A/N: Thanks to everyone for your nine reviews! I know it says two, but I reuploaded the story when I figured out that it was extremely difficult to read. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it has plenty of people in it this time: All twelve Digidestined and Black Wargreymon. Oh, and by the way, I was noticing that some people say "Blackwargreymon" all together, but I prefer it seperate. The issue never came up, but I thought that I'd mention it anyway.
Disclaimer: See Ch. 1
Chapter 2: Battle of the Brains
Black Wargreymon stomped angrily through the thick forest. 'Where is my destiny?' he wondered. 'Surely it can't be in *this* place.' Everywhere around him Digimon scampered up trees, behind rocks and in small caves to escape this dreaded creature.They had apparently seen him eat a swarm of Marching Fishes and a Scubamon he had fished from the lake. His long claws were perfect for fishing, but the creatures could also see that they could be adapted from fishing poles to rotisery sticks. Naturally they scampered away to avoid their insides from being turned out by this faux Digimon.
What they didn't know was that Black Wargreymon was more vulnerable than he looked. He was new to this world and had been lost for days while searching for his destiny. It was silly to think that a creature that could *fly* could become lost like that, but that's what he was. He didn't know it at first, but when he saw the same cave he had passed an hour before, his problem became more evident. Frustrated, tired and confused, Black Wargreymon decided that it would be best if he went inside the cave to sleep for the night. He didn't really need the shelter because unlike most Digimon he didn't get sick or need a home, instead he just felt like he did.
Inside the cave was a large family of Gazimon in all different sizes. Some were sleeping, some were playing games; but all of their activities ceased when Black Wargreymon entered the room. They stared at him with wide eyes, remembering the rumors passed from Digimon to Digimon. The only being aware that these rumors were completely false was Black Wargreymon himself, who liked to keep it that way. It wasn't as though he had anyone to share his true self with anyway.
Soon after Black Wargreymon's appearance, panic ensued. Gazimon flew between his legs, galloping at top speed and hoping that they wouldn't get squished by one of his massive feet. Black Wargreymon just waited for the Gazimon to clear themselves out, then made himself comfortable as if this was his home from the very start. He didn't bother himself with petty thoughts about where the Gazimon might live now - or least he tried not to. Something inside of him did feel a little guilty, but his Digimon instincts told him to push that thought aside.
Soon afterwards he fell asleep, dreaming about finding his destiny. But what would happen after he found his destiny? The dreams never told him. He tossed and turned, fighting with an invisible enemy and clawing the air every now and then. His opponent was strong and he felt great even so he was about to lose the battle. The face of his opponent was hidden by the shadows of his very mind. In his dreams he always lost gratefully to his destiny and was rewarded when destiny stepped out of the shadows. Unfortunately, he always woke up then.
~*~
Ken woke up with a start and glanced anxiously at his alarm clock. Eight twenty-eight it read in bright red lights. That meant that Ken had plenty of time to get to the Digital World before the others. He dressed carefully, choosing an outfit that wasn't dull like his school uniform, but also was mother-approved. Truth-be-told, he hated his wardrobe and envied Daisuke's. He had vibrant and strange clothing to wear, while Ken had many dull, pastel colors. Even the pale yellow shirt he was pulling over his head at the moment had been a fight to get. His mother hated it because it was "too bright!" but Ken tolerated it because it was the only item of clothing in his entire wardrobe that wasn't a shade and also wasn't too warm to wear in the Digital World. Sometimes Ken wondered what it would be like to wear jeans, but parished the thought because boys don't think about clothes!
Carefully, he scooped up the sleeping Minomon and opened the portal with his black D3. He was careful to choose an area loaded with control spires to test out his device. With him he brought a small toolbox in case he needed to make repairs and an extra remote. He sat on the ground and began to fiddle with his D3, hooking it up like he did with the remote control. It was a lot faster than making another remote, so Ken decided to stick with the D3 and left the remote with Wormmon. Quickly, he explained to Wormmon how the device worked, and then they were off.
They started off in the desert, because it was loaded with control spires. When they stood before the gigantic structure, hands and paws poised before the buttons, Ken found that he just couldn't do it. It wasn't that he didn't want to get rid of the control spires, but if someone got hurt because of this, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. Especially if that someone was Wormmon.
Wormmon saw the hesitation. "Ken-chan?" he inquired.
Ken knit his brow, then he came to a conclusion, "I can't do it."
Wormmon was about to ask why, and then it hit him. "You're scared." Ken just nodded and looked down at his invention. "Then we won't do it," Wormmon added.
