied.
"Never!" I bit back. I felt Elecmon as a supportive presence as hi crouched beside my legs.
My brother's smile widened menacingly. "Then I will have to convince you." He started playing with the midnight-black ring in his hands, and Elecmon stiffened in fear. Osamu suddenly cast it at the small, red-and-blue digimon.
I looked down in time to see the transformation. Elecmon's once bright blue eyes dulled, and acquired a reddish tint. "Elecmon?" I whispered.
"Elecmon!" Osamu ordered. "Attack him!"
Elecmon nodded and turned to face me, spikes bristling. "Elecmon, what are you do-"
"Sparkling Thunder!" he cried, and a wave of electricity poured over me. I crashed to my knees as an unbearable pain flowed through me, unable to stop myself from screaming out loud. I could dimly hear my brother laughing.
Suddenly, Elecmon stopped. I lay on the ground, gasping for breath, as Osamu walked over to me. He kicked my side, and I groaned, rolling over slowly. "Now will you obey me?"
I struggled to my feet, glaring hatefully at him. "No," I rasped.
He nodded again at Elecmon, and I braced myself for another electric attack, but it never came. Instead, he leapt through the air at me, crying out, "Body Blow!" He crashed into my abdomen, the force of the blow sending me back into the wall. I collapsed on the floor, the air knocked completely out of me, as Elecmon landed nimbly a few feet away.
Osamu asked again if I would submit to his demands, and again, I refused. I could feel his frustration as a tangible tension in the air. He cracked his whip, and I struggled to look up at his advancing form. "Then I will have to teach you myself," he threatened, voice low.
-----
Again, gomen for taking sooooo long! And I'm also sorry for the chapters being kinda slow, but there's gonna be action soon! Meanwhile... Review!
- Ken - *scowling* I really hate you, you know that?
*innocently* But Ken dear, whyever would you hate me?
- Osamu - I hate you too, come to think of it.
*sighs* Everyone's a critic... Review! Now! Or I will be forced to come after you! *cackles evilly*
Disclaimer ~ Digimon isn't mine. You must be reaaaally dense if you don't get that. The story is mine, Viserpimon & their attacks are mine, as are D'etur, the Shintol, and every other insane little aspect of this story that I made up. Thank ya!
Read. Review. Yada, yada, yada.
Turn Back Time
Chapter Seven
Sora's POV
"I'm still confused..." whined Daisuke, running a hand through his spiked, reddish-brown hair. "So, like, what are these nine talismans? Are they important?"
Miyako sighed in exasperation. "Dai, if they weren't important, Gennai... er, Aquarius... um... whoever this guy is wouldn't've told us about them!"
Gennai bowed to her, a small smile tugging at the corner of his wrinkled mouth. "Call me Gennai for now. The Nine Talismans are what you know of as the crests and tags."
"But there are only eight!" Hikari protested, confusion evident in her soft brown eyes.
Gennai shook his head. "No, Hikari," he replied. "There are nine."
I joined the conversation hesitantly. "Then... whose is the ninth, and what does it stand for?"
Gennai took a deep breath. "The Ninth Talisman belongs to... Ken Ichijouji."
I stared at him in disbelief, as Daisuke moaned and hit himself on the forehead. "Aw, man..." he complained. "What do we do now? I beat the dude up!"
Ken's POV
I lay silently on the shallow pile of straw in the corner of my dreary cell, mulling over the situation I was in. I'd been knocked unconscious, taken to a world against my will, tied to a tree, beaten up, taken for a ride on some flying serpent thing, realised my brother was a tyrannical dictator, knocked unconscious *again*, threatened by my dearest brother, and locked in a cell. What other fun and delightful things would I get to do?
I sat bolt upright as I heard something rustling in the far end of the cell, but the darkness obscured my vision. "That was a rhetorical question," I muttered under my breath, as a pair of threatening blue eyes glared out of the darkness.
"Wh... What do you want?" I demanded, trying to hide the shaking of my voice. "Who are you?"
A gravelly voice answered my inquiry. "I am Elecmon." The creature limped out of the darkness, the menace fading from his clear azure eyes, although they retained a hint of pride, and some shame was also evident at being seen like he was. I could see cuts and burns that stood out clearly on his red-and-blue skin. He staggered over to where I was sitting, and collapsed on the damp floor beside my feet, landing heavily on his snowy stomach. He flexed his feet, short red stumps with bright blue jagged stripes decorating them that ended with large white claws, in an attempt to stand, but failed. He lay still, his rabbit-like ears falling limp over his head, although the spines on his back stood tall, bristling in a wavy motion that made the blue-and-red designs seem like roaring flames dancing across them.
