Annihilation
Part Five
Sora awoke to sirens. The sound echoed and bounced off of the tight ally way walls, as did the red and blue lights. She pushed up off of the ground slowly, trying to gather her memory. A dog barked somewhere close by, making her heart pump faster. The police cars passed by quickly and the ally way darkened once again. The light was poor, and fading quickly.
She tried moving her leg from under her body, but it had fallen asleep as well, needle like pricks going up and down it. She gritted her teeth and forced it to move, all the while a fear at the back of her mind screamed to be noticed.
She was in an ally way, all alone, in an unfamiliar part of town, with no way of knowing how long she had been asleep.
Tears formed at the corners of her eyes as she stood up.
"Mom…" she wrapped her arms around her waist and stated to cry, "Tai?"
"Tai! The phones for you!"
"Okay!"
Tai ran out to the living room and grabbed the phone from Kari, who looked remarkably perkier. Kari smiled and listened in on Tai's side of the conversation.
"Hello?…No, she's not here." A pause. "You can't find her? Did she tell you where she was going?…To the park? Okay, I'll help look. I'll be over there in five minutes. Okay Mrs. Takenouchi?…No problem, bye."
"What's the matter? Sora's missing?"
"Yeah, her mom says that she went to the park around noon and hasn't come back." Tai shrugged on a windbreaker.
"Is that where you're going?"
"No. Sora never goes to the park. She just told her mom that to get out of the house."
"So…where are you going to look?"
"Where I feel like it. Tell mom that I don't know what time I'll be back, k?"
A stubborn look passed Kari's face. "I want to look too."
"No. You need to stay here to tell mom where I went. Besides, mom didn't take a key, so she'll need you to let her in."
"Fine." Kari walked back over to the couch and flopped down. She switched on the T.V. sullenly and sat watching the news.
"Bye, Kari. I'll try to be back soon, but no promises. Anyway, Sora really needs me right now." He opened the door and stepped out into the chilly spring night.
"Well she's not the only one…"
Davis lay on his bed, a smile spreading itself across his features. He had finally won Kari over. The kiss they had shared…it wasn't a kiss that a friend would give to another friend…it had been for real. He rolled onto his back and grinned up at the ceiling fan. He was bursting with happiness; dying to rub the kiss in T.K.'s face.
"I bet that they've never kissed before."
"Who?"
"Huh?! Jun! Get out of my room!" Davis jumped up from his bed and ran over to the doorway. Jun backed up a little bit, clasping her hands together in front of her chest.
"Oh! Little
Davis finally got kissed! He's a grown man now!"
"That's none of your business!
Why don't you go obsess over that poster of Matt in your room? I bet you'll
love the new look I gave it."
"WHAT?! Davis- if you touched that poster-"
He slammed the door on her face and locked it (a special feature he had added himself for situations like these). He put his ear against the door and heard a satisfying screech.
"DAVIS!!"
Sora cried uncontrollably for a long while. Letting her pains and misfortunes get the best of her. Thoughts ran through her head, about her mother, digimon, Tai, her dreams. About the one dream she kept on having. It played like a recording over and over in her sleep, making her nights restless and unbearable. Even during the day she was haunted by the images of her and her friends, while Matt just watched. Always watching. That's what it seemed like in real life too. She could tell it was for a different reason though.
"Matt…"she started walking slowly towards the visible road. A streetlight illuminated part of the run down street, once in awhile passing cars broke the light. They drove past, oblivious to the girl that stood next to the streetlight pole, face stained with tears. "Matt…"
Tai didn't even bother stopping at Sora's apartment. He walked past it, ignoring all of the police cars parked in the lot. Wasn't Mrs. Takenouchi under enough stress without cops asking her questions about Sora? But that didn't matter. Sora would be back soon, with Tai's help of course.
He walked slowly. Somehow he could feel where her footsteps had been. The route that she had taken stood out to him. Certain warmth emitted from the concrete sidewalk to his feet as he traced each of her steps.
His mind wandered to many things as he walked the trail taken by Sora. He started to think about the days when he and the other digidestined had first gone to the digital world. The first night out in the words, and waking up to Jou's complaining. He smiled somewhat, remembering how young and inexperienced they had been. But the corners of his mouth lowered as he relived the time when Greymon had gone into Skullgreymon. How stupid he had been to run straight into the battle and risk his own life. And he had expected Greymon to digivolve with the power of his courage? There had been no courage in that act, just like all of the other times. The times when everyone would be impressed by his courage, when he would be impressed. But he was stupid back then, and he wished with all of his heart that he could show them just how courageous he was now.
