One Week...
Disclaimer: If I owned Digimon, Biyomon'd fall in love with Gabumon. Has she? Then I rest my case.
This chapter dedicated to anyone who thinks they'd be a likely candidate for Mattfanatics Anonymous. And don't look at the ceiling like that; there's no shame in dreaming of 2D perfection.
HuntressDiana and Miaow227 are given special permission to ignore this chapter. I think they know why. I don't know where Dragon's Star's allegiance lies, but she's (I'm assuming you're a she, D's *, please correct me if you aren't!) so perceptive that she'll probably realise halfway through what's going on, and then she can leave if she so desires.
.................
Author's note: This chapter switches perspective a bit. Most of the time it's fairly obvious who's talking. I've marked changes of viewpoint with an asterisk * just for clarity (something I intend to do again later on.) Warning: Long chapter.
.................
Part Eight: The Darkest Week of our Lives
*Sora*
"We really ought to get back, you know," I said, looking at the sky. "The sun's going down." He nodded. I had nothing against rock-and-roll strange behaviour, but it was making for a pretty one-sided conversation.
It had been a long walk and we hadn't really seen much. That is, I hoped we hadn't been walking round in circles. One snow-covered mountain much resembles another. And Matt, for all his good intentions, hadn't been a lot of help.
I tried to figure out where it was we'd left Tai and the rest. Trouble was, it got dark quickly here. It could have been any one of about twenty snowy slopes. How were we ever going to get back?
"There's no way we're going to find them before morning," I told him. "We'll just have to find somewhere and make camp as best we can."
Matt pointed. I followed his eyeline and saw what looked like a cave, somewhere in the nearest mountain. It would have to do- snow was starting to fall, and I for one didn't want to freeze. We ran for it.
*
The cave was bigger from the inside than it had looked from the outside. Narrow tunnels twisted off into the darkness and stalactites- stalagmites? That was Izzy's kind of thing, not mine- hung down from the ceiling like icicles. I couldn't help shivering. Somehow it was just as cold even now we were out of the snow.
"How big is this place?" whispered Sora. "I can't even see the back wall." It was dry in here. I wondered about making a fire but realised there was next to nothing that would burn.
"It feels a bit warmer further in," she called, and I followed her. I wished now that Joe'd lent us a torch. It was so dark, but she was right- there was a current of warm air coming from somewhere.
Suddenly, somewhere ahead of me, I heard Sora shriek. I ran forward, lost my footing and found myself falling. Darkness.
*
"Wake up."
I opened my eyes a fraction. It hurt.
"Are you all right?"
My head ached, but I didn't feel like I'd broken anything. Good. Then I realised what was strange. I sat up with a start. "So, you do talk!"
He grinned embarrassedly. "When it's important."
I nodded. There'd be time for explanations once I figured out what had just happened. We looked around. A shaft of light shone down from high above our heads. Matt looked up at it thoughtfully. "We must have fallen down there somehow. And landed. here."
"Well, let's see if we can find a way OUT," I said. "I mean, you're certainly not getting me up there."
Matt tried to get to his feet. "Darn!.I think I've twisted my ankle." I gave him a hand. We looked around at the- room? Cavern? It was neither, or both- and stepped down from the ledge where we'd landed.
We got halfway across the room before we heard the sound. Like a hiss and a rumble combined. Matt took a step backwards. Moments later a tentacle swept across the room.
I don't know how we got back to the ledge, but from it we watched the tentacle slide across the floor and then vanish back beneath it. I shivered. "Looks like it's his place." Matt picked up a stone from the ground and threw it. The tentacle swept out and crushed it to fragments. Now it was his turn to shudder at the idea. We stared. Now I could see light filtering through at the other side, but it was unreachable. Stalemate, as Izzy would say. Wish he was here, I thought. He'd know what to do.
We'd waited hours, throwing pebbles to check if it was safe yet. Presumably even terrifying monsters have to sleep sometime. It would seem not, however. It looked like there was more chance of Matt falling asleep than the monster.
I took another look at the light source. We must have been unconscious most of the night- it was definitely daylight. Hold on. There must be light in here otherwise how could I see anything? Got it. There was some sort of flame flickering over in the corner. Shame that it, too, was out of reach.
"What's that?" he suddenly said, his hand darting out to pick up something near his feet. He held it in front of me in the palm of his hand.
