A/N: I am so, so sorry this took so long to get out. My whole household is ill and so I've been in bed a lot. Anyway I hope this chapter was worth the wait, you should know that nothing really happens in this chapter, but it does introduce another obstacle for Matt to face.
Disclaimer: I have yet to conquer the world, however I am working on the conga line thing so once I'm done with that I'll take over the world and buy out Digimon from all of the people who own it. And then I will bring back season one and all it's lovely characters and life will be wonderful again, but until all of this happens I do not own Digimon.
Matt was in agony; there was no other way to describe it. His whole body was sore, bruised, and scraped. His left arm throbbed with pain from where Piedmon's sword had been driven into it. His clothes were stained in blood and dirt. He hadn't slept or ate in over twenty-four hours and all he wanted to do was fall into bed and drift into the comforting darkness of the land of nod. Unfortunately he knew that sleep was a luxury that would have to wait.
'I'm pretty sure that dad would be a little concerned if he came home and found me sound asleep with blood caked to my body. That would just cause too many questions that I'm not prepared to answer.' he thought to himself as he walked out of his room and headed towards the bathroom.
Fighting the indomitable exhaustion that was beginning to overwhelm him, he staggered to the shower and turned the faucet knob, making the water as hot as possible. After the shower was running at full blast he began to rip of his clothes differently. Throwing the torn and stained garments to the floor he got in the shower and allowed the steam and warm liquid to ease the pain that racked his entire body.
Dried blood softened from the moisture and began to run down his skin mixing with dirt and sweat. His left arm hung loosely at his side as the pain from his horrendous cut increased. His right hand was placed firmly on the shower wall giving his shaking body support.
His mind began to drift as he felt he was going to loose conciseness once more. With a shake of his head he forced back the darkness that was so welcoming in his pain stricken state. Driving away the waver of weakness, Matt turned his attention to bathing.
"The quicker I get clean, the quicker I get to bed." He reminded himself as he grabbed the soap bar and rag and began to gently wash away all the remaining residue from his battle with the mega clown.
Once he was done bathing, a task that took longer then usual because he nearly passed out twice, he took a towel that was hanging on the bathroom rake and wrapped it securely around his waste. Now that he was clean a more difficult challenge arrived deciding how to treat all of his injuries. Since he was no longer hidden beneath a layer of dried blood and dirt, he could see the full extent of the damage his body had undergone during the battle. Most of the injuries weren't too bad in a sense of being life threatening; however they were quite noticeable and they did cause him a considerable amount of pain.
'There's nothing I can do about the bruises and gashes, those will heal in time.' A look of distaste passed over his face as he studied the multi-colored blemishes on his once flawless pail skin.
After going through the medicine cabinet he pulled out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a large box of unopened Band-Aids. It took him a few minutes to disinfect the sores on his body but once he was finished he placed Band-Aids on all the unclosed wounds. Now that he was done with the smaller injuries he turned to the one that was causing him the most pain.
The place where Piedmon had run him through with his sword was aching and already showing sings of infection. He was certain that this cut could become life threatening if he didn't figure out a way to stop the bleeding.
'I could always call Joe, I'm sure he knows how to stitch up a cut, but then I would have to explain how I got such a large lesion and I can't let the others know what's going on.' Matt thought to himself as his mind tried to come up with a solution for his damaged arm.
Finally he decided to handle the injury on his own. Taking a rag he held it to the horrible cut and applied as much pressure as pain would allow. He then left the bathroom and went in search of a needle and thread.
A few minutes later he was back in the bathroom with a sterilized needle preparing to stitch up the still bleeding wound. "Okay, maybe this isn't such a good idea." Were the only words he could think of as he examined his torn flesh. A debate began as the uncertainty of how he was tending to his injuries crossed over his mind.
'Maybe I should call Joe, I could always make up some excuse for the cut, but then he'd be suspicious. He'd also see my other injuries and that would defiantly bring up some questions. Not to mention he'd probably tell the other, and I don't want them to worry. TK would have a fit if he saw these gashes, and Tai probably wouldn't take it much better.' After going over the facts and probabilities Matt finally decided to complete the job he had already begun.
With a shaky hand he rose the small sowing needle with dark blue thread to his arm. "It's just like stitching a quilt." He told himself as he tired to remember exactly how his grandmother use to sow together the colorful pieces of fabric. "Of course this time the fabric is my own skin, and if I don't do this correctly the cut could get infected and then they would have to amputate my arm." His uncertainty and fear were laced heavily in his sarcasm.
With a deep breath he steadied his hand and began to stitch up the cut. At first he was in extreme pain, he didn't have anything to numb his arm with so the stitches weren't helping in that sense, but after the first couple of stitches he grew calmer and the pain was a little more bearable. Eleven tight stitches later and he was done.
He sighed heavily in relief, glad to be done with his injuries. After throwing the needle he had use only moments ago in the trash can, he forced himself to look at the small white space which was his bathroom. Immediately he regretted this for all he could see was torn and filthy clothes, red stained rags, and blood splattered upon the once white tile floor.
He use to hate this room, white ceiling upon white walls upon a cold white tile floor. It reminded him of a hospital. He kept begging his dad to let him paint the walls, but his dad always told him there was nothing wrong with the coloring in the bathroom. But now he finally got his wish, in place of the once spotless white floor there laid drops of crimson splattered upon the tile like red paint.
Matt felt like he was going to throw up. He hated blood; he hated the smell, the sight, and even the name. He didn't hate it in a sense that he would freak out and then pass out like Joe had done on their first adventure to the Digi-World; he hated because it was so significant. The red liquid kept you alive, and yet it was so easy to loose, it could be so easily spilt by the merciless hands of this world.
