"If I'm with you,
I can cross over to the other side of the sky
No matter how hard it seems,
I'm sure we'll be all right."
Taichi Yagami—"Yuuki wo Tsubasa ni Shite"
(Translated by Megchan)
With Broken Wings
Chapter Twelve: "Yuuki wo Tsubasa ni Shite"
The first or second week of August—that was how long Captain Jen-Tai Liu approximated it would take for Kouji and Izumi to arrive at Kage's location. Well, they had news for him: It was not that short a time. It was already Friday of the third week, and they were hopelessly lost. After Cyberdramon's rampage, it seemed as though there was nothing but delays following them along the way. First, the storm had caused a tree to fall in their path, forcing them to make an abrupt course alteration to complement for it. Then, they'd run out of food, forcing them to go completely off their path to forage for anything edible. And now, they were lost in the search for water.
"Do you think we should have stayed longer at the castle?" Izumi questioned. "Taiyou would at least let us restock our supplies."
"I didn't think of it then," Kouji confessed. "Our first aid supplies were freshly stocked back at the caravans, and that was what I was most worried about; we can't replace that in the wild. But I never thought about our food and water. We usually just made do with what we could find." He glanced up. The sun was high in the sky, the heat beating down on them uncomfortably. Without water, they'd quickly dehydrate. Where was the rain from all those days before?
"Wait here," he decided. "If I don't come back in twenty minutes, evolve and follow."
"All right," she agreed reservedly.
With that approval, Kouji set off in search of any water source around. It took every second of the twenty minutes, plus about ten minutes more, but he finally came across a shallow river.
One of the many good things about the Digital World was the absence of pollution. Everything was pure and clean. When he approached the banks, he knelt down and began filling the canteens with the cool water, never once needing to worry about boiling it to kill off any microorganisms swimming around in it, or filtering it free of contamination by natural or industrial pollution. Here, things seemed more real, unlike all the artificial and superficial products back home. Despite the fact that everything around—even Kouji himself—consisted of data, making the realness seem contradictory, everything was real: tangible and attainable. But the one thing that neither world had tangible or attainable was peace. War was also all too real to both worlds.
"Salamander Break!"
The attack may have caught Kouji by surprise, but the flames didn't. As the bright orange flames danced toward him, he rapidly splashed water from the canteen at them. Enough of the fire was extinguished to prevent serious injury to him, but tiny flickering flames landed around him, forcing him to pour water over them. Momentarily, he frowned at the waste of the water he'd gotten lost for two days for and then looked up at Agnimon.
"Could you be any more careless?" he asked. "You nearly set to whole forest ablaze. I thought you'd have learned your lesson after you got your B-Spirit." The human-type Digimon stared at him in shock.
"How'd you…"
"Kouji!" called a familiar voice. Shutumon flew in to aid her boyfriend and devolved, very disappointed in the other boy she saw.
"Izumi?" Agnimon recognized.
"Takuya, devolve now," she ordered. "Really, I'd think you two would have stopped fighting long ago."
A thousand bands of DigiCode wrapped around Agnimon, eventually unwrapping to reveal an older but otherwise unchanged Takuya Kanbara. "Is that you, Izumi?" he asked.
"Of course it is," she answered in a rather exasperated tone. "But why were you fighting Kouji?"
"My bad," the Warrior of Fire apologized. There was a faint bleakness in his eyes that was unsettling. He then turned to Kouji. "I couldn't see too well in the thick foliage. I thought you were an enemy. Sorry."
"It's all right," Kouji assured.
"Come on," the goggle-headed leader urged, "let's go to base. Are the others in for a big surprise!"
They were escorted into a small clearing in the woods, where a large group of people was speaking English and occasionally Japanese. They were introduced to several Americans, including a tough woman named Valerie LaSalle, and three girls named Tram-Anh Nguyen, Katrina Vostok, and Skye Parker. The fighters from the Mt. Fuji Settlement already knew Izumi, but needed to be introduced to Kouji, as they hadn't had a chance to meet him before they headed off to the Digital World. Several Digimon had also joined their ranks: an energetic Terriermon, three Fladramon of varied personalities, a loyal and trusting Piyomon, a vicious-looking Dobermon, an inquisitive Monodramon, a powerful BlackWarGreymon, and a mysterious Tailmon.
"The real powerhouses of this team are BlackWarGreymon and Tailmon," Takuya explained. "Tailmon's been with us for a while, but Kage ran into BlackWarGreymon on his way to… Hey, wait! Where is Kage anyway?"
