That must be what you are feeling."
Daisuke Motomiya—"Reach For You"
(Translated by Riah-chan)
With Broken Wings
Chapter Eight: "Reach For You"
Kouji felt very uncomfortable as he stood in the cold lab, electrodes taped to not only his head, but his chest too. "I thought you were only measuring my brainwaves."
"I need to record your heart and breathing rate as well," Dr. Matsumoto informed. "During night terrors, a victim's heartbeat and breathing rate accelerate beyond normal. Because your brother is contacting you, your vitals could be affected." He handed Kouji a small red pill.
"What's this?"
"It's a mild sedative. It doesn't last for very long, but it acts quickly so you don't have to wait so long to fall asleep."
Kouji nodded. Having gotten used to taking pills without water, he swallowed it easily, receiving a rather stern look from the doctor. If there wasn't so much of an emergency on their hands already, he would have been lectured on how it was better to take the water as well.
"Don't let the Kaiser take hold of you again," Izumi begged.
"I won't," he promised, lying down on the bed. "And Kouri, I won't let him try anything against me. But I don't want you to open any links into my mind. Kouichi might try to pass through."
"Okay," she agreed, a sad tone in her voice.
"Izumi, Kouri," Dr. Matsumoto addressed, "it's time to move into the other lab. If anything goes wrong, which it shouldn't, I'll let you back in here."
The door closed, locking Kouji in a dark world of isolation. The events of the past four years swam through his mind as the medicine began to take effect. He relived the discoveries of his Spirits, the great battles and adventures they'd had while trying to restore the Digital World, the various friends and enemies they'd made along the way, the fight on the beach in January, the five months of torture and despair as a slave, the several hundred battles throughout the duration of the war, the play fight in the daycare, and the events on the mountain. Briefly, he wondered if everything had been laid out for him by Destiny, and if so, did he ever have a normal life? But those thoughts soon faded into perpetual darkness as his consciousness slowly slipped away.
Inside the lab, Kouri and Izumi watched the readings anxiously.
"Nothing should be happening yet," Dr. Matsumoto informed. "He isn't deep enough into REM."
"What will we have to look for?" Izumi questioned.
"It's hard to tell exactly," Dr. Matsumoto replied. "Just keep an eye out for any abnormalities."
Nearly half an hour later, Kouri spoke up.
"I think something's wrong." She pointed to a reading on the brainwave monitor. The doctor walked over and rubbed his chin.
"That's unusual," he commented.
"What is?" Izumi asked.
"There are two different brainwave patterns. See?" He pointed out two different sets of crests and troughs: one blue, the other yellow. "Kouji's is the blue one. This yellow one is interfering with his normal train of thought."
"They look like reflections," Izumi pointed out. Her own words suddenly shocked her. "No, it's…"
"Kouichi," Kouri whispered.
Kouji found himself sitting beneath the three moons of the Digital World. Suddenly, he felt an unusual change take place within him. He stood up, now barely twelve years old. He wore his old torn clothes, which had long ago been burned, and his hair was now long and tied back. Suspicious of the sudden changes, he looked up at the triplet moons. The primary-colored lunar beams vanished as the orbs that released them were eclipsed with an unidentifiable shadow, eventually creating a stone tunnel. A heavy mist set in, floating close to his ankles.
Rubber soles tapped against stone as a pair of black-striped brown Adidas sneakers soon appeared within the haze, followed by two legs, and eventually an entire body. Kouji stared patiently at the Digimon Kaiser until he had completely shown himself.
"Kind of impressive, Kouichi," Kouji commented as his brother entered his field of vision. "You control my appearance by only what you know—that one of the last times you could identify me as Kouji Minamoto, this is how I looked."
"And I see your resources haven't failed you either," Kouichi commented, removing Ken's goggles. "It seems you've learned of the first Kaiser."
"So what do you want anyway?" Kouji asked. "Aside from the obvious: to kill me."
Kouichi flashed his evil smirk again and lashed his whip around his neck once again. Kouji gasped for breath and began trying to pull it away, but to no avail.