'It's funny I never even thought about this kind of stuff until the Digi-World. Before the Digital World I was like everybody else. Just a kid struggling to survive the hazards of middle school, my only worriers were getting the newest nintendo game before everyone else had it and making up excuses for not getting my homework done on time. I never really thought about death or life or destiny, until that fateful day when I was swept away from all I knew and thrown into a world of chaos and distraction. And now destiny has called upon me again, only this time I'm not sure if I can handle what it wants me to do.' Matt was brought out of his meditative state by the sound of the front door opening.
Quickly he jumped up from where he sat, ignoring his body's protest for more rest, and slammed the bathroom door shut. He then locked the door and listen for approaching footsteps. Straining his ears he heard a deep voice grumbling about how much he hated traffic. Matt sighed in relief as he recognized his dad's gruff voice. 'At least it's not TK.' He thought to himself, grateful that it was not his over protective younger brother. 'Dad's easier to get rid of then TK.' The sound of the door slamming and footsteps approaching caused Matt to grew uneasy. He was hoping that his dad wouldn't need in their only bathroom, considering he had yet to clean up the mess he had made. The footsteps grew louder signifying that he dad was outside the bathroom door.
'Please don't stop, please believe I'm not here.' Matt silently pleaded for his father to ignore his presence and go on with his day.
"Matt what are doing in the bathroom?" the sound of Mr. Ishida's stressed voice shattered Matt's hope of not being noticed.
'I have to get rid of him.' Matt thought desperately for something to say, but his mind was completely blank. "What do you usually do in the bathroom dad." Matt yelled back sarcastically.
"All right, well I just came back to get some files I needed." After Mr. Ishida stated this he left the hall and went into his bedroom. Matt waited pateinltly for him to leave; he didn't want to take any risk of being discovered in such a battered state. After a few minutes the sound of footsteps in the hall returned along with the sound of Mr. Ishida's voice. "I got the files I needed and I'm heading out. I'm not sure how late I have to work tonight, so I'll leave some money on the table so you can order takeout."
"Okay bye dad." Matt tried to sound energetic and cheerful, but his words came out a little weak. Luckily his dad had already begun to head out the door, and didn't notice his shaky reply.
Once Matt heard the front door shut and lock, he slowly stood up and eyed the bathroom. He really wasn't in any condition to be cleaning, but he knew he could leave the floor looking like a butcher's shop. With a heavy sigh he took another towel off the rake and began to wipe up the blood and water. The red spots turned pink as they mixed with spilt water and were then soaked up by the once white cloth.
Soon the floor returned to its dismal white state. All the blood had been removed and the only mess left was a pile of bloody wet cloths consisting of rag and Matt's torn clothes. 'What I am going to do about those? I'm not in the mood to hand wash them, and the washing machine won't get all of the blood out.' Thoughtlessly Matt picked up the pile of cloths and rolled them into a tight bundle. Then he opened his bathroom door and walked shakily into his room and straight to his bed. There he deposited the bundle of garments and rags under his bed, and gave them no more thought.
Now that all obstacles between him and rest had been eliminated he walked to his dresser and pulled out a pair of boxers. After replacing the towel with his shorts he went to his door shut and locked it then he headed to his bed. 'Finally.' Was the only thought his tired mind could comprehend before he fell into bed and pulled his blue comforter over his bruised body.
It only took a minute for Matt to drift, leaving the world of hate and tragedy behind for a world of rest darkness. So for the first time in over a year Matt slept in peace.
Rays of golden light shone through partially opened black curtains. The sun's light filled the room chasing shadows away and brining the peace and comfort that come with a new day. In the room lying on the bed amongst disordered blankets was Yamato Ishida. His chest rose and fell in gentle, even breaths. Lost in slumber, all worries and fear had been lift from his young form, his soul was at rest and this showed on his teen-aged face. The stress that had been building up on this young man had vanished as he left this world of care and entered dreamless sleep. It is sad that he could not linger in this state of peace longer, but the light of day beckoned this troubled boy back to the land of the living, back to the land of beauty and suffering. And so in answer to the call of day Matt awoke, and returned to the world he had dwelt in for so long.
Matt blinked slowly allowing his eyes to adjust to the light of morning. A yawn escaped his lips followed by a deep groan as he shakily pushed his body into a sitting position. Looking over his room with unfocused eyes sent a light dizzy spell over his dazed mind. He shut his eyes as the pain of his aching body and his pounding head began to register. Soon he open his eyes once more to find that the dizzy spell had passed and the pain in his body was less then it was the day before.
Slowly he pushed the pile of tangled blankets and sheets off his sweaty and bruised body, and swung his legs over the side of the bed placing them on the cold floor. For a moment he just sat and allowed the cool of his bedroom floor to sink into his toes and send a small chill of refreshment up his entire body. The feeling of the suns light upon his bare skin comforted him and confirmed that this was indeed a new day, free of the mistakes of the days before it.
"Another day, which mean I survived the night." Slowly he stood up, grabbing the wooden bedpost for support against the dizziness that had returned. 'I guess since I made it through the night that I'll be okay, but I still need to keep an eye on the bad cuts.' He mental winced as he reminded himself of his injuries. The night had driven the ghastly wounds out of his mind, but now he had returned to reality and with that came the reality of his condition.
Growing steady once more Matt decided to go to the bathroom and look at the extent of his injuries now that they had had a night to improve. Once in front of the mirror he saw that not much improvement had occurred over night. The bruises had only darkened in color, and the cuts had already begun to show their permanent effect in the form of scars. His upper left arm showed the dark blue thread which was his stitches and the outline of his largest wound. 'That will defiantly leave a scar. I'll to think of an excuse for it later.'
