1.1.1 It's me again everyone!
This is the fourth installment of my fic for Nemesi-chan's (ended) contest! I know it's a little late, but I have a good excuse! You see, I had to get a job for the summer so I would have money for college next year. Call it a necessary evil. Add to that I am in a play with the local community theater, Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Now, between the two, I was getting up before 5:30 and getting home after midnight. But, the play ends it's run on Sunday, so I should be able to finish this fic soon!
And now that I've been thinking about it, I think I finally know where this is going!
Disclaimer: You know the drill. I do not own Digimon...Digimon belong to a lot of rich people that I envy. I am making no money off this fic, and frankly I have no money so it would be pretty pointless to sue me.
This is an original fic by me, if you would like to use it or post it somewhere else, please let me know first.... That's about all I can think of now...
Be warned: All flames will be used to make smores!
--Of Young Love and Digimon, Pt IV--
1.1.2 They awoke as they were thrown from their bed, screaming as they flew through the air and landing unceremoniously in a heap of blue and green limbs.
The first thing that came into Veemon's head when he felt the entire base shaking around him was an intense thrill of fear. Then he felt something that forced the fear out of his mind, something that came so strongly that it was impossible to ignore. It was instinct-he had to find Daisuke and protect him from whatever was shaking the base. He pushed himself off the floor calling Daisuke's name, only to feel someone grab his wrist before he could pull away. He looked back over his shoulder into the watery eyes of Wormmon.
"Worm-chan! I have to find Daisuke!" he said, pulling on his wrist.
"Don't go Vee-kun!"
Veemon stopped trying to pull away and hugged Wormmon tightly, surprising the insect, "Don't worry Worm-chan," he said over the steady rumble the shaking was causing, "I have to go to Daisuke, I have to protect him. And you have to go protect Ken."
Wormmon nodded. Veemon was right, he was Ken's Digimon-he had to protect him. But as he watched Veemon's blue back retreating down the hall, he thought that if the shaking was being caused by what he thought, Ken would never need his protection again.
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Daisuke woke up as he hit the floor, rolling into the middle of the room, legs tangled in the sheets. He sat up, clutching the soft fabric to his body as the whole place seemed to shake itself apart around him. Thin lines of dust, dislodged from the ceiling, drifted down in streams and clouds, settling on the floor. Objects sitting on shelves and hanging on walls were tossed to the floor where they clattered, clanked, and rolled around at random.
He looked around quickly, looking for anyone or anything nearby. There was nothing. Ken wasn't in bed or on the floor with him, and Veemon was nowhere to be seen-probably with Wormmon. He started to get up, to go and look for Ken, when the door was thrown open. His head jerked to the door, fearing an army of evil Digimon, but all he saw was Veemon, running full tilt toward him.
"Daisuke!"
"Veemon!"
Veemon ran right into him, wrapping his arms around him. Daisuke tried to stand, but Veemon pushed him down. Daisuke tried again, with the same result, "I have to find Ken-chan!" he yelled, "Let go!"
Veemon shook his head, thinking that he had said pretty much the same thing only a minute ago, "No. It's too dangerous out there. You'll get hurt!"
"But Ken needs me!" Daisuke protested.
Veemon pushed down to keep him from making another attempt to stand, "Ken can take care of himself. This is his base and he can handle anything that comes up here!"
Daisuke could tell from the look in his eyes that trying to move him on that point was useless. And what he said made sense, it was Ken's base, and so far he had been able to take care of himself. But just because it made sense didn't mean it felt right. He tried again, "And what if he can't handle it?"
"Worm-chan is with him," Veemon stated simply, "I came to protect you, and Worm-chan went to protect Ken."
Daisuke stared at him. They had split up thinking only of the safety of their human companions, and all he wanted to do was throw him off and go find Ken. It made him feel small, ungrateful, and childish. He was about to apologize for being so hard-headed when he saw the gash on Veemon's shoulder, the torn skin surrounded by a deep blue bruise, rich red blood running slowly down the Digimon's back. He gasped and touched the edge of the wound gently, "What happened?"
Veemon winced at Daisuke's probing touch, "A rock fell from the ceiling," he said, then held Daisuke down firmly, "It's too dangerous out there, you'll get hurt," he repeated.
Daisuke looked into the determined red-brown eyes of his partner and dragged them into the doorway. They sat in the doorway together, holding onto each other and waited for the world to stop shaking.
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Wormmon ran through the halls toward the Gateway chamber, crying out as bits and pieces of the ceiling, some pebbles, some almost the size of his head fell around him. He ignored the smaller ones that hit him, running as fast as he could. He made it to the door in almost record time, and slid to a stop in front of the door. He was about to open the door when the shaking faded and stopped. He paused, looking around and listening. He swallowed, and pushed open the door.
What he saw took his breath away.
The Gateway was open, that much was obvious. The center of the ring, which had been empty the last time he had seen it, was now filled with water. At least, it looked like water. It looked like a vertical sheet of water, with light shining up through it, the multitude of ripples and waves flowing across it's surface refracting and reflecting the light into ever changing patterns of light and shadow on the walls, floor, ceiling, and the faces of the Digimon in the room.
And standing right in front of the Gateway, his hand lightly touching the surface of the water, was Ken. Delicate ripples spread out across the surface of the Gateway from the spot where his hand came into contact, sending the light in new directions.
Wormmon swallowed, "Master?"
The Emperor turned to him and smiled, "Go back to Veemon. I don't need you here."
Wormmon stared at the Gateway behind his partner and slowly backed out of the room. When he was out the door, he turned and ran for the room he was sure Daisuke and Veemon were in.
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The ground stopped shaking slowly, steadily decreasing until it couldn't be felt anymore. A few seconds after it stopped, the Digidestined stood. They made a quick check for any serious injuries, only finding scrapes and small bruises from when they had been thrown off their feet when the ground had lurched the first time.
Takeru counted heads, coming up two short-Daisuke and Veemon. He then led them to the edge of the forest and looked out over the desert plain between them and the base.
He heard gasps from the Digidestined and Digimon around him, thinking that that was as good a response as any to what he saw.
A swirling vortex of black and green clouds hung over the base, roiling violently as it cast a heavy shadow on the base and surrounding terrain. The air around them on the edge of the forest was calm, not even a light breath of a breeze disturbing the leaves on the trees, but not a hundred meters in front of them, howling typhoon winds scoured the plain, picking up dust, sand, and rocks and throwing them around. They could just barely see the outline of the base through the veil of sand in the air around it. The air all but hummed with the raw power around them, making the hair on the base of their necks stand on end.
He heard Patamon come up beside him, "What do we do now?"
Takeru looked down at Patamon, then back at the plain, "We still have to rescue Daisuke," he said hoping he sounded more sure than he felt, "Who knows what could be happening to him in there now that the Emperor has this much power?"
"All right," Halsemon said, pushing forward, "Let's go."
They walked up to the edge of the maelstrom, pausing just short. Then almost as one, they closed their eyes and pushed through the wall of rushing air and into the fury of the storm.