"He and the others have been looking for our mysterious contact," Tram-Anh replied. "They should be back soon."
"Okay, then we'll wait," Takuya decided. "I'm dying to see the looks on their faces!"
Tram-Anh covered his mouth. "I apologize for anything he says that might offend the two of you. So, where have you been hiding? You were left behind at the station, right?"
"We've been staying in a town we claimed after the hospital," Izumi explained. "But we're not sure if anything's left of that town anymore. It was probably taken apart when our identities were revealed to the Imperial Guard."
"Does this have anything to do with the whole Masaki Nishigawa fiasco?" Valerie questioned.
"It has everything to do with it," Kouji answered.
"What's wrong with your voice?" Skye asked.
"Vocal cord damage," he explained. "Long story."
"Kage!" Takuya cried in excitement, causing Kouji's eardrums to pound. How many times on this journey would his hearing be put in jeopardy?
"Can you keep it down?" Kouji requested. "My ears are pretty sensitive."
"It's about time someone told him that," Valerie muttered just loud enough for Takuya to hear.
"Sorry about that," the loudmouthed goggle head apologized, taking this moment to glare at Valerie. "Kage!"
"What is it?" the Resistance leader questioned.
"You'll never believe who just showed up out of nowhere!"
As the other four walked to where Izumi and Kouji were standing, Kouji observed a very slight twitch in Tailmon's ears and a faint glimmer of light off her Holy Ring. He wasn't particularly sensitive to the Powers of Darkness, but he had an unshakable feeling she was.
Overall, there was very little change in Junpei and Tomoki, aside from the fact that they were both older, and theoretically more mature. But they reacted to the sight of Izumi the same as they would three years before: the overwhelming mass of questions and everything. Kage, on the other hand, was more than just the organized captain that had unintentionally abandoned them before. He had changed more now that he had a lot more than just his old ragtag group of rebels to command. Like his sister, he had to prove himself as a worthy leader for the Digimon, and so his childish pranks were long gone. But he was still immensely curious and retained an insatiable appetite for knowledge, which proved he had been the fourteen-year-old commander on Mt. Fuji.
"Okay, one at a time!" Izumi pleaded.
"How'd you get left behind?" Tomoki asked. "You were right behind us, so why didn't you get on?"
"Takamoto was shot," she explained.
"So you went back for him?" Kage guessed serenely. She nodded.
"Is he okay?" Takuya questioned.
"Yeah. He needs a cane and uses a prosthetic leg, but other than that, he's fine," she replied.
"So who's that guy behind you?" Junpei asked.
"Guys, it's Kouji. I can't believe you don't recognize him." She was met with several blank stares and puzzled faces. "You know, Kouji Minamoto? My boyfriend?" At the name, Kage's eyes widened slightly, and he brought up his head in a gesture of recognition.
"Sounds like you got over Kouichi pretty fast," Takuya commented.
"What are talking about?" Izumi asked. "You've known forever. You have to remember Kouji?" Aside from Kage's reaction, there was little sign of recognition at the name. "Kouichi's brother?" Suddenly, the other three Chosen burst into uncontrolled laughter while Kage rubbed his chin in suspicion, where a few tiny stubbles of a beard showed.
"Get out!" Takuya laughed. "Kouichi with a brother? That's just too funny. I think you've been listening to all those rumors too long."
"Val," Kage interrupted. "We need a conference at the Inner Circle. You, me, Takuya, Junpei, Tomoki, Skye, Katrina, Tram-Anh, and Tailmon."
"All right," she agreed, and the elected members walked off.
Izumi turned to Kouji. "How could they not remember you?"
"Kouichi's power," he whispered. "I noticed it in their eyes. I think Tailmon noticed it too. I saw her react to them when they walked in. Everyone has it, I think."
"Then this whole base is ready to turn you over?" Izumi whispered.
"No. He can't control someone that refuses his power—that's why he uses the Black Ring on me. But we will have to watch our backs around here."
------
Tailmon followed the others to the Inner Circle. Valerie's and Kage's faces held very grim expressions that she didn't like.
"What was it you wanted to talk about?" Takuya asked.
"I recognize the name Kouji Minamoto," Kage explained. "He was a halfling that my sister holds a grudge against."
"A halfling?" Tomoki repeated.