Luckily for Matt most of his injuries were below his neck and so they were consealable. An attire of long sleeves, pants, and gloves will be needed to hide his torn and bruised body, but it was cool outside so such clothing would be expected. The only problem was that he did have two injuries that he was unable to conceal a small bruise on his right check and a split lip. The split lip was to insignificant for anyone to really take notice, but the bruise on his check was an ugly shade of blue and looked completely out of place of Matt's fair skin.
'I'm not going to see anybody today, so no one will see the bruise. And I can just make something up for when I go back to school.' He thought as he left the bathroom and returned to his own room to search for something to wear. After searching through both his closet and dresser he found a long sleeve maroon shirt, cargo khakis and a pair of black biker gloves that were suitable for covering up the marks on his hands. The outfit wasn't stylish, but the clothes were loose and the fabric soft, which were two things he took in consideration when he began his search.
Soon he was completely clad in his concealing and comfortable garments, with combed and styled hair to top it off. He wasn't planning on going anywhere, but that didn't matter, if his hair wasn't perfect then he was certain hell would freeze over. He never went anywhere; he never even hung around the house without his hair looking exactly how he wants it. So with the golden locks in place he headed into the kitchen as his hunger showed its presence once more.
The many months of not eating properly had really begun to take its toll on him. His skin had grown thin and pail over the last couple months due to malnutrition. The other Digidestined had noticed, and expressed their concern for his health many times, but none of them had the courage to address him directly on the issue except his brother. TK constantly asked Matt if he was eating enough, and when Matt would ignore the subject TK would think of way to get Matt to eat, like inviting him over for diner or taking him to a restaurant. These little stunts showed the younger boy's love better then any words could.
Matt smiled to himself; the thoughts of his younger brother always gave him a sense of joy. 'TK's been so worried about me, I should have never gotten in a state which would cause him to worry.' Opening the large white refrigerator door he looked into the cool food closet, scanning over the options of food on the plastic shelves his eyes finally rested on eggs and bacon.
After pulling out the uncooked food and the utensils necessary to prepare his meal a thought crossed his mind. 'Should I be eating something so heavy after going so long without food?' he had heard that you were not suppose to brake a fast with a heavy meal because it could upset your metabolism or even become deadly. 'Oh well, I'll take my chances.' With that decision made he began to prepare his meal.
Two hours later Matt was stretched out on his couch still regretting his decision as the stomachache he had gained after eating his fried breakfast began to subside. 'Okay I will never do that again. I am so glad I don't have to go anywhere today, I don't think I could handle any social contact.' Just as he thought this, a low ring broke the heavy silence in the Ishida's apartment. With a loud groan and a couple of silent curses Matt slid off the couch and staggered towards the small table where the ringing phone laid.
Normally he would just let the answering machine take the call for him, and if it was anyone he had an interest in talking to then he would answer or call them back, but three days ago his dad grew angry with the small recording device while trying to eras the fifty something messages that had been taken that day, and threw it against the wall shattering the defenseless machine into many broken fragments. So now Matt had to take all incoming calls so he would not miss an important message for either his father or himself.
"Hello Ishida residence." Matt spoke after he had lifted the cordless receiver to his face.
"Hey Matt, I'm glad I caught you." Came the cheerful reply on the other end.
A smile tugged at Matt's lips as he recognized the sound of his brother's voice. "Hey TK what's up?" he answered back casually as he walked back to the couch he was resting on moments ago.
"Nothing much, I just wanted to make sure you were still coming today." The younger boy answered hopefully.
Matt cursed to himself. 'What was today?' he tried to remember what he had agreed to, but his mind could not produce an answer. "Um, where did I say I would be going?" he asked sheepishly once he realized he had no idea of what he had promised his younger brother.
"Matt, you said you would come to the debriefing, you misted the last three in-a-role." TK complained slightly agitated and slightly worried by his brother's behavior. 'Matt never forgets about his promises, what could have happened that could drive this so far from his mind?'
Matt was now mentally kicking himself for forgetting about his promise to TK. Once a month all the Digidestined get together and discuss what was transpiring in the Digital World. No one ever missed it, it was the one time that they could all be together just like the good old days when destruction was threatening both worlds. Mimi would even fly in from America just to spend this one weekend a month with her friends.
Matt had lost interest in the little meetings, since they never went over anything of significance. It was really just a time for them to all be together, and since he had been avoiding socializing with anyone he eventually quit going to the debriefings.
"So are you still going to come, or have you already made plains?" TK sounded atrabilious at the prospect of his brother not attending the get together.
'What should I do? If anyone touches me or notices my injuries then I'm toast, but I did promise TK. It's bad enough I didn't remember my promise, am I really going to not keep it too.' Matt decided he would go, even if the meeting wasn't very enlightening he would at least get to spend time with his brother and friends. "Of course I'll go TK, I told you I would and I will. So what time does this little party start?" he asked trying to cover his uncertainty with a joking tune.
"Great! And it starts at noon." The younger boy shouted with enthusiasm.
"Well, I'll see you at noon then." Matt laughed, as he was unable to contain his amusement from his brother's enthusiasm.
"Actually, I was thinking maybe I'd come by there and pick you up, then we could walk together." the young blond words were laced with hidden agendas.
Matt's smile immediately turned into a frown of distress. He knew his brother was suspicious of something and in his both physically and mentally weaken state Matt was certain he wouldn't be able to keep his secret under his brothers concern and pressure. 'If I'm alone with TK then he will defiantly notice that something is wrong, but if I don't go he'll be suspicious.'