----------
Daisuke and Veemon slowly opened their eyes and released each other as the room stopped shaking. Daisuke stood slowly, stepping cautiously into the center of the room. He started picking up his clothes and looked over his shoulder. Veemon turned around and clasped his hands behind his back, rocking back and forth from his heels to his toes as Daisuke got dressed. Daisuke smiled, thinking that Veemon was being a little too concerned-I mean, he thought, It's not like I've had anything on for the past ten minutes or anything! He pulled on his clothes quickly, eager to go out and find Ken now that Veemon might think it was safe enough to leave the room and wander the halls. He finished buckling his belt, then threw on his jacket and shoes, then turned to Veemon.
He walked up behind his Digimon and crouched to get a better look at his shoulder. He patted the dragon on the head and walked into the next room, coming back with a small white box. He opened the box and looked at the contents, shuffling through the bandages, disinfectants, alcohol swabs, and other first aid items.
Veemon watched him for a few seconds, "Whatcha doing?"
Daisuke smiled sheepishly, "I don't really know what I'm supposed to do with this stuff," he said, "So I was trying to look like I knew what I was doing until someone that really knew what they were doing came along."
Veemon sighed and rested his head in one hand, "Let's just go find Ken and Worm-chan. They should know what to do."
Daisuke nodded and set the box aside. They were about to go out and search the base for them when Wormmon came through the door, panting like he had run a fifty kilometer marathon. A wide smile split Veemon's face as the insect came into the room, throwing his arms around his green body, "Worm- chan!"
Wormmon sighed happily and hugged his dragon back, "I missed you too Vee- kun," he said with a squeeze. He released Veemon abruptly when he winced, and walked around him quickly. He stopped when he saw the gash on his shoulder, gasping at the sight, following the trail of blood running down the break in his perfect blue skin.
"Vee-kun! You're hurt!"
Veemon smiled and rubbed the back of his head, "It happened when I was coming here," he explained, "A piece of the ceiling fell and hit me."
Wormmon skittered over to the white box and rifled through the contents, pulling out several items and setting them aside. He motioned Veemon over and sat him down so he was looking at his back. He then went through the items he had pulled out systematically, cleaning the wound with a cotton ball and a stinging liquid from a brown bottle, squeezing some disinfectant into the cut, and placing a large square bandage over the wound. He moved his mandibles around for a second, then placed his mouth over the square bandage, spitting out a small glob of sticky white gel that sealed the bandage over the cut tighter and more firmly than any bandage could have. Veemon fingered the sticky substance, feeling it grow tacky and then turn to soft silk in seconds. He looked at Wormmon and blushed as a smile crept onto his lips, "Thank you Worm-chan," he whispered, "It feels better already!"
Wormmon's eyes sparkled as a deep blush colored his face, "It was nothing," he started, "It was the least I could do for you." Daisuke looked back and forth at them as they smiled and looked at each other, and it reminded him, "Wormmon," he started, stepping forward, "Veemon said you went to protect Ken-chan, right?" Wormmon nodded.
"So where's Ken-chan?" Daisuke asked.
----------
The Emperor smiled as he stepped away from the open Gateway. Though he and the Digimon in the room with him had been protected from the massive bolts of energy that had leapt from the opening Gateway to the walls, floor, and ceiling in the next room, the room itself hadn't been so fortunate.
Black lined and spots marked the places where the unnatural lightning had struck the surfaces, some of the last hits still trailing thin trails of white smoke into the still air. The entire room stank of ozone, the smell of unleashed electricity. The air around him almost hummed with the latent energy that still throbbed and pulsed in the room around him, making the hair on the nape of his neck stand on end. His smile widened, it was a feeling he liked.
He knew where the Gateway led, because he had checked the console in the other room before he had entered the Gateway chamber. He knew it did open to a higher dimension, one with stores of power that made the power he had used to open the Gateway pale in comparison. But it was not just a higher dimension, it was a higher dimension that was a direct extension of the Digital World. Another, more powerful Digital World.
He waved his arm and the Digimon he had chosen to go with him through the portal into the new dimension formed up as they had been instructed before he had pushed the button that opened the Gateway, lining up to go through the Gateway. He got on the back of an Airdramon as the first Darktyrannomon walked through the opening, bending almost double to fit through the portal. After the Darktyrannomon went through, the Airdramon went through one at a time, then the Monochromon, the Drimogemon, and the Bakemon. They went through first to make sure the area was safe, then a Bakemon came back through the Gateway and hovered before him, bowing as best a ghost could, and reported to his master that all was well on the other side.
The Emperor kicked the back of the Airdramon under him and ordered it forward. It flew through the opening with no problem, folding its wide wings at the last second so it would fit through the opening. The Emperor closed his eyes at they went through the watery surface of the Gateway, opening them after he was sure he had passed the point of no return. There was a feeling of dissociation, and looking down he saw his body was breaking into tiny lines and shards, and a second later all the shards and lines were shooting forward at unfathomable speeds, flying down what looked like a pathway surrounded by a kaleidoscope of shifting, swirling colors against solid black.
There was a bright flash of light, and a feeling the exact opposite of the dissociation he had experienced earlier, and then he was on the other side.
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"Where's Ken-chan?" Daisuke repeated, deep brown eyes imploring.
"He's in the Gateway chamber," Wormmon stated, moving closer to Veemon.
Daisuke stared at him in disbelief, "What?"
"He's in the Gateway chamber," Wormmon reiterated, snuggling against Veemon's good shoulder.
Daisuke felt like he had stepped out of his body and was only watching his body, like some bad movie or a freight train crash- something you don't want to see but can't look away from. It sounded like someone else was talking when he said, "What was the shaking? What was it? Did Ken…"
Wormmon nodded, "He opened the Gateway. I think he went through, but he should be back in a few hours."
Daisuke felt his knees go to rubber and fell to a kneeling position on the floor. Tears filled his eyes and the floor in front of him wavered like water as he whispered, "He lied to me."
Veemon opened his eyes and looked at his partner, pulling himself out of the well of happiness he had fallen into when his Worm-chan had come back to him, "What?"
"Ken lied to me," Daisuke muttered, "He said he wouldn't open the Gateway."
The Digimons' eyes widened, "What!" Wormmon cried.
"He lied to me!" Daisuke yelled as tears started running down his face, "He said he wouldn't and he did!" He stood abruptly and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and started walking for the door, "Come on Veemon."
Veemon took a couple of tentative steps after his partner, "Where we going?"
Daisuke spoke without turning around, "We're leaving. If I can't trust him with a simple promise, how can I trust him with my heart? Besides, my heart doesn't seem to matter much to him anyway."
Wormmon was about to protest when Veemon wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tightly. Wormmon felt something wet land on his back as Veemon whispered, "Aishiteru Worm-chan," when Veemon pulled away, Wormmon saw he was crying. The dragon took one of Wormmon's claws in his hand and squeezed it, slowly letting it go as he stepped away after Daisuke.
Wormmon felt tears come to his eyes as he watched them walk out the door and turn toward the door that would lead outside, "Vee-kun…"
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The Emperor shook his head once to clear it, dislodging the cobwebs and getting rid of most of his disorientation-probably a side effect of traveling through the Gateway. He noticed some of the Digimon that had come through later looked a little disoriented as well, and decided that it must be a universal phenomenon, not just limited to humans.
He took a few shaky steps after the world stopped teetering beneath him, "What a ride."