He looked up suddenly and stared at Wormmon with gentle eyes. Then he shifted his gaze to the control spires surrounding them. "On the count of three. One, two... three!" Human being and monster pushed their buttons simulataneously, then ran for their lives towards a young berry bush. The control spire they had been standing in front of disintigrated before their very eyes. It dissolved in the same way Wormmon had when he died, and that particular thought put tears into Ken's eyes. For a moment the two friends sat behind the bush in awe of what had just happened, because both of them didn't really expect it to work that well. Wormmon was so shocked that he didn't notice his Ken-chan wiping tears frantically from his worn eyes.
"Did you see that?" Ken asked dumbly. "It actually worked." He went over to the same spot where the control spire had stood and knelt there for a long while, carressing the soil with the palm of his hand. It was as if the control spire had never existed. The soil seemed untouched although it had been rested upon for many months. Ken's plan to wipe out the existance of his former life was now one giant leap ahead.
Not far from the sight was a seedling, which appeared to have been stepped on by a large Digimon passing by. Its roots were exposed like some kind of naked injury and its leaves were dangling by a thread. Ken went over to it and knelt once more, prodding it gently to an upright position. It was damaged, but it would live if Ken gave it lots of water and a good place in the soil where it could absorb lots of nutrients. He was not a gardener, but he knew that if he wasn't careful with the plant, the roots would rip and the plant could die. Working meticulously, he managed to tease the roots out of the ground and into the safety of his hand. Now to decide where to put it. He glanced around the area and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. The plant would be planted right where the control spire used to be, he decided.
He dug quickly, and with the help of Wormmon the job went faster. The control spire had been located in an area with plenty of sunlight, fresh soil, and water. Ken knew that Wormmon wasn't certain about his motive in all of this, but in time he would understand.
With the little seedling planted carefully into the ground, Ken was able to sit back and admire his handiwork. In his back pocket, his crest glowed with intense strength, and filled the air with a sense of being. This was how it should be. In a way, the seedling was a parody of his life. The role the seedling played was the Digital World itself. It had been trampled on by Ken and its own creatures, but now everything was trying to set itself right again.
Before he left the tiny plant, he drew a picture in the soil beside the plant. He knew the picture would be destroyed in a couple of hours, and perhaps the seedling too, but this was just something he did with no reason behind it. It felt good to do some things every now and then that had absolutely no meaning.
Carefully (for he was not much of an artist in his opinion) he drew a circle. In the midst of the circle he drew a crooked line. On one end of the line went a whole circle and on the other side a filled circle. The side with the whole circle had the soil turned up and blackened, and the other left the way it was. In the end it turned out to be a very poor and brown ying-yang sign. But it still held its meaning and Ken loved it nonetheless. It was time to move forward.
~*~
It was time to move forward, Black Wargreymon told himself. Dawn had broken across the valley, wooing even the dense, dark forest with light. The day was absolutely marvelous for searching one's destiny and Black Wargreymon could hardly wait to embark on his long journey. His thoughts about his dreams were constant in his mind and he was determined after each dream to reach his destiny. It was the only thing he was sure about in his life. For instance, he wasn't even sure if he had life in the first place. After all, he was built of completely inanimate objects instead of two parents who loved each other - he understood at least that much. He just knew that there were so many things that were being hidden from him.
He stood and stretched, surveying his surroundings. If he ever needed the cave again, then he would know where it was. Which was a joke, because besides knowing where the cave was, he was completely lost. That was another joke, because he didn't need to know where he was supposed to be anyway - he didn't come from anywhere.
Trying hard not to think too much, he set out again on his journey. He couldn't remember if he had come from the right or the left, so he just picked the path that looked the most unfamiliar to him and was on his way. It turned out that he had chosen correctly, even so both of the paths looked distinctly unfamiliar. The path that he ended up on was rugged and rocks played havok to the tender bottoms of his feet. He refused to let himself flinch, for he was a big, strong Digimon with a reputation to keep. Really a reputation was all that belonged to him in the forest.
Soon he came across some evidence of intelligent life - a ragged-looking bridge crossed a deep canyon that contained some water only an ankle's height in length. Black Wargreymon could choose to fly across it had he wanted to, but he simply didn't. Instead he walked gracelessly over the worn oak wood, his large toes sticking under the boards every so often and annoying the piss out of him. He was wary that his foot would have many splinters by the time he had completed the crossing of the bridge and undoubtedly would hurt like a bitch when he walked for a long time.
Midway through, the bridge snapped, sending its remains to the waters below. When the pieces of wood landed, they didn't even float, so therefore the water was more shallow than Black Wargreymon had originally assumed. Instead of carrying the wood away like it was supposed to, the water just streamed around it in circles and sometimes tumbled over the pieces of wood in an effort to keep flowing. It never occurred to Black Wargreymon that if he followed the river, it may lead him somewhere.