"It looks like..." I hesitated. "A Digivice. But it's black."
"Everything is, down here," Matt said. "But what use could a Digivice be to a non-Digidestined?"
"Digivices helped our partners digivolve," I said slowly. "So they could fight on our side. But this black Digivice..."
"Could be for-" He looked at me- "their side."
I didn't need to ask whose side. It was there in his tone of voice. "Well, I'm glad this fell into our hands instead of anybody else's."
"I know, but how do we get it somewhere it can't be used? There's no guarantee down here that tentacle-face won't grab it."
"We've got to get it to someone who'll know about it. That guy we met, if we can. What was his name? Jedi or something?"
"Gennai. But we'd have to get it out of here first, and it doesn't look like we're going anywhere in a hurry." He grabbed a pebble, threw it and watched miserably as a tentacle swept the floor.
"It could be harmless."
"Yeah, and I'm Bryan Adams. This thing's got darkness written all over it."
"Matt. what are we going to do?"
He didn't speak for a long while. I guessed he must be thinking. Occasionally he scrawled something in a notepad, but he wouldn't let me see.
"Sora," he suddenly said in a strange bright tone, "I've had this weird idea about when we get home. Would you like to come sing with Emelesce?"
"Well." I replied, startled by the change in mood, "I'd love to. If you think I'd fit in. I mean, I'm not exactly a rock chick."
"You'll fit in perfectly." He smiled. "I mean, the band was never just about me, right?" I opened my mouth to disagree. "No. That's just what the press and the fans think."
There was a kind of silence. I listened to the sound of our breathing echoing against the walls.
"You still going to marry Tai?"
"Well. Yeah. I think so." Why had I said that?
"That's. That's good." Why had HE said that? I rubbed my forehead to try and banish the headache.
"Sora, I've got an idea how to get- to get outta here." I looked at him. He seemed not to want to look at me. "Here- You'd better take this, in case I fall over. You know... My ankle." I reached out and took the black Digivice and some papers that looked like sketches of it, of the cavern. "Do you know how to run properly?" I shook my head. "You'll only need to run a short distance, so take deep breaths. Don't try to look around, it slows you down. Only look ahead, even if you hear that thing hissing in your ear. If you slow down, I might not be able to stop it grabbing you." I nodded. "When we get to the middle of the room, we hang back. I'll throw something to distract it. Then when I tell you, we run."
"I'm not sure this is going to work..."
He smiled. "Trust me, it will. Ask Izzy how I know, if you like." I looked up at him. There was something special about that smile, about the depth to his eyes, about the way he was looking at me. And suddenly I knew I didn't want to get back to the others, because there was something world- shattering I'd have to tell Tai...
I closed my eyes as the stone skidded across the floor, hoping it would work. I heard a slithering sound coming closer, not daring to look. "OK, Sora! Now!" yelled Matt, and I started to sprint across the room. Some way across I opened my eyes. Don't look anywhere but ahead. Whoomph. The tentacle had knocked over the torch on the opposite wall, and it sounded like most of the place was going up. Only look forward. I reached the light at last and threw myself through the gateway. I couldn't see Matt yet. Oh, no! How could he run with that ankle? He must have forgotten about it. I had to go back for him-
And in one moment, the cave roof collapsed and flames leapt through the gaps in the stone. The gateway might as well have never been there. I stood there unable to believe it. This couldn't be happening.
This couldn't. Be happening. As I stared ahead of me, the sketches Matt had given me fell from my hand. Desperately I snatched them up before the wind could lift them. I caught one page of sketches in my hand. But the other papers looked different.
One of them was folded in quarters. On the front it just said TAI. I pocketed it, a tear starting to travel down my face. There was a sheet of lyrics for a song, one I couldn't remember the band ever singing. And the final piece of paper had just a few things written on it, in his familiar scratchy handwriting.
Emelesce
MLS
Matt loves Sora
"No..."
I didn't feel strong enough to stay standing. Instead I almost fell onto the soft new snow that covered the mountain, while dust and smoke clouded the air above me.
......................
RD:
OK, now I can apologise properly for it not being Taiora. I had the whole thing planned out from the start and to change it would have changed the whole story. I'll write you unshakable Taiora fanatics something soon, if I have the time. But this fic was being sent to a friend before I published a word of it, and she's a Sorato girl. Me, I'm not saying. If you haven't guessed which I like better, more's the pity.