"Okay TK, I'll be waiting for you." Matt decided to give in to his brother, he could never turn down one of the younger boy's request.
"Awesome, I'll be there in ten minutes, and we can stop for coffee on the way to Izzy's place." With that the ecstatic boy hung up leaving his older brother shocked and out whited.
'Great Matt, you had better be careful, you can't let anyone know what's happening. Fate chose you for this life of trial and you can't bring the pain and struggle that comes with this life to the others. I have to spare them from all darkness, if I can.' With these last thoughts Matt went to get ready for his encounter with his friends.
Exactly ten minutes after the two brothers had had their phone conversation; TK arrived at Matt's front door.
'Okay this time you're going to find out exactly what's wrong.' TK lectured himself from outside the apartment that was home to both his brother and his father. 'Matt has always been there for me when I had a problem, it didn't matter what it was or how hard I tried to hide it, he always knew when something was bothering me. He could always tell when anyone was hurting. It was like he had grown so good at wearing a mask that he could see through other people and know if they're in pain or not. I'd like to think that I'm like that, but I know I'm not. I see someone being friendly or wearing a smile and I automatically assume that everything's all right. I guess I haven't suffered enough to recognize when other people have, and the only reason for that is that Matt would never let me suffer.' With thoughts of his brother's love to flue his motivation TK prepared to face the distant blond.
He raised his fist to knock on the door and summon his brother out of the lonesome apartment, but just before his knuckles connected with the obstacle between him and his brother, the door opened sending a chill from inside the apartment to welcomed the waiting boy.
"Hey TK I was wondering how long you planed to stand out here." Matt greeted amusingly.
The younger blond was baffled on how Matt knew he had been outside. "How'd you know?" he asked showing his bewilderment.
"Brotherly intuition." The older boy answered as he shut his front door and locked it.
TK liked the answer despite its lack of logic. "Well let's go then!" yelled the now very excited boy.
The noise of honking horns and people's raised voices, caused the pounding in Matt's head to increase. A traffic jam had built up blocking all roads with piles of unmoving cars. Children ran about playing in the lots between buildings, while grown ups rushed through the streets in attempt to complete their tasks for the day.
"So why did you come over so early?" Matt shouted over the noise of the ever-moving city.
"I told you I thought we could stop off for some coffee on the way." TK replied just as loudly.
Matt stopped and looked at his brother skeptically. "You don't drink coffee, because you believe it will stunt your growth and that it taste horrible."
The younger boy seemed at a loss, he was sure of how to reply. "Well I like coffee now, and we enough time." He answered and then with a nervous glance he noticed a small shop with the words coffee painted on the front window. "Well I'm going to get some coffee from in here, you can stay outside if you don't want any." With that TK mad a dash for the shop.
Matt watched his brother take off and then disappear into 'The Daly Grind'. He was partly amused and partly taken back by his brother's eagerness to interrogate him. With a defeated sigh he followed after his brother and entered the small café.
As usual the shop was completely vacant of customers, and as usual the teen-aged sales girl was leaning on the front counter idly flipping through a magazine. Matt smiled; he had always like this places because it was quiet, and out of the public eye.
TK approached the front counter and looked at the selection of beverages. Matt tried to contain his laughter as he watched his little brother stare at the alien drinks.
"Um, I think I'll let you order first." TK broke the silence as he realized that he had not idea of what he wanted to order.
The older boy laughed brining the attention of the girl behind the counter out of her magazine and to her customers. "Just get me a double espresso." He placed his order as his laughter died down.
"One of those days." the girl answer dully as she went to prepare his order.
'More like one of those decades.' Matt thought to himself.
"I think that's the first time I've seen you laugh in months." TK spoke in amazement.
Matt thought about his brother's words. It was the first time he had laughed in months. For some reason he felt calm and more relaxed. He was still on his guard, but he felt more open, and the joy of being with his brother did lift some of his burden.
"Well if you had seen your face when you were trying to read the menu then you would have laughed too." The older boy joked good naturally.
TK was about to defend himself, but the girl had returned to the counter with Matt's drink.
"Thanks, and the kid will have a small white mocha frap." Matt took his drink after he placed TK's order.
"I could have ordered myself you know." The younger boy complained as he watched his older brother take a sip of his espresso.
"Oh, sorry. What were you going to order?" Matt replied with a mocking smile.
TK thought for a moment before answering. "I thought I'd get the same thing as you."
"TK this is like drinking a pot of coffee in one cup, you would have had a heart attack from it." Matt lectured as the girl returned with TK's drink.
"That will be six dollars and forty-five scenes." The girl addressed Matt after she was done ringing up the drinks.
"What, we could get a whole meal a piece for that price!" TK exclaimed as he looked at the green neon numbers displaying the price of their drinks on the cash register.
"It's okay TK this one's on me. Go get a seat while I pay." Matt replied trying to calm down his little brother. 'I should have got him decaf.'
TK took a seat by the window and waited for his brother. He still hadn't tasted his drink, which he was certain he wouldn't like.
Soon Matt joined his brother and the two sat in silence while he sipped absentmindedly on his espresso.
'Matt seems happier, but he also seems more reserved. I know he's keeping something from me, I just wish I could figure out what.' TK watched his brother closely, his eyes searching for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. "Hey Matt why are you dressed so casually?" he asked once he realized that his brother was not clad in a more stylish attire.
'He knows me too well.' Matt thought as he faced his brother. "I didn't think I was going anywhere today, and I think I'm going to start dressing a little more like a high school student and less like a rock star."