He took a moment to look around. Directly behind him was the Gateway for this dimension, leading from his Digital World to this one. But it looked very little like his own. There were some similarities, such as both Gateways were giant rings of shiny black and silver metal and both had a wall of sparkling, light-refracting water shimmering quietly now that they were activated, but there were differences as well. Pretty large differences. This Gateway had eight large jet black spikes arranged around it at regular intervals, four of which stuck straight out, the light from this world's sun making the edges glint with borrowed light, looking razor sharp, the other four curved in toward the center of the Gateway, looking like cruel talons. The inside of the Gateway was different too, with several parts jutting into the center a little, making the opening in the center look like a watery cog or gear. He stepped closer, taking a closer look at the softly glowing power sources-eight, just like his. He ran a gloved finger around the outline of one of the power sources, noticing with a little surprise that it was a Crest-another similarity-but the symbol on these Crests were absolutely nothing like the Crests from his Digital World.
He turned away from the Gateway and looked at the surrounding terrain. It was a wasteland. A barren area of rock flats and small sand dunes bleached a dirty tan color. The sky was a burning blue, with only a few small clouds floating across the sky in the distance. But directly above the Gateway was a rapidly dissipating swirling mass of black clouds, breaking up even as he watched, showing blue sky and rays of sunlight. On the ground around him were the telltale lines made by the arcing bolts of blue energy that the Gateway released when opened, and the stale stench of ozone lingered in the air around them.
The ground around the Gateway was broken in places by small and large circular depressions. None were anywhere near the Gateway, so he walked over to look at one that was closer than others-a little more than a hundred meters or so, and knelt down next to it. It was a good five meters across and a little over one deep, with the edge rising about an inch over the surrounding ground, with several lines radiating out from the edge. For some reason it looked familiar, and he couldn't place it for a second, then he remembered that he had seem craters like this in pictures he had seen of the moon. He was right next to a crater of some kind! It looked old, almost as if whatever had caused it had happened long ago. He turned to a Bakemon that hovered nearby, "What does this look like to you?"
The Bakemon considered for a moment, then spoke, "It looks like a crater, Master."
He grunted and turned back to the crater, "I can see that! What I mean is; does it look like a blast crater? Was there a battle here between the Digimon of this world?"
The Bakemon nodded as best it could, "Yes, Master, it does look like that."
"So where are the Digimon of this world," the Emperor wondered aloud, they should have come running when the Gateway went off! He turned to the Airdramon that had come through, "You! Go up and scout around! Report if you see any Digimon other than those that came through with us!"
They bowed their heads, "Yes, Master," then spread their wings and took off.
He looked around at the craters. There were hundreds, perhaps thousands of them, scattered across the wasteland, peppering the ground as far as he could see. As far as he could see, nothing that had not come through the Gateway with him lived on the plain before him. But he could feel something else, a power nearby. Massive, staggering, immense. And he had to find it.
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Daisuke and Veemon walked silently through the base until they found the door they had come in through. Without a word, Daisuke took hold of the handle and pulled the door open. A harsh blast of wind blew through the door, carrying sand and a high-pitched howling. Daisuke squinted and shielded his eyes, looking out into the sand storm. Veemon covered his face with his forearms and stepped back from the door.
Daisuke set his teeth. He couldn't trust the Emperor-not Ken, the Emperor- so he couldn't stay. And if that meant he and Veemon had to walk through this storm to get away from the base, he was ready to do it.
"Come here Veemon," he said over the howling wind, his voice thick and wavering with emotion, "We have to go."
Veemon nodded and walked forward against the wind, leaning into the gusts. Daisuke saw Veemon fighting to make progress against the gale, and knelt down in front of the dragon. When the Digimon was close enough, Daisuke picked him up and lifted him off the ground. He turned back to the open door and pulled his goggles down over his face so they shielded his eyes, and stepped out into the storm. Veemon clutched to Daisuke's jacket tightly, feeling the wind tug at his body and throw sand and dust against his skin. He lifted his head from where it was buried in his partner's shoulder and looked back at the light pouring through the closing door and fought back tears, "Worm-chan…"
Daisuke heard his plaintive cry, and trying to ignore the emotions that battled inside him as he thought of Wormmon's partner, leaned into the wind and moved steadily away from the base.
----------
He divided the Digimon around him into search parties, commanding them to look for anything that made the air feel charged, going out with one of the parties himself.
After an hour or so, the Airdramon returned, telling him that there was nothing alive within a hundred kilometer radius. Nothing moved, nothing even looked like a Digimon. But they did report some desiccated, struggling vegetation on the very edge of the horizon when they had been farthest out.
He ignores that report-this world must have been dead for centuries!
A massive battle seemed to have broken out among the Digimon of this world about the Gateway, and they had killed each other over it to the last. Nothing lived on this world that he had not brought with him! At least he didn't have to worry about some kind of super Digimon from this world attacking him and ruining his plans.
About two hours later, and almost ten kilometers from the Gateway, as the Monochromon walks, that he stopped his search party and jumped down off the back of the Monochromon he had been riding. He walked around for a few minutes, moving in circles as the Digimon watched, feeling the air around him, how it sang with a new power, making the air in places dance like a heat distortion, and made the small hairs on the back or his neck stand at attention.
This was it, he could feel it! All that he had worked for, all that he had hoped for, everything he had ever wanted-power, glory, a world bowing to him, everything was in his grasp!
This was where it started. He stopped suddenly, and stepped back. Then to one side, then the other, feeling the subtle changes in the air as he moved. He turned to the Drimogemon he had brought and pointed to the ground in front of him, "Right here. Dig right here until you find something. Go slowly, go carefully, if you damage it in any way, I'll make a rug out of that beautiful purple and white pelt, do you understand?"
The Drimogemon bowed at it came forward, "Yes, Master."
The Drimogemon dug a small hole in the ground with its forepaws, then set about making it larger and deeper. He didn't dare use the spinning drill on his forehead, for fear of upsetting the Emperor.
After almost half an hour of digging, the hole was deep enough and wide enough for the Drimogemon to climb in. He felt one of his heavy digging claws strike something harder than the dirt around it and started to unearth it carefully, scraping away the layers of slightly moist sand with a single claw so as not to damage whatever he had found. When it came free, the tunnel around it was filled with light. As the light faded, the Drimogemon picked the object up in his mouth and slowly backed out of the tunnel. He turned to where the Emperor was standing with his arms crossed over his chest. The Emperor saw he was holding something gently with his front teeth, and held out one hand. The Drimogemon came forward and placed the object reverently into the waiting hand, then backed away.
The Emperor turned the object over and over in his hands so he could look at it, wiping off the moist dirt that still clung to it, holding it up to see it better.
It appeared to be a Digiegg-the same basic shape, but the shell wasn't brightly colored with a cute pattern on it, in fact, it wasn't even bright. The shell was black and silver like the Gateway, with a gold band around the center with the same glyphs and markings that denoted digital code in his Digital World. It also looked like it could move, some pieces meant to turn, some to open and close, others that looked like they did something that he didn't understand just yet. But he would.
He turned to an Airdramon, "Go tell the other groups to return to the Gateway and await my arrival," he turned back to the Digiegg and held it up so it eclipsed the sun, "We've found what we came for!"
----------
Hikari clung to Nefertimon's back, keeping down to avoid the worst of the wind. She didn't know how long they had been walking through this monochromatic world of flying dust and stinging sand, but she could feel that they hadn't come very far.
