DM: Digital Mutants: Series 02: Part 5
[A/N: Anyone figured out
what the shadow was? Ah this is fun!]
[Disclaimer: I don't own.]
A tall, evil figure sat, musing inside of a darkened chamber. He drummed his fingers against his knee, thinking. He grinned a cruel grin as he counted off the pawns he had hidden in the school. Oh how they all hated her as much as he did…
Cody lay in a bed in the infirmary, his eyes constantly open and blank. Then, he blinked slowly and the green returned to his young eyes. He sat up just as slowly and looked around.
"Oh, you're awake?" Kari asked, walking into the room. Cody looked at the teacher in silence. "Can you tell me what happened yesterday?" she asked. Cody didn't answer, and kept staring at Kari. "Are you all right?" the teacher asked. Cody blinked a few times. "You were unconscious when Shinji brought you in here." Kari said slowly, "What happened during training?"
Cody turned away and looked into his lap, glaring slightly. Kari sighed and looked at the boy with a worried look. "Cody, go on back to your dorm." she said softly, "Get some rest. I'll tell Shinji that you woke up." She patted the boy on the shoulder and walked from the room. Cody remained still, staring at his lap.
Kari knocked at the shadow-hidden door of Shinji's chamber. She had to ask her brother where Shinji stayed, for she had never ventured down in the darkened places of the school. Her small fist lingered over the wood door. She hadn't seen the Ninth Digimon in so many years… She couldn't remember what they looked like, what they were, what their name was even.
When an answer didn't arrive as soon as she anticipated, Kari knocked again. Again, no reply. Had something happened to Shinji? Kari raised an eyebrow and knocked once more.
But when no reply came once more, Kari became both frustrated and worried. She turned and was about to go alert TK, but the door opened with a soft creak. Kari whirled back around and met with glowing blue eyes. She let out a squeak and fell against the wall.
Kari blinked, and the glowing eyes and darkness vanished. All that was there was Shinji, who looked at Kari with a tired grin and breathing a little harder than someone would.
"I'm sorry." Shinji apologized, "I didn't notice the door." Kari blinked and few times, regained her composure, and stood up from the wall. "Sorry to bother you like this, but Cody's woken up." she explained, "I thought you might have wanted to know." When the head teacher didn't reply, Kari continued, "Also, I was wondering if you figured out what happened."
"I haven't." was all Kari's superior answered. Kari jerked ever so slightly. "Should I send Cody up-" she was about to ask. "No." Shinji snapped, "I'll send for Cody if I need to. Now head back to TK." Almost immediately, the door had been shut, and disappeared in shadows again. Kari stared for a moment, then walked away.
"Hey, how's Cody doing?" TK asked when Kari entered their room. The doctor walked over and plopped down into her boyfriend's lap before talking. "He's alive and awake if that's what you mean." she murmured, tracing small circles on his chest.
"So did you tell Shinji?" he asked. "Yeah, but…" Kari trailed off. She sighed and leaned against TK gently. "She's been acting weird since Cody's aura appeared up in her head." TK chuckled. He thought for a moment and said, "I don't that she's every run from a class before."
Kari giggled a little. "Well. I don't think that she's every shut the door in my face before either." she muttered. TK looked at her through the cool blue of his eyeshot glasses. "What do you mean?" he asked. "I think I probably interrupted something." Kari said, "And she was really anxious to get back to whatever she was doing."
"Look, she's the head teacher here." TK muttered, "Shinji's probably got tons of work to do." Kari nodded a little and looked up at TK. She smiled a bit and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the embrace.
Cody had gone back to his dorm by then. He went straight to his bunk and lay down. He had seen another dream of the future.
But this one showed a tall man with purple hair, red eyes, and an evil grin. He was trying to kill Cody himself…but another tall man, with pale skin, short blond hair and fangs saved Cody, nearly dying himself…
He opened his eyes. It was night, and he had fallen asleep. But what had he seen?
Shinji stretched out on the single piece of furniture in her room, staring up at the ceiling. Her right hand was splayed across her stomach, and her left hand hid part of her left eye. Kari hadn't taken the time to look at what Shinji had been wearing. It was a loose white tee-shirt, and loose white pants. It was the sheer antithesis of what she wore during the day.
"So, trying to figure out what happened?" a deep and comforting voice asked from the dark shadows. Shinji sighed and shut her blue eyes. "I'm a poor teacher." she murmured. The person in the shadows stepped towards the woman and sat by the couch.
