A/N= This is going to be very particular. This will eventually contain DaiKaiser, and Pieotismon. *nods* Hints of DeviAnge will spring around in one of the next chapters, and I'm torn between Takari and Miyakari – as well as I can't decide between Iokeru and Angekeru. We'll see. Suggestions are welcome, though. ^^v
Rating = PG13, for eventual violence, swearing words and that kind of stuff.
Summary = If love doesn't born spontaneously, it could be injected in your body, like a virus, to make you forget any other affect you had in honour of this one love. But in the end, can exist a love that's forced? And can really a love be eclipsed by another so easily?
Disclaimer = Digimon, its characters and situations are not mine. I'm just using them in one of my stories.
Valhalla – part 02The fire was a living thing around them. Ravenous, it was devouring the very fundaments of everything that Ken Ichijouji believed to be eternal and untouchable – starting from his own invincibility. Digimon abounded, swarming like locusts inside the depths of his base; virus types unknown to him were busy reducing the Kaiser's dome to pieces and were succeeding effortlessly, despite the tens of spiralled digimon sent to stop them. Only one thing impeded them to reach the core of the base, a digimental that sprung to sudden life and shone now in defiance amidst the horror. The mindless guards succeeded only in keeping the invaders away from their true quarry - Ken, the Kaiser, who they said had dared abduct one of their masters.
Murderer… Murderer… the intruders repeated over and over as they shattered and destroyed, sounding as if drugged or held in trance, while a sickening laugh supported the low mantra as a bloodcurdling undertone. Their dark mouths vomited ripples of energy that spread out to destroy whatever they touched, sending the floor rising and falling into spears and chasms. A tornado of dark power wiped through the hollow caves that once were the halls of the Kaiser's base, shattering walls and ceilings apart like fine crystal. A bolt of lightening flickered across the sky, the unfeeling black sky shifting to an electric shade of purple, and punishing rain began falling in raging downpours. The flames rose higher, as if in a vane attempt to catch the falling water, and their crackling cries intensified into raging roars.
Wiping a stream of blood from his chin the Kaiser advanced through a devastated corridor, arms wrapped about his head against the billowing flames. The heat was unbearable; rivulets of sweat bathed the Kaiser's otherwise pristine skin along with dark dust and dried blood. Despite his injuries –which he regarded as insignificant- despite the fog that clouded his vision and the rushing sound that had claimed his ears, the Kaiser still manoeuvred his way skilfully, navigating through fallen pillars and dangling tubes noiselessly. Wormmon skipped faithfully behind his master, as silent as he could, and swallowed his fear repeatedly as it surged to dry his mouth. Ken was swaying, and every now and then he would rub his eyes, trying to be unsuspicious and failing utterly.
The laughter rose, and to Ken it seemed as if it was a mantle of ice wrapping about him.
The base began shaking. The loudspeakers stopped functioning, transmitting only striding scratching sounds that blended with the flames' moans in a dreadful symphony. Some windows exploded in a rain of glittering fragments, and then the ceiling itself collapsed, revealing the bleak sky above. The Kaiser looked at it with wide eyes, the eyes of a child, and for a moment he could not force himself forward. Then another explosion came, and he was blown away and thrown harshly against the remnants of a wall. The boy hit his head harshly and Wormmon gave a cry, scattering toward his master on shaky legs. As if on clue flames burst forth to enclose the genius child and his partner in a ring of flickering red and trap them. Another round of monsters screams filled the air, and Ken had to press his hands against his ears as the wicked laugh rose and rose, echoing inside his mind as it would in an hollow cave, doubling its noise and tempo with every passing second. The Kaiser actually fell to his knees. A single tear trailed down his cheek as a shooting star, leaving a trail of silver on the grey dust accumulated there, and even an unknowing bystander would have been able to pinpoint that as the moment when his capitulation was complete.
As Ken twisted and groaned in pain and shame and anger words began forming amidst the laughter, and the boy-genius groaned helplessly, sliding limply to the floor. His breathing was difficult – air burned his lungs as he inhaled it, and coated his mouth with the coppery taste of ashes. His eyelids felt heavy, and fluttered up and down as the boy fought helplessly against the lethargy that was claiming him. Something dark and warm was pooling under his head, and he suddenly felt cold, even amidst the firestorm.
"You dared damage him. Now I'll kill you." The muscles in Ken's throat worked up and down.
"Who?" he questioned weakly. "Who should I've—" Gods, his voice sounded so tiny, so inaudible. Surely it wasn't his? The laughter stopped, and for a moment it seemed that everything around him stopped as well – flames, digimon, the very air… the world itself. Then the voice came, and cut through Ken's defences like a dagger of ice.
"Myotismon." The boy-genius shook his head, teeth gritted, and forced his mind to analyse and place the name. Myotismon was a Vampire digimon, he remembered at last. One he'd never seen because, for some reason or another, there couldn't be more than one Myotismon at a time, and that Era's vampire digimon had already perished and been re-digitalized into an egg. Try as he might, it had proved impossible for the Kaiser to find the newborn Myotismon or to create one artificially, and Ken had soon forgotten this childish curiosity of his to focus on his dark rings.
