TK: So, Daneel, what's up?
Author: Well, I guess it's time to write another chapter.
TK: So what's new in this chapter?
Author: Well, I'm gonna make a little change to the plans I had.
TK: And… that's good, or bad? *sweatdrops*
Author: Our readers will decide…
TK: *gulp*
CHAPTER 4
A Second Good Bye. The Chosen One Leaves.
Mina looked at the wall clock in her room. It was 8:30 A.M. "After all I got through last night. I awoke so early!? Gosh…" She thought as she opened the door to her bathroom. She took a shower, and dressed up; pretty quickly for a woman. She kept thinking about all the things she had done the last night, and all the things she had to prepare today. "I sneaked into a cemetery, I dug a grave, and I broke two nails, for God's sake! But, on the other hand, I met him…" TK was the only thing in her mind now. She was the only one who knew his true destiny, and that sensation of control made her feel uncomfortable. But at the same time, she felt pleased, because "The Chosen One" was quite a special one.
"I have to admit it. He IS special. (TK: I am special…*sob* finally someone admits it.) (N/A: Shut up, TK! I'm typing!!!) He's very mature for being 14. He's strong, he has a good heart, he's nice with other people, he's intelligent, and he's got a way with words. He practically has everything he needs. Now…It's only left to know if he can accept the truth."
And that's when the alarm sounded. She had a message. From her superiors. Of course, she wasn't going to answer the phone. Special people have a special way to communicate. She walked out of her room, and quickly dashed into the library, in the case that TK weren't sleeping. She looked at the crystal pyramid on her desk. It was glowing. Someone was calling for her. She walked to the crystal, and activated it.
"Crystal of Magic, dimensional gate.
Let me cross any barrier, destroy any distances,
As the powers of my heart, limits they don't have…"
The crystal was glowing even brighter, and the screen finally showed up. On the screen, she could see her master. The one who taught her everything she knew.
"It's been a while, Master Tomari." Tomari was the most interesting person she had ever met. Age had already left its marks on him. His hair was white, and he couldn't walk without a stick. She would probably look like after at the age of 3500, too. But his heart was still strong, and in the end, that's what really matters. His name could be Tomari, but all the people who knew him called him "The Magic Master". And that's because he's the most powerful sorcerer that has ever existed.
"It's been only 20 years, Mina. Twenty short years."
"For you, maybe. For me, these had been twenty years thrown in the trash can, looking for the chosen one."
"Time only has the value you give it, my dear student. I thought you had already understood that simple idea."
"Man, you talk just like him. Now I see why you need him so badly."
"How do I talk like?"
"The Chosen One."
"So you have found him? Just as predicted, you found him today." Mina nodded. "Do you want me to bring him here?"
"No, it's not necessary. So he talks like me, huh? Then, that means he understands the world the way I do. He'll a good student."
"So, you're taking him away from me?"
"Don't tell me you have feelings for him, Mina."
"Well…sort of." Tomari sighed.
"I should have seen that coming. You're a young woman, and well, he must be pretty young, too."
"Oh, for God's sake! He's 14 and I'm 700!"
"Age is just a concept. You have the age you think you have. That's why you can still keep that beautiful form."
"Well, thanks for the compliment, Master. But…do you think you can teach him everything he needs to know?"
"That only depends on him. I'll teach him what he can learn. He must find the rest of the truth by himself. So, Mina, can you send him today?"
"Today!? Please, Master, let me keep him some more time. He makes me a great company." The Master sighed again.
"I'm sorry, dear, but his training must begin as soon as possible. The time is soon and he must be prepared. You have 24 hours to deliver him. That's all."
"I… I understand. It will be done as you say, Master."
"Good. Well then, this is the end of the message." He said, as the screen disappeared, and the crystal stopped glowing. Mina wanted to cry. She never thought she would lose TK that soon. She was about to do it when a warm hand touched her left shoulder.
"What ever makes you sad, please share it with me."
"TK…I…I have something I must tell you."
"Ok. But first, let me prepare you a cup of coffee."
"Thanks."
That's when Mina noticed TK was almost an adult. In their way to the kitchen, she noticed she could easily rest her head on his right shoulder. The moment she did it, he placed his left arm around her waist. And for a short moment, Mina felt secure.
"Sit down, Mina"
"Ok." Mina sat down while TK looked for the coffee and a pot."
"So, could you tell what's happening? You said we could talk after sleeping."
"Did you sleep?"
"No."
"Then I won't tell you." Mina said with a grin.
"Then your master will get upset." TK said, smiling. Mina was shocked.
"You were listening!? I told you not to peek!"
"You told me not to peek in your bedroom. You said nothing about the library." Mina sighed.
"You're a kid."