"Shinji, don't say that." they ordered. A large, but soft hand reached up from the floor and placed itself on top of her forehead. "You saved that boy's life." they chuckled, "And you probably did it once more during your class." "Don't praise me." Shinji sighed, "I hate that."
"I thought you liked it when I praised you." the person laughed. They ran their long fingers through her brown hair and smiled. "Not to ruin the mood, but don't you have to go to some sort of government meeting?" they asked.
Shinji groaned angrily and rolled over, facing the back of the couch. "Why the hell do I have to talk to those stupid, stuck-up government morons?" she sighed, "All they ever want to say to me is that they want to get rid of the school, and all the kids' parents are saying that I kidnapped their kids." "C'mon." the person muttered, "If anything, those kids came to you. Their parents kicked them out, and now they think they've got a weapon to protect the home."
Shinji chuckled lightly and smiled. "Well, I can keep my temper." she said, "I live on the same planet as Davis, don't I?" The person knelt up from the floor and lay down behind Shinji. They slid their arms around her and pulled her close. "Actually, you could fire him at any second." they muttered in her ear. "I need the teachers." she replied.
The next day, before the sun rose, Shinji was going to leave. "You're walking to Tokyo?" the person asked. "I'm afraid that I might go somewhere after the meeting." she replied, sliding on her black cloak, "And even if I am psychic, I'd probably run into a pole. Besides, it helps my training." The person chuckled. "You are determined." they laughed, "But what about your classes?" "I asked Yolei to sub in for me." Shinji replied. "See you tonight then." the person said, wrapping their long arms around her.
Cody was silent during every class. He wouldn't speak even to Reya or Tony. But when he came to training, something happened. "Where's Shinji-sensei?" he asked quietly. Yolei looked at him with a cool glance. "That…doesn't matter." she answered, "Besides, you need to get back to training." Cody tried to train, but other than the fact that he couldn't figure out his ability, the intriguing question of where the teacher was bothered him.
"We have over one-hundred reports of children running away from their homes, and appearing at your school, Miss Shazaki." the first government official said, reading over the paper with his glasses, "Can you explain this?" Shinji looked at the three old men over the top of her black sunglasses coolly. "They may be old fools," she thought, "but if I make any comment, I'll be tossed in jail for life."
"Now, we aren't saying that those said parents are pressing charges against you or your school." the second man said, "We just have requests from those parents for you to return their children." Shinji blinked a few times and pulled off her sunglasses with a sigh.
"Sirs, if I may say," she began, "I have spoken with each of these children after I found them, wandering on the streets in downtown Tokyo. Most of them told me that their parents yelled at them when they discovered their…abilities. They left home, as their parents supposedly wanted, and I merely offered a way for them to not be discriminated, and also a way to focus their possibly dangerous powers."
"Still, the adults report that their children left home in a fury, and had threatened to physically harm other people if they did not 'get away'." the third said, "The parents mentioned also reported that their hearts were filled with grief when their children left home. Now, we wish to know what you will do in response to these claims."
"Sirs, not to be rude, but I personally don't give a damn about what those so-called parents said." Shinji said smoothly, "I…well, I personally know the truth. Those parents were lying, and the children were being utterly truthful."
"Miss Shazaki!" the first man cried, "How dare you speak with such impertinence to us! Even if you have special pardons from certain areas because of your position, your language and your disrespect for others is inexcusable!"
There was a sharp, cold silence between the whole group. The government officials were glaring at the teacher angrily, but the teacher was looking back easily.
"So, will you take my word, or those other people?" Shinji said, "Because I DO know that those parents were lying." The first man growled and snarled, the second frowned, but the last, a young man with cool red eyes, stood up and held out a hand.
"Miss Shazaki, I personally take your word." he said, "However, my colleagues might not. Now, if I may be so daring, I would like to speak with you, outside of government business. Can I meet you anytime soon?" The two other men looked at the youngest with a strange look, and Shinji looked extremely unprepared for the question.
"I…uh…well…I suppose." she agreed, somewhat nervous, "When and where?" The man chuckled very lightly. "Miss Shazaki, it will still be a slight business meeting." he said, "I'm not asking you out on a date." Inwardly, Shinji let out a grand sigh.
The man walked out from the large desk and stood before Shinji. They were of equal height, and stared each other in the eye.