I quickly picked him up. He had a small body, and was very light, and I set him on my lap despite his indignant protests. "E... Elecmon?" I asked, rolling the foreign-sounding name off of my tongue. He nodded weakly, finally relaxing. His jewel-blue eyes stared searchingly into my own as I posed another question. "What is this place? What are you?"
He glanced at me again. "You must be a Digidestined child, in order to gain access to our world." He noted my perplexed expression, and continued. "My world is that of data. It is called the Digital World. I am an inhabitant of said world, known as a Digimon. The term 'Digimon' is a kind of nickname for 'Digital Monster.' How did you come here?"
I realised with a start that he had finished speaking, and so I related my own tale to him. When I had concluded, he was nodding once again. "You wouldn't have been able to be dragged into this world had you not been a Digidestined. Ah-ah-ah, Ken." He lifted a claw when I opened my mouth to forestall my inevitable questions. "You can ask me anything when I'm done, but for now, let me explain."
I sat, enraptured with his tale of action and tragedy, my mouth hanging open in awe and amazement. "So, what you're saying is," I ventured tentatively, when I was positive that he had completed, "I'm... destined to save this world?" I would have burst out laughing at the very thought had he not seemed so serious, and somehow, I knew I could trust him. "But... why me? I'm nothing special." I looked down at him dejectedly. "My parents only ever loved Osamu, and..." I trailed off as he stiffened in shock. "What?"
He leapt off my lap and gazed at me accusingly. "You said the Kaiser's real name. No one may do that, on penalty of death! How is it that you can say it so... easily?"
I gazed at my fingers, entwining them nervously, as I admitted, "'Cause he's my brother."
"What?" Elecmon jumped in shock, and I half expected him to attack me. Instead, he shook his head, as if confused. "But... how can someone so kind and gentle possibly be related to the Kaiser?"
"I only just found out today that he *was* the Kaiser," I replied, ashamed of my sibling. "Before that... I mean, he was never really... nice or anything..." I trailed off, fidgeting anxiously. "But then he captured me... said he needed me for something... By the way, how did *you* manage to get captured?"
Elecmon scoffed. "I am the guardian of Primary Village, where digimon are born and hatched. The Kaiser attacked, hoping to steal the eggs and convert them into strong, trustworthy slaves, but I managed to deflect his forces." He averted his gaze and continued, mumbling rather shamefacedly, "Unfortunately... I was taken prisoner in the process."
I offered him a gentle smile. "You did all you could, Elecmon. How long've you been here?"
"A few days," he replied sullenly. Suddenly, he stopped, placing a claw over his mouth. "Shhh," he hissed. "Someone's coming!"
I peered out through the bars, and, sure enough, I could see the silhouette of my spiky-haired, tyrannical brother striding down the hall, tossing some sort of ring from hand to hand. He whistled as he neared the cage, and stopped right in front of us. I backed away, Elecmon at my side, from the bars, until my back hit the far wall of the cell.
Osamu laughed, the sound sending cold shivers of fear rippling down my spine. "Well, well, little brother," he said quietly. "What have you been doing?"
Koushiro's POV
I stared in shock at the immense copy of Kyuudai that greeted us casually. So this was the Chief of this exotic land... I mused quietly as I swept my gaze around the hut. It was sparse of furniture except for the large, wicker throne the Chief was perched upon and a small table next to it. Taichi, Kyuudai, the Chief, and I were the only creatures in it.
"Kyuudai, leave us," ordered the Chief. "We have something to discuss." He smiled disarmingly at us, and I couldn't help but shiver at the rows of sharp teeth that were crowded into his mouth. Kyuudai bowed and left swiftly, taking large strides out the opening. "Please, sit," the Chief said, gesturing around us. I glanced at the expanse of the hut, shrugged, and sat down in the dirt, which was surprisingly blue. Taichi followed my lead.
"You might be wondering why you're here," the Chief commented, examining his deeply tanned hands. I just barely refrained from making a sarcastic comment, remaining respectfully silent. He sighed before continuing. "I found you adrift in the sea of data, and used my powers to summon you to our land." I exchanged an inquisitive glance with Taichi. Powers? I shifted slightly on the ground, eagerly soaking up the information. This was getting better all the time.