Tai stopped his slow pacing and studied the ground. If he could only get the chance. He could change the image that they had in their minds of a small boy with a big ego. He sighed. But when he had killed Piedmon that had used courage. He continued to stare at his feet. But not enough courage. He had more; he just needed a way to prove it.
"Tai?"
Tai's head whipped upwards.
"Sora?"
"Tai!" Sora ran to him and flung her arms around his neck. "Tai! It…I…" her voice trailed off, no words coming to mind.
"Don't worry, I understand. But you shouldn't have dragged your mother into this."
"What do you mean?" she gave a sigh and covered Tai's mouth with her hand. "Forget it, we talk too much."
Tai's eyebrows rose up in a surprised smile as Sora locked lips with him. They stood for a moment in the circle of light kissing, Sora practically on tiptoe. When they broke apart, which they did eventually, a smile passed over both of their faces.
The streetlight flickered. The chilly breeze that Sora had felt earlier came back now, chasing papers and leaves around them.
"Tai…" Sora clutched hold of his shirt and pushed herself against him. "Do you feel that?"
Tai tightened his grip around her. "No…what?"
She didn't respond. With sudden intensity, the breeze transformed into an icy wind, tugging at their clothes and closing their eyes. Sora screamed out Tai's name, but it was swept away on the wind. The stormy wind performed circles around them; going so fast that the image of the two teenagers was blurred.
Sora opened her eyes and she could hear a voice singing. Faint and hindered by the whirlwind, it could barely be heard. She closed her eyes tightly and began to pray.
"The wind will chill you,
The snow will freeze you.
Lips blue,
And fingers purple,
Freeze, my children, freeze.
"Then comes the dragon,
Fiery with rage,
His breath will burn you,
Like a blue flame.
Burn, my children, burn.
"For icy is the death,
And fiery is the end.
Die, my children, die."
Inside the cyclone of wind, Sora clung grimly onto Tai, pretending to not hear the song. About death. About her death. About Tai's death.
Izzy tapped furiously at his laptop.
"Come on, Koushiro, we don't have all day. You need to find them, and you need to find them now."
"Shut up, I'm going as fast as I can. Have you ever tried locating someone in Odaiba just using a city map that you're not even supposed to have?"
Matt shook his head slowly. "Can't say that I have…"
"Good. Then shut up."
He continued pounding at the keys, eyes not leaving the screen once.
"Hey! Hey, I think I've got something here…"
"What?! I don't see anything."
"That's because you're blind, Yamato. You don't see the blinking circle?"
"Uhh…"Matt squinted his eyes. "Oh, yeah, sorry. But what does that have to do with Tai and Sora?"
"Idiot! Can't you see that I've narrowed everything down to this dot? I'm positive that's them!"
Matt looked doubtfully at the computer screen, a slight breeze ruffling his hair. Izzy glanced at him before continuing to type.
"Are you doubting my navigational skills?"
"What does this have to do with navigation?" Matt cowered under Izzy's severe look. "Uh…I mean, no. No, of course not. Why would I ever doubt you, oh great and mighty Koushiro?"
Izzy slammed down the top of the portable computer and stood up from his place on the bench quickly. "Listen, Yamato, are you going to follow me or what? We're about a mile away from them, and if we run we can make it under ten minutes."
Matt's eyes widened. "Ten?! Look, I'm a singer, not an athlete."
"Too bad. Do you want to save them are not?"
Matt straightened out his back and gave Izzy a funny look. "How do you know that they're in danger?"
Izzy looked up towards the night sky. It was perfectly clear. It seemed that every star in existence had gathered above the spot that he stood on, and they smiled down upon him.
"I just do, Matt."
And without another word, Izzy packed his laptop away and, slinging the carrier onto his back, began to jog. Matt hesitated a moment. He looked up at the stars, a sinking feeling in the bottom of his stomach beginning to form.
"Sora where are you." He ran his hand through his hair and closed his eyes, the sound of Izzy's footsteps fading away.
Tai's eyes shot open as pain greeted his awaking. His wrists were raw and bleeding from the shackles that imprisoned him, and the wounds from his battle with Piedmon throbbed from the cold. A groan emitted his mouth.
Snow fell steadily around him and he could feel his back pressed up against something cold and stiff. His eyes opened fully as he recollected his last moments of consciousness. The person that had been clinging onto him…
"Sora…" he moved his arm slightly against the howling wind that had started. "Sora…" He grimaced as blood began moving in his arm. The chains of his shackles rattled as he pulled against them. He tried moving his legs; first curling his toes then bending slightly at the knee. The gale seemed to close in around him, whipping his hair in every direction. "Sora, no!"
