We circled around the meadow twice before landing. I got off and was about to walk through the rip when a great scream cut through the air. A giant bird, perhaps a hawk, landed next to Shiro's dragon. The Lady Lenara leaped off her mount's neck gracefully, running over to me and Garu. "Ken...wait..can I come with you? I want to help. It's my duty after all. Shiro will help also." Shiro jumped at this, obviously not expecting her comment. " Lenara! Markam will be furious at us! Is this wise?" She stared angrly at Shiro, defying him. "I want to help, and you will too." Then she looked at me, somewhat fondly, but quickly turned to her hawk. "Ken, Garu, would you like to ride with me? Selece needs to be able to fight, and my Tyryn can carry all of us." I nodded, and mounted the great hawk Tyryn.
Garu climbed up right behind me, and the hawk flew right into the rip, Selece and Shiro following. We burst into the air above the ruined city of Tokyo, amid the dark and heavy storm clouds. I heard Lenara gasp as she saw Japan's ruined capital. "Lenara, it was much better..before the digimon came." I said, putting my hand on her arm to steady her. She was so used to her beautiful world that she was scared by the dark and broken scene before her. I looked down, mourning for my fallen home, when I saw a small cave off the coast. "That cave...I've never seen that before." I muttered, causing Lenara to lean down and look herself. "I sense something there, something like...magic!" She whispered, alerted. Garu looked down and sighed. "Long way down...I'm not that good with heights..." He shook slightly, then regained his poise. After all, he was the only representative of a digimon there, and I suppose he wanted to make an impression.
Shiro and Selece circled around the cave once, then looked up at us. "I think we should check this out." Shiro said, pulling Selece around in another circle. " I sense something," he added. Tyryn also started to circle down, finally landing on a strip of land across from the cave. Selece landed next to us, and Shiro, Lerana, Garu, and finally I swam across. When I stepped into the cave, I was hit with a wave of power, and a kind of attractive call. It was like something in the cave was calling to me. A soft white glow glittered in the back of the cave, and when I saw it I knew it was the thing calling for my attention.
I stepped forward, ignoring the calls of warning from Lerana and Garu, for I was in a type of trance. My mind was only directed by the incessant call. Finally I saw it, a large bright white stone on a pedistal. Garu was close behind me, and I heard him gasp, for he noticed the design carved on the stone was the crest of Reliability. "What are you doing?!" Hissed Shiro, grabbing my shoulder from behind and turning me toward him. I tried to talk to him, but my body just turned back and pulled away. I could only watch helplessly as I walked closer to the omnious glow. I climbed up a small staircase, and stared at the stone. It seemed to glow brighter somehow, as if it was eager to have me near. "Ken, stop!" Garu called, but it was too late. My hands caressed the cold glowing crystal, and everything went a bright, shining white. Lerana, Shiro and Garu were gone, replaced by a soft white world.
A shape appeared in the foggy distance, becoming darker and more recognizable as it walked closer. I was back in control of my body, but I couldn't move. As the shape approached, painful memories surfaced from my mind, of a blue haired, glasses wearing member of the digidestined. Finally he stopped, giving me a clear view of his calm face and tall figure. "Jyou?" I asked, hoping he was, yet scared. "Hi Ken." Jyou smiled a little, his form shimmering in the fog and smoke. "I guess I need to get started. If you haven't already figured it out, MaloMyotismon killed me. This is my spirit talking to you. Gennai imprisoned me here, along with a type of energy. You have to fight me to be able to use it."
"Fight you?" I said. Jyou just nodded. "I can't belive this..." I whispered under my breath. My mind was working, trying to figure out any reason, any at all, for this. I came up blank. "You need the power Ken. You can't take the digimon on without it." Jyou said, still walking toward me. I went through my pockets, searching for anything that could help me. I came up with nothing. I just stood, ready for the onslaught of pain. I've never been much of a fighter.
-------------------SHIRO'S POV
The light was so bright it was painful. A huge sense of power shone with it, like the power that Lenara had sensed earlier. She was trying to get near, to save Ken I guess. I think she's become slightly fond of the kid. Me? I'm not so sure. Every time he looks at me he looks sad, like I'm dying and I don't know it. Garu's worse, looking like he was wounded when said I didn't know him. Every time I talk to them, my mind goes berserk, giving me images, voices, things I'm sure I've never seen. Then there are the dreams I had last night. A monster...then a voice calling, screaming....a wolf, only white and blue....and a flash. I was in tumoil, until Lenara's screech brought me back to the present. "Shiro! Something's wrong, I know it! Ken...he just fell like he had been hit...he's bleeding, Shiro. Do something, please! I tried, but he's somewhere that won't let me in. I heard a voice that said only a chosen child may enter. I don't know what's going on, but you could try."