They had only been able to go a few meters before the first of their Digimon was picked up off her feet, flinging Gatomon through the air to land in a heap a few meters away, clawing at the shifting sands to keep from sliding across the ground, propelled by the wind. Patamon had been next, the fierce winds catching his wing-like ears and filling them with air, lifting him right out of Takeru's arms.
Halsemon had been able to keep his footing, thanks to his greater mass, and Armadillomon on his back had held on with everything he had, whimpering as his ears and tail flapped in the buffeting air.
A few seconds later, the Digidestined-particularly Iori-had stumbled. The Digimon had Armor-Digivolved right there, and the humans had gratefully moved to them, groping for purchase as they could see little through squinted eyes and blinding sand. Now Hikari clung to Nefertimon, Takeru and Iori were on Pegasusmon's back, Iori sitting in front of Takeru so the larger boy could hold him down against the stronger gusts. Miyako was on Halsemon's back, lying on Armadillomon's back to shield him and hold him down as best she could. And even with the larger Digimon moving through the maelstrom with their heads down against the wind, they had made little progress, the wind coming first from one direction, then another, then another unpredictably, making it impossible to see where they were going, disorienting them.
Hikari opened one eye just enough to squint through and peered into the storm before her. She sat up abruptly, opening her eyes wide as she saw what was ahead.
A figure came through the storm toward them, buffeted on all sides by the wind, hunched over against the wind, stumbling on the shifting sand.
She cried out and waved her arms in the air, "Daisuke! Over here! We're coming!"
Pegasusmon swung his head from side to side, "Daisuke? Where?"
Iori pointed so the Digimon under him could see, "There! And Veemon's with him!"
Daisuke looked up and changed direction so he was coming toward them. When he came into the middle of their tight group, they all turned and went back the way they had come. What seemed like an eternity later, they came out of the swirling cloud of disturbed dust and into the calm. They all shook sand off their backs and shoulders, blinking sand out of their eyes and spitting sand out of their mouths.
The Digimon returned to Hawkmon, Patamon, and Gatomon, as they were no longer needed to move through the storm, which now seemed to be lessening in intensity. Daisuke set Veemon down and pushed his goggles back up into his unruly red hair.
The Digimon congregated around Veemon, who sat on the ground and looked dejected. When they pressed in on him and asked if he was all right, he forced a smile that seemed to put them at ease. The Digidestined pressed in on Daisuke, bombarding him with questions, wanting to know how he had escaped, what had happened, why was he able to get away, was the Gateway really open? Daisuke moved his head from side to side, trying to see who was asking what.
Hawkmon saw the silk-covered wound on Veemon's shoulder, and gasped, "What happened?"
Veemon looked at him, "A piece of the ceiling fell and hit me," he said quietly. Hawkmon touched the silky bandage, "Isn't this a part of Wormmon's Sticky Net?" he asked.
Veemon set his hand on his shoulder and touched the bandage softly, fighting back a fresh batch of tears and nodded.
Miyako saw the look in Daisuke's eyes, the look that made it look like he was in pain, but she could see nothing wrong with his body. She looked into Daisuke's eyes, "Are you all right? Did he hurt you?"
Daisuke saw the genuine concern in her eyes and looked away. He started moving away toward the forest before he answered, "Yes."
----------
The Emperor went through the Gateway first, followed by his train of Digimon. He couldn't wait to get back to show Dai-chan and their Digimon his find. As he stepped into the Gateway, he felt the same disorienting dissociation, and the feeling of almost insane speed as he was hurtled between the worlds. When he came through on the other side, he stumbled, falling to his knees on the floor and shaking his head. He moved out of the way before the large Digimon came through behind him.
He watched as the collection of Airdramon, Drimogemon, Monochromon, Bakemon, and Darktyrannomon came through one at a time. He would wait for all of them to come through, then he would go and tell his love everything.
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The last Digimon left in the alternate Digital World was a Darktyrannomon. He waited for the Drimogemon in front of him to enter the Gateway completely before advancing on the metal ring. Suddenly something moved in the corner of his eye. His head snapped in that direction, eyes scanning back and forth over the blasted terrain, looking for any movement. He sniffed the air and cocked his head to one side in an instinctive listening gesture, bringing in senses other than sight to find whatever it was or might be.
But nothing moved.
He snorted and turned back to the Gateway, grunting as it walked toward the watery surface.
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Koushiro jumped back away from his computer as the screen flashed and he saw a Digiport opening. He had not moved once before, and had ended up at the bottom of a pile of Digidestined, so he had learned to move quickly when someone was coming back. But instead of the entire group he was expecting, only Daisuke and Demiveemon appeared in front of his computer, Daisuke hugging the small Digimon to his chest.
The former Keeper of Knowledge jumped out of his seat and moved quickly to Daisuke's side, grabbing his shoulders, "Daisuke! Are you all right?"
Daisuke shook his head. How could they expect him to be all right? The one person he loved had betrayed him without a second thought! Koushiro looked him over, finding no blood, no wound anywhere on the other boy, but a bandage on Demiveemon's shoulder. He decided not to ask how he wasn't all right, and moved to a new subject, "Daisuke, you have to tell me, is the Gateway open?" Daisuke looked at the floor and nodded.
"Where are the others?"
"Behind me. Probably coming through any time now."
Koushiro frowned. Something was wrong, he just knew it, but he had never been good with people, so he decided to let it rest, "I was afraid of that," he switched tracks, thinking that he should try to set the younger boy at ease, "You look tired," he patted Daisuke's shoulder, "Why don't you go home and rest?"
Daisuke nodded and left without a word.
Koushiro sighed as the door closed. He waited for a minute, and sure enough, the Digiport flared again, and the others came through all at once. Takeru looked around quickly, panting slightly, "Where's Daisuke? Did he come through here?"
Koushiro nodded, "He left a minute ago. He looked like he had been through a bad time, so I sent him home to rest."
Hikari frowned, "He ran ahead, not saying a thing, not waiting for anything. He went through the first Digiport he found, leaving us behind!"
Koushiro's mouth fell open. That was nothing like Daisuke! He blinked a few times as he regained his composure, "What happened to him there?"
Gatomon shook her head and held out her paws, "We don't know. He wouldn't tell us anything but the Emperor had hurt him."
"Something's wrong, with him," Miyako stated, hugging Poromon closer, "I wish we knew what had happened."
----------
The Emperor strode triumphantly through the halls toward the bedchamber, smiling widely as he held the foreign Digiegg possessively in his hands. He knocked on the door before entering, waiting for a response. His smile widened when there was no answer, thinking that his love must still be asleep. He opened the door and entered softly, not wishing to wake Dai-chan before he was ready. He paused and the smile slipped from his face as he saw the interior of the room, the tangled sheet in the middle of the room, the open first aid kit, and the conspicuous absence of Daisuke's clothing.
He noticed Wormmon sitting in the middle of the bed with his back to the door, his shoulders shaking slightly.
He stepped closer to the bed, "Wormmon, where's Dai-chan?"
Wormmon turned to look at him, and Ken saw the tears flowing down his green cheeks. He made the connection immediately, knowing that Daisuke was gone. The powerful Digiegg fell from his limp fingers, falling softly onto the bed where it stayed.