"I know," he replied. "I normally don't use a word that profane, but Tai calls him that. Our father met him years ago. Apparently, he had the ability to become a Digimon through the Spirits of Light."
"But there were only nine Legendary Warriors," Takuya pointed out. He counted off each one on his fingers. "AncientGreymon, AncientMegatheriumon, AncientBeetmon, AncientSphinxmon, AncientIrismon, AncientVolcamon, AncientTroiamon, AncientMermaimon, and AncientWisemon."
"I know," Kage answered. "That's only common knowledge. From their powers arose the Spirits of Fire, Ice, Thunder, Darkness, Wind, Earth, Wood, Water, and Steel. But…"
"But there were those Spirits of Light," Valerie finished. Kage nodded.
"Is it possible to create artificial Spirits?" Junpei questioned.
"Not to my knowledge," Kage replied. "These Spirits were real, and so were the forms this Kouji Minamoto could assume. He seemed to fit the exact definition of 'halfling'—born of a human and a Digimon. But my father did get a chance to see his parents, neither of whom was a Digimon. But Kouji was certainly not entirely human or entirely Digimon, just like with your cases. He was a slave who had been beaten and nearly killed. There were no records for him anywhere. Three weeks after their first encounter, my father was assassinated. Tai still blames Kouji for Dad's death."
"Your father may not have been able to find any information, but maybe you can," Tram-Anh suggested. "Look for a birthdate, a warrant, anything. There's a chance he didn't originate far from Mt. Fuji or Tokyo, so start there."
He searched through the hospital records of every district of Tokyo, as well as the surrounding towns and cities: Odaiba, nothing; Hikarigaoka, nothing; Tamachi, nothing; Shinjuku, nothing; Jiyuugaoka, nothing; Shibuya, nothing; Chiba, nothing; Yokohama, nothing; Moto-Azabu, nothing; Azabu-Jyuuban, nothing—no trace of a Kouji Minamoto anywhere.
"So far, he doesn't exist," he alerted.
"Masaka," Takuya declared. "Try a worldwide search."
"Better yet, let me try a search engine," he decided. He logged onto a search engine and typed in the romaji for "Minamoto" and carefully selected the correct kanji form before doing the same for the name "Kouji." "If this doesn't work, I'll try a different kanji form. But if he claims to be the Kaiser's brother, his given name would start off with 'light' and then 'two'…" He pressed the enter key and received only the numerous warrants for the fugitive Kouji Minamoto. "Well, there's no doubt in my mind that he's a fugitive, but it doesn't look like they're the same person. Look, this picture looks nothing like our guy."
"What about that newer post?" Skye asked. "The one that says 'Masaki Nishigawa' on it?"
"We might as well see," he admitted, clicking. "They were from the same town." A picture of the missing student appeared. "Here he is. Looks like somebody's been causing some trouble back home."
"Do you think he could be an agent for the Kaiser?" Skye questioned.
"It's possible, but not likely," Katrina replied. "The Kaiser would never use a slave as a mercenary—not unless he had some ulterior motive."
"The Black Ring…" Tram-Anh murmured.
"Huh?" Takuya asked.
"It's nothing. I just remembered something you all once said about Ken Ichijouji, the original Kaiser. He used Black Rings too, right?"
"Yeah," Tomoki replied. "He used them to control his slaves."
"That thing on Kouji's neck. I think it's a Black Ring."
Takuya stood up, burning in rage. "I should have known!"
"Takuya, I never said that he was under the Kaiser's influence," Tram-Anh reasoned.
"Sit down before you hurt yourself," Valerie ordered.
"No way. I'm going to have a little talk with our new friend here."
"Don't," Tailmon argued. Since she had been silent the whole time, her statement caught their attention. "I'll go talk to him. The rest of you plan for an attack. The Imperial Guard's closing in."
Takuya sat back down as Tailmon left. There was something eerily familiar about this conversation, and it was sending a cold shiver slowly up and down his spine.
-------
Ki walked up to the entrance of the D.C./Fuji Resistance base. Quince Parker held out his latest weapon: a long wooden staff topped with the blade of a broken knife.
"Halt. Who goes there?"
"Knock it off, Quince," Ki reasoned. "You could kill somebody with that."
"Not with the blunt end."
"Still, don't point that at someone unless you intend to kill him. Got that?"
"Yeah."
"Did anyone new come in?"
"Yeah: an old friend of the Chosen's and her boyfriend."
"Their names?"
"Both of them had the name Moto-something."