On the other side, Dr. Matsumoto noticed a spike of anger in the yellow brainwave and a rise in Kouji's heart rate, but a stop in his breathing.
"The other entity is trying to kill him!" he informed.
"Kouichi's doing what?" Izumi responded in shock.
"At the rate Kouichi is going, he will succeed!" the doctor continued.
Kouichi turned the ring on the handle, releasing a surge of electricity. Kouji fell to his knees in pain, barely able to hold onto the leather any longer.
"The world is within my grasp," Kouichi stated, increasing the electrical output. "All of your pathetic attempts to stop me have failed miserably, yet you still prove to be a thorn in my side. These worlds and everything in them belong to me, and I'm not going to let you stand in my way."
Izumi and Kouri wasted no time in getting to Kouji. Izumi held his hand and began coaxing him to breathe, showing that she was there. Kouri knew she had to help him too, but there was nothing she could do to help. She wasn't a Chosen Child; she had no special powers. She was just an ordinary little girl, nothing special about her. All of her short life, she sat in the sidelines, in the shadows, while everyone else risked their lives. She had no way of helping them. There was nothing she could do…
No, that wasn't right. There was something that she could do.
In the end, she did the one thing she knew to:
She broke her promise.
Without much difficulty, she allowed Kouji's emotions, thoughts, and memories spill over into her own, while using his mental barrier to block Kouichi's mind. Many of the memories were too intense for her or were things she couldn't comprehend, but she eventually found something that made sense: the memory of a song she'd heard long ago that impressed itself into her. In a clear, unwavering voice, she sang part of it.
The song reached Kouji deep within his subconscious. The whip disintegrated from around his neck. He opened his eyes and drew in a breath. Nothing hurt anymore. All the pain was a thing of the past.
"Our sister," Kouichi realized. A terrifying smile crept onto his face. "Perhaps she can serve a better purpose than you ever could." In rage, Kouji lunged at him, preventing the older brother from shattering Kouri's mental shield.
"How can you hate her?" Kouji demanded. "Someone you don't even know?"
"Don't know?" Kouichi laughed, shoving him into a wall. "How's this? Kouri Minamoto, age three, date of birth: December 23, 2002 in Yokohama, Japan."
"Those are just facts that anyone could find out," Kouji argued. "You don't know her, or Izumi, or me. In fact, I doubt you even know who you are." Kouichi growled in fury. "Can't take the truth, can you?" Suddenly, Kouichi ran at him, but a bright white light stood in his way.
"Kouri?" Izumi checked, observing the intense concentration on the little girl's face. She placed her hands on Kouri's shoulders and immediately felt the intensity of the Spirits of Light. Though she wasn't particularly sensitive to that kind of thing, she knew what that white-hot light was instinctively. Frantically, she shook Kouri awake, tearing her out of Kouji's power. "What were you doing?"
"Kouji was in trouble," she protested. "Kouichi was going to…"
"You were in even more trouble," Izumi reasoned. "You shouldn't play with his power like that. It's too much for you."
"I know," she answered. "But I want to help Kouji."
"So do I," Izumi admitted. "But this is one of those fights that we can't help him with. The only thing we can do is be here."
The loss of the light signaled Kouji that Izumi had managed to stop Kouri from interfering. He and Kouichi stared at each other for a moment, daring the other twin to make the next move. It was a stalemate.
"In case you were wondering, I do know who I am," Kouichi stated, the fog closing in on him. "I am Kouichi Kimura, Digimon Kaiser, and your executioner." Upon seeing that Kouichi had indeed vanished, Kouji forced himself to wake.
Kouri and Izumi were standing beside him when he opened his eyes and slowly sat up.
"Is it over?" Kouri checked.
"I think so," he replied.
"Good news," Dr. Matsumoto informed, walking in. "Only one brainwave pattern this time. And it's Kouji's."
A feeling of relief swept over them, one they hadn't felt in a long time. There was no trace of Kouichi's thoughts or anger within Kouji's psyche. The world was in its usual chaotic state, but for that one moment in time there was something to be happy about.