-TBC-
This is the fourth installment of my fic for Nemesi-chan's (ended) contest! I know it's a little late, but I have a good excuse! You see, I had to get a job for the summer so I would have money for college next year. Call it a necessary evil. Add to that I am in a play with the local community theater, Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Now, between the two, I was getting up before 5:30 and getting home after midnight. But, the play ends it's run on Sunday, so I should be able to finish this fic soon!
And now that I've been thinking about it, I think I finally know where this is going!
Disclaimer: You know the drill. I do not own Digimon...Digimon belong to a lot of rich people that I envy. I am making no money off this fic, and frankly I have no money so it would be pretty pointless to sue me.
This is an original fic by me, if you would like to use it or post it somewhere else, please let me know first.... That's about all I can think of now...
Be warned: All flames will be used to make smores!
--Of Young Love and Digimon, Pt IV--
1.1.2 They awoke as they were thrown from their bed, screaming as they flew through the air and landing unceremoniously in a heap of blue and green limbs.
The first thing that came into Veemon's head when he felt the entire base shaking around him was an intense thrill of fear. Then he felt something that forced the fear out of his mind, something that came so strongly that it was impossible to ignore. It was instinct-he had to find Daisuke and protect him from whatever was shaking the base. He pushed himself off the floor calling Daisuke's name, only to feel someone grab his wrist before he could pull away. He looked back over his shoulder into the watery eyes of Wormmon.
"Worm-chan! I have to find Daisuke!" he said, pulling on his wrist.
"Don't go Vee-kun!"
Veemon stopped trying to pull away and hugged Wormmon tightly, surprising the insect, "Don't worry Worm-chan," he said over the steady rumble the shaking was causing, "I have to go to Daisuke, I have to protect him. And you have to go protect Ken."
Wormmon nodded. Veemon was right, he was Ken's Digimon-he had to protect him. But as he watched Veemon's blue back retreating down the hall, he thought that if the shaking was being caused by what he thought, Ken would never need his protection again.
----------
Daisuke woke up as he hit the floor, rolling into the middle of the room, legs tangled in the sheets. He sat up, clutching the soft fabric to his body as the whole place seemed to shake itself apart around him. Thin lines of dust, dislodged from the ceiling, drifted down in streams and clouds, settling on the floor. Objects sitting on shelves and hanging on walls were tossed to the floor where they clattered, clanked, and rolled around at random.
He looked around quickly, looking for anyone or anything nearby. There was nothing. Ken wasn't in bed or on the floor with him, and Veemon was nowhere to be seen-probably with Wormmon. He started to get up, to go and look for Ken, when the door was thrown open. His head jerked to the door, fearing an army of evil Digimon, but all he saw was Veemon, running full tilt toward him.
"Daisuke!"
"Veemon!"
Veemon ran right into him, wrapping his arms around him. Daisuke tried to stand, but Veemon pushed him down. Daisuke tried again, with the same result, "I have to find Ken-chan!" he yelled, "Let go!"
Veemon shook his head, thinking that he had said pretty much the same thing only a minute ago, "No. It's too dangerous out there. You'll get hurt!"
"But Ken needs me!" Daisuke protested.
Veemon pushed down to keep him from making another attempt to stand, "Ken can take care of himself. This is his base and he can handle anything that comes up here!"
Daisuke could tell from the look in his eyes that trying to move him on that point was useless. And what he said made sense, it was Ken's base, and so far he had been able to take care of himself. But just because it made sense didn't mean it felt right. He tried again, "And what if he can't handle it?"
"Worm-chan is with him," Veemon stated simply, "I came to protect you, and Worm-chan went to protect Ken."
Daisuke stared at him. They had split up thinking only of the safety of their human companions, and all he wanted to do was throw him off and go find Ken. It made him feel small, ungrateful, and childish. He was about to apologize for being so hard-headed when he saw the gash on Veemon's shoulder, the torn skin surrounded by a deep blue bruise, rich red blood running slowly down the Digimon's back. He gasped and touched the edge of the wound gently, "What happened?"
Veemon winced at Daisuke's probing touch, "A rock fell from the ceiling," he said, then held Daisuke down firmly, "It's too dangerous out there, you'll get hurt," he repeated.
Daisuke looked into the determined red-brown eyes of his partner and dragged them into the doorway. They sat in the doorway together, holding onto each other and waited for the world to stop shaking.
----------
Wormmon ran through the halls toward the Gateway chamber, crying out as bits and pieces of the ceiling, some pebbles, some almost the size of his head fell around him. He ignored the smaller ones that hit him, running as fast as he could. He made it to the door in almost record time, and slid to a stop in front of the door. He was about to open the door when the shaking faded and stopped. He paused, looking around and listening. He swallowed, and pushed open the door.
What he saw took his breath away.
The Gateway was open, that much was obvious. The center of the ring, which had been empty the last time he had seen it, was now filled with water. At least, it looked like water. It looked like a vertical sheet of water, with light shining up through it, the multitude of ripples and waves flowing across it's surface refracting and reflecting the light into ever changing patterns of light and shadow on the walls, floor, ceiling, and the faces of the Digimon in the room.
And standing right in front of the Gateway, his hand lightly touching the surface of the water, was Ken. Delicate ripples spread out across the surface of the Gateway from the spot where his hand came into contact, sending the light in new directions.
Wormmon swallowed, "Master?"
The Emperor turned to him and smiled, "Go back to Veemon. I don't need you here."
Wormmon stared at the Gateway behind his partner and slowly backed out of the room. When he was out the door, he turned and ran for the room he was sure Daisuke and Veemon were in.
----------
The ground stopped shaking slowly, steadily decreasing until it couldn't be felt anymore. A few seconds after it stopped, the Digidestined stood. They made a quick check for any serious injuries, only finding scrapes and small bruises from when they had been thrown off their feet when the ground had lurched the first time.
Takeru counted heads, coming up two short-Daisuke and Veemon. He then led them to the edge of the forest and looked out over the desert plain between them and the base.
He heard gasps from the Digidestined and Digimon around him, thinking that that was as good a response as any to what he saw.
A swirling vortex of black and green clouds hung over the base, roiling violently as it cast a heavy shadow on the base and surrounding terrain. The air around them on the edge of the forest was calm, not even a light breath of a breeze disturbing the leaves on the trees, but not a hundred meters in front of them, howling typhoon winds scoured the plain, picking up dust, sand, and rocks and throwing them around. They could just barely see the outline of the base through the veil of sand in the air around it. The air all but hummed with the raw power around them, making the hair on the base of their necks stand on end.
He heard Patamon come up beside him, "What do we do now?"
Takeru looked down at Patamon, then back at the plain, "We still have to rescue Daisuke," he said hoping he sounded more sure than he felt, "Who knows what could be happening to him in there now that the Emperor has this much power?"
"All right," Halsemon said, pushing forward, "Let's go."
They walked up to the edge of the maelstrom, pausing just short. Then almost as one, they closed their eyes and pushed through the wall of rushing air and into the fury of the storm.