Ki mentally kicked himself for asking Quince of all people to inform him when newcomers arrived. He could never remember specific details. "You're a lot of help," he informed sarcastically.
"Sorry. Uh, Izumi and Kouji—something like that."
"Finally! I've been waiting for them to get here!"
"They're your friends? Better let Kage and the rest of them know."
"Why?"
"Skye told me that they don't trust Kouji at all."
A sudden panic came over him as he realized the base was under Kouichi's control. Again, he mentally berated himself for not seeing it sooner. He had to find his friends before someone else did.
-------
Tailmon walked up to Kouji and Izumi, who were talking quietly about their predicament.
"It doesn't make any sense," Izumi was saying. "How can his reach come this far?"
"I don't know. But this is definitely how he got everyone else in the worlds under his thumb," Kouji replied.
"But all of them… It's terrible. You're nameless again."
"That's not a problem for me."
"But still, it's not right for anyone to be entirely forgotten."
"Not entirely," Tailmon corrected before Kouji had the chance to speak. "Ki remembers, and so do I, Legendary Warrior of Light."
Surprised to be called that of all things, Kouji turned around to see Tailmon. She stood there, arms at her sides, watching him carefully with bright blue eyes.
"Ophanimon," he realized.
"What happened to Lopmon?" Izumi asked.
"Like me, he perfected evolution to Adult, but he can't stay in that form all the time like I can. Kouichi tried to get rid of us, but we both evolved from our Child levels and fought him. Wendimon—Lopmon—fought as much as he could, but in the end, Kouichi made us an offer we couldn't afford to refuse."
"What do you mean?" Izumi questioned.
"We were both under the impression that Kouji was dead, but Kouichi revealed that he wasn't—just captured, and he'd willingly trade for either Wendimon or me. Despite the fact that Patamon had been entrusted with the Spirits both of you now have, I knew I was most responsible for ensuring your safety, Kouji. I was the one that led you in your search for the Spirits in the first place. So I volunteered to take your place."
"But he betrayed you," Kouji observed. "He didn't let me go."
"I tried to rendezvous with you, but that Reiyama wouldn't let me get close. Finally, I encountered a woman that Kouichi seemed to hate almost as much as he hated me. The woman was about to escape, so I begged her to find a way to rescue you sooner or later. She wasn't able to, but she managed to help you rescue someone else."
"She was that woman!" he realized. "The one that helped Toshiko escape!"
Tailmon nodded. "When you finally did escape, Kouichi decided to play his trump card. After months of experimentation, he managed to curse my Holy Ring with the same power he used on the Black Ring. I was under his power for three years." Kouji felt a tinge of guilt. As heir to AncientGarurumon's power, he was supposed to protect her, not the other way around.
"So did Lopmon escape?" Izumi asked.
"Yes, he did. Last I heard, he was training and building up his power while searching for Patamon so the Three Great Angels could be revived."
"Would that allow you to reach the Ultimate level?" Kouji questioned.
"I don't know, but even if we could reach the Perfect level, it would be some help. I know I'm strong as Angewomon, and if that's any indication, Antiramon and HolyAngemon will be just as strong, if not stronger."
"But how did Kouichi manage to block everyone's memories?" Kouji asked.
"I'm not sure how, but I know when it happened. It all started back in June, with the Masaki Nishigawa case. The other Chosen managed to figure out you were Masaki, but something went wrong. When your identity was revealed, we were all waiting for you and Izumi to rendezvous with us, so Takuya decided that we should all meet you at the Flame Terminal. When we got there, Kouichi personally came and attacked us. Anyone who could evolved to his or her highest levels, trying to defeat him. But he managed to harness the powers of his corrupted Spirits of Darkness, and everyone fell too easily. He held out that D-scanner of his and began sending a strand of dark DigiCode at us, but…"
"But what?" Izumi questioned, clearly intrigued.
"There was a girl standing on the platform of the terminal. She was holding out what looked like a pink-and-white D-scanner. She neutralized the DigiCode, but only from me. I could see she was angry about not being able to do more, but it was enough to frighten Kouichi. He began mumbling something about the light, and if the light was here, then the others must be too. Then he disappeared."
"His astral form," Kouji realized. "The same form he took when he came to the Digital World last time. He'd been working on it so he could be able to handle problems in both our world and this one."
"Sounds like he finally lost it," Izumi commented.