Kouji stood up and removed the electrodes from his forehead and chest before picking up his T-shirt and putting it back on. He, Izumi, and Kouri then thanked the doctor and left for home.
It was four in the morning when they arrived home, yet everyone was awake and waiting for them. The exhausted expressions the three held on their faces yielded all questions until a later time that morning, after they'd slept. Not one of the three was in the mood to venture up the stairs to bed, so each chose a spot in the living room: Kouri on a chair, Izumi on the couch, and Kouji on the floor.
I'm not sure what's going on, Takamoto thought as he watched his friends sleep, but I think this has something to do with what that guy warned me about. Himi and I'll have to work quickly…
The three woke up at ten o'clock, much more refreshed than the previous morning. After showering and eating breakfast, they explained the problems of the past few nights.
"Kouji, why didn't you say something?" both Satomi and Tomoko asked in unison.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "But I wasn't sure of anything yet."
"Are you positive it's all over?" his father checked. Kouji nodded.
There was a knock at the door. Satomi was about to get up, but Takamoto interrupted.
"Don't worry about it, Mrs. Minamoto," he assured. "It's probably for me anyway." He made his way to the door and opened it to Sakiko. "You have the paint?"
"A 'hello' would have been nice," she muttered. "Yes, I have it." She handed over several bottles of white and light blue paint. "The school zones don't have gold, but I can get some gold hair dye from the drugstore."
"The wheels?" he checked.
"I'll get them from one of the shopping carts," she replied. "Gotta go!"
"What was that all about?" Kouji questioned once Takamoto returned to the kitchen.
"You're not the only one that can have secrets." He received a rather cynical look from everyone else. "I'll tell you all later," he promised.
Sakiko checked down the hair care aisle of the pharmacy, searching through the more exotic hair colors.
"Green, pink, orange, blue… What happened to the metallic colors?" she exclaimed. "It's obvious this town has heard of Goths and punks, so why don't they have any metallic sprays?"
"Can I help you?" checked a voice. It was the same elderly pharmacist from three years ago.
"Ojii-san!" Sakiko recognized, hugging the man she'd "adopted" as a grandfather.
"Sakiko, what is it that you need?" he asked.
"Gold paint or hair spray, and the wheels from one of your shopping carts."
"Well, I have the wheels waiting for you, but I don't know of any gold paint." He pushed his glasses up his nose in a gesture of concentration. "What do you need it for?"
"Something about blades. Himi and Takamoto need to paint some blades gold—why I don't know."
"Did they say what kind of blades?"
"No, but I'm guessing for a sword or some kind of weapon."
"I think I might have some brass finisher left over from before the war started. Stores in this area kept a lot of home-finishing merchandise so the townspeople wouldn't have to make the long trip to a hardware store. Do you think that would work?"
"I guess so, and if it doesn't, Himi can go and get whatever it is he needs." She followed her grandfather-figure down the "Miscellaneous" aisle and reached up to get a bottle of brass finisher. "How much do I owe you?"
"No need to pay for it, Sakiko. You know that Resistance services are free."
"Thank you, Ojii-san."
Sakiko handed Himi the brass finisher and wheels, surprised to see six extra people there with him and Takamoto.
"Art students from the school," Takamoto explained. "I figured we'd need a lot of help painting. Meet Hiwa, Romi, Keiko, Zyun, Teran, and Nairusu." Hiwa had blond hair kept back in two French braids on either side of her head, and hazel eyes. Romi's black hair was tied back in a half-bun, with her hair trailing out of it. Her turquoise eyes sparkled like diamonds in the sun. Keiko had brown eyes and light brown hair in a small ponytail on top of her head. Zyun had spiky black hair that he'd sprayed silver dye onto, creating the image of a rock star, and matching his (naturally) black eyes flawlessly. Teran, like Keiko, had a more modest appearance with dirty blond hair and dark brown eyes. But whatever Teran lacked in individuality, Nairusu made up for. He had his hair dyed bright orange and sticking up in every which way. Like Romi, he had bright blue eyes, but his matched the cerulean hues of the sea.
"Uh, painting what?" Sakiko questioned.