"I will meet you, next Saturday, at your school." he explained, "I want to see how you and your fellow teachers work. So, do you agree?" "If it isn't a date, of course." Shinji answered.
"Wonderful." the man chuckled, "My name is Kusan Igan." The two nodded to each other, and Shinji turned, and left the government building.
Cody lay on his bed since he returned from dinner. He wouldn't speak, nor move. He just wanted to know what had happened. And to him that meant talking to Shinji-sensei.
Shinji let her head lower after taking a drink. "Geez, kid, you musta had a rough day." the bartender said, washing a glass. When Shinji didn't reply, the Osaka-born-and-raised man sighed and went about his business. Shinji looked through the dim light at the liquid in the glass in her hands. A slight smile slid across her lips as the liquid shifted and rippled, throwing memories through her mind.
Especially of her partner.
But as she was thinking of how gentle his touch was, when a woman's voice let out a yell. She turned, her sight a bit blurred, and looked around. A burly man, much resembling the man she fought when she met Cody, and another burly man were trying to drag a young woman, about nineteen, out of the bar. They were laughing quite strangely, but the woman didn't want to move.
"Listen, little lady," the bigger man laughed in a drunken voice, "you hafta ta come with us. You come…dressed in here like dat…you're just askin' fer it." Indeed, the girl was dressed somewhat scantily, and looked very pretty. "But I didn't say anything like that!" she protested, "I just came here to have a few drinks!"
"Oh no!" the second said, "You gotta come with us!" He pulled her close and kissed her forcefully, and rather disgustingly. Back at the bar, Shinji sighed and put down her drink. "Damned conscience." she swore in her mind, walking towards the conflict.
"Excuse me, but why are you trying to force this young lady to…come with you?" a voice asked from behind the drunken man. He whirled around and came to face a tall woman with dark blue eyes.
"Damn it, she's even hotter dan dis slut!" the second man hissed, shoving the girl away and going towards Shinji. The first man held him off and stared at Shinji.
"Calm down!" he ordered, "From what I can tell, this babe is a lot more refined den dat bitch." He grinned rather oddly and said, "She probably likes it real gentle." He chuckled, and so did the other man. Shinji mouthed 'oh', nodded, and lowered her head. Then, as the men were chuckling, she sharply punched the first man in the jaw. The man flew into his friend, and the two went flying into the wall.
"You bitch!" the first yelled, getting up and rubbing his sore jaw. He didn't notice or care that his friend had been knocked out. "Now yer gonna do what I say!" he whispered/yelled. Almost grinning, Shinji lowered her head and allowed the man to drag her to a booth in the back of the bar, hidden in dark and shadows.
"Now listen!" the drunk hissed, "Whatever you want or say, I'm gonna do de opposite! Of course, it doesn't mean you won't get a good night in de end." He grasped her thigh tightly, and harshly, and leaned over to kiss her. But Shinji slapped him hard. There was a throbbing red mark on his cheek, and he snarled. But he slightly tackled the woman to the plastic seat, and held her shoulders tight.
"That's it!" he snapped, "You've pissed me off way too many times! Now yer gonna be hurtin'!" He loosened his grip a little and smiled. "Although, if you agree to everything I say, I won't hurt ya. Much." he snickered. Shinji herself grinned, leaned up and whispered in his ear, "Go screw a lamppost." The man's rage flared, and his hands went to her throat. "Now you die!" he growled, beginning to tighten his hands.
She started to choke, and tried to pull her hand up to move his, but her eyes closed and her hand fell. The man grinned and chuckled. His hands started to move away, and he began to sit up.
With a flash, a sharp point was against the drunk's throat, and Shinji was still alive. A claw was on her right pointer finger, and a grin on her face. The man gulped, and saw fangs, but not the blue eyes.
"You must certainly know how to please someone." she smirked, "But I already have a boyfriend, and I'm very loyal to him." She pushed up with the claw, and frowned. "Now imagine your life force spilling onto me from a gash in your neck." she whispered, "That would be so…pleasing." She pushed upwards a little more, and growled. "Now will you stop trying to get me in bed with you?" she asked, "Or do I have to cut your throat?"
The man nodded and sat up and away. "I'm off now." Shinji said and immediately stood, and strode off.
Shinji walked out of the bar, took a deep breath of clean air, and walked away. From the shadows of the bar entrance, two light red eyes stared after the woman…
It was dark when the head teacher walked through the forest surrounding the school. Nothing seemed wrong, until a certain pointy-haired teacher dropped from a tree.