"You too. That's why you're so lovely." TK said softly, while boiling some water. Mina blushed. "So." TK continued. "I guess you have something to tell me." Mina took some seconds to organize her own ideas, and then she started speaking.
"Twenty years ago, my master asked me to look for the chosen one."
"That would be me, right?" Mina nodded.
"During this time, we've been studying the flow of stars, as they foretold that the Chosen One, who is said the lead the end of the dark era and the beginning of the reign of light, would be found at this precise day."
"Whoa, pretty exact…" TK said. "Coffee is almost ready."
"Ok. However, we got our first important clue 8 years ago."
"Eight years ago…I became a Digidestined…"
"Exactly. In the ancient writings, the Chosen One is called ´The Light of Hope´. But we weren't sure if the Chosen One was the Digidestined of Light, or the Digidestined of Hope." TK immediately thought about Kari. He had been thinking about her the whole night, and he had realized how much he missed her. He was sad because she wasn't able to share with him this new phase of his life.
"So… how did you find out?"
"Well, we never knew. I was sure you would be together the day of the party, so I prepared the fake death scene, trusted in the prophecy, and waited for one of you to fall in it!" Mina said, while scratching the back of his head. TK fell back, anime-style.
"What!?"
"That's right."
"Then what makes you feel so sure that I'm the Chosen One and not Kari!?"
"Well, after you hear the next part, you'll be happy to know she isn't the Chosen One." TK sighed.
"I'm all ears."
"I…the Master needs you to go to the World of Darkness." Mina said. TK was shocked. He had very unpleasant memories of the World of Darkness. He thought about Kari, Ken Ichijouji, and their experiences there. Ken had become the son of evil, and Kari, well; she went through a lot of pain. He didn't notice that Mina was talking to him.
"…there you'll receive the appropriate physical and magical training…" he suddenly interrupted her.
"Hey, hey, hey, stop right there. Let me organize the ideas. YOUR Master wants ME to go to World of Darkness, to learn magic, right?"
"Yes, that's the idea."
"What for?"
"I thought I already told you. We need you to fight Evil." TK sighed again.
"I've done that. Lots of times. What's the difference?"
"You're wrong. As a Digidestined, you fought the incarnations of evil in the Digital World. We need you to fight Evil. The one and only. The one who rules over all existence, all dimensions."
"So this time it's for real… oh, coffee is ready" Mina nodded as she received a cup of coffee.
"Thanks. Evil has grown strong since the beginning of time. Since the moment the first creature could distinguish the difference between right and wrong. Now, he will take a material form and look for the Chosen One. If he destroys you, we're doomed. That's why you must train with my Master. He's the only who can teach. That way, when the Evil finds you, you could have a chance to defeat him."
"And what makes you think I can defeat Evil?"
"The fact that you carry the Ultimate Power, TK"
"And that is…"
"Hope." Mina whispered, and looked at TK, after drinking some coffee. He seemed down.
"What's wrong, TK?"
"I…I really need to leave this place." He said as he walked to the main entrance.
"Wait! Where are you going!?"
"I need to walk. Don't worry, I'll be back. I promise." TK said as he left. Mina was alone…again.
"But…TK, what if someone sees you? What if she sees you? Or…maybe…is that what you want?"
He had been walking the whole day, thinking about himself. Looking for answers. He wanted to know why he had to live such a life. Through all of his life, he had been fighting. This time, he had lost everything. His family, his friends, his sunshine. Then, what did he fight for? "The future of humanity…yeah, I already know that story. In fact, I'm getting tired of it. I need a real reason. Something to fight for. My dreams for the future, my greatest desires…they are already lost. I lost them in just one day, because of a girl." He looked at his watch, or at least, the new one he found next to his bed. It was already 9:55 PM. But he wasn't hungry, or thirsty. He just needed to think. Mina came to his mind. He knew she was just a nice person, and he believed her, but, deep inside, he hated her for destroying his life. "My life was perfect. I had everything I needed. I have nothing to worry about. No worries, no fears. But she had to come. And destroyed it all." However, no matter how much he hated the idea, he had to go back with her. He looked around to find out where he was, and then, he noticed. He was in front of a building. But not any building. A couple of floors above him, he saw a light. A light coming from Kari's room.
"How did this happen? I have been walking without any exact direction…but maybe…just maybe, my heart led me to this place…"
"Ok, I'm done." Hikari said.
"That's it? You finally finished with your diary? Now I can turn off the light and go to bed!?" Tai Kamiya, who had already changed to his pajamas, sarcastically said.
"Just a minute." She answered. She hadn't written on her diary since the day of the party, she had a lot to write. Now she was done, and she could rest at ease. Well, almost. She still couldn't bear his absence. And that way, she got depressed again. And Tai, well, he noticed it almost in the same instant.