"Not what," Zyun corrected. "Who." He pointed to MetalGarurumon, who was already partially colored with white and blue paint.
"Romi, think you can start painting the blades?" Himi asked.
"All right," she answered, taking the brass finisher.
"I think we'll need to paint the metal on these wheels," Nairusu theorized.
"How are we going to get them on him?" Hiwa questioned.
"Guess we'll have to glue them," Teran realized.
Sakiko was confused, as she should have been. But rather than ask what on Earth they were possibly painting MetalGarurumon for, she declared, "Who's going to feed all these people?"
"Aw man," Keiko commented. "I never thought about that. You guys?" She was met with several answers of "no."
"I guess you'll have to eat at my place," Takamoto reasoned. "Let's see, it's Kouji's night to cook, so I'll have to let him know there are going to be a lot more people at the table than usual."
"Isn't it strange calling Kouji by two names?" Sakiko asked.
"A little," Romi admitted. "You see, we all live double lives of our own too. And without any type of help—even if it's just gray contact lenses—we'd never be able to keep up this charade. But Kouji and Izumi have been doing it for years. In a way, yes, it is weird calling them Masaki and Amiko while we're in school, but in all essence, it doesn't matter. They're still the same people. It just depends on what you want to call them."
"Hmm," Sakiko replied in comprehension, remembering the conversation about the Kaiser. "Then it's really no different from when a Digimon evolves."
"There's a difference all right," Zyun protested. "In an evolution, the whole body changes, and you're left with someone entirely new. Sure, some personality traits may be shared, but can you imagine an Ultimate level Digimon shaking in fear like a Baby I or II?"
"No, I guess not." She watched them all paint MetalGarurumon. Finally, she asked what she wanted to know: "So what's the point of this?"
"We'll explain later," Takamoto promised again.
"Is this why you two had to run off so fast, leaving Kotemon, Koemon, and me with all the kids in the daycare?" she questioned Himi and MetalGarurumon. MetalGarurumon nodded carefully so as not to obstruct the art job. "Why isn't he talking?"
"He's conserving his energy," Himi explained. "He has to stay in this form all night."
"Why?"
"We'll tell you later," Nairusu answered. "We don't want to repeat the explanation."
"But Himi and Takamoto could tell it to all of you," she pointed out. Teran groaned and Zyun put his hand over his face in frustration.
"If I tell you, you can't tell anyone, got it?" Teran checked.
"I can be trusted," she affirmed. Convinced, Teran leaned over to her and whispered in her ear.
"What? You've got to be kidding to trust a complete stranger like that! Why on Earth would you want to follow a plan like that?"
"You know as well as I do that your town isn't going to remain isolated for long," Hiwa reasoned.
"Some kids from the Resistance began dropping out of school, heading to the Digital World or to a free land," Keiko explained.
"The Kaiser's appearance at our school was no coincidence," Zyun added. "He's been looking for this settlement."
"Kouji…" Sakiko remembered. "He's looking for Kouji! That's why he's been trying to contact him!"
"Mm-hmm," Takamoto answered. "He might also be after my informant. And we all know what will happen if the Kaiser does find them."
"That's why we're doing this," Romi added. "If all else fails, we have an escape plan ready."
"I just hope we don't need it," Nairusu commented.
"Well, I have to admit, your cooking really has improved," Takamoto complimented after their dinner of chicken curry, rice, and vegetables was finished. "It now takes me a whole hour to get indigestion."
"Shut up," Keiko ordered, hitting him.
"He knows I'm only kidding," Takamoto replied. "I mean, with the training of both Yutaka and Tomoki Himi, there's no way for anyone to be a lousy cook." Tomoki had taught his brother several cooking tricks, and he in turn taught Kouji.
Kouji silently removed the soiled dishes from the table and placed them in the sink, checking a schedule for whose job it was to wash them.
"Dad, you've got to do the dishes tonight," he informed. It was the most he'd said the whole night. It was obvious to everyone in the house that Kouji's silence was a reaction from the influx of people. But the look on his face was one that implied that he didn't want to cause anyone to feel pity for him due to his dislike of crowded areas.
"Think we should finally let them know what we've been planning?" Himi checked.