Disclaimer: If I owned Digimon, Biyomon'd fall in love with Gabumon. Has she? Then I rest my case.
This chapter dedicated to anyone who thinks they'd be a likely candidate for Mattfanatics Anonymous. And don't look at the ceiling like that; there's no shame in dreaming of 2D perfection.
HuntressDiana and Miaow227 are given special permission to ignore this chapter. I think they know why. I don't know where Dragon's Star's allegiance lies, but she's (I'm assuming you're a she, D's *, please correct me if you aren't!) so perceptive that she'll probably realise halfway through what's going on, and then she can leave if she so desires.
.................
Author's note: This chapter switches perspective a bit. Most of the time it's fairly obvious who's talking. I've marked changes of viewpoint with an asterisk * just for clarity (something I intend to do again later on.) Warning: Long chapter.
.................
Part Eight: The Darkest Week of our Lives
*Sora*
"We really ought to get back, you know," I said, looking at the sky. "The sun's going down." He nodded. I had nothing against rock-and-roll strange behaviour, but it was making for a pretty one-sided conversation.
It had been a long walk and we hadn't really seen much. That is, I hoped we hadn't been walking round in circles. One snow-covered mountain much resembles another. And Matt, for all his good intentions, hadn't been a lot of help.
I tried to figure out where it was we'd left Tai and the rest. Trouble was, it got dark quickly here. It could have been any one of about twenty snowy slopes. How were we ever going to get back?
"There's no way we're going to find them before morning," I told him. "We'll just have to find somewhere and make camp as best we can."
Matt pointed. I followed his eyeline and saw what looked like a cave, somewhere in the nearest mountain. It would have to do- snow was starting to fall, and I for one didn't want to freeze. We ran for it.
*
The cave was bigger from the inside than it had looked from the outside. Narrow tunnels twisted off into the darkness and stalactites- stalagmites? That was Izzy's kind of thing, not mine- hung down from the ceiling like icicles. I couldn't help shivering. Somehow it was just as cold even now we were out of the snow.
"How big is this place?" whispered Sora. "I can't even see the back wall." It was dry in here. I wondered about making a fire but realised there was next to nothing that would burn.
"It feels a bit warmer further in," she called, and I followed her. I wished now that Joe'd lent us a torch. It was so dark, but she was right- there was a current of warm air coming from somewhere.
Suddenly, somewhere ahead of me, I heard Sora shriek. I ran forward, lost my footing and found myself falling. Darkness.
*
"Wake up."
I opened my eyes a fraction. It hurt.
"Are you all right?"
My head ached, but I didn't feel like I'd broken anything. Good. Then I realised what was strange. I sat up with a start. "So, you do talk!"
He grinned embarrassedly. "When it's important."
I nodded. There'd be time for explanations once I figured out what had just happened. We looked around. A shaft of light shone down from high above our heads. Matt looked up at it thoughtfully. "We must have fallen down there somehow. And landed. here."
"Well, let's see if we can find a way OUT," I said. "I mean, you're certainly not getting me up there."
Matt tried to get to his feet. "Darn!.I think I've twisted my ankle." I gave him a hand. We looked around at the- room? Cavern? It was neither, or both- and stepped down from the ledge where we'd landed.
We got halfway across the room before we heard the sound. Like a hiss and a rumble combined. Matt took a step backwards. Moments later a tentacle swept across the room.
I don't know how we got back to the ledge, but from it we watched the tentacle slide across the floor and then vanish back beneath it. I shivered. "Looks like it's his place." Matt picked up a stone from the ground and threw it. The tentacle swept out and crushed it to fragments. Now it was his turn to shudder at the idea. We stared. Now I could see light filtering through at the other side, but it was unreachable. Stalemate, as Izzy would say. Wish he was here, I thought. He'd know what to do.
We'd waited hours, throwing pebbles to check if it was safe yet. Presumably even terrifying monsters have to sleep sometime. It would seem not, however. It looked like there was more chance of Matt falling asleep than the monster.
I took another look at the light source. We must have been unconscious most of the night- it was definitely daylight. Hold on. There must be light in here otherwise how could I see anything? Got it. There was some sort of flame flickering over in the corner. Shame that it, too, was out of reach.
"What's that?" he suddenly said, his hand darting out to pick up something near his feet. He held it in front of me in the palm of his hand.