"It was not by my will that the portal was destroyed on the other end, therefore stopping your journey, but it *is* extremely beneficial to me. I believe you two are acquainted with a parallel universe to both this one and your own native one called the Digital World?"" Taichi and I nodded mutely. "This colony is all that is left from a great and prosperous city there, after the Kaiser brutally attacked our humble settlement."
"But Kyuudai said that he'd never known anything called the Digital World," I protested.
The Chief smiled, his face taking on a melancholy expression. "We are known as Viserpimon, strong and stubborn to the last. Our attack of Serpent's Whip is incredibly powerful, and although only Champions, we can easily stand up for ourselves. We were some of the first to rebel against the Kaiser's rule, and we were crushed under an army of Ultimates.. He was not strong enough yet to make us his slaves, but he was not so stupid as to leave us to grow stronger. Instead, he used his black digivice to throw us into this exotic world. He posted guards at the portal back, so we may never return."
"That still doesn't explain why Kyuudai doesn't know of the Digital World," I interrupted, squirming impatiently.
"True," he replied. "But this does. Just before the Kaiser cast us through the portal, he used his digivice to cast a black mist over us, to make us forget. Somehow, it missed me. I am the only one who remembers our glorious homeland." He suddenly rammed his fist into the arm of the chair. "I have tried to raise them against the guards of the portals, but it is no use!" he ranted, fury slowly turning his face a bright red. "We are not strong enough, and without the memories of our homeland to drive them on, they do not have the heart to fight! The do not understand why I want us to rebel, and to find our way back to our world."
He calmed down gradually, and Taichi broke the awkward silence. "But... what do you want *us* to do?"
"You are two of the Digidestined, right?" We nodded slowly. "I want you to help us get back to our homeland, to the Digital World! Once there, I pledge myself and my fighters to help in the war against the Kaiser."
Taichi and I exchanged nervous glances, and I nodded a meek affirmation at the prodigious form of the Chief. Did we really have a choice?
Takeru's POV
I was having a tiny bit of trouble grasping this overload of information. I mentally reviewed everything Gennai had told us... of the Prophecy of the Nine Talismans, of himself being an angel under the service of Fate, of him reversing time to bring Osamu back to life, of the consequences from that action...
I shook my head, slightly disturbed by when Gennai had said that my life had been altered by his changing of history. How could my life possibly be different? I couldn't imagine it any other way, and I knew Yama couldn't either, nor could Iori, Hikari, Taichi, Ken, or any of those who Gennai said their lives had been changed.
My musing suddenly piqued my interest, and I interrupted Daisuke's moaning about how Ken would never join us because he'd beaten him up. "Gennai?" My voice sounded small, but I continued as Gennai nodded. "Can you... tell me how my life would have been different?" Beside me, I saw Yama nodding in agreement.
Gennai sighed impatiently, glaring at the ranting Dai. "Fine," he relented, but then he shot a calculating glance at both my brother and me. "I doubt you want me to tell you in front of them," he said quietly. "I will show you." He raised his hands, and in a blinding flash of light that silenced even Dai, he reverted to his form of Aquarius. I could feel his sky-blue eyes centered on me as a cloud of pearly white settled over my vision. I saw a scene begin to play out in front of my eyes as he told me gently, "This is what would have been." I somehow knew that Yama was seeing the same thing.
A small toddler sat in the middle of the room, with shining golden hair and sparkling blue eyes. An older boy with the same countenance snuck up behind him, and I judged him to be Yama, and the younger to be me. The other-me looked up in surprise and giggled wildly as Yama tickled him. Suddenly, the other-me and other-Yama froze, as their... our... wildly bickering parents strode into the room.
Other-Yama whispered into the other-me's ear. "Let's go to the drugstore and get some candy, 'kay, TK?" The other-me nodded eagerly, and the other-Yama looked up questioningly at our parents, interrupting their furious fight. "Can we go to the drugstore?" he asked innocently.
Our father nodded, but our mother shook her head vehemently, berating our father. "Remember that boy who died? Osamu? How can you be so careless with our children? They could get killed!"
Our father tried futilely to pacify her. "Natsume, calm down. That wouldn't happen to our boys. Yamato is responsible enough." Beside the other-me, the other-Yama threw out his chest in pride.