Black Wargreymon was upset that he had to give in and fly across to the other side of the bridge. When he landed, he startled some Flymon and Roachmon out of their hiding places in the unnaturally large shrubery that surrounded the forest. He had in mind to fly after them and show them what he thought of insect-type Digimon, but he did not. The reason why were simple: number one, they would lead him too far from his destination and number two, he knew what they thought of control spire-type Digimon. Just the thought of his method of birth made his stomach quiver.
He continued on his way until he approached a meadow. The smell of pollen and grass invaded and tugged at his nostrils. The area was completely vacant, as were most places when Black Wargreymon passed by. But with the absence of trees it shadowed Black Wargreymon's thoughts more than any other place he had been in. It felt truly empty.
He kept on walking and erased his mind of any thoughts using techniques he had taught himself. In fact, everything he knew he had taught himself, and therefore was easily confused. When he had taught himself to think one way about one thing, it always turned out to be the opposite of what he thought. And that frustrated him to no end.
The dry, pale-yellow grass scratched at his legs and he fought the urge to bend down and rid himself of the horrible itch. He was beginning to think that all nature was against him because of the way he was so unnaturally made. His legs ached, as did his arms and back, and his feet were cracked and bleeding. From previous sparring matches he had scars - little white lines - where he had been hit. It never occurred to him that when a species can heal itself, it is considered alive. In fact, a being is considered alive if it has a brain and Black Wargreymon knew he had plenty of that.
As he reached the edge of the meadow, he began to hear some strange noises coming from the forest ahead. Without thinking, he ducked behind a plant that grew on the outskirts of the meadow and waited for whatever was making the noise to approach. This also gave him an opportunity to sit, but he lied to himself and said that it was not the purpose of ducking behind the bush. His purpose was to wait for the thing to travel into the woods, and then he would pounce on it and scare it half to death. Nothing more, nothing less.
It was easy for Black Wargreymon to camouflage himself in the dense forest that surrounded the meadow because of his shadow colors. The two Tapirmon that were slowly approaching the middle of the field would never see him coming. Like a good hunter, he sat and waited - eavesdropping on them just because he could. When he heard what they were talking about, he completely forgot about the hunt and just listened until they left.
"I can't believe it," the first one said, sounding depressed, "I just wished we weren't so easily pushed around by him."
"I know," comforted the second, "but there's nothing we can do about it."
"That *creature* has no remorse for anything! He thinks he can just destroy the bridge because no one will care about it. Well sure it looked like no one was using it, but it wasn't his property! I hate Black Wargreymon!"
"Shh! What if he can hear you?" The second Tapirmon clapped a hoof on the first's snout. " He may be around these parts because he just destroyed the bridge a moment ago."
"You're being paranoid, he's not even here. Anyway, how are we going to make another bridge for our families? Our hands are much too small. Why did we have to live on this side of the forest?"
"You know very well why. It's because of the large Digimon that live on the otherside. We can't possibly defend ourselves against some Megas. Even though there is no food here for us, it's safer to live here."
"Argh! I hate to feel so helpless. I wish I worked at Digitamamon's restaurant with my older brother. That way we wouldn't have to worry about food anymore."
"Well that's why we're going to see them. Perhaps we can make them some kind of offer. Let's hurry!"
The two troubled Digimon hurried their way through the meadow and left Black Wargreymon behind to do some serious thinking. Technically, or so his mind thought, he shouldn't give a crap about any creature except for himself. Then why did he feel this way? Why did he constantly feel guilty for his actions? Was he closer to his destiny than he thought?
Destiny would have to wait another day for him, he decided. Black Wargreymon would rebuild the bridge before the two Tapirmon came back and that was final. Maybe that would help this horrible feeling of his to shut up and go away. Then, and only then, he would continue his search.
*~*
The rather large Digidestined task force arrived in the Digital World with a bang. Bodies were piled up on bodies and Digimon were rather squished. Yamato suggested that maybe they should have entered one at a time instead of all at once and everyone groaned because he didn't mention it earlier. They gathered themselves and helped a dazed Koushirou to his feet. Since he had gone through the portal first, all of the bodies had been on top of him. Luckily he landed in such a way that his laptop wouldn't get destroyed in the process.
Shaking his head to clear his mind, Koushirou stood as steadily as he could on his two legs. Taichi and Yamato stood nearby so that in case he toppled, someone would be there to catch him. Unlike Koushirou, Taichi and Yamato had landed beside the pile because they rolled off of Koushirou's back when they landed and didn't face the same fate.
Clearing his throat, Koushirou addressed his large audience. "As you can probably see I have a remote control in my hands. But, you see, it's not any ordinary control, oh no. It's something that Ken made up last night and I had to program into all of these remote controls," he gestured at the bag, "but it's worth all that trouble. I guess the best way to do this is to show you how they work. Come on!"