He pulled full against the chains as he struggled with them wildly.
"SORA!! SORA!!" The shackles on his wrists cut in deeply, and the snow pierced his body to the bone, freezing it through all the way. "Sora…" His shouts died down as he slid to the ground, back against the cold unknown wall, depressed and beaten.
Her name being shouted was enough to bring Sora back into consciousness. She shivered as a gust of cold air hit her, as if opening the door to a freezer. She opened her eyes little by little, seeing the flakes of snow fall off of her eyelashes. Hair hit her face, but the cold had numbed her so that she couldn't feel it. The feeling in her fingers had gone also, and her feet were unmovable as they were buried in snow.
"…die, my children, die…"
The words echoed softly in her ears, being the last thing that she had heard. A sigh passed her blue lips and she closed her eyes very slowly, drifting back into an unconscious sleep.
The doorbell rang, interrupting Davis' thoughts.
"Jun! Would you get the door?!" It rang again. "Jun!" The musical tone reached his ears yet again, forcing him to jump up off of his bed.
"Coming, coming." Davis dragged himself over to the doorway, pausing to pick up a note on the half wall. His eyes skimmed over it as he twisted the doorknob. "Gone to get another Matt poster? Stupid Jun…"
"Hi Davis!"
"Huh? Oh, uh, Mimi. What are you doing here?"
Mimi pushed past him and walked into the entry hall. "Oh nothing…it's just that my parents sent me off again…I'm really starting to think that they don't love me."
"Gee, I wonder why. So, uh, it's amazing that they let you come here so often."
Mimi whipped around, her light brown hair swishing behind her. "It's Spring break over in America, silly!"
Davis walked past her into the kitchen and yanked at the fridge door. "Whatever. I wasn't exactly asking what you were doing in Odaiba, I meant what are you doing at my house?"
"You were closest. Speaking of which, do you know where everyone else is? Hey, can I have one?"
"No, sorry. There was only one soda left. And no, I don't know where everyone else is. I don't find it amusing to stalk people."
"Is that supposed to mean something?"
Davis studied her face for a moment, and then decided to change the subject. "How many times have you changed your hair color?"
"Forget it. I'll find them by myself." Davis drank his soda casually, as if Mimi had not just stormed out on him. He walked over to the door and took another sip, choking on it as a screech sounded from outside.
"Mimi!" Davis dropped the can and ran out the door, towards the swirling whirlwind that held Mimi inside. "Mimi! Hold on!"
He struggled to get closer to her, but the powerful winds pushed him back. "Mimi! No!"
Davis charged towards it, straining every muscle in his legs, but a staggering blast of wind knocked him off of his feet and flung him backwards, off of the veranda.
Mimi opened her left eye slightly, just in time to see the last of Davis' feet disappearing over the railing. She felt a noticeably large rock of fear fill her stomach as the ground below her disappeared and the scenery around her went black.
"Whoa, wait a second. Where are they?"
Matt halted
behind Izzy, his breath coming out in gasps. "You mean to tell me that they're
not here?"
"Do
you see them here. Yamato?" there was noticeable tinge of sarcasm in Izzy's
voice.
"No I do not, Koushiro. So where are they? You're the genius here; find them."
Izzy slung his backpack onto the ground and pulled out his laptop. Matt let out a frustrated sigh.
"Look, do you really have to use a computer to find them? Can't you just call out their names like a normal person?"
"I'm not a normal person and besides, this way is more efficient."
"Uh…Izzy?"
"I'm kinda busy here."
"Izzy…look…"
Izzy peered over the top of his computer, his eyes going into miniature saucers. A whirlwind almost three stories tall was headed straight for them.
"MATT RUN!!" Izzy grabbed his laptop and sweat dropped as he saw Matt running away, getting tinier and tinier. "Matt…?" He could feel the whirlwind closing distance, and finally it was upon him.
Sora awoke once again as she felt hot air blasted onto her face. She opened her eyes gradually, seeing a blue figure in front of her face and feeling it's rancid breath fall upon her profile.
"For icy is the death,
And fiery is the end.
Die, my children, die."
Now that the voice was closer, it had a demented tone to it, as if the person (or thing) saying it was demented himself or herself.
The form before her grew clearer as she opened her eyes more. Their eyes roved around wildly as if searching, forever searching. Sora held back her breath and tried not to breathe in too deeply. A stench of rottenness followed the creature around (which might have been carried by the blue cloak that it wore) and whenever it moved the slightest bit, a new batch of the stench engulfed her. The forever-searching eyes were set deep into the creature's face, producing black shadows that helped illuminate the yellowness of the eyes.
"Sora! Over here!"