"But why, everyone is always complementing you on your good fashion sense." The younger boy really wanted to know everything that was going on in his older brother's life, especially since Matt seemed to be changing.
"There are more important things in life then clothes, and I don't really care what people think. If they only like me because of how I look then they are not really my friends, nor are their opinions worth caring about." Matt answered seriously. He had grown tired of being nothing put a high school icon, now he was ready to be known as a person.
TK stared at his brother in disbelief. 'I guess I don't know him at all, I mean popularity always came easy for him, but I never knew that it wasn't the life he wanted.'
Matt noticed TK's look of quandary and decided to ease some of the doubts he was certain were flashing through the younger boy's mind. "TK, people change. It's just a natural part of life. Just because I'm changing doesn't mean that we aren't close anymore. You're still my little brother, and I'm still your big brother, nothing will ever change that, and nothing will brake the bond the two of us have." He spoke what he felt. If destiny meant giving up his brother then he would remain at war with fate forever, because nothing would drive him away from the hope of his life.
TK smiled and for a while he felt like he was eight again. Under the protection and the wisdom of his older brother he felt safe and at peace. He knew his brother would never abandon him or grow too wise to be with him.
"Aren't you going to drink your coffee?" Matt's soft voice broke through TK's thoughts.
The younger boy made a fast of disgust as he looked at the forgotten frozen beverage before him. "Honestly I'm not really a coffee fan." He explained once he saw that he had no other excuse for not drinking the, in his opinion extremely pricy drink.
Matt smiled understandingly. "Well you don't have to drink it if you don't want to, but you might as well try it while you're here." He answered and then drank the last of his espresso.
"Okay, I guess I could try it since it cost so much." Still with the look of distaste plastered on his young features TK slowly took a sip of the cold coffee. Once the icy liquid had gone up the straw and entered his mouth, his look of disgusted changed to a look of surprise and satisfaction. "This is really good!" he expressed his liking of the beverage as he continued to drink it.
"I knew you would like it." Matt answered as he watched his brother continue to inhale the icy coffee.
"No Davis absolutely not!" a stern and irritated voice shouted at the stubborn boy before him.
"Why not? It's and awesome idea." Davis pouted, as it was obvious that he was loosing the argument.
"Davis there is no way" the first voice continued, but was cut off before he could finish.
"Hey guys, what'd we miss?" TK asked as he entered Izzy's room followed by a silent Matt.
"TK you're just in time, we were about to get to the important stuff." Kari greeted as TK went and sat down next to the ruby-eyed girl.
After everyone had said there hellos to both brothers, Matt joined Tai on the floor by Izzy's bed.
"Wait to go TK, you finally dragged the recluse out of his house." Tai joked once the blond had situated himself on the floor.
Matt's only response to Tai's joke was a small glare which quickly faded into a smile.
Before anyone could say anything else concerning Matt's absentees or silence, Davis began with his argument again. "I still don't see why you guys don't like my idea." He complained, brining up the topic which was being discussed before the arrival of the two blondes.
Izzy broke in again, continuing the argument he had placed against Davis' idea. "Davis, we are not going to build an amusement park in the Digi-World just so you can have some entertainment on the weekends."
Matt smile at the sight of his successors defeated face. 'Okay this little meeting thing was worth coming to, if nothing more then to hear this argument.'
"Now that we're done with the little matters we can move on to the real issue at hand." Izzy spoke drawing everyone's attention to him. "All right now, yesterday I received an e-mail from Gennia which stated that he would like to speak to all of use today. So is there anyone who will not be able to spend the whole day in the Digital World?" Izzy addressed the group as he prepared the Digi-Port for travel.
Immediately everyone's eyes turned to Matt, who was slightly irritated with the sudden attention. "I'm free all day." he stated simply.
"All right then let's go find out what Gennia wants." Shouted Davis brining everyone out of the calmness of the Sunday afternoon.
With that the group grabbed their digi-vices and held them up to the computer screen. With a loud Digi-Port open a bright light filled the room and pulled the group of Digidestined into the world they swore to protect.
A comfortable silence had settled across the land. Beams of radiant sunlight streamed down, touching the grass with a soft kiss of life, causing the green blades to stretch as high as possible in order to feel more of the heavenly light. As always a gently breeze danced across the open field, catching fallen leaves in it's playful grips and tossing them to and fro in a beautiful display of color.
Resting peaceful on the fresh and oddly trimmed grass were twelve small figures surrounding a tall and thin man clad in a white robe. The thirteen beings simply sat and enjoyed the tranquillity of the Sunday afternoon.
In a burst of light twelve figures flew out of the small TV sitting innocently by the thirteen figures. Soon the silence that had settled upon the area was shattered by a collection of moans and shouts.
Matt was the to detach himself from the tangled group of kids. Unlike the others he had landed on his feet, which had prevented him from getting locked in the pile of twisted limbs and crumbled bodies. Soon after a couple of 'That's my foot!' and 'Get off of me's' the Digidestined had completely freed themselves from one another and were now stand and situating their clothes.
Immediately the digimon ran to their respective partners. Soon eleven humans and digimon companions were hugging and chatting loudly, their gleeful voices traveled lightly upon the open field were they met.
Matt and Gabumon watched the other partners greet one another before they approached each other. With a kind smile Matt slowly bent down and embraced his friend and mentor in a tight hug. Gabumon gratefully returned the embrace. An awareness of where and how tightly he could touch his partner had entered Gabumon's mind the moment he saw Matt. He saw how Matt stood away from the others and avoided physical contact; he saw how pain flashed through his partners crystal eyes with certain movements. He also felt the pain, the confusion, and the need inside Matt.