"I've never—" he croaked out at last, his words getting lost in a fit of coughs that left him shaking.
"You dare deny it?" The voice was like a flash of lightning amidst the firestorm: cold and grand and beautiful. "He *had* to be in Hajimeru no Machi. He was not. You've been there, thus you *must* have something to do with his disappearance. And you'll pay for whatever you've done." Flames rose around him, and Ken was suddenly aware of Wormmon trying to shield him with his tiny body. The Kaiser reached out and held onto his shacking partner as the world began to darken around him. As he lost consciousness he gathered his last vestiges of strength to work his vocal chords one more time.
"I did not--- He… was already… gone." Then he released his breath in a sound sigh and darkness enveloped him. He did not hear the last, pleased laugh Piedmon gave before he gave the order to destroy the base completely, neither did Ken see one of the attackers leave the main pack, come to him, and drag him and the digimon still clinging to him to safety. Behind, admits the fires only two things remained: the Kaiser's glasses and the shattered square goggles of a boy Ken would never admit caring about.
* * * * *
"Daisuke?"
"Huh?" The young boy stiffened visibly, blinking rapidly.
"We were asking you if we should go alone or rather wait for Tai and the others." Takeru blinked, stealing a glance at his friend's unnaturally pale cheeks. There had been a distracted look in Daisuke's eyes, like if he'd fallen in a some kind of trance. Presently, it seemed that the flame that usually ignited his gaze was freezing little by little, making room to a clouded tiredness.
The dark skinned boy shook his head slowly, his lids lowered halfway down to hide his eyes, his mind miles away.
"No."
"Why not, Daisuke?" Miyako cut in. "We can deal with whatever it is that's happening down there-" she pointed vaguely at a near computer screen "-we don't need any babysitter."
"Well… I guess we proved ourselves strong enough to deal with some Megadramon." Hikari gave a small nod, sending an hesitant glance to the same monitor. "We could go forth and inspect the area – it doesn't seem there are any viruses left, anyway." She smiled at Miyako when the older girl beamed at her, yet her eyes clouded with an ancient worry. Megadramon… those were the digimon that had helped Miyotismon when--
"Uhn-uhn." Daisuke shook his head yet again, and turned toward his friends, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he surveyed all of them, as if looking at them for the first –last?– time. The voice from his dreams was back into his mind and hears, soft whispering turned into oppressive screams. It was dangerous to go now, it said. Yet…
Yet?
Yet if you don't go…
What? What then?
Too late…
Too late for what, dammit?! Too late for what?!
…Ken…
Daisuke gasped, reeling backward as if mortally wounded. Ken?! Ichijouji Ken?!
"We're going. Now. Right now. This very moment." He made some funny gestures with his hands, his breathing brisk. "Go! Go! Go! Who needs them anyway? Let's go scouting and then… err… we'll see. C'mon, whatcha waitin' for?"
"Is everything all right, Daisuke? You seem a little… edgy, to me." Iori said over his shoulder, glancing at Daisuke as the older boy nudged him forward. Daisuke's only response was to shake his head, his smile twitching.
"I just can't wait to know. You know me… always curious."
"Are you ill?" The child of Light bit her bottom lip, moving closer of a step and raising a hand toward the boy.
"No." Daisuke said slowly. "Just tired." He sounded calm, yet he took a step backward, so that Hikari wouldn't touch him, skid behind her and thrust her toward the computer as well. The blonde keeper of Hope laughed then, not pausing even when Daisuke pushed him forward too.
"Nighttimes fun, ne Dai-kun? Aren't you a bit too young?"
A shiver chased its way down Daisuke's body and his gaze transfixed on an unidentified spot on the ground. Remnants of his nightmares clung to him, seeding themselves into his skin as fragments of glass. Slowly, the auburn haired youth shook his head, a pained look settling on his features, and ran a hand through his hair. When he spoke, after willing his heartbeat to a resemblance of normality, his chuckle was an humourless, bitter tinkle.
"Yeah. Lot of that. It worn me off." Daisuke raised his eyes then, staring in the distance for a moment, giving the impression of seeing everything and yet nothing. After a long moment he turned, looking pleadingly at his friends.
"Can we go now?" His eyes searched Miyako's worried ones for a heartbeat, before he swirled around and was sucked into the opalescent radiance a open digiport spilled forth.
When the last of her companions stepped through the gateway, Miyako's eyes narrowed without her consent, and she found herself gazing silently at the flickering monitor. Something wasn't quite right with this… and there had been something hauntingly *scary*, but entirely unrecognisable, in the way Daisuke had looked at her. Some sort of warning. Maybe a plea – but Daisuke was far too strong, far too *stubborn* to let his weakness show. What could have it been, then?
Miyako shook her head slowly, a frown creasing her lips. She shrugged her unease off forcefully, and leaped into the swirling portal. The fact that Daisuke was that disturbed by something beyond her understanding made her wonder what part of her friend was acting up. Had she known, she would have stopped him immediately.
But never she would have guessed it was his humanity.
-TBC