"Yeah," Takamoto agreed. "Everybody outside!"
They all exited to the front yard, where the non-conspirators stared at MetalGarurumon with confused expressions.
"Why is he painted like Garmmon?" Kouri asked, voicing what was on everyone's minds.
"You still have the clothes you wore Friday, right?" Takamoto checked.
"Yeah," Kouji replied. "Why?"
"This is the way we're getting you out of this whole kidnapping mess," Romi began. "Through semi-flight, MetalGarurumon is going to create the illusion of those wheels accelerating his speed."
"Wait a second," Izumi interrupted. "What are you talking about?"
The six art students looked at each other, trying to think of how to explain it.
"Let's just put it this way," Zyun described. "The Kaiser never knew he was a triplet."
"Everything all set?" Izumi checked.
"Mm-hmm," Hiwa answered. "Romi and I'll keep it so the Kaiser doesn't see you. Keiko and Teran are standing by with Shiro."
"I hope they can tolerate that baka," Romi prayed.
"Himi has his part ready in the sewer, where you and Kouji will join him if something goes wrong," Hiwa continued.
"What?" Izumi asked, half-horrified.
"It's not really a sewer," Romi explained. "It's just a concrete manhole leading to a train station where a Trailmon will be waiting."
"How do you know all this?" Izumi questioned.
"See that guy over there?" Hiwa pointed to a young man wearing their school uniform. He looked just like all the other students; there was very little special about him. The only thing different about him was that he was wearing a white fisherman-style hat. Several times, he'd be asked to remove it, but he never did. "He's Takamoto's informant."
"Takamoto came up with the plan, but only when that guy told him of something that was supposed to happen," Romi added. "He's making sure everything goes flawlessly."
"Zyun and Nairusu are set with Katsuhito," Hiwa observed. "That guy's signaling the others—that's the cue!"
MetalGarurumon zoomed toward them, carrying a large sack similar to the kind the slaves used to store recovered weapons and mines. Teachers and administrators held out guns to him while the principal quickly dialed the police, who contacted Kouichi immediately.
The young dictator arrived via Airdramon, guarded by several of his finest soldiers and mercenaries.
"So, Kouji, it appears you finally came to your senses and surrendered to me," he observed. MetalGarurumon simply dropped the sack and sped off.
"Should we follow?" a lieutenant checked.
"No," Kouichi replied. "He wanted us to see this."
"Everyone step back!" a teacher warned.
A large circle of students and administrators formed around the abandoned cargo. Hiwa and Romi kept Izumi in between them to avoid her being recognized. The mysterious student in the white hat stepped up closer to her.
"Be ready," he whispered. "The Kaiser's going to try something." She glanced up at him, confused as to what he meant. He appeared the same age she and Kouji were, but something about him made him seem older. He didn't hide his eyes behind dark contacts, seeming to prefer the exposure of his indigo eyes—just a few shades lighter than Kouji's. Also, there was something behind those eyes—a regret perhaps as deep as the one that Kouji harbored: the knowledge that he was unable to save his brother. But what on Earth could this young man have done or not have been able to do that caused a regret like that?
The soldiers cautiously opened the sack to reveal Kouji/Masaki, bound by ropes on his wrists and ankles, gagged with a strip of duct tape, and blindfolded with a red scarf. He was rapidly untied and had the tape ripped off his mouth.
"What do you want now?" he demanded, painting the portrait of someone who didn't know he was set free.
"Masaki, calm down," his coach urged. "You're out of the enemy's hands now."
Kouji pulled down the blindfold and glanced around. Out of the red material fell a metal kanji-like symbol—the symbol of the Spirit of Light. Kouichi reached down and picked it up.
"Do you have any idea who grabbed you?" he questioned, skipping the formalities of asking if the young man was all right.
Kouji brought his hand to his forehead as though he was trying to concentrate. "That bird woman brought me a few kilometers across town, where she met up with some guy with long hair. He tied me up and blindfolded me." He then looked up at Kouichi. "The strangest part was he looked exactly like you."
