Chapter Twenty-one- A Shattered Reality
"Hello, Ichijouji residence,"
"Hello Mrs. Ichijouji, it's Jesi, is Ken-" Jesi gasped when she heard the phone on the other end of the line slam into the receiver and hang up.
"I wonder what that was all about, maybe she dropped the phone."
Jesi tried dialing Ken's number again but there was no answer.
"Maybe the power went out... I hope nothing's wrong." Jesi sat down at her computer and typed an e-mail to Ken.
"Dear Ken, I can't get through on the phone, is anything wrong? Love Jesi"
She sat back in her chair and tapped her fingernails on the desk. After waiting a few minutes, she received a reply.
"I'm in the Digiworld, meet me there." was all it said.
"I hope he's alright," Jesi shrugged her shoulders and held her Digivice up to the computer screen.
"Digiport Open!"
When Jesi reached the Digiworld, she found Ken sitting on the rock where they had first met. His head was resting on his knees and she could hear quiet sobbing.
"Oh no! Ken!" she dashed over to him and leaned by his side. "Ken what's wrong, why are you crying?"
"We... we can't see each other anymore...." he choked out through his tears.
"What!? Ken why!? What happened?"
"My parents forbid it... they say I'm never allowed to see you again."
She put her arms around his shaking body and cried along with him.
"I can't believe this..." she whispered. "Ken, why would they do such a thing? I thought your parents were happy for you.."
"They found it... My mother did."
Jesi sat up and wiped the tears off her face. "Found what?"
"What you gave me...remember?"
"No, Ken what are you talking about?"
"They say I'm too young for you...I'm sorry Jesi.."
"What?" Then Jesi remembered the dream she had, of an ecstacy filled night spent with Ken, and the extra safety measure that had been left in Ken's desk drawer the morning after.
"Ken wait a minute, that was a dream."
All he did was continue to sob.
"Ken, how could you possibly know about that? I never told you, I didn't tell anyone!"
"You should go...." she heard him say softly.
"Ken! How can this be happening!? That was a dream!" Jesi stood up and looked all around her. "None of this is real is it!? THIS IS ALL A DREAM!" Jesi swung her fist around and the Digiworld shattered like glass. The shards of scenery fell to the floor and Jesi's eyes opened wide. She sat up and saw the 12 bodies of her friends lying on tables in a circle around her.
"What's going on!?" She yelled.
Arukenimon turned around quickly and saw Jesi awake. "What!? How did you wake up?"
"Arukenimon!! So you're the one that made me have that nightmare, are all the others dreaming too!?"
Arukenimon smiled. "Of course, Their terror and pain is feeding my monster, and it doesn't matter now whether you're awake or not. Shadowmon is already as strong as he needs to be."
Jesi clenched her fist and glared at Arukenimon. "I won't let you do this!!"
She jumped off the table and started shaking her friends awake. Arukenimon only watched.
"Go ahead," she said contentedly, "There's nothing you can do now anyway."
One by one, each child woke up. Tai shook his head a little and opened his eyes after Jesi had shaken him out of his dream. He glanced over and saw Matt sitting on his table with a dazed look on his face.
"Matt... Yamato! You're alive!!" He leaped off the table he was on and threw his arms around Matt.
"Tai!" Matt said, shocked. "What's going on? Where are we?"
"I don't care... As long as you're alive...." Matt could feel Tai sobbing into his shirt.
Matt didn't quite understand what was going on, but he was happy to see Tai. He wrapped his arms around him and held him close.
"Tai...."
TK and Kari were also in each other's arms.
"Kari... I thought you had vanished into thin air!"
"And I thought you were up in smoke," Kari smiled. She pulled TK down and planted a kiss on his lips.
Jesi shook Ken's dreaming body and he slowly came around.
"Ken, wake up!"
As Ken's eyes opened he saw the blurry image of a person over him. His view came into focus and he saw Jesi's face.
"Jesi!" Ken said nothing else and pressed his lips to hers. He held her slender body in his arms and ran his fingers through her long hair as they kissed. For a few minutes Ken did noting but touch her and look at her face to make sure she was real.
Jesi brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes and smiled. The she turned around to the front of the room.
"Oh no! Arukenimon is gone!"
"We appear to be in some kind of underground compartment judging by the temperature and humidity," Izzy said as he looked around.
Tai, who was still hugging Matt, stood up. "Well let's get out of here and go kick some Arukenimon tooshie!"
The others all nodded, and 13 Digidestined children left their underground prison in search of the spider woman and her shadow monster.
"It seems like we've been walking in this cave forever!" TK said. The Digidestined were all walking up a long, dark tunnel after Arukenimon.
"I don't see how Arukenimon got out of here so fast, what did she do ride a scooter out?" Tai said.
"I miss my scooter.." Joe sighed.