Koushirou speed-walked to the nearest Control Spire (he hated to run) and told everyone to stay behind behind him when he pushed the button. He aimed his remote at the Spire and with a flourish, pressed the button. Nothing happened. Cursing angrily, he pressed the subborn button over and over until it broke. Maybe there was an error with the programming - surely this couldn't have been his miscalculation! Satisfied with that irrational thought, he e-mailed Ken to insist that his program was not working as it should.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Digidestined still stood far back from where Koushirou was standing. They weren't afraid that whatever was supposed to happen would happen and they'd be injured, they were more worried about Koushirou's mental health. Unfortunately, none of them had any training in which could help the group to control the distressed computer whiz. He had snatched up his laptop and was typing away frantically to the unsuspecting super genius.
Miyako was the first to talk. "I think I've figured out what the remotes are supposed to do," she said.
"Me too," Hikari and the most of the group nodded with agreement.
"Umm, could you fill me in Hikari? I'm kinda clueless," Daisuke rubbed his feverish nogan in an attempt to re-awaken the sleeping brain cells within. What he *really* wanted was for Hikari to take him through the proceedure step-by-step, and maybe to hold his hand and physically show him what she meant and...
Miyako interupted his thoughts of a hidden agenda. "Big surprise there," she announced sarcastically. She flicked her hair behind her shoulder in a gesture of defiance and waited, amused, for Daisuke to think of another remark.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he shouted at her.
"It's supposed to mean that you're stupid!" she shouted back.
"Guys, come on..." Takeru pleaded.
"Stay out of this TS!"
"I'm not a guy Takeru! So I can make fun of unintelligent people like Daisuke as much as I please."
"Hikari," Daisuke fake-sobbed, "she keeps calling me stupid. I'm not stupid am I? Just because I don't understand it doesn't make me stupid does it?"
Hikari was beginning to look very uncomfortable. "Of course not!" she exclaimed never-the-less. "Miyako-chan, you can be so mean sometimes." She shook her finger at her and place a hand on her hips. When she wasn't looking, Daisuke quickly stuck out his cookie-encrusted tongue in some kind of informal victory poise.
Just then, Koushirou found his way back to the group. "Ken's coming!" he announced, "Apparently his invention works and he's just going to finish with whatever he's doing before he gets here."
"What was wrong with yours?" Iori inquired.
"Uh, um," he scratched the nape of his neck, "I was supposed to program it to our D3s."
"Wouldn't your program work despite that?" Jyou asked, scratching his chin in thought.
"It was flawed okay? That's what was wrong with it! Now leave me be!" Jyou waved his hands frantically in a gesture that implied he meant no harm to the sensitive Koushirou. The group of eleven sat down in a circle under a tree, much like they did when they were celebrating their anniversary and pondered what to do next.
"I'm going to try to rewrite the program onto my Digivice," Koushirou said, then begin to type vigorously on the worn keys of his Pineapple laptop. Soon, all that could be heard from his portion of the circle was Koushirou's frantic tapping.
"I suggest we play strip poker. V-mon, did you bring some cards?"
"Nope."
"Oh darn."
Wiggling her eyebrows, Mimi suggested, "Why don't we play Truth or Dare?"
"Me first!" Daisuke exclaimed. Before anyone could say anything, he went on. "Hikari, truth or dare?"
"Truth."
Secretly, Daisuke was hoping she would pick dare. First and foremost, he could sneak a kiss, but also he may be hurt with the answer she could give to his question, which was, "What do you think of me?"
She thought carefully for a moment, but only a moment. "I think you're a very funny person, but in a good way. You're a great friend."
Honestly, Daisuke didn't expect that. He blushed and thanked her, staring at his shoes and plucking the laces. She was successful enough not to hurt his feelings and she complemented him in a way that he would not be convinced that she liked him. It was brillant.
For her Truth or Dare victim, she picked Sora. Sora answered the dreaded question with Dare. Hikari thought of something almost right away, and said so aloud, but tried to push the suggestion away. She was forced by the spectators and Sora herself to say it, so she took a deep breath, and did.
"I dare you to," she paused and giggled, "moon some Numemon!" The crowd burst out laughing and Sora stood to attend to her task. She spotted an assortment unsuspecting Numemon nearby and charged. They seemed to be looking for something, she noted. The rest of the Digidestined followed in hot pursuit, just to make sure she did her task. Hikari's camera was more ready than it had ever been.
Over in that side of the Digital World, the fun continued and the pictures were becoming wilder by the minute. On his side of the Digital World, Ken had walked a good 20 kilometers and his legs were about to fall off. Wormmon was clutched tightly in his arms, although they were beginning to feel like they would fall off too. The Control Spires were now few and far between, and Ken had to travel long distances using only his legs to aid him. When he was Kaiser he would... but he forced himself not to think of that.
The Digidestined would continue to await Ken's arrival until dinner time. Afterwards, they would send out a search party, but the beloved Ken-chan would never be found.