Kouichi crushed the symbol in rage, throwing the now bent piece of metal onto the ground. "Find Garmmon! And don't return until you do!"
"Into class, everyone," a teacher ushered as the Imperial Guard spread across the campus.
The mysterious student watched the soldiers in fascination.
"What's so interesting?" Kouichi demanded.
"Nothing much," the student answered. "I was just marveling at how efficiently your soldiers work—in perfect formation, far superior than any army either the Digital or Real World could deploy. In fact, I've only seen soldiers like that once before…"
"What are you going on about?" Kouichi interrupted.
"It's nothing really. I was just interested in how they respond to your orders without question. They must be well-trained."
"You sound familiar," Kouichi observed.
"I'm new here," the student protested. "There's no way you could recognize me from here." And he walked toward the other students, leaving Kouichi to wonder where he'd heard that student's voice before.
The student walked over to Izumi and Kouji, discreetly keeping them out of Kouichi's visual range.
"Be careful," he whispered. "Kouichi has a sniper waiting on the roof for any sign of you." The two stared at him in shock. "What?"
"How did you know who he is?" Kouji asked. "Or who we are for that matter?"
"I can't tell either of you yet," he replied. "Just be ready."
A bullet suddenly hit an administrator next to Kouichi. More bullets soon sprayed across the ground, hitting students, teachers, and soldiers. And with his bright orange hair, Nairusu was an easy target. Ignoring their own safety, Kouji, Izumi, and the unidentified student ran over to get him away from the rain of death.
"He's still breathing," Izumi informed. "But I think the bullet hit a lung."
"Can you help me get him out of here?" Kouji questioned. The other student carefully placed one of Nairusu's arms around his neck to help him into a standing position, while Kouji did the same with the other arm.
Izumi began carving a path for them, pushing the panicked people out of the way so Kouji and the other student could get Nairusu out of the crowd. But eventually, Izumi found herself crashing into none other than Kouichi, who grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her from falling.
Unfortunately for them, the cuts on Kouji's neck were clearly visible this time.
"I should have known!" Kouichi growled, tightly gripping Izumi's shoulders. She quickly brought her knee up, connecting it with his groin. He fell over, temporarily out of the picture, but he did manage to yell, "Get them!"
The chase was on. Kouji, Nairusu, Izumi, and their newfound friend ran away from controlled students and faculty, while all those with the Resistance proved their training to be true. Fortunately for the four fugitives, more time ended up being spent on fighting and scanning DigiCode than actually trying to apprehend the so-called "enemies of the state."
"This way!" the student ordered, leading them to an Airdramon. Kouji used his D-scanner to release the creature from Kouichi's control before helping to rest a pain-stricken Nairusu on the Digimon's back.
"Where…are…you…going?" Nairusu managed to gasp out.
"Take him to the settlement by Mt. Fuji," the student requested softly.
"And get everyone to the evacuation ship," Kouji added. "Get them to Hong Kong."
"Nairusu, hold on as tight as you can, okay?" Izumi instructed. "Whatever you do, don't let go. We're going to rendezvous with Himi."
They ran toward a woodsy area, where a large concrete manhole protruded from the ground. But before they could reach it, the Imperial Guard appeared.
Startled by the ambush, Izumi and Kouji reached for their digivices.
"Leave them to me," their new friend volunteered. He performed a simple judo throw on one mercenary, knocking him into a soldier.
While he dealt with the Imperials, the two Legendary Warriors removed the iron lid of the manhole and jumped down, heading off to find Himi, who was surrounded by the Imperial Guard.
"Finally, I have three of the top fighters of the Resistance," Kouichi observed. "Do you have any last requests?"
"I do," Kouji replied. "Will you let them go if I surrender?"
"And why should I do that?"
In a single instant, Kouji had his laser gun out on his brother, his finger on the dummy trigger.
"Because you know what I'll do if you don't. And I will do it."
"Captain, release them," Kouichi ordered. Kouji made certain that Izumi and Himi were long gone before he finally dropped his weapon to the ground. "Sakuyamon," Kouichi called.