"Where the hell were you today?" Davis growled, "Yolei had one hell of a time teaching those brats in your classes." "I don't think where I was, or what I was doing is much of your business." she replied silkily. She started to keep walking, but Davis grabbed her arm.
"Yes it is." he snapped, "And you know what? No one's ever seen your digimon partner. The originals can't remember what they even looked like! You're too secretive! Tell me at least one thing or I just might rip you apart!" He held up a fist, with the claws out. Shinji glared over her shoulder angrily. "You. Are threatening me?" she asked in a growl.
Davis sneered. Shinji sighed and pulled off her sunglasses. "Fine." she said, "Here's something you don't know about me. I could punch you and then I could kill you ten times before you hit the ground." She wrenched her arm free and walked away. Davis growled after the head teacher, and the claws sank back into his hands.
Cody was sleeping, when a sense shot off in his head, waking him up. He would talk to Shinji-sensei the next morning…
Cody went through each class silent as a mouse, not even speaking to Reya again. But he rushed to last period, wishing to speak with the teacher.
He spotted the teacher, leaning against a tree and staring at the gray sky. "Sensei!" Cody shouted, running up. The teacher turned to Cody, staring lightly at him with her blue eyes. "You're here quite early." she said, turning back to staring at the sky.
"Well, I just wanted to know…what power do I have?!" he shouted, the question coming out far too forcefully. The teacher remained staring. "All I know is that your dreams can tell the future, sometimes." Cody's mind quickly flashed back to the dream. "Sensei, I-" he started. Just then, the rest of the class arrived, cutting Cody off. As the class began to train, Cody noticed something. Jin and another boy called Hien, who always glared at Shinji, were glaring even harder than usual, and grinning slightly too.
Cody sat on the cool grass, leaning against a tree. He tried to focus his mind completely, as Yolei had ordered him to the day before. His mind, and eyes, drifted from his focus and he watched Hien fight Shinji. There was such a look of calmness on the teacher's face that it appeared she didn't even care.
"Cody, heads up!" Reya suddenly called fearfully. Cody looked straight up to find a rock hurtling towards his face. He couldn't move for he was paralyzed with fear. Then, as the rock was only about a foot away, a hand shot in front of his face, and caught the rock. Cody stopped shaking and looked towards the person that stopped his nose from breaking.
It was a tall man, probably in his early twenties, with black hair and cool red eyes. He smirked a little and let out a high-pitched, long whistle. Everyone paused, and Hien took the new opportunity. He leapt off the branch and swung his leg around in a roundhouse kick. The teacher was caught off guard, and the attack sent her off the tree and through another.
The class let out a collective gasp, except for Jin and Hien. Shinji sat up, shoved the tree off of her legs, and stood. She looked at the man who saved Cody's nose with a calm look, but still confused.
"Mr. Igan, what are you doing here?" she asked easily, "I thought you said you would be coming here next weekend." Kusan glanced at Jin and then Hien with a tiny smirk.
"I decided that I would see how you would react if I came early." he muttered. The teacher raised an eyebrow, and stared at the government official questioningly. Cody looked sideways at Kusan, nearly frowning. There was an evil, lying feeling about this new person, a feeling that he disliked.
"You certainly are a strange government official." the teacher murmured. Kusan snickered. "But being strange is the best part of being alive." he laughed, "Wouldn't someone like you agree?" Shinji narrowed her blue eyes and asked, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"What I mean is, being a normal person is just so boring." Kusan continued, "All normal people ever do is go to work, then go back to sleep. But being a mutant is so interesting. You have special physical abilities, and could probably kill someone and get away clean." Shinji's eyes narrowed more. "You speak as if you know how it feels." she hissed, "Tell me, Kusan Igan, what are you really?" Kusan chuckled deep in his throat.
"Ask, and you shall receive." he whispered. He closed his eyes, and quickly reopened them. They had turned a darker, blood red, and his hair turned dark purple.
Faster than anything Cody had ever seen, the man had dashed over to Shinji, and began to crush her neck. He was much taller than her, and her feet hung limp as he choked the teacher. A trickle of blood slid from her mouth as she struggled to say something.
"K-Kusanagi…you bastard…" she growled. But she trailed off into a cough as he slammed his fist into her stomach. "No vamp boyfriend to save you this time, sister." he grinned.
Everyone in the class was silent. Suddenly, Jin and Hien let out cheers and ran over to Kusanagi.