"Right." I said, fighting my way through the barriers arund Ken. I didn't want to, but Lenara was my lady, and so I must. A voice came to me then, one from my memories. "Child of fear and darkness, thy broken memories bring you pain. Come no further, chosen child, the Kaiser does battle with the reliable one." I stopped my magic for a moment, puzzling over what I had heard. Broken memories? Kaiser? It spoke again, silencing my thoughts. "Thy compassion may still find thee. Your fight to protect the Kaiser will manifest." The real word came back to me as I looked up at Lenara's worried face. "Are you okay Shiro?" I got up, still wondering what had happened. What did it mean?
-------------------KEN'S POV
"Jyou, stop, I don't want to fight you!" I cried, but it had little effect. He battered away at me with a power and eagerness I had not expected from him. I could feel the blood running down my many wounds. I would die soon, killed by a person I thought of as a friend. A voice startled me, suddenly my pain was gone, replaced by a commanding voice. "The Kaiser cannot fight without a weapon then? Very well, thy charm has won a friend." The pain returned, but with it, a sense of confusion and finally horror. As I moved to avoid Jyou's attacks, something heavy tugged at my back. The energy tore through something, but not my skin, fabric of blue and black. My sight twisted, changing a bluish purple, like I was looking through.....glasses. I knew what came next. As Jyou passed by me, I reached to my belt and pulled the one weapon I really knew how to use. A second later, Jyou was nursing a long lash down his side. I stared at the whip in my hand for just a moment before I attacked again and again, more cuts appearing on Jyou's body.
He stopped, and I stopped too, the sweat and exhaustion of hard fighting finally setting in. Despite his many wounds, Jyou looked happy. "You have set my spirit free Ken. You have more to fight, many more. You will find the strength within yourself and your friends to complete this. I may not say more, but only give you this. Good luck." My head suddenly swam and as I fought off the dizziness I thought I saw Lerana, Shiro, and Garu above me. I could not fight for long though, the darkness closed in.
-------------------SHIRO'S POV
I stared at Ken, his face sweaty and bloody, yet as far as I'd seen, nothing had touched him. Lerana was moaning, trying to get him to awaken. She was afraid he was dead. I would've thought so too, if I hadn't felt so sure that he wasn't. I had just turned towards the entrance to leave when I noticed the necklace around his neck. It had a shining white stone on it, with a design carved into it. I bent down to study it, but was interruped by a snarl from Garu.
"You rats think you can hide from digimon in a cave? Foolish slaves." A great beast stood at the entrance, covered in armor and carrying a great sword. "You have a digidestined," it said, staring intently at Ken. "Two. What a find!" He suddenly said, looking at me the same way. "Yoy all will die then. Slaves don't do after assosiating with Digidestined." I stepped in front of Lerana. "I'd rather die then let you take her." I hissed, summoning energy and forming it in my hands. The digimon shrugged. "Die then."
Garu climbed up right behind me, and the hawk flew right into the rip, Selece and Shiro following. We burst into the air above the ruined city of Tokyo, amid the dark and heavy storm clouds. I heard Lenara gasp as she saw Japan's ruined capital. "Lenara, it was much better..before the digimon came." I said, putting my hand on her arm to steady her. She was so used to her beautiful world that she was scared by the dark and broken scene before her. I looked down, mourning for my fallen home, when I saw a small cave off the coast. "That cave...I've never seen that before." I muttered, causing Lenara to lean down and look herself. "I sense something there, something like...magic!" She whispered, alerted. Garu looked down and sighed. "Long way down...I'm not that good with heights..." He shook slightly, then regained his poise. After all, he was the only representative of a digimon there, and I suppose he wanted to make an impression.
Shiro and Selece circled around the cave once, then looked up at us. "I think we should check this out." Shiro said, pulling Selece around in another circle. " I sense something," he added. Tyryn also started to circle down, finally landing on a strip of land across from the cave. Selece landed next to us, and Shiro, Lerana, Garu, and finally I swam across. When I stepped into the cave, I was hit with a wave of power, and a kind of attractive call. It was like something in the cave was calling to me. A soft white glow glittered in the back of the cave, and when I saw it I knew it was the thing calling for my attention.
I stepped forward, ignoring the calls of warning from Lerana and Garu, for I was in a type of trance. My mind was only directed by the incessant call. Finally I saw it, a large bright white stone on a pedistal. Garu was close behind me, and I heard him gasp, for he noticed the design carved on the stone was the crest of Reliability. "What are you doing?!" Hissed Shiro, grabbing my shoulder from behind and turning me toward him. I tried to talk to him, but my body just turned back and pulled away. I could only watch helplessly as I walked closer to the omnious glow. I climbed up a small staircase, and stared at the stone. It seemed to glow brighter somehow, as if it was eager to have me near. "Ken, stop!" Garu called, but it was too late. My hands caressed the cold glowing crystal, and everything went a bright, shining white. Lerana, Shiro and Garu were gone, replaced by a soft white world.