----------
Daisuke and Veemon slowly opened their eyes and released each other as the room stopped shaking. Daisuke stood slowly, stepping cautiously into the center of the room. He started picking up his clothes and looked over his shoulder. Veemon turned around and clasped his hands behind his back, rocking back and forth from his heels to his toes as Daisuke got dressed. Daisuke smiled, thinking that Veemon was being a little too concerned-I mean, he thought, It's not like I've had anything on for the past ten minutes or anything! He pulled on his clothes quickly, eager to go out and find Ken now that Veemon might think it was safe enough to leave the room and wander the halls. He finished buckling his belt, then threw on his jacket and shoes, then turned to Veemon.
He walked up behind his Digimon and crouched to get a better look at his shoulder. He patted the dragon on the head and walked into the next room, coming back with a small white box. He opened the box and looked at the contents, shuffling through the bandages, disinfectants, alcohol swabs, and other first aid items.
Veemon watched him for a few seconds, "Whatcha doing?"
Daisuke smiled sheepishly, "I don't really know what I'm supposed to do with this stuff," he said, "So I was trying to look like I knew what I was doing until someone that really knew what they were doing came along."
Veemon sighed and rested his head in one hand, "Let's just go find Ken and Worm-chan. They should know what to do."
Daisuke nodded and set the box aside. They were about to go out and search the base for them when Wormmon came through the door, panting like he had run a fifty kilometer marathon. A wide smile split Veemon's face as the insect came into the room, throwing his arms around his green body, "Worm- chan!"
Wormmon sighed happily and hugged his dragon back, "I missed you too Vee- kun," he said with a squeeze. He released Veemon abruptly when he winced, and walked around him quickly. He stopped when he saw the gash on his shoulder, gasping at the sight, following the trail of blood running down the break in his perfect blue skin.
"Vee-kun! You're hurt!"
Veemon smiled and rubbed the back of his head, "It happened when I was coming here," he explained, "A piece of the ceiling fell and hit me."
Wormmon skittered over to the white box and rifled through the contents, pulling out several items and setting them aside. He motioned Veemon over and sat him down so he was looking at his back. He then went through the items he had pulled out systematically, cleaning the wound with a cotton ball and a stinging liquid from a brown bottle, squeezing some disinfectant into the cut, and placing a large square bandage over the wound. He moved his mandibles around for a second, then placed his mouth over the square bandage, spitting out a small glob of sticky white gel that sealed the bandage over the cut tighter and more firmly than any bandage could have. Veemon fingered the sticky substance, feeling it grow tacky and then turn to soft silk in seconds. He looked at Wormmon and blushed as a smile crept onto his lips, "Thank you Worm-chan," he whispered, "It feels better already!"
Wormmon's eyes sparkled as a deep blush colored his face, "It was nothing," he started, "It was the least I could do for you." Daisuke looked back and forth at them as they smiled and looked at each other, and it reminded him, "Wormmon," he started, stepping forward, "Veemon said you went to protect Ken-chan, right?" Wormmon nodded.
"So where's Ken-chan?" Daisuke asked.
----------
The Emperor smiled as he stepped away from the open Gateway. Though he and the Digimon in the room with him had been protected from the massive bolts of energy that had leapt from the opening Gateway to the walls, floor, and ceiling in the next room, the room itself hadn't been so fortunate.
Black lined and spots marked the places where the unnatural lightning had struck the surfaces, some of the last hits still trailing thin trails of white smoke into the still air. The entire room stank of ozone, the smell of unleashed electricity. The air around him almost hummed with the latent energy that still throbbed and pulsed in the room around him, making the hair on the nape of his neck stand on end. His smile widened, it was a feeling he liked.
He knew where the Gateway led, because he had checked the console in the other room before he had entered the Gateway chamber. He knew it did open to a higher dimension, one with stores of power that made the power he had used to open the Gateway pale in comparison. But it was not just a higher dimension, it was a higher dimension that was a direct extension of the Digital World. Another, more powerful Digital World.
He waved his arm and the Digimon he had chosen to go with him through the portal into the new dimension formed up as they had been instructed before he had pushed the button that opened the Gateway, lining up to go through the Gateway. He got on the back of an Airdramon as the first Darktyrannomon walked through the opening, bending almost double to fit through the portal. After the Darktyrannomon went through, the Airdramon went through one at a time, then the Monochromon, the Drimogemon, and the Bakemon. They went through first to make sure the area was safe, then a Bakemon came back through the Gateway and hovered before him, bowing as best a ghost could, and reported to his master that all was well on the other side.
The Emperor kicked the back of the Airdramon under him and ordered it forward. It flew through the opening with no problem, folding its wide wings at the last second so it would fit through the opening. The Emperor closed his eyes at they went through the watery surface of the Gateway, opening them after he was sure he had passed the point of no return. There was a feeling of dissociation, and looking down he saw his body was breaking into tiny lines and shards, and a second later all the shards and lines were shooting forward at unfathomable speeds, flying down what looked like a pathway surrounded by a kaleidoscope of shifting, swirling colors against solid black.
There was a bright flash of light, and a feeling the exact opposite of the dissociation he had experienced earlier, and then he was on the other side.
----------
"Where's Ken-chan?" Daisuke repeated, deep brown eyes imploring.
"He's in the Gateway chamber," Wormmon stated, moving closer to Veemon.
Daisuke stared at him in disbelief, "What?"
"He's in the Gateway chamber," Wormmon reiterated, snuggling against Veemon's good shoulder.
Daisuke felt like he had stepped out of his body and was only watching his body, like some bad movie or a freight train crash- something you don't want to see but can't look away from. It sounded like someone else was talking when he said, "What was the shaking? What was it? Did Ken…"
Wormmon nodded, "He opened the Gateway. I think he went through, but he should be back in a few hours."
Daisuke felt his knees go to rubber and fell to a kneeling position on the floor. Tears filled his eyes and the floor in front of him wavered like water as he whispered, "He lied to me."
Veemon opened his eyes and looked at his partner, pulling himself out of the well of happiness he had fallen into when his Worm-chan had come back to him, "What?"
"Ken lied to me," Daisuke muttered, "He said he wouldn't open the Gateway."
The Digimons' eyes widened, "What!" Wormmon cried.
"He lied to me!" Daisuke yelled as tears started running down his face, "He said he wouldn't and he did!" He stood abruptly and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and started walking for the door, "Come on Veemon."
Veemon took a couple of tentative steps after his partner, "Where we going?"
Daisuke spoke without turning around, "We're leaving. If I can't trust him with a simple promise, how can I trust him with my heart? Besides, my heart doesn't seem to matter much to him anyway."
Wormmon was about to protest when Veemon wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tightly. Wormmon felt something wet land on his back as Veemon whispered, "Aishiteru Worm-chan," when Veemon pulled away, Wormmon saw he was crying. The dragon took one of Wormmon's claws in his hand and squeezed it, slowly letting it go as he stepped away after Daisuke.
Wormmon felt tears come to his eyes as he watched them walk out the door and turn toward the door that would lead outside, "Vee-kun…"
----------
The Emperor shook his head once to clear it, dislodging the cobwebs and getting rid of most of his disorientation-probably a side effect of traveling through the Gateway. He noticed some of the Digimon that had come through later looked a little disoriented as well, and decided that it must be a universal phenomenon, not just limited to humans.
He took a few shaky steps after the world stopped teetering beneath him, "What a ride."