Need, peace, pain, all these things dominated Matt's soul. They clouded his mind with the desire to be normal, but they also settle his heart and gave him confidence in his choice to continue his quest to find his place in both worlds.
"I've missed you Matt." Gabumon's words were soft and full of love for his absent friend.
Matt smiled as he pulled away from the reptile digimon. "I'm sorry I haven't been around Gabumon, but I can guarantee you that things are going to change."
"I know my friend, and know matter what happens I will always be there to help you through these changes." Gabumon promised as his bright crimson eyes met intense cerulean ones.
'Does Gabumon know, he must know something.' Matt thought to himself as he stood with an appreciative smile upon his lips and in his eyes. 'He knows something, and he doesn't care, he's a good friend.'
"Hey you two can catch up later, we're here for information!"
The sound of Sora's voice drew Matt and Gabumon's attention to the rest of the group. They had already said their hellos and were now sitting in a circle prepared to listen to Gennia's words. Matt held back a laugh as he and Gabumon joined the group of anxious Digidestined and Digimon.
"Well it's about time, now we can finally get on with the debriefing." Davis declared in anticipation. He unlike most of the others had grown bored with the lack of action in the two worlds, and he hoped that this meeting would give information for a new adventure.
After Matt and Gabumon had seated themselves between TK and Tai, Gennia cleared his throat calling for attention from the entire group. "I am glad to see all of you Digidestined together. I only wish that this meeting could be under more pleasant circumstances." Gennia spoke wearily causing the group of guardians even more anxiety.
"I knew it there's another whacked out monster trying to take over the Digi-World and you need us to take care of it! Awesome!" Davis jumped into the air with excitement.
Yolie, who was sitting next to Davis, quickly stood up, grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back down to the ground. "Cool it Davis, you don't know if that's what's going to happen." She showed her irritation in her tone as she lectured the over-excited boy.
"Actually, Yolie and Davis, you are both right and you are both wrong." the white robed man spoke one of his riddles cause everyone in the group to look both annoyed and confused. "You see there is an enemy rising, but whether you are meant to or whether you can defeat it is not known."
"What are you talking about Gennia, can you just give us the straight story for once." Tai voiced the thoughts of the entire group.
Pinkish tent appeared on Gennia's checks as he cleared his throat once more. "Okay well it's difficult to explain since you don't know the entire history of the Digi-World, but I will do my best. You see when the Digital World was formed it was split into four regions, North, South, East and West. These lands were inhabited by many digimon of similar nature. Like in the East, angel and holy beast digimon lived under the protection of Azulongmon, whom you've already met. In the North nature spirit and man beast type digimon roamed and were guided by Xuanwumon. In the West cyber and metal empire digimon practiced battle under the instruction of Baihuimon." Gennia paused for a moment allowing everything he had said to sink in.
The Digidesitned all looked at one another with confused glances, all except for Matt. 'I know this story, I'm not sure how, it's almost like I was there. I guess I have a lot of questions for the Digi-Core when I meet up with him.' Matt thought to himself. He tried to act like this was all new information for him, but it was difficult, and he was growing restless around Gennia, though he wasn't sure why.
"Okay we've heard this before, what does it have to do with the Digi-World being attacked?" Davis blurted out, as he grew bored from Gennia's story.
"I'm getting to the significant part." Gennia scolded as he glared at the goggle-wearing redhead. "Anyway these three lands lived in peace for centuries, but one day all of that changed. The South under the rule of Zhuqiamon produced a bread of digimon unlike any that had been seen in the outside world. They were a race of warriors created only to destroy. At first the race caused no trouble, they stayed in their land and under the rule of Zhuqiamon, until the day that Zhuqiamon gave the control of the race to another mega, Piedmon."
"What!? You mean on of the four legendary guardians just handed over his control to a powerful race of digimon to the leader of the Dark Masters?" Cody shouted in disbelief. He had never faced the clown digimon, but the stories he had heard were enough to flue his hatred for the evil of this world.
"Yes, the race of warriors had to have a strong leader, and none had more power then Piedmon. He became the Lord of the Nightmare Soldiers, and under his leadership they became a destructive race. It was Piedmon and the Nightmare Soldiers, that brought the first darkness upon this world, and that is why we were forced to summon all of you here. No one had the strength to stand against the Nightmare Soldiers so we were forced to call upon you, the Digidesitned, to help us defeat these merciless creatures." Gennia finished his story and waited to see how the children would reply.
The group sat in silence as they took in every detail of Gennia's tale. "So why is any of this important now?" Joe asked their puzzling guide with a hint of complaint in his voice. "We already destroyed Piedmon, so why should we care about the Nightmare Soldiers?"
"It is true that Piedmon is gone, however the Nightmare Soldiers did survive the wars. Those that were left after the reconfiguration of the Digi-World returned to the South. Most of them lived quietly as they regrouped and tended to rebuilding their homes, but some were still blood thirsty, and they would not be content until they had destroyed the humans in revenge for their fallen master. The South broke into a civil war, one party wanted to go avenge their Lord while the other party wanted to rebuild their land and wait for a new Lord to arrive."
"Oh great, you mean there's a new guy out there." Mimi's voice broke through Gennia's words.