"Aww, not again…"
"Don't…don't worry, brother. I just…I'd like to go to the balcony for a moment." Kari said, as she left the room. Tai sighed as he laid on his bed. The thing he most wanted in that moment was to sleep.
Kari looked at the night sky, with tears on her face. "Today, I watched the sunset. I looked next to me, and you weren't there. Then, I realized how much I'll miss you. I can't imagine it. Soon, I'll return to school. I'll sit on a desk, and the one besides me will be empty…I don't want to think about it but…I can't get you out of my head…" And then, she noticed him. A boy was looking at her from the other side of the street. A blonde boy, with a white shirt and black jeans, was looking at her.
"Is it an illusion? Or maybe, I'm going crazy… it's almost 10:00 PM. Nobody would walk alone on these streets at this time. So… is he real? Could he be…?" Kari tried to look more carefully, so maybe she could recognize him, but he was covered by the shadows. Then, he quickly dashed through across the street, and disappeared. "Did he…did he enter the building!? So maybe it's……" Kari reentered the house, and dashed to the door, so fast that even Tai and her parents could notice.
"Kari, what's wrong? What are you doing out of your bedroom?" her mother said, but Kari was already by the main entrance.
"Kari, where are you going?" Tai asked.
"Nowhere, Tai. I'm not leaving." Kari said softly. She could feel it. There was someone behind that door. She wanted to open it and see, but something stopped her from doing it. Maybe it was the fear of finding a ghost. Then she saw something. That "someone" slid a small paper through the door. She immediately picked it up and opened it. There was a short message on it.
"Farewell, my sunshine. Now I must leave... forever.
Never allow your light to fade; and, no matter how dark things look,
never lose your hope."
As she finished reading it, tears fell from her eyes. Never had she felt such pain or sorrow. She leaned on the wall and let herself fall down, crying. Tai grabbed the message and read, only to mutter an almost inaudible "Oh, my God…" he quickly opened the door… but there was nobody there.
"What if he doesn't return? What if he lied? What if he's back at his house and everybody is happy to see him again?"
Those were Mina's thoughts while her eyes were locked in front of the wall clock. "10:30 PM. It's just too late. I can't believe he did this to me. It's like…like…being dumped! No man has ever dumped me! And he won't be the first one!" she thought as she got ready to look for him. She was angry, very angry at him. He had a mission, and if he wasn't there to complete it, that would be her fault. She opened the door, thinking about the best way of torturing him when she found him, when she noticed there was someone on the front door. Him.
"TK!"
"Hey." He said, as if nothing had happened. Mina's smile came back, and she hugged him as tight as she could.
"Oh, I'm so glad you're back. I never thought you would leave me." TK was silent, and he was looking at her, smiling. She knew she only had this chance, and she used it. She kissed him.
"Hey! And that was for…"
"Not leaving me."
"But I'm about to leave you."
"But it's for a good cause." She said as she guided to the couch. They both sat down, and she kissed him again. He didn't make any resistance, so she thought it was ok. But this time, TK stopped her.
"Mina, do you love me?"
"Yes, I do, but I have to let you go."
"But, you just met me today…" Mina stopped him, and kissed him again.
"Wrong. I know you since when you were six. You were the one who met me today."
"Anyway, Mina, I really have to tell you something."
"I know. I know you love Kari, but I don't care."
"No, it's not that. I want to go to the World of Darkness. Right now." TK looked at his friend. She ruined his life, that's true, but she was a nice person. And now, she had a sad face. "I'm sorry."
"Ok, then let's open the gate." Mina said, with a fake smile. She started walking to the library, and he followed her. She didn't want to do it, but she had to, so she better finished the job as fast as she could. When she arrived to the library, she didn't waste any time.
"Void of Darkness, open up!
Lead our souls through the path of the Darkside…"
The gate opened almost instantly. It was a flashy gate, filled with dead colors, and the souls of those who never made it to the other side. Wandering souls, without a place to call home.
"If you want to go, go now!" Mina shouted. TK walked next to her, and kissed her. He caught her by surprise, but now it was too late.
"Wish me luck."
"I'll pray for you." Those were the last words TK heard in the "real" world, his home world. But he didn't care. He walked through the void with a smile on his face, because that night, he had found his reason to fight, his reason to survive. His reason to return when he finished his training. Because that night, on that balcony, he saw his sunshine.
Alright! Those were the 4 introductory chapters! I hope you readers enjoyed them.
TK: So, what's next?
Me: Well, I got exams these next days, but when I'm done with them, I'll be back to continue with this fanfic.
TK: I was talking about the fanfic, not your schedule.
Me: Oh, sorry. Well, we'll take a quantum leap, and we'll see what happens after a year passed.
TK: Ok, I'll be waiting…
Me: Ok, thanks! Any reviews or comments will be gladly accepted! See ya!