Sora looked swiftly away from the beast in front of her towards the sound of Tai's voice. He was positioned about ten feet away from her and was wearing shackles, as was she. Tai smiled a weak smile at her and then turned his head slightly to look at the blue creature. He scrunched up his face as a blast of air carried the horrendous stench towards him. A little smile spread itself across Sora's face. Stupid Tai…
The blue "thing" gave a sudden snort of happiness and scuttled off towards Tai. It ran full up to him, practically touching his chest as he (or it) skidded to a stop. It tried straightening out it's hunched back to look at Tai in the eyes. It gave a broad grin, showing off crooked and yellow teeth.
"You…you first."
Tai raised his eyebrows at it. "First for what, hunchback?" The creature barred its fangs and spat at Tai, blood rising behind its eyes.
"No one, no one calls Kahandro that. They hurt my feelings…yes…hurt them very much."
"And your point?"
"You…you'll not be so sassy when the dragon comes. He'll burn you, but me…I shall freeze first."
Tai shifted uncomfortably. "Well if you're going to kill me, kill me already."
He averted his head as the creature let out short rasps, a somewhat laughing type of sound.
"Me…I shall not kill you. No. Kahandro no kill. Kahandro freeze."
Its back popped as it straightened into a rigid position. It sucked in a deep breath and stood directly in front of Tai.
Tai could feel his heart beating abnormally fast. His eyes flickered over to Sora. She had pulled all the way against her chains to get a good look at Tai. He saw the tears that rolled down her cheeks, and he felt sudden warmth being emitted from her. Like her footsteps. How could he have felt her footsteps? Even now, when he felt nothing but cold, the thought of her and the sight of her was enough to bring a warm feeling to his heart. Tai swallowed hard. Are we…are we soul mates?
A blast of icy cold wind slammed into his body, smashing him against the cold wall. He felt the ice build around him and he saw the blue creature smiling. But he couldn't think. Tai felt his hands get plastered to the burning cold snow below him. He closed his eyes and felt pain all the way up and down the length of his body. The cold burned as it piled around him, engulfing his chest, then eventually his neck. The creature let forth his demented laugh as ice covered Tai's face completely.
Davis fell screaming, waving his arms and legs about for all that he was worth. The ground came quicker than he expected, rearing up to catch him non-too gently. The wind was knocked out of him as he slammed into it, his eyes opening wide.
"Ou…gees." Davis flipped over onto his side and gently touched his lips. He pulled back his hand, not too surprised to see crimson red on the tips of his fingers. He lay there on his side watching his hand shake in the air.
"Um…are you okay?"
He looked up to see a little kid around ten years old gawking at him. He laid his head back down and released a frustrated sigh.
"Just go away. Aren't you supposed to be asleep or something?"
The child continued to stare at him. Davis once again looked at him, a watch on the child's left wrist catching his attention.
"Hey…what time is it?"
"Around eleven. Are you sure you're alright?"
Davis gritted his teeth together as he pushed himself up. "I've never felt better; now would you go away?" he straightened out his shirt here and there, dismissing the child wordlessly. Still, his admirer/gawker stared at him, open-mouthed. "I said go away, kid."
"What happened?"
"None of your business."
"Pweese?"
Davis shuddered. Stupid children and their stupid 'pweese's.
"You wouldn't understand, now go away kid so I can think."
"Okay mister."
Davis watched him walk off like he hadn't a care in the world. A smile appeared on his face and he swore right then and there that, if he ever had children, he would teach them to call him mister. How cute.
Then his mind flashed back to Mimi, and he lifted his head up towards his apartment.
"Mimi…I'm sorry."
"Oh, heh heh heh heh, what's this? A new prisoner, I presume."
Sora watched with dull eyes as the blue creature walked off towards a pile of snow. After spending a reasonable amount of time with the thing, she had finally drawn a conclusion about his looks: he looked like something off of Dragon Ball Z. Maybe one of the enemies or something. She heard him giggle with delight as he dug in the snow, flicking it up like a dog.
"Oh! Not one, but two! Kahandro lucky today, yes he is."
His shriek shook Sora out of her deranged state, and as he scuttled away on all fours, she was brought completely into an alert state.
"He's here! Oh, the great dragon caller is here!"
Sora struggled against her chains, trying desperately to get a good look at this so called "dragon caller". She had heard the blue creature go on and on about a dragon, but his confusing talk plus her horrible state had made her only understand snatches of his talk.
"Stupid Dragon Ball Z thing! Get out of my way!"
Finally, the creature moved aside so Sora had a clear view. A small mound of snow next to the larger one shifted, and a familiar backside appeared. Sora's heart sank.