"If you would stop interrupting I will explain." Gennia answered irritably. "You see according to prophesy once the Lord of the Nightmare Soldiers falls, a new Lord will be chosen. He will have to undergo tests to see if he is capable of the position, and once he has passed the test he will be named the new Lord. Well eventually the first party of the south grew tired of waiting for a new Lord, so when Deamon came and announced himself as their true Lord they left with him, and now serve him willingly. Those who remain faithful to the law are still waiting for their true Lord to arrive. At first we thought that another Lord would never be chosen, but a strange presence has entered the Digi-World which leads me to believe that a candidate has already been chosen."
This time it was Izzy who decided to interrupt Gennia's tale. "So now you believe the Nightmare Soldiers are divided between the group which followed Deamon and the group who follows this new Lord."
"But how can that be, when we got ride of Deamon too?" Kari asked sadly as she looked at her Digimon partner in her lap.
"I'm afraid you did not destroy Deamon, you merely locked him away, and no prison can hold darkness forver." Gennia explained.
"A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished." Matt soft voice broke the silence that had settle amongst the group after learning of their returned enemy.
Tai looked at Matt closely. 'He's been acting strange lately, I wonder what's bugging him.' the young leader's concern for his friend was steadily growing stronger each time the two met. "Matt you've been reading again, how many times do I have to tell you that books will corrupt your young mind." The brunette joked trying to lighten the mood a bit, and to put at least a small smile on his friend's face.
Luckily for him it worked, Matt laughed at Tai's word before replying. "Reading great books whets but never slackens the thirst for greatness." Matt quoted the words of writers past once more.
"Can I please continue now, we don't have much time and I need to give you all the information I can." Gennia stopped the small moment between the two friends. "I have been monitoring Deamon closely and I am certain that he is searching for the new Lord as well. We must find the candidate and stop him before he has the opportunity to gain the Nightmare Soldiers trust and loyalty. Once he has control over the South their will be no stopping him. After we've defeated him we may go after Deamon and pick him off easily."
All the Digidestined like this plain except one. 'So Peidmon was right I can't trust anyone. I know why Gennia doesn't like the Nightmare Soldiers, but he still could have told the whole story behind them. How can I handle both him and Deamon?' Worry quickly grew in Matt's mind. Now both his friends and enemies will be after him, and he hasn't even become the Lord of the Nightmare Soldiers yet. "Gennia, how do you know a new candidate has been chosen?" the fearful blond asked, hoping to get as much information as he could.
"Fire has returned to the mountain where Zhuqiamon rest, this only happens when he is about to arise once more to bring a candidate before the Digi-Core." Gennia answered smugly. He was proud to have been one of the first to know of the coming of the new Lord.
"How can you be so certain that this new Lord will be evil?" Matt dared to ask another question.
"Because only evil has the power to control such a vile race." Gennia replied with a hint of disgust in his voice. "Out of curiosity why do you ask?"
'Oh great how do I respond to that?' the Child of Friendship looked around as though he was willing his surroundings to produce and answer to the prying being's question. "I haven't been to any of these meetings in a while, I was just wondering if there was something you guys might know that I don't. I just want to do my part to help resolve this matter, and bring peace to the Digital World." Matt's words came out confidently despite the uncertainty in his heart. 'Am I really getting that good at lying?'
A smile appeared on Gennia's lips as he stood up. "That is the attitude I like to hear. Together we will rid this world of the cursed Nightmare Soldiers, and the innocent will finally live in peace and safety." He exclaimed with pride. "I must leave you now, but I will contact you the second something happens. In the meantime, don't come to the Digi-World alone, it's far to dangerous." With that last warning Gennia began to fade, much like he did when he was merely a halo gram.
"So what do we do now?" Sora asked Tai, fear and distress weighing heavily in her voice.
"Well I guess now that the meetings is over we should head home, you heard what Gennia said it's dangerous with Deamon and that new Lord around." Tai answered with a gentle smile. 'I don't like that we must fight again, but if we have to then we have to. This is our destiny and no one can defend both worlds except us.'
"All right everybody let's get ready to go!" Tai ordered the group as he and Sora headed towards the TV.
"Hey Tai did you see where Matt and Gabumon went?" TK asked the undeclared leader.
"What do you mean, he was just here." The brunette scanned over the open field in search of his friend. "It figures he would take off, we need to get a beeper for that guy."
"I'll go look for him, he couldn't have gone far." the younger boy announced as he began to walk away from the group.
"Hold it TK." Tai ordered as he grabbed the blond by his shoulder. "I'll go look for Matt, you need to go ahead and go back to the real world, you and Davis both have basketball practice tonight remember." The older boy reminded the concerned Child of Hope.
'He's my brother I should be the one to go look for him, but Tai is right and besides he might be able to figure out what's been bothering Matt.' "All right, but you had better find him or I'll come after you." TK threatened naturally as he joined the group to journey back to his world.
"We're going to take the digimon with us, it's not save for them to be here with Deamon on the prowl. It's a good thing Azulongmon fixed the defenses of the Digi-World or one of the younger kids would have to stay with you." Izzy exclaimed just before the Digi-Port pulled him and the others into the gate of color and light.
Tai was thankful for that the digimon wouldn't be in any danger, he was also thankful for the chance to address Matt alone. The blond boy had distanced himself from his friends, and Tai was certain there was something wrong with him. Now that he could finally confront his friend without fear of interruption he was going to. Azulongmon had repaired the defenses of the Digi-World allowing anyone with a digi-vice to enter at their will.
"Tai we should go look for Matt and Gabumon before it gets dark." Agumon's small voice drew the brunette back to his task. "I can smell Gabumon in this direction so I think we should start there." The small organ dinosaur pointed into the woods at the edge of the flied.
"All right Agumon, well just follow your noise." With that decided the two headed in the direction where Matt and Gabumon had supposedly gone.