He took a moment to look around. Directly behind him was the Gateway for this dimension, leading from his Digital World to this one. But it looked very little like his own. There were some similarities, such as both Gateways were giant rings of shiny black and silver metal and both had a wall of sparkling, light-refracting water shimmering quietly now that they were activated, but there were differences as well. Pretty large differences. This Gateway had eight large jet black spikes arranged around it at regular intervals, four of which stuck straight out, the light from this world's sun making the edges glint with borrowed light, looking razor sharp, the other four curved in toward the center of the Gateway, looking like cruel talons. The inside of the Gateway was different too, with several parts jutting into the center a little, making the opening in the center look like a watery cog or gear. He stepped closer, taking a closer look at the softly glowing power sources-eight, just like his. He ran a gloved finger around the outline of one of the power sources, noticing with a little surprise that it was a Crest-another similarity-but the symbol on these Crests were absolutely nothing like the Crests from his Digital World.
He turned away from the Gateway and looked at the surrounding terrain. It was a wasteland. A barren area of rock flats and small sand dunes bleached a dirty tan color. The sky was a burning blue, with only a few small clouds floating across the sky in the distance. But directly above the Gateway was a rapidly dissipating swirling mass of black clouds, breaking up even as he watched, showing blue sky and rays of sunlight. On the ground around him were the telltale lines made by the arcing bolts of blue energy that the Gateway released when opened, and the stale stench of ozone lingered in the air around them.
The ground around the Gateway was broken in places by small and large circular depressions. None were anywhere near the Gateway, so he walked over to look at one that was closer than others-a little more than a hundred meters or so, and knelt down next to it. It was a good five meters across and a little over one deep, with the edge rising about an inch over the surrounding ground, with several lines radiating out from the edge. For some reason it looked familiar, and he couldn't place it for a second, then he remembered that he had seem craters like this in pictures he had seen of the moon. He was right next to a crater of some kind! It looked old, almost as if whatever had caused it had happened long ago. He turned to a Bakemon that hovered nearby, "What does this look like to you?"
The Bakemon considered for a moment, then spoke, "It looks like a crater, Master."
He grunted and turned back to the crater, "I can see that! What I mean is; does it look like a blast crater? Was there a battle here between the Digimon of this world?"
The Bakemon nodded as best it could, "Yes, Master, it does look like that."
"So where are the Digimon of this world," the Emperor wondered aloud, they should have come running when the Gateway went off! He turned to the Airdramon that had come through, "You! Go up and scout around! Report if you see any Digimon other than those that came through with us!"
They bowed their heads, "Yes, Master," then spread their wings and took off.
He looked around at the craters. There were hundreds, perhaps thousands of them, scattered across the wasteland, peppering the ground as far as he could see. As far as he could see, nothing that had not come through the Gateway with him lived on the plain before him. But he could feel something else, a power nearby. Massive, staggering, immense. And he had to find it.
----------
Daisuke and Veemon walked silently through the base until they found the door they had come in through. Without a word, Daisuke took hold of the handle and pulled the door open. A harsh blast of wind blew through the door, carrying sand and a high-pitched howling. Daisuke squinted and shielded his eyes, looking out into the sand storm. Veemon covered his face with his forearms and stepped back from the door.
Daisuke set his teeth. He couldn't trust the Emperor-not Ken, the Emperor- so he couldn't stay. And if that meant he and Veemon had to walk through this storm to get away from the base, he was ready to do it.
"Come here Veemon," he said over the howling wind, his voice thick and wavering with emotion, "We have to go."
Veemon nodded and walked forward against the wind, leaning into the gusts. Daisuke saw Veemon fighting to make progress against the gale, and knelt down in front of the dragon. When the Digimon was close enough, Daisuke picked him up and lifted him off the ground. He turned back to the open door and pulled his goggles down over his face so they shielded his eyes, and stepped out into the storm. Veemon clutched to Daisuke's jacket tightly, feeling the wind tug at his body and throw sand and dust against his skin. He lifted his head from where it was buried in his partner's shoulder and looked back at the light pouring through the closing door and fought back tears, "Worm-chan…"
Daisuke heard his plaintive cry, and trying to ignore the emotions that battled inside him as he thought of Wormmon's partner, leaned into the wind and moved steadily away from the base.
----------
He divided the Digimon around him into search parties, commanding them to look for anything that made the air feel charged, going out with one of the parties himself.
After an hour or so, the Airdramon returned, telling him that there was nothing alive within a hundred kilometer radius. Nothing moved, nothing even looked like a Digimon. But they did report some desiccated, struggling vegetation on the very edge of the horizon when they had been farthest out.
He ignores that report-this world must have been dead for centuries!
A massive battle seemed to have broken out among the Digimon of this world about the Gateway, and they had killed each other over it to the last. Nothing lived on this world that he had not brought with him! At least he didn't have to worry about some kind of super Digimon from this world attacking him and ruining his plans.
About two hours later, and almost ten kilometers from the Gateway, as the Monochromon walks, that he stopped his search party and jumped down off the back of the Monochromon he had been riding. He walked around for a few minutes, moving in circles as the Digimon watched, feeling the air around him, how it sang with a new power, making the air in places dance like a heat distortion, and made the small hairs on the back or his neck stand at attention.
This was it, he could feel it! All that he had worked for, all that he had hoped for, everything he had ever wanted-power, glory, a world bowing to him, everything was in his grasp!
This was where it started. He stopped suddenly, and stepped back. Then to one side, then the other, feeling the subtle changes in the air as he moved. He turned to the Drimogemon he had brought and pointed to the ground in front of him, "Right here. Dig right here until you find something. Go slowly, go carefully, if you damage it in any way, I'll make a rug out of that beautiful purple and white pelt, do you understand?"
The Drimogemon bowed at it came forward, "Yes, Master."
The Drimogemon dug a small hole in the ground with its forepaws, then set about making it larger and deeper. He didn't dare use the spinning drill on his forehead, for fear of upsetting the Emperor.
After almost half an hour of digging, the hole was deep enough and wide enough for the Drimogemon to climb in. He felt one of his heavy digging claws strike something harder than the dirt around it and started to unearth it carefully, scraping away the layers of slightly moist sand with a single claw so as not to damage whatever he had found. When it came free, the tunnel around it was filled with light. As the light faded, the Drimogemon picked the object up in his mouth and slowly backed out of the tunnel. He turned to where the Emperor was standing with his arms crossed over his chest. The Emperor saw he was holding something gently with his front teeth, and held out one hand. The Drimogemon came forward and placed the object reverently into the waiting hand, then backed away.
The Emperor turned the object over and over in his hands so he could look at it, wiping off the moist dirt that still clung to it, holding it up to see it better.
It appeared to be a Digiegg-the same basic shape, but the shell wasn't brightly colored with a cute pattern on it, in fact, it wasn't even bright. The shell was black and silver like the Gateway, with a gold band around the center with the same glyphs and markings that denoted digital code in his Digital World. It also looked like it could move, some pieces meant to turn, some to open and close, others that looked like they did something that he didn't understand just yet. But he would.
He turned to an Airdramon, "Go tell the other groups to return to the Gateway and await my arrival," he turned back to the Digiegg and held it up so it eclipsed the sun, "We've found what we came for!"
----------
Hikari clung to Nefertimon's back, keeping down to avoid the worst of the wind. She didn't know how long they had been walking through this monochromatic world of flying dust and stinging sand, but she could feel that they hadn't come very far.