"I don't know," he replied. "Kouichi's gotten a lot saner since he mistook me for Osamu Ichijouji. I don't think he's losing his mind. He's referring to something important, but I don't know what it's supposed to mean."
"I wish I could help more, but that's all I know," Tailmon apologized.
"You helped us enough," Kouji answered. "Thank you, Tailmon."
"It was good to see you again, warriors," she replied, bowing in respect.
As the two humans walked away toward the river, Takuya watched from behind a tree. False memories plagued his mind, all brought on by Kouichi. Some of these invented memories were incomplete: just fights he and Kouji had had from time to time. As the memory of Kouji grabbing him prior to an attack by Duskmon and pressing him against a wall returned, he clenched his fists in anger.
Whatever that guy's up to, he won't succeed with it, he promised. I'll see to that.
-------
After searching around for a while, Ki finally managed to locate his friends at the river. They were refilling their canteens, and looked ready to leave. After what he'd figured out, he couldn't blame them.
"Kouji! Izumi!" he called.
"Ki!" Izumi called back. "We've got something to talk about!"
"Sorry I didn't meet you at Seraphimon's castle," he apologized. "A Cyberdramon kept following me. But I'm glad to see you made it here."
"Have you noticed anything particularly weird here?" Izumi asked.
"Now that you mention it, I have." He gave a brief description of his conversation with Quince. "I guess you've figured that one out on you own."
"And more," Kouji added. He went into full detail of everything Tailmon had told them. Ki listened attentively, and shook his head at the end.
"She should have told me," he commented. "Figures she wouldn't."
"What?" Kouji questioned.
"Never mind. But I really should have known this was going to happen, judging by Kouichi's style."
"His style?" Izumi repeated.
Ki nodded. "In most of his workings, he's mocking us, and everyone who knows anything about Ken Ichijouji. He copies events from the past—say the 'random coincidence' that Gotsumon's blow darts injected the bacterium into a victim's neck, just the same as how the Dark Seeds entered a person's body. Even some of his soldiers held a clue to that pattern: Tailmon, who just happened to be Hikari Yagami's partner Digimon, and Cyberdramon, the jogress of Monodramon and ZeedMillenniumon. And wouldn't you know it? Cyberdramon's Tamer is Ryo Akiyama, the only other person in the world that Ken could honestly call his niisan. Of course, you already know about the Black Rings, and even his base is the same as Ken's! There's no trace of Kouichi left! He is the Kaiser now."
"Just like you said it would happen," Izumi told Kouji.
"And there's even a connection in how he tortured you," Ki informed solemnly.
"What do you mean?"
"What Kouichi did to you is terrible—there's no denying that. But it's also exactly what Ken would have done to Osamu had he been alive. That is the one reason for why I can honestly say I am grateful that he died." There was a brief sorrowful silence before he continued. "And as for the memory loss…"
"Allow me to answer that," interrupted an ominously familiar voice. A dark shadow passed overhead, revealing Kouichi Kimura in his dark attire. Duskmon's crimson blade was in his right hand, ready to be used at a moment's notice. His left was concealed in his cape. "Just after his reformation, Ken discovered he could barely remember anything from before he became the Kaiser. And Ryo Akiyama developed amnesia from dimension and time traveling when he was battling ZeedMillenniumon. Interesting concept, is it not, halfling?"
"Everything you say to me applies to you too, brother," Kouji replied calmly.
"What binds us as brothers now?" Kouichi demanded. "It certainly isn't our Spirits, as you now have none. Destiny? Ha! I am the most powerful being in two worlds, and you are simply an escaped slave—a mutant. And as for our blood… How many milliliters did that stranger donate to you? A hundred? More? Your own blood was nearly depleted. Now that stranger's DNA has combined with your own. Your blood is still mixing. You're tainted."
"Our blood may be different, but we are still brothers," Kouji answered, struggling to maintain the level of his voice.
"You are not a brother. You are no more than an accident. Two children were born instead of one."
"And since you're the elder, you're the true child, am I right?" Ki guessed. "'All the world's a stage, and the men and women in it are merely actors…'—Shakespeare. Describes you pretty well, doesn't it?"
"Interesting talk from someone who shields his face. What is the purpose of your hood? Why don't you remove it?"
"Remove your mask, and I will be more than willing to remove mine," Ki replied.
Disgusted by the concept that he was wearing a mask, Kouichi ignored Ki and turned to Kouji.
"And as for you," he addressed. "The time of the Light has reached its end. Surrender, and I guarantee that things will be a lot easier on your friends. They won't suffer quite as much."