*****
Whoo hoo! A cliff hanger. I know how much y'all love them. Anyway, I'm off to tape a new episode of Digimon! My fave, with Ken in Mexico.
Disclaimer: See Ch. 1
Chapter 2: Battle of the Brains
Black Wargreymon stomped angrily through the thick forest. 'Where is my destiny?' he wondered. 'Surely it can't be in *this* place.' Everywhere around him Digimon scampered up trees, behind rocks and in small caves to escape this dreaded creature.They had apparently seen him eat a swarm of Marching Fishes and a Scubamon he had fished from the lake. His long claws were perfect for fishing, but the creatures could also see that they could be adapted from fishing poles to rotisery sticks. Naturally they scampered away to avoid their insides from being turned out by this faux Digimon.
What they didn't know was that Black Wargreymon was more vulnerable than he looked. He was new to this world and had been lost for days while searching for his destiny. It was silly to think that a creature that could *fly* could become lost like that, but that's what he was. He didn't know it at first, but when he saw the same cave he had passed an hour before, his problem became more evident. Frustrated, tired and confused, Black Wargreymon decided that it would be best if he went inside the cave to sleep for the night. He didn't really need the shelter because unlike most Digimon he didn't get sick or need a home, instead he just felt like he did.
Inside the cave was a large family of Gazimon in all different sizes. Some were sleeping, some were playing games; but all of their activities ceased when Black Wargreymon entered the room. They stared at him with wide eyes, remembering the rumors passed from Digimon to Digimon. The only being aware that these rumors were completely false was Black Wargreymon himself, who liked to keep it that way. It wasn't as though he had anyone to share his true self with anyway.
Soon after Black Wargreymon's appearance, panic ensued. Gazimon flew between his legs, galloping at top speed and hoping that they wouldn't get squished by one of his massive feet. Black Wargreymon just waited for the Gazimon to clear themselves out, then made himself comfortable as if this was his home from the very start. He didn't bother himself with petty thoughts about where the Gazimon might live now - or least he tried not to. Something inside of him did feel a little guilty, but his Digimon instincts told him to push that thought aside.
Soon afterwards he fell asleep, dreaming about finding his destiny. But what would happen after he found his destiny? The dreams never told him. He tossed and turned, fighting with an invisible enemy and clawing the air every now and then. His opponent was strong and he felt great even so he was about to lose the battle. The face of his opponent was hidden by the shadows of his very mind. In his dreams he always lost gratefully to his destiny and was rewarded when destiny stepped out of the shadows. Unfortunately, he always woke up then.
~*~
Ken woke up with a start and glanced anxiously at his alarm clock. Eight twenty-eight it read in bright red lights. That meant that Ken had plenty of time to get to the Digital World before the others. He dressed carefully, choosing an outfit that wasn't dull like his school uniform, but also was mother-approved. Truth-be-told, he hated his wardrobe and envied Daisuke's. He had vibrant and strange clothing to wear, while Ken had many dull, pastel colors. Even the pale yellow shirt he was pulling over his head at the moment had been a fight to get. His mother hated it because it was "too bright!" but Ken tolerated it because it was the only item of clothing in his entire wardrobe that wasn't a shade and also wasn't too warm to wear in the Digital World. Sometimes Ken wondered what it would be like to wear jeans, but parished the thought because boys don't think about clothes!
Carefully, he scooped up the sleeping Minomon and opened the portal with his black D3. He was careful to choose an area loaded with control spires to test out his device. With him he brought a small toolbox in case he needed to make repairs and an extra remote. He sat on the ground and began to fiddle with his D3, hooking it up like he did with the remote control. It was a lot faster than making another remote, so Ken decided to stick with the D3 and left the remote with Wormmon. Quickly, he explained to Wormmon how the device worked, and then they were off.
They started off in the desert, because it was loaded with control spires. When they stood before the gigantic structure, hands and paws poised before the buttons, Ken found that he just couldn't do it. It wasn't that he didn't want to get rid of the control spires, but if someone got hurt because of this, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. Especially if that someone was Wormmon.
Wormmon saw the hesitation. "Ken-chan?" he inquired.
Ken knit his brow, then he came to a conclusion, "I can't do it."
Wormmon was about to ask why, and then it hit him. "You're scared." Ken just nodded and looked down at his invention. "Then we won't do it," Wormmon added.
He looked up suddenly and stared at Wormmon with gentle eyes. Then he shifted his gaze to the control spires surrounding them. "On the count of three. One, two... three!" Human being and monster pushed their buttons simulataneously, then ran for their lives towards a young berry bush. The control spire they had been standing in front of disintigrated before their very eyes. It dissolved in the same way Wormmon had when he died, and that particular thought put tears into Ken's eyes. For a moment the two friends sat behind the bush in awe of what had just happened, because both of them didn't really expect it to work that well. Wormmon was so shocked that he didn't notice his Ken-chan wiping tears frantically from his worn eyes.