Drifting clouds soon passed over the sun, concealing it from view and blocking it's golden light from touching the digital floor. The trees of the forested were damp as well as the dirt ground. The air was steadily growing colder, but this was barely noticed by the two figures sitting quietly by the lake. The digital breeze passed over the body of standing water causing small ripples to spread through the once flat surface.
"Gabumon, can I ask you something?" the Child of Friendship's voice was a whisper. The soft tone flowed from his lips mingling with the cool air before fading into a memory.
"Matt you may ask me anything." Gabumon answered his voice equally as soft, though it lacked the musical tone that gave all of Matt's words wings.
"Do you ever feel like destiny had made a mistake, that fate expected too much from you?" the teen's words held the sorrow he felt in his heart.
Gabumon's eyes searched his blond friend closely, he knew Matt was dealing with something that no other human will have to face, but he also knew that Matt could conquer anything that destiny had chosen for him. "Matt fate makes no mistakes, your place in life may seem difficult, but it is not impossible. You have the strength to rise above the storm, and if ever you feel like you are going to fall then I will be there to catch you." The reptile digimon looked at his partner's crystal eyes, he could see the fear and uncertainty that Matt was feeling, but he could also feel the new strength and confidence that his words gave him.
"You know don't you." Just a whisper, but such soft words held so much meaning. Matt had feared telling his protector and mentor of the path he will take, but somehow that fear had vanished and was replaced by the comfort of a friend.
"We are a part of each other Matt, it was no accident that I was chosen to be your partner. Fate knew you would need someone who could understand your choose and I do understand for you see I am a Nightmare Soldier."
Matt looked at Gabumon in shock and confusion. 'Why would Gennia allow a Nightmare Soldier to be my partner.' He knew that Weregarurumon was a Nightmare Soldier, but he still couldn't understand what it all meant.
"I'm not sure if who I am had anything to do with your fate, but I am still a Nightmare Soldier, I felt your power just as Gennia did, but unlike Gennia I knew. I knew that it was you chosen to lead the race of the South, to return them to what they once were, I may have never lived in the South, but I still have my heritage and instinct, and those have told me what to do. They have told me that I am to help you in any way I can. I will stand by your side as I always have, not simply because you are the candidate to be my new Lord, but because you are my friend." By these words Gabumon proved his loyalty, not only to his Lord, but also to his friend.
"Thank you Gabumon, your friendship means more to me than you could ever know." The two partners embraced one another silently showing their friendship.
"Hey Matt, Gabumon where are you?!" a yell echoed through the forest, the sound bouncing off trees bring back the call in a softer volume.
"Over here Tai!" Matt shouted in return giving the lost teen a signal to his whereabouts.
Soon a tall slim figure came running from the direction of the field, following the first figure was a small orange reptile moving at a much slower pace. Soon the first figure emerged from the trees painting, and quickly following him was the reptile.
Without a word Tai walked to where the blond sat and kneeled down beside him. "I've been looking all over for you, all the others have already left." Tai's breathing soon faded from heavy paints to slow breaths.
"Gabumon and I were just catching up. I didn't mean to make you worry, or delay your trip home, sorry." Matt answered the worried team leader as he shifted his blue eyes from Tai's face to the small ripples on the lake.
'Okay now I'm certain something is wrong.' Tai thought to himself as he sat beside the blond. "There's no reason to be sorry, we were just wondering where you went that's all." Tai answered as he placed his hand reassuringly on Matt's shoulder. Immediately Matt flinched and jerked away from Tai's touch. The brunette looked at Matt with hurt and confusion in his hazel eyes.
Matt could tell that Tai was hurt, but he didn't know what he could do. Tai had touched his left arm, which was still aching from its lesion. "Tai, do you really think this new Lord will be our enemy? It seems like we're making him our enemy without giving him a chance to prove that he is not."
Tai couldn't understand his friend's words, but he still replied to what he felt was bothering the blond. "Matt if you don't want to fight anymore then we'll understand." Tai was glad that Matt was talking, it was a step up from his earlier attempts to discover what was wrong with the him.
"It's not that Tai, I'm always going to be here for you guys. You and the others are my world, and I am honored every time I get to fight along side all of you, but I can't help but wonder if this fight we are preparing for could be avoided." Matt didn't look at Tai; instead he gazed upon the lake. The sun had broken free from the curtain of clouds, and now its light glisten off the waving water.
"Don't worry Matt, we don't want to go into any unnecessary battles. If there is a way to resolve this peacefully then we will defiantly try it first." Tai reassured the distressed boy.
Matt smiled at these words, he believed it when Tai said he will try peace first, and that gave him some comfort as small as it was. "Come on Tai we should head back it's getting late." After this was said Matt and Gabumon silently left the shore of the lake.
With a heavy sigh Tai rose from the ground and followed his fiend into the woods. Two humans two digimon traveling silently through the woods as they headed towards the gate that would take them home.
Once the four companions had left the world and returned to the realm of humans, shadows from the wood were the sun could not reach took their true forms. A horned demon took shape from the shadows, a twisted smile appeared upon his face as cruelty flashed in his eyes.
"Master Deamon will find this to be very interesting."
~*~*~*~
Does that count as a cliffhanger? Well if it does it's not a very good one I know. Well please review, criticism, complements and even flames are excepted. I need honest opinions on every chapter. Also I don't think I'm going to update till I get at least five reviews. I know that I have little right to request so many reviews, especially since it's been taking me so long to update, but that is still what I am aiming for. I would like to know that at least five people are reading this fic, because there is little point in continuing if there isn't at least that many. So please send feedback. Bye, bye.