"You found us, master!" Jin yelled. Kusanagi chuckled and looked at the boys. "Your evil auras are unmistakable." he laughed, "So, do you wish to do anything with your teacher?" Shinji glared with one eye, her hands trying to pry away Kusanagi's. Hien grinned and held up an arm. He ripped out a blade from his skin, and held it in front of his teacher's face threateningly.
"Can I poke her eyes out?" he asked. Kusanagi slapped the boy quite hard, sending him into a tree. "I meant did you want to do something that won't kill her." he hissed. Hien's head lolled to the side, and he passed out. "Next time, I'll snap your neck if you ask such a stupid question." the evil man growled.
"Master, would you mind if I headed back to headquarters?" Jin spoke with the highest respect, "I don't think I want to see what you're going to do." Kusanagi laughed. "All right." he agreed, "But in the future, make sure that you can stand a little death." Jin saluted Kusanagi with two fingers over his heart, then ran away, grabbing Hien and disappearing into the forest.
"Now, how should I kill you?" Kusanagi questioned, "Should I beat you to death? Perhaps blow you apart like you did to me twelve years ago? Or maybe…" He held his right hand to his sister's forehead and grinned. "Or maybe I should use my…upgrades." His sleeve ripped apart, and his hand literally lowered from his wrist to hold the trigger of a hidden weapon inside his arm. The barrel of the weapon pressed sharply against Shinji's forehead, and Kusanagi laughed.
Then, with what could only be described as pure courage, Cody leapt to his feet and slammed his body as hard as he could into Kusanagi. The man was surprised and flew into the forestry, dropping Shinji. "Everyone!" she coughed out, "Get inside and warn the other teachers!" Everyone instantly followed, and were out of sight after a few seconds. Cody was sitting, stunned. "Cody, get inside!" the teacher ordered. But Cody couldn't move.
Kusanagi stood up slowly, groaning, and looked at Cody. "You!" he yelled, "You're the brat I meant to kill that night!" He roared and aimed his weapon at Cody. Just as his finger began to pull the trigger, Shinji tackled her brother, and the bullets disappeared into the air. Kusanagi stopped firing, and threw his sister off of him. She flew through five trees, and stopped when she slammed into a rock.
Kusanagi growled and stood back up. "Dammit." he swore, "Only one bullet left." But then he grinned and lifted the gun to aim at Cody's head. "But a well-placed bullet to the head always killed someone." he grinned. Then, as Kusanagi began to pull the trigger once more, things almost seemed to slow down.
Cody heard heavy, running steps and the shuffling of grass. He could almost see someone running from nowhere, from the forest. A man wearing normal clothes, with fangs and short blonde hair dashed in front of Cody, just as Kusanagi pulled the trigger. The bullet drove itself deep into the man's side, and he fell to the ground.
Although he was bleeding badly, the man laughed and said in a deep, regal voice, "I won't let you kill such a powerful Digi-destined." Kusanagi's rage flared at the sight of the man.
"You damned vampire!" he roared, "How many times must I injure your body until you get the point?!" He pulled his foot around in the beginning of a roundhouse kick, but his sister took the blow. She fell to the ground, knocked out, by the man.
"DAMN IT!" Kusanagi roared, "Why do all of you want to protect this little brat?!" He raised his left hand, and Cody's eyes widened. Suddenly, a geyser of water erupted from the ground and threw the man away.
Kusanagi looked up from ten feet away at the just-arrived teachers. "Leave, Kusanagi!" Tai ordered, "Or we'll tear you up like last time!" "And this time, Shinji isn't awake to save you!" Mimi taunted from behind Joe. Kusanagi cursed and stood. "All right." he laughed, "But beware. The next time we meet, my upgrades will be your worst fear!" He disappeared in a flash.
Cody was still staring after the man when Sora ran over to him. "Cody, Cody are you OK?" she asked frantically. Cody suddenly became aware of everyone else, and the man who was bleeding. He tried to get up and run over to the man, but Sora restrained him. "Cody, calm down!" she ordered, "We'll handle this!" She held Cody down, even though he struggled. Tears welled in his green eyes as he saw Tai pull the man up, and Matt pull Shinji up, and the teachers walk away.
Almost immediately after Sora let him go, Cody ran after the out-of-sight teachers, not knowing where they were. He simply ran, and followed an indistinct feeling he had in his mind. And then, he was where he wished to be.