"Joe was that scooter even yours?" Matt said as he turned around and looked at Joe.
Just then a scream interrupted Joe as he was about to answer.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!"
"What the!?" Izzy cried as Yolei ran up and hid behind him. "Yolei what's wrong?"
"B..B..B..Bones!! There are a bunch of bones over there!"
The Digidestined walked over to where Yolei had been and saw a huge pile of rotting bones.
"I don't remember seeing these before," Cody said.
"This is very strange," Izzy said, examining the bones. "Digimon don't leave bones behind when they die, they're simply deleted and reconfigured."
"Well whatever they are they're creepy!" Yolei said.
"We can't worry about that now, we need to get out of this cave!" Tai shouted.
The children turned around to continue walking back out of the tunnel, but suddenly Tai yelled,
"Yami! Look out!" Tai dove at Yamato and knocked the both of them to the floor just in time. The others all ducked as a huge arrow like spike flew over their heads and into the darkness behind them.
"What the heck was that!?" Matt said from the ground. Tai helped Matt up and dusted himself off.
"That's weird..." Tai said softly. "I was just thinking about all the traps and stuff that are in caves in the movies and then that thing comes flying by."
"Hmm..." Izzy said as he put his hand on his chin.
"What are you pondering Izzy?" Sora asked.
"Tell me Yolei, what were you thinking about just before you saw those bones?"
"Well actually I was thinking about a book I just read about these people who found skeletons in an abandoned mine."
"Ok, I have a hypothesis," Izzy said.
"Here we go again," Tai groaned.
"I want all of your to concentrate on the sound of my voice ok, Now um, Mimi I want you to wish for something and concentrate on it really hard ok? But try to make it something safe please."
"Well, it would be nice to have a nightlight in a dark cave like this." Just then a tiny light appeared behind them. The Digidestined all turned around to see a little Palmon shaped nightlight sticking out of the wall.
"Prodigious! It seems that whatever someone thinks in this tunnel becomes reality, highly amazing." Izzy said.
"Well everybody make sure to think of something good until we get out of this cave," Tai said.
"Uh oh...."
Everyone turned and looked at Davis.
"Davis... what did you do...." Tai growled at him.
"Well uh, I was just thinkin wouldn't it suck if one of those big boulders came rolling after us like in Indiana Jones, heh heh... heh... um...."
A low rumbling was heard behind them. Joe stepped forward,
"I don't know what everyone else thinks... But I think this might be a good time to RUN FOR OUR LIVES!!!!!!!"
Everyone turned and began to run through the long dark tunnel just as a giant rolling rock appeared behind them. The sound of feet hitting the ground was drowned out by the loud rumbling.
Kari could feel sweat dripping down her forehead and her legs starting to give out as she ran. She stumbled and fell to the ground.
"TK!"
TK turned quickly and scooped Kari up in his arms without even thinking.
"Does this cave ever end!?" Matt shouted as the boulder got closer and closer to them.
"I wish we were anywhere but here!!" Mimi shouted.
Just as the Digidestined were about to be digi-pancakes, a door appeared in the side of the cave up ahead.
"Mimi you're a genius!" Tai shouted. He pulled the door open and everyone scrambled through just as the boulder rolled by.
Tai slammed the door behind him. "Davis if you ever do something like that I'm gonna strangle you with those goggles!"
"Well it wasn't my fault, I just have an overactive imagination, heh" Davis scratched the back of his head.
"Where are we?" Jesi said, looking around.
They were in a sunny clearing surrounded by tropical trees and plants.
"Oh look!" Mimi squealed. "A restaurant!" Mimi pointed to a small restaurant through the trees and skipped over to it.
"Mimi!! Where are you going? We need to find our digimon!" Tai yelled, but Mimi was already inside.
Mimi stepped inside the door with the others close behind her.
"Welcome to Digitamemon's, We fry it, You buy it!"
"Oh how good to see a friendly face!" Mimi cried.
"How can you tell?" Cody said quietly. They were all in Digitamemon's new (what another one?) Restaurant.
"Digitamemon, do you have any idea where our digimon are?" Tai asked.
"Now why would I know something like that? And you are gonna order or not?"
"I'll have the riceballs for an appetizer followed by some Sweet and Sour chicken!" Mimi said happily, who had seated herself down at a table.
"Good choice, that'll be 568 digi dollars"
"WHEN WILL THIS INSANITY END!?" Joe screamed.
"Digitamemon can you even tell us where we are!?" Tai yelled.
"You're in a restaurant."
"AGH!!"
Izzy tapped Tai on the shoulder. "Tai, if I may interrupt it seems our previous position is east of here." Izzy said.
"Thank you Izzy, the voice of reason."
"Come on everyone, let's go!" Matt said.
They began filing out of the restaurant.
"Are you sure I can't interest you in some egg drop soup before you go?"
"NO!"