Our mother flew into a panic. "You don't care at all about what happens to our children? You're such a..." At that point, the other-Yama covered the other-me's ears, so I couldn't make out what our mother called our father, but I could guess. The other-me's ears were uncovered just to hear our mother demand for a divorce from this 'uncaring, irresponsible -" The memory was cut off, and I stared wonderingly at the bright form of Aquarius.
"So... they would've been divorced?" I asked, shaking slightly.
Aquarius nodded sadly, as another white mist covered my eyes. I could hear his voice echo inside my head in a melancholy tone as he whispered, "This is your memory. Without Osamu's death, your parents fought longer. Your father started drinking, and..." He trailed off.
This scene was different, in that I wasn't watching it, I was in it. I remembered this day all too well, the smell of liquor heavy on the air as my father slouched drunkenly at the kitchen table, a half-empty bottle clutched limply in his hand. Suddenly, my mother flew out of the her small bedroom holding a stuffed suitcase, stopping momentarily to stare in disgust at my father.
"I've had enough!" she cried out suddenly, pointing an accusing finger at him. He struggled to open an eye, peering confusedly at her. He lurched to his feet as she continued. "You're a pig! I hate you! I'm leaving and never coming back!" I felt Yama come up behind me as tears welled in my eyes. My mother stormed out of the apartment, never offering a backward glance.
She slammed the door shut, and tears spurted wildly down my cheeks. "Mamaaaa!" I wailed. My father whirled harshly, approaching me with such menace that I backed slowly away, still sobbing.
"This is *your* fault Takeru!" he screamed. Yama dodged behind the couch quickly, but I wasn't so smart. I stared up at him, my lips quivering.
"My... fault?" I stammered. My father dealt me a vicious backhand, and I screamed in pain, stumbling backwards and falling over.
"Yes!" he cried out, kicking my unprotected side. I curled up around the bruised spot, tears rolling unchecked down my cheeks. "Your mother left because of you! Because you're. Such. A. Damned. Crybaby!" He punctuated each word with a kick, but I was too much in shock to fight back. He continued to direct blow after blow at me, until I went limp.
He then staggered back into the kitchen, grabbing another bottle of beer. I stayed on the ground, curled up, tears staining my cheeks, as Yama ran up to me. He knelt by my side and tenderly lifted my head, and I opened my eyes to see him crying too. I couldn't feel the pain of the bruises, though. All I felt was my heart ripping in two.
Before I succombed to the darkness that had been wrapping steadily around my mind, I whispered again, "It's my fault..."
The mist of the memory slowly faded away, and I found myself gazing tearfully into Aquarius' compassionate blue eyes. I looked aside at Yama, and saw that he was crying at the memory. I lifted a hand to my own cheeks and felt the tears falling unchecked. I hastily wiped them away, and turned to see the rest of the Digidestined staring at me. I offered them a weak smile, but couldn't get the memory out of my head.
Iori's POV
I had been watching, awestruck, as Aquarius showed Takeru and Yamato what would have been, and what was. Both of their eyes had dulled to a blank sapphire blue, except for right near the end, when they had both started crying. I wondered what had them so upset, when Aquarius turned to me.
"I suppose you would like to know what would have happened, too," he commented in his gentle, echoing voice. I nodded rather bashfully, and he smiled, although he seemed somewhat impatient. "I suppose I can spare a few moments."
Suddenly, a haze descended, and wrapped around me. I could see a chibi version of myself seated in my living room, playing with building blocks, when a shriek resounded through the house. The other-me looked up questioningly as my mother ran into the room.
"Mama?" The other-me lifted his arms to my mother, who had tears running down her cheeks.
She picked up the other-me, caressing his soft brown hair. He looked up at her, concern and foreboding in his emerald eyes. "Iori, honey, Daddy won't becoming home."
"Why not?" asked the other-me innocently. My mother's grip on him tightened protectively as she replied haltingly.
"He was... chasing a drunken driver this afternoon. The drunk man hit and killed a small boy who was going down the street, and apparently was so panicked that he got out of his car and got out a gun..." Her voice broke, and the other-me stared up at her, unsuspecting. "Your father got out of the police cruiser and tried to calm him down, but the other man was crazy. Oh, God, Iori, he tried to shoot an old woman, but your father pushed her out of the way..." She collapsed in sobs. "He was shot instead... Iori, your father's dead."
The other-me stared in shock, and tears ran down his cheeks. "Daddy... gone?" he whispered quietly.