"Did you see that?" Ken asked dumbly. "It actually worked." He went over to the same spot where the control spire had stood and knelt there for a long while, carressing the soil with the palm of his hand. It was as if the control spire had never existed. The soil seemed untouched although it had been rested upon for many months. Ken's plan to wipe out the existance of his former life was now one giant leap ahead.
Not far from the sight was a seedling, which appeared to have been stepped on by a large Digimon passing by. Its roots were exposed like some kind of naked injury and its leaves were dangling by a thread. Ken went over to it and knelt once more, prodding it gently to an upright position. It was damaged, but it would live if Ken gave it lots of water and a good place in the soil where it could absorb lots of nutrients. He was not a gardener, but he knew that if he wasn't careful with the plant, the roots would rip and the plant could die. Working meticulously, he managed to tease the roots out of the ground and into the safety of his hand. Now to decide where to put it. He glanced around the area and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. The plant would be planted right where the control spire used to be, he decided.
He dug quickly, and with the help of Wormmon the job went faster. The control spire had been located in an area with plenty of sunlight, fresh soil, and water. Ken knew that Wormmon wasn't certain about his motive in all of this, but in time he would understand.
With the little seedling planted carefully into the ground, Ken was able to sit back and admire his handiwork. In his back pocket, his crest glowed with intense strength, and filled the air with a sense of being. This was how it should be. In a way, the seedling was a parody of his life. The role the seedling played was the Digital World itself. It had been trampled on by Ken and its own creatures, but now everything was trying to set itself right again.
Before he left the tiny plant, he drew a picture in the soil beside the plant. He knew the picture would be destroyed in a couple of hours, and perhaps the seedling too, but this was just something he did with no reason behind it. It felt good to do some things every now and then that had absolutely no meaning.
Carefully (for he was not much of an artist in his opinion) he drew a circle. In the midst of the circle he drew a crooked line. On one end of the line went a whole circle and on the other side a filled circle. The side with the whole circle had the soil turned up and blackened, and the other left the way it was. In the end it turned out to be a very poor and brown ying-yang sign. But it still held its meaning and Ken loved it nonetheless. It was time to move forward.
~*~
It was time to move forward, Black Wargreymon told himself. Dawn had broken across the valley, wooing even the dense, dark forest with light. The day was absolutely marvelous for searching one's destiny and Black Wargreymon could hardly wait to embark on his long journey. His thoughts about his dreams were constant in his mind and he was determined after each dream to reach his destiny. It was the only thing he was sure about in his life. For instance, he wasn't even sure if he had life in the first place. After all, he was built of completely inanimate objects instead of two parents who loved each other - he understood at least that much. He just knew that there were so many things that were being hidden from him.
He stood and stretched, surveying his surroundings. If he ever needed the cave again, then he would know where it was. Which was a joke, because besides knowing where the cave was, he was completely lost. That was another joke, because he didn't need to know where he was supposed to be anyway - he didn't come from anywhere.
Trying hard not to think too much, he set out again on his journey. He couldn't remember if he had come from the right or the left, so he just picked the path that looked the most unfamiliar to him and was on his way. It turned out that he had chosen correctly, even so both of the paths looked distinctly unfamiliar. The path that he ended up on was rugged and rocks played havok to the tender bottoms of his feet. He refused to let himself flinch, for he was a big, strong Digimon with a reputation to keep. Really a reputation was all that belonged to him in the forest.
Soon he came across some evidence of intelligent life - a ragged-looking bridge crossed a deep canyon that contained some water only an ankle's height in length. Black Wargreymon could choose to fly across it had he wanted to, but he simply didn't. Instead he walked gracelessly over the worn oak wood, his large toes sticking under the boards every so often and annoying the piss out of him. He was wary that his foot would have many splinters by the time he had completed the crossing of the bridge and undoubtedly would hurt like a bitch when he walked for a long time.
Midway through, the bridge snapped, sending its remains to the waters below. When the pieces of wood landed, they didn't even float, so therefore the water was more shallow than Black Wargreymon had originally assumed. Instead of carrying the wood away like it was supposed to, the water just streamed around it in circles and sometimes tumbled over the pieces of wood in an effort to keep flowing. It never occurred to Black Wargreymon that if he followed the river, it may lead him somewhere.
Black Wargreymon was upset that he had to give in and fly across to the other side of the bridge. When he landed, he startled some Flymon and Roachmon out of their hiding places in the unnaturally large shrubery that surrounded the forest. He had in mind to fly after them and show them what he thought of insect-type Digimon, but he did not. The reason why were simple: number one, they would lead him too far from his destination and number two, he knew what they thought of control spire-type Digimon. Just the thought of his method of birth made his stomach quiver.