"And if I refuse?"
"Always answering one question with another," Kouichi observed. "Why do I even bother anymore?" Finally, he withdrew his hand from his cape, revealing the laser gun he'd taken from Kouji months ago. He held his finger on the dummy trigger, prepared to shoot.
"Ki, Izumi, run," Kouji ordered as calmly as possible. Fallen leaves crunched under their feet as they ran to find the others. Kouichi smirked. "What?"
"So that's how it works."
In one terrifying instant, he pressed the real trigger, sending a paralyzing red beam toward the escaping Chosen. Ignoring his own safety, Kouji turned in horror and ran to its victim.
There is a sector of the brain that begins the spinal cord. It is called the brain stem, and it regulates all functions of the body—both the central and autonomic nervous systems. A blow to the brain stem is almost always fatal.
Kouji could only remember two times in his entire life when he'd ever cried. The first had been when Hippogriffmon and Dalkmon managed to turn human-types and beast-types against each other. The tears then had been an accident, leaving his eyes after he'd taken a shot from the cannon on a tank. The second time he'd cried was when he and the others had burst into a hospital to find Kouichi unresponsive to a defibrillator. His tears had at least been useful, helping the wandering spirit of Kouichi reenter his body. But as he knelt next to Izumi, frantically trying to get her to breathe, deliberate tears streamed down his face, unable to help anyone.
"Come on, breathe," he whispered. "Breathe!" He'd seen her use rescue breathing enough times to try himself. He blew into her mouth and listened for breath while watching her chest for breathing movements. After three seconds, he repeated the process, over and over. Ki didn't have the heart to tell him it was pointless.
"There is a way to save her, but you have to agree to forfeit your life as you know it—surrender," Kouichi stated. "The choice is yours: her life or yours. Which will go?"
"I…I forfeit," Kouji whispered.
"What was that?" Kouichi asked.
"I forfeit!" Kouichi grinned as Kouji completely broke down, choking on his own tears.
"You still have the armor of Beowulfmon, am I correct?"
"Yes. Most of it."
"Excellent. As long as you have the shells of the Spirits, this will work."
As Kouichi walked over, his D-scanner replacing the gun, Kouji turned to Ki. "Get her out of here when it's over, please." Ki nodded, and the black digivice was placed against the ring, in the traditional spot at the back of the neck.
Once again, the cold numbness filled Kouji's muscles. His consciousness was pushed back into the deepest, darkest recesses of his mind, where he could not form verbal thought. His heart and breathing rates synchronized to Kouichi's orders. His vision was clouded, like he was looking through a shard of dirty glass. He was dead, but at the same time alive. It was the same as being connected to life support; every part of him was controlled by someone else.
Without his form changing in any way, his armor covered his body. The repaired helmet slipped down his face a little bit as he leaned closer to Izumi and began CPR—a process he'd never learned. After several seconds, Izumi coughed and began breathing again.
"She's been without oxygen too long," Ki realized. "There's brain damage. She won't be the same."
"Watch," Kouichi instructed. Kouji placed his hand on her forehead. His hand began glowing light blue, causing Izumi's eyes to momentarily open. "That's why I had him use his Spirits. The power of Light has a healing effect, even if it tends to effect the bearer's health."
"Are you referring to Kouji Minamoto or Hikari Yagami?" Ki asked.
Kouichi scowled. This young man knew far too much for his own good. "I suggest you keep your promise now," he advised menacingly, "or I may not be so kind later."
Without saying a word, Ki scooped up Izumi and left. There was one good thing about her being unconscious: She didn't have to see what happened to Kouji, did she?
"Kage! Takuya!" Ki called, running through the D.C./Fuji central command. His desperate cries for help eventually caught Quince's attention, and he ran over to see to the problem, lance in hand.
"What happened?" he questioned, seeing the unconscious Izumi.
"Where's Kage?" Ki asked.
"In the Inner Circle still."
"Get him to call for back-up. Kouichi is here."
"And let me guess," Takuya assumed, walking toward them. "That Kouji guy led him here."
"No, Takuya, Kouji is not the enemy," Ki reasoned. He had a sudden knowledge of how Daisuke Motomiya must have felt when he was trying to convince the other Chosen on Ken's innocence. "Kouichi brought the Black Ring back to life. If anything, that ring is the enemy. Now, take Izumi and try to get her to a Trailmon while Quince gets the Chiba/Beijing Resistance. One of you has to tell Kage that it's time to leave this world."