A shape appeared in the foggy distance, becoming darker and more recognizable as it walked closer. I was back in control of my body, but I couldn't move. As the shape approached, painful memories surfaced from my mind, of a blue haired, glasses wearing member of the digidestined. Finally he stopped, giving me a clear view of his calm face and tall figure. "Jyou?" I asked, hoping he was, yet scared. "Hi Ken." Jyou smiled a little, his form shimmering in the fog and smoke. "I guess I need to get started. If you haven't already figured it out, MaloMyotismon killed me. This is my spirit talking to you. Gennai imprisoned me here, along with a type of energy. You have to fight me to be able to use it."
"Fight you?" I said. Jyou just nodded. "I can't belive this..." I whispered under my breath. My mind was working, trying to figure out any reason, any at all, for this. I came up blank. "You need the power Ken. You can't take the digimon on without it." Jyou said, still walking toward me. I went through my pockets, searching for anything that could help me. I came up with nothing. I just stood, ready for the onslaught of pain. I've never been much of a fighter.
-------------------SHIRO'S POV
The light was so bright it was painful. A huge sense of power shone with it, like the power that Lenara had sensed earlier. She was trying to get near, to save Ken I guess. I think she's become slightly fond of the kid. Me? I'm not so sure. Every time he looks at me he looks sad, like I'm dying and I don't know it. Garu's worse, looking like he was wounded when said I didn't know him. Every time I talk to them, my mind goes berserk, giving me images, voices, things I'm sure I've never seen. Then there are the dreams I had last night. A monster...then a voice calling, screaming....a wolf, only white and blue....and a flash. I was in tumoil, until Lenara's screech brought me back to the present. "Shiro! Something's wrong, I know it! Ken...he just fell like he had been hit...he's bleeding, Shiro. Do something, please! I tried, but he's somewhere that won't let me in. I heard a voice that said only a chosen child may enter. I don't know what's going on, but you could try."
"Right." I said, fighting my way through the barriers arund Ken. I didn't want to, but Lenara was my lady, and so I must. A voice came to me then, one from my memories. "Child of fear and darkness, thy broken memories bring you pain. Come no further, chosen child, the Kaiser does battle with the reliable one." I stopped my magic for a moment, puzzling over what I had heard. Broken memories? Kaiser? It spoke again, silencing my thoughts. "Thy compassion may still find thee. Your fight to protect the Kaiser will manifest." The real word came back to me as I looked up at Lenara's worried face. "Are you okay Shiro?" I got up, still wondering what had happened. What did it mean?
-------------------KEN'S POV
"Jyou, stop, I don't want to fight you!" I cried, but it had little effect. He battered away at me with a power and eagerness I had not expected from him. I could feel the blood running down my many wounds. I would die soon, killed by a person I thought of as a friend. A voice startled me, suddenly my pain was gone, replaced by a commanding voice. "The Kaiser cannot fight without a weapon then? Very well, thy charm has won a friend." The pain returned, but with it, a sense of confusion and finally horror. As I moved to avoid Jyou's attacks, something heavy tugged at my back. The energy tore through something, but not my skin, fabric of blue and black. My sight twisted, changing a bluish purple, like I was looking through.....glasses. I knew what came next. As Jyou passed by me, I reached to my belt and pulled the one weapon I really knew how to use. A second later, Jyou was nursing a long lash down his side. I stared at the whip in my hand for just a moment before I attacked again and again, more cuts appearing on Jyou's body.
He stopped, and I stopped too, the sweat and exhaustion of hard fighting finally setting in. Despite his many wounds, Jyou looked happy. "You have set my spirit free Ken. You have more to fight, many more. You will find the strength within yourself and your friends to complete this. I may not say more, but only give you this. Good luck." My head suddenly swam and as I fought off the dizziness I thought I saw Lerana, Shiro, and Garu above me. I could not fight for long though, the darkness closed in.
-------------------SHIRO'S POV
I stared at Ken, his face sweaty and bloody, yet as far as I'd seen, nothing had touched him. Lerana was moaning, trying to get him to awaken. She was afraid he was dead. I would've thought so too, if I hadn't felt so sure that he wasn't. I had just turned towards the entrance to leave when I noticed the necklace around his neck. It had a shining white stone on it, with a design carved into it. I bent down to study it, but was interruped by a snarl from Garu.
"You rats think you can hide from digimon in a cave? Foolish slaves." A great beast stood at the entrance, covered in armor and carrying a great sword. "You have a digidestined," it said, staring intently at Ken. "Two. What a find!" He suddenly said, looking at me the same way. "Yoy all will die then. Slaves don't do after assosiating with Digidestined." I stepped in front of Lerana. "I'd rather die then let you take her." I hissed, summoning energy and forming it in my hands. The digimon shrugged. "Die then."