He continued on his way until he approached a meadow. The smell of pollen and grass invaded and tugged at his nostrils. The area was completely vacant, as were most places when Black Wargreymon passed by. But with the absence of trees it shadowed Black Wargreymon's thoughts more than any other place he had been in. It felt truly empty.
He kept on walking and erased his mind of any thoughts using techniques he had taught himself. In fact, everything he knew he had taught himself, and therefore was easily confused. When he had taught himself to think one way about one thing, it always turned out to be the opposite of what he thought. And that frustrated him to no end.
The dry, pale-yellow grass scratched at his legs and he fought the urge to bend down and rid himself of the horrible itch. He was beginning to think that all nature was against him because of the way he was so unnaturally made. His legs ached, as did his arms and back, and his feet were cracked and bleeding. From previous sparring matches he had scars - little white lines - where he had been hit. It never occurred to him that when a species can heal itself, it is considered alive. In fact, a being is considered alive if it has a brain and Black Wargreymon knew he had plenty of that.
As he reached the edge of the meadow, he began to hear some strange noises coming from the forest ahead. Without thinking, he ducked behind a plant that grew on the outskirts of the meadow and waited for whatever was making the noise to approach. This also gave him an opportunity to sit, but he lied to himself and said that it was not the purpose of ducking behind the bush. His purpose was to wait for the thing to travel into the woods, and then he would pounce on it and scare it half to death. Nothing more, nothing less.
It was easy for Black Wargreymon to camouflage himself in the dense forest that surrounded the meadow because of his shadow colors. The two Tapirmon that were slowly approaching the middle of the field would never see him coming. Like a good hunter, he sat and waited - eavesdropping on them just because he could. When he heard what they were talking about, he completely forgot about the hunt and just listened until they left.
"I can't believe it," the first one said, sounding depressed, "I just wished we weren't so easily pushed around by him."
"I know," comforted the second, "but there's nothing we can do about it."
"That *creature* has no remorse for anything! He thinks he can just destroy the bridge because no one will care about it. Well sure it looked like no one was using it, but it wasn't his property! I hate Black Wargreymon!"
"Shh! What if he can hear you?" The second Tapirmon clapped a hoof on the first's snout. " He may be around these parts because he just destroyed the bridge a moment ago."
"You're being paranoid, he's not even here. Anyway, how are we going to make another bridge for our families? Our hands are much too small. Why did we have to live on this side of the forest?"
"You know very well why. It's because of the large Digimon that live on the otherside. We can't possibly defend ourselves against some Megas. Even though there is no food here for us, it's safer to live here."
"Argh! I hate to feel so helpless. I wish I worked at Digitamamon's restaurant with my older brother. That way we wouldn't have to worry about food anymore."
"Well that's why we're going to see them. Perhaps we can make them some kind of offer. Let's hurry!"
The two troubled Digimon hurried their way through the meadow and left Black Wargreymon behind to do some serious thinking. Technically, or so his mind thought, he shouldn't give a crap about any creature except for himself. Then why did he feel this way? Why did he constantly feel guilty for his actions? Was he closer to his destiny than he thought?
Destiny would have to wait another day for him, he decided. Black Wargreymon would rebuild the bridge before the two Tapirmon came back and that was final. Maybe that would help this horrible feeling of his to shut up and go away. Then, and only then, he would continue his search.
*~*
The rather large Digidestined task force arrived in the Digital World with a bang. Bodies were piled up on bodies and Digimon were rather squished. Yamato suggested that maybe they should have entered one at a time instead of all at once and everyone groaned because he didn't mention it earlier. They gathered themselves and helped a dazed Koushirou to his feet. Since he had gone through the portal first, all of the bodies had been on top of him. Luckily he landed in such a way that his laptop wouldn't get destroyed in the process.
Shaking his head to clear his mind, Koushirou stood as steadily as he could on his two legs. Taichi and Yamato stood nearby so that in case he toppled, someone would be there to catch him. Unlike Koushirou, Taichi and Yamato had landed beside the pile because they rolled off of Koushirou's back when they landed and didn't face the same fate.
Clearing his throat, Koushirou addressed his large audience. "As you can probably see I have a remote control in my hands. But, you see, it's not any ordinary control, oh no. It's something that Ken made up last night and I had to program into all of these remote controls," he gestured at the bag, "but it's worth all that trouble. I guess the best way to do this is to show you how they work. Come on!"