They had only been able to go a few meters before the first of their Digimon was picked up off her feet, flinging Gatomon through the air to land in a heap a few meters away, clawing at the shifting sands to keep from sliding across the ground, propelled by the wind. Patamon had been next, the fierce winds catching his wing-like ears and filling them with air, lifting him right out of Takeru's arms.
Halsemon had been able to keep his footing, thanks to his greater mass, and Armadillomon on his back had held on with everything he had, whimpering as his ears and tail flapped in the buffeting air.
A few seconds later, the Digidestined-particularly Iori-had stumbled. The Digimon had Armor-Digivolved right there, and the humans had gratefully moved to them, groping for purchase as they could see little through squinted eyes and blinding sand. Now Hikari clung to Nefertimon, Takeru and Iori were on Pegasusmon's back, Iori sitting in front of Takeru so the larger boy could hold him down against the stronger gusts. Miyako was on Halsemon's back, lying on Armadillomon's back to shield him and hold him down as best she could. And even with the larger Digimon moving through the maelstrom with their heads down against the wind, they had made little progress, the wind coming first from one direction, then another, then another unpredictably, making it impossible to see where they were going, disorienting them.
Hikari opened one eye just enough to squint through and peered into the storm before her. She sat up abruptly, opening her eyes wide as she saw what was ahead.
A figure came through the storm toward them, buffeted on all sides by the wind, hunched over against the wind, stumbling on the shifting sand.
She cried out and waved her arms in the air, "Daisuke! Over here! We're coming!"
Pegasusmon swung his head from side to side, "Daisuke? Where?"
Iori pointed so the Digimon under him could see, "There! And Veemon's with him!"
Daisuke looked up and changed direction so he was coming toward them. When he came into the middle of their tight group, they all turned and went back the way they had come. What seemed like an eternity later, they came out of the swirling cloud of disturbed dust and into the calm. They all shook sand off their backs and shoulders, blinking sand out of their eyes and spitting sand out of their mouths.
The Digimon returned to Hawkmon, Patamon, and Gatomon, as they were no longer needed to move through the storm, which now seemed to be lessening in intensity. Daisuke set Veemon down and pushed his goggles back up into his unruly red hair.
The Digimon congregated around Veemon, who sat on the ground and looked dejected. When they pressed in on him and asked if he was all right, he forced a smile that seemed to put them at ease. The Digidestined pressed in on Daisuke, bombarding him with questions, wanting to know how he had escaped, what had happened, why was he able to get away, was the Gateway really open? Daisuke moved his head from side to side, trying to see who was asking what.
Hawkmon saw the silk-covered wound on Veemon's shoulder, and gasped, "What happened?"
Veemon looked at him, "A piece of the ceiling fell and hit me," he said quietly. Hawkmon touched the silky bandage, "Isn't this a part of Wormmon's Sticky Net?" he asked.
Veemon set his hand on his shoulder and touched the bandage softly, fighting back a fresh batch of tears and nodded.
Miyako saw the look in Daisuke's eyes, the look that made it look like he was in pain, but she could see nothing wrong with his body. She looked into Daisuke's eyes, "Are you all right? Did he hurt you?"
Daisuke saw the genuine concern in her eyes and looked away. He started moving away toward the forest before he answered, "Yes."
----------
The Emperor went through the Gateway first, followed by his train of Digimon. He couldn't wait to get back to show Dai-chan and their Digimon his find. As he stepped into the Gateway, he felt the same disorienting dissociation, and the feeling of almost insane speed as he was hurtled between the worlds. When he came through on the other side, he stumbled, falling to his knees on the floor and shaking his head. He moved out of the way before the large Digimon came through behind him.
He watched as the collection of Airdramon, Drimogemon, Monochromon, Bakemon, and Darktyrannomon came through one at a time. He would wait for all of them to come through, then he would go and tell his love everything.
----------
The last Digimon left in the alternate Digital World was a Darktyrannomon. He waited for the Drimogemon in front of him to enter the Gateway completely before advancing on the metal ring. Suddenly something moved in the corner of his eye. His head snapped in that direction, eyes scanning back and forth over the blasted terrain, looking for any movement. He sniffed the air and cocked his head to one side in an instinctive listening gesture, bringing in senses other than sight to find whatever it was or might be.
But nothing moved.
He snorted and turned back to the Gateway, grunting as it walked toward the watery surface.
----------
Koushiro jumped back away from his computer as the screen flashed and he saw a Digiport opening. He had not moved once before, and had ended up at the bottom of a pile of Digidestined, so he had learned to move quickly when someone was coming back. But instead of the entire group he was expecting, only Daisuke and Demiveemon appeared in front of his computer, Daisuke hugging the small Digimon to his chest.
The former Keeper of Knowledge jumped out of his seat and moved quickly to Daisuke's side, grabbing his shoulders, "Daisuke! Are you all right?"
Daisuke shook his head. How could they expect him to be all right? The one person he loved had betrayed him without a second thought! Koushiro looked him over, finding no blood, no wound anywhere on the other boy, but a bandage on Demiveemon's shoulder. He decided not to ask how he wasn't all right, and moved to a new subject, "Daisuke, you have to tell me, is the Gateway open?" Daisuke looked at the floor and nodded.
"Where are the others?"
"Behind me. Probably coming through any time now."
Koushiro frowned. Something was wrong, he just knew it, but he had never been good with people, so he decided to let it rest, "I was afraid of that," he switched tracks, thinking that he should try to set the younger boy at ease, "You look tired," he patted Daisuke's shoulder, "Why don't you go home and rest?"
Daisuke nodded and left without a word.
Koushiro sighed as the door closed. He waited for a minute, and sure enough, the Digiport flared again, and the others came through all at once. Takeru looked around quickly, panting slightly, "Where's Daisuke? Did he come through here?"
Koushiro nodded, "He left a minute ago. He looked like he had been through a bad time, so I sent him home to rest."
Hikari frowned, "He ran ahead, not saying a thing, not waiting for anything. He went through the first Digiport he found, leaving us behind!"
Koushiro's mouth fell open. That was nothing like Daisuke! He blinked a few times as he regained his composure, "What happened to him there?"
Gatomon shook her head and held out her paws, "We don't know. He wouldn't tell us anything but the Emperor had hurt him."
"Something's wrong, with him," Miyako stated, hugging Poromon closer, "I wish we knew what had happened."
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The Emperor strode triumphantly through the halls toward the bedchamber, smiling widely as he held the foreign Digiegg possessively in his hands. He knocked on the door before entering, waiting for a response. His smile widened when there was no answer, thinking that his love must still be asleep. He opened the door and entered softly, not wishing to wake Dai-chan before he was ready. He paused and the smile slipped from his face as he saw the interior of the room, the tangled sheet in the middle of the room, the open first aid kit, and the conspicuous absence of Daisuke's clothing.
He noticed Wormmon sitting in the middle of the bed with his back to the door, his shoulders shaking slightly.
He stepped closer to the bed, "Wormmon, where's Dai-chan?"
Wormmon turned to look at him, and Ken saw the tears flowing down his green cheeks. He made the connection immediately, knowing that Daisuke was gone. The powerful Digiegg fell from his limp fingers, falling softly onto the bed where it stayed.
-TBC-