"It looks like..." I hesitated. "A Digivice. But it's black."
"Everything is, down here," Matt said. "But what use could a Digivice be to a non-Digidestined?"
"Digivices helped our partners digivolve," I said slowly. "So they could fight on our side. But this black Digivice..."
"Could be for-" He looked at me- "their side."
I didn't need to ask whose side. It was there in his tone of voice. "Well, I'm glad this fell into our hands instead of anybody else's."
"I know, but how do we get it somewhere it can't be used? There's no guarantee down here that tentacle-face won't grab it."
"We've got to get it to someone who'll know about it. That guy we met, if we can. What was his name? Jedi or something?"
"Gennai. But we'd have to get it out of here first, and it doesn't look like we're going anywhere in a hurry." He grabbed a pebble, threw it and watched miserably as a tentacle swept the floor.
"It could be harmless."
"Yeah, and I'm Bryan Adams. This thing's got darkness written all over it."
"Matt. what are we going to do?"
He didn't speak for a long while. I guessed he must be thinking. Occasionally he scrawled something in a notepad, but he wouldn't let me see.
"Sora," he suddenly said in a strange bright tone, "I've had this weird idea about when we get home. Would you like to come sing with Emelesce?"
"Well." I replied, startled by the change in mood, "I'd love to. If you think I'd fit in. I mean, I'm not exactly a rock chick."
"You'll fit in perfectly." He smiled. "I mean, the band was never just about me, right?" I opened my mouth to disagree. "No. That's just what the press and the fans think."
There was a kind of silence. I listened to the sound of our breathing echoing against the walls.
"You still going to marry Tai?"
"Well. Yeah. I think so." Why had I said that?
"That's. That's good." Why had HE said that? I rubbed my forehead to try and banish the headache.
"Sora, I've got an idea how to get- to get outta here." I looked at him. He seemed not to want to look at me. "Here- You'd better take this, in case I fall over. You know... My ankle." I reached out and took the black Digivice and some papers that looked like sketches of it, of the cavern. "Do you know how to run properly?" I shook my head. "You'll only need to run a short distance, so take deep breaths. Don't try to look around, it slows you down. Only look ahead, even if you hear that thing hissing in your ear. If you slow down, I might not be able to stop it grabbing you." I nodded. "When we get to the middle of the room, we hang back. I'll throw something to distract it. Then when I tell you, we run."
"I'm not sure this is going to work..."
He smiled. "Trust me, it will. Ask Izzy how I know, if you like." I looked up at him. There was something special about that smile, about the depth to his eyes, about the way he was looking at me. And suddenly I knew I didn't want to get back to the others, because there was something world- shattering I'd have to tell Tai...
I closed my eyes as the stone skidded across the floor, hoping it would work. I heard a slithering sound coming closer, not daring to look. "OK, Sora! Now!" yelled Matt, and I started to sprint across the room. Some way across I opened my eyes. Don't look anywhere but ahead. Whoomph. The tentacle had knocked over the torch on the opposite wall, and it sounded like most of the place was going up. Only look forward. I reached the light at last and threw myself through the gateway. I couldn't see Matt yet. Oh, no! How could he run with that ankle? He must have forgotten about it. I had to go back for him-
And in one moment, the cave roof collapsed and flames leapt through the gaps in the stone. The gateway might as well have never been there. I stood there unable to believe it. This couldn't be happening.
This couldn't. Be happening. As I stared ahead of me, the sketches Matt had given me fell from my hand. Desperately I snatched them up before the wind could lift them. I caught one page of sketches in my hand. But the other papers looked different.
One of them was folded in quarters. On the front it just said TAI. I pocketed it, a tear starting to travel down my face. There was a sheet of lyrics for a song, one I couldn't remember the band ever singing. And the final piece of paper had just a few things written on it, in his familiar scratchy handwriting.
Emelesce
MLS
Matt loves Sora
"No..."
I didn't feel strong enough to stay standing. Instead I almost fell onto the soft new snow that covered the mountain, while dust and smoke clouded the air above me.
......................
RD:
OK, now I can apologise properly for it not being Taiora. I had the whole thing planned out from the start and to change it would have changed the whole story. I'll write you unshakable Taiora fanatics something soon, if I have the time. But this fic was being sent to a friend before I published a word of it, and she's a Sorato girl. Me, I'm not saying. If you haven't guessed which I like better, more's the pity.