A tall humanoid Digimon in golden armor stepped behind Kouji. She took her golden staff and pressed it against his neck, while using her left arm to restrain his head. As he tried to move his head to see if Izumi and Himi were safe, she grabbed him by the hair and roughly pulled his head back. Just by that method of detainment, Kouji recognized Sakuyamon as the Renamon that had tortured him three years earlier.
"I suppose this isn't very comfortable," Kouichi commented in mock compassion, "but I really can't have you escaping, now can I?" He then removed two crescent-shaped strips of black metal and placed them around Kouji's neck, creating a circle. Within seconds, the circle sealed itself and red symbols on it began blinking. "Sakuyamon, release him." The Ultimate level Digimon obeyed while Kouji stood still, afraid of what this Black Ring would make him do.
"Pure Flame Fox Dance!"
Kouji responded to her attack in an instant, grabbing her staff and using it to pull her feet out from beneath her. Obviously, this ring didn't have the power to control his actions. Yet he had no time for relief as thousands of bands of DigiCode wrapped around him, creating an egg-like structure.
"Time to begin phase one," Kouichi decided.
Kouji pounded on the walls of his prison, determined to exit before he could be forced to evolve. But eventually the changes started to come: his clothes disappearing, yielding to armor; a transformation of his hair and eye colors; alterations in his height and strength; and weapons waiting for the chance to be used. As the DigiCode walls began to break down to reveal Kouji's new form of Beowulfmon, he forced himself to devolve, receiving opposition from Kouichi on the other end. The tug-of-war continued, with no victor apparent, until a shout of anger could be heard from Kouichi. Kouji tore himself free from the power binding him and devolved. The DigiCode unraveled around him, allowing him to see the mysterious student standing over several unconscious bodies.
"Your brother escaped," he informed. "But he'll be back, and he'll have an army searching for you." Kouji nodded in understanding, breathing heavily from the battle of power.
They darted down the tunnel, finally arriving at an underground train station where Trailmon was waiting with Izumi, MetalGarurumon, and Himi.
"Get aboard," Himi ordered, half-pushing Izumi inside.
"What about you guys?" Kouji questioned as he stood next to Izumi inside the door.
"I'm going to get everyone to Hong Kong," Himi explained.
"And I'll help MetalGarurumon see to it that you're not followed," the student added. "Press something on your digivice. That way, Kouichi will think that you used your Beast Spirit." He didn't use the slang the Chosen and all those close to them used, proving that he was not someone they'd previously known. Kouji followed orders, causing the Black Ring to blink in alert to Kouichi. From there, the doors closed and Himi, MetalGarurumon, and their new ally ran off.
Kouji momentarily sat down on one of the leather seats as a jolt of turbulence rocked the Trailmon, informing them all that they'd passed through the digital barrier. Unconsciously, he brought his feet up onto the seat as the form of Garmmon flashed over him. Across from him, Izumi was flickering in and out of Fairymon's body.
He stood up, now leaving MagnaGarurumon's form and entering Wolfmon's, and walked to the platform. Ahead of them was a world known for being inhospitable, and behind them was one that they'd learned was just as dangerous. He stared at everything he and Izumi were leaving behind—a world that had turned against them. He looked down at his body, the body of Beowulfmon, and wondered where everything would go to from there.
A gloved hand rested on his shoulder. He turned to see Izumi, in the form of Shutumon, staring at him with what had to be a smile underneath that mask. She rested her head against his shoulder as he held her close. As long as there was a tomorrow to fight for, they would continue the battle together.
Ojii-san: Grandfather
Baka: Idiot, jerk
I credit my friend Ashley for this chapter. It sounds very much like a chapter in her story The Range. I only wish she had the Internet so she could post it. It's an original story, and it's good! Also, part of the fight in the dream sequence came from Return of the Jedi. Romi was named for Romi Paku, Ken and Osamu's voice in the Japanese version. Hiwa was from the manga No Need for Tenchi. But Keiko was not supposed to be the other Dark Spore girl. I didn't even remember her name when I wrote this. Also, the "rain of death" and indigestion comment were from Robotech: the Macross Saga. As for the stranger...you'll find out eventually.