Aquarius' voice broke into the scene. "Instead, this is what happened." The picture distorted and swirled into another incident that I barely even remembered. I was in the memory.
My father strode tiredly into the kitchen, laying his belt on the cluttered counter as my mother ran up and hugged him. He bent down and ruffled my hair, smiling gently. "Hey, Iori, how's Daddy's little boy, eh?"
I smiled delightedly at my father, who was my role model in every single way. "Fine, Daddy," I replied shyly.
"Good boy," he said. Turning back to my mother, he began to tell her of the day's events, and of a wild chase after a drunken driver. My mother began to pale as he told her of the reckless pursuit through the dangerous, winding streets of the city.
"Oh, Hirogi!" she cried at one point, "that sounds so awful!"
"You won't believe how it ended, though," my father replied with a slight chuckle. "He crashed into a fruit stand, and a watermelon knocked him out!" They both began to laugh, and I joined in, although I didn't quite grasp the humour.
The mist slowly lifted, and I stared gratefully at Aquarius. When I had regained my voice, I started to babble. "He would've died! Thank you, thank you, thank you..." I trailed off and shivered at how close I'd been to losing my precious father.
Beside me, Hikari shifted. "Um," she started hesitantly, "Would you mind showing how my life was different?"
Aquarius gazed around, clearly impatient. "I'm sorry, Hikari, I don't have time to show you. You'll have to settle for a brief explanation."
Hikari nodded, and the angel continued hastily. "You life was not changed in a major way, like that of the other's. When Osamu died, his mother withdrew from the social circle. Without the death of her eldest son, she became best friends with your mother. She has two incredibly talented sons, and your mother grew jealous, as she only has two - pardon the expression - mediocre children. She, therefore, constantly compared the both of you to Osamu and Ken, causing you to feel inferior."
Hikari looked around at the group, shifting uncomfortably as she blushed. Aquarius apologised. "I'm sorry for blurting it out in the open like this, but we must go! Ken is in grave danger."
We all looked at Aquarius, our interest piqued. "Osamu wants to use him to locate the Ninth Talisman. If he succeeds, the Digital World is doomed."
Ken's POV
I glared at my brother as he entered the small cell, as did Elecmon. "What do you want?" I snapped angrily, immediately knowing it was a mistake as his eyes narrowed into slits behind his lavender glasses.
"I want *you* to help *me*," he replied.
"Never!" I bit back. I felt Elecmon as a supportive presence as hi crouched beside my legs.
My brother's smile widened menacingly. "Then I will have to convince you." He started playing with the midnight-black ring in his hands, and Elecmon stiffened in fear. Osamu suddenly cast it at the small, red-and-blue digimon.
I looked down in time to see the transformation. Elecmon's once bright blue eyes dulled, and acquired a reddish tint. "Elecmon?" I whispered.
"Elecmon!" Osamu ordered. "Attack him!"
Elecmon nodded and turned to face me, spikes bristling. "Elecmon, what are you do-"
"Sparkling Thunder!" he cried, and a wave of electricity poured over me. I crashed to my knees as an unbearable pain flowed through me, unable to stop myself from screaming out loud. I could dimly hear my brother laughing.
Suddenly, Elecmon stopped. I lay on the ground, gasping for breath, as Osamu walked over to me. He kicked my side, and I groaned, rolling over slowly. "Now will you obey me?"
I struggled to my feet, glaring hatefully at him. "No," I rasped.
He nodded again at Elecmon, and I braced myself for another electric attack, but it never came. Instead, he leapt through the air at me, crying out, "Body Blow!" He crashed into my abdomen, the force of the blow sending me back into the wall. I collapsed on the floor, the air knocked completely out of me, as Elecmon landed nimbly a few feet away.
Osamu asked again if I would submit to his demands, and again, I refused. I could feel his frustration as a tangible tension in the air. He cracked his whip, and I struggled to look up at his advancing form. "Then I will have to teach you myself," he threatened, voice low.
-----
Again, gomen for taking sooooo long! And I'm also sorry for the chapters being kinda slow, but there's gonna be action soon! Meanwhile... Review!
- Ken - *scowling* I really hate you, you know that?
*innocently* But Ken dear, whyever would you hate me?
- Osamu - I hate you too, come to think of it.
*sighs* Everyone's a critic... Review! Now! Or I will be forced to come after you! *cackles evilly*