Koushirou speed-walked to the nearest Control Spire (he hated to run) and told everyone to stay behind behind him when he pushed the button. He aimed his remote at the Spire and with a flourish, pressed the button. Nothing happened. Cursing angrily, he pressed the subborn button over and over until it broke. Maybe there was an error with the programming - surely this couldn't have been his miscalculation! Satisfied with that irrational thought, he e-mailed Ken to insist that his program was not working as it should.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Digidestined still stood far back from where Koushirou was standing. They weren't afraid that whatever was supposed to happen would happen and they'd be injured, they were more worried about Koushirou's mental health. Unfortunately, none of them had any training in which could help the group to control the distressed computer whiz. He had snatched up his laptop and was typing away frantically to the unsuspecting super genius.
Miyako was the first to talk. "I think I've figured out what the remotes are supposed to do," she said.
"Me too," Hikari and the most of the group nodded with agreement.
"Umm, could you fill me in Hikari? I'm kinda clueless," Daisuke rubbed his feverish nogan in an attempt to re-awaken the sleeping brain cells within. What he *really* wanted was for Hikari to take him through the proceedure step-by-step, and maybe to hold his hand and physically show him what she meant and...
Miyako interupted his thoughts of a hidden agenda. "Big surprise there," she announced sarcastically. She flicked her hair behind her shoulder in a gesture of defiance and waited, amused, for Daisuke to think of another remark.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he shouted at her.
"It's supposed to mean that you're stupid!" she shouted back.
"Guys, come on..." Takeru pleaded.
"Stay out of this TS!"
"I'm not a guy Takeru! So I can make fun of unintelligent people like Daisuke as much as I please."
"Hikari," Daisuke fake-sobbed, "she keeps calling me stupid. I'm not stupid am I? Just because I don't understand it doesn't make me stupid does it?"
Hikari was beginning to look very uncomfortable. "Of course not!" she exclaimed never-the-less. "Miyako-chan, you can be so mean sometimes." She shook her finger at her and place a hand on her hips. When she wasn't looking, Daisuke quickly stuck out his cookie-encrusted tongue in some kind of informal victory poise.
Just then, Koushirou found his way back to the group. "Ken's coming!" he announced, "Apparently his invention works and he's just going to finish with whatever he's doing before he gets here."
"What was wrong with yours?" Iori inquired.
"Uh, um," he scratched the nape of his neck, "I was supposed to program it to our D3s."
"Wouldn't your program work despite that?" Jyou asked, scratching his chin in thought.
"It was flawed okay? That's what was wrong with it! Now leave me be!" Jyou waved his hands frantically in a gesture that implied he meant no harm to the sensitive Koushirou. The group of eleven sat down in a circle under a tree, much like they did when they were celebrating their anniversary and pondered what to do next.
"I'm going to try to rewrite the program onto my Digivice," Koushirou said, then begin to type vigorously on the worn keys of his Pineapple laptop. Soon, all that could be heard from his portion of the circle was Koushirou's frantic tapping.
"I suggest we play strip poker. V-mon, did you bring some cards?"
"Nope."
"Oh darn."
Wiggling her eyebrows, Mimi suggested, "Why don't we play Truth or Dare?"
"Me first!" Daisuke exclaimed. Before anyone could say anything, he went on. "Hikari, truth or dare?"
"Truth."
Secretly, Daisuke was hoping she would pick dare. First and foremost, he could sneak a kiss, but also he may be hurt with the answer she could give to his question, which was, "What do you think of me?"
She thought carefully for a moment, but only a moment. "I think you're a very funny person, but in a good way. You're a great friend."
Honestly, Daisuke didn't expect that. He blushed and thanked her, staring at his shoes and plucking the laces. She was successful enough not to hurt his feelings and she complemented him in a way that he would not be convinced that she liked him. It was brillant.
For her Truth or Dare victim, she picked Sora. Sora answered the dreaded question with Dare. Hikari thought of something almost right away, and said so aloud, but tried to push the suggestion away. She was forced by the spectators and Sora herself to say it, so she took a deep breath, and did.
"I dare you to," she paused and giggled, "moon some Numemon!" The crowd burst out laughing and Sora stood to attend to her task. She spotted an assortment unsuspecting Numemon nearby and charged. They seemed to be looking for something, she noted. The rest of the Digidestined followed in hot pursuit, just to make sure she did her task. Hikari's camera was more ready than it had ever been.
Over in that side of the Digital World, the fun continued and the pictures were becoming wilder by the minute. On his side of the Digital World, Ken had walked a good 20 kilometers and his legs were about to fall off. Wormmon was clutched tightly in his arms, although they were beginning to feel like they would fall off too. The Control Spires were now few and far between, and Ken had to travel long distances using only his legs to aid him. When he was Kaiser he would... but he forced himself not to think of that.
The Digidestined would continue to await Ken's arrival until dinner time. Afterwards, they would send out a search party, but the beloved Ken-chan would never be found.
*****
Whoo hoo! A cliff hanger. I know how much y'all love them. Anyway, I'm off to tape a new episode of Digimon! My fave, with Ken in Mexico.