"What are you going to do?" Quince asked.
"Whatever I can. Remember, don't point that lance at someone unless you intend to kill them."
With those last words of advice, he ran of to his last location. Takuya debated joining him, but he had to see to it that Izumi was in safe hands.
"Kage!" he called.
-------
Ki arrived at the riverbank to find Kouichi continually striking Kouji with his sword. Seeing no suitable weapon, he dug up a handful of clay and threw it at the teenaged Kaiser. Almost as though sensing it, he slashed his sword at it, reflecting the mud into Ki's face.
"Returned for a fight, have you?" he asked.
"If that's what you want."
"Fine then." Kouichi looked at Kouji, who managed to draw forth his Licht Siegers from his H-Spirit. He then activated one, though not in a Z shape like he usually would. The white-blue light beam flickered and glowed as if threatening Ki.
"I've been forced to fight against those destined to be my friends for endless years," Ki informed. "One more will not make a difference."
Kouji began advancing toward Ki, no life in his movements. The other Chosen shook his head in disappointment: his good friend, honest intentions, now reduced to no more than a slave. He might not have been able to save Kouji from enslavement, but he could at least spare him the guilt and responsibility of the first advance. That decided, he charged Kouji, throwing him into the water.
The Licht Sieger slashed at him, but he narrowly dodged it, causing the light blade to hit the water. But this narrow miss also caused Ki to lose his balance, and he fell into the river. Kouji pressed him down, forcing Ki to frantically struggle as he tried to get up, but the only thing he succeeded in was losing his hood and matting his hair with red clay.
Several bubbles rose to the surface and then finally stopped, indicating a stop in breathing. Kouji stopped applying pressure and began walking away, only to feel a large wad of black mud hurled into his face. Ki jumped up, almost unrecognizable due to the clay and mud on his face and caked in his hair. He lunged for Kouji and swiftly grabbed the unlit Licht Sieger. He switched it on and made an imperceptible bow. The battle was on an even playing ground now.
-------
Quince dashed through the forest, desperately trying to reach the Chiba/Beijing base. But before he could even get half a kilometer away, a LadyDevimon appeared.
"Darkness Wave!"
Surprised by the ambush, he hit the ground. Determined to get past, he got up and jabbed his lance upward, but the Fallen Angel Digimon deftly grabbed the blade.
"Little boys shouldn't be playing with knives," she stated, crushing the sharp blade in her hand. "Now, I hope you weren't planning to fight me." He held his lance, but his hands were trembling with fear. It was all right to be charging into battle with Fladramon or any of his friends at his side, but he was facing danger head-on, alone.
Quickly, he hit her in the ribs, but there was no effect. Desperate, he tried her left shoulder, but the demon residing there took a large bite out of the wood. Quince brought his lance down and looked at the bite in absolute terror. There was no way he could win now!
"Heaven's Charm!"
Again, he jumped out of the way as this time, a rose-colored light wave careened into LadyDevimon.
"I should have known," the fallen angel realized as her DigiCode appeared.
"Scan it, quick!" Angewomon ordered.
"DigiCode Scan!" Quince cried, hurriedly absorbing every speck of data.
"Quickly," the former digital goddess urged, "we must get to the castle. The Chosen need help now." She scooped him up and carefully, but quickly, carried him to the other side of the forest.
-------
Cyberdramon sniffed the air as the wind blew an unfamiliar scent to his sensitive nostrils.
"Is it an enemy?" Taiyou asked.
"No. Resistance, I think: a human and a Digimon. The Digimon holds an aura of great power, even greater than either Kouji Minamoto or Izumi Orimoto possessed."
"Hmm," Taiyou replied. "How fast are they approaching?"
"Fast enough to be concerned about, even if they aren't Imperials."
Taiyou narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips together. "How long before they get here?"
"Ten minutes, tops."
"Tai?" Tori questioned.
"Tori, tell Liu to get ready. We're about to have some visitors. Again."
-------
Swordplay is a graceful art. Ignore the blades and concentrate on the movements: step, block, twirl, slash… It is no longer a fight, but a dance, whirling around endlessly in an uncaring galaxy.
Whirring, hissing, and cracking were heard as the two Licht Siegers struck each other throughout the dance. Sweat beaded down Ki's forehead, underneath hair so matted with clay that it was sticking up and out in every which way. He could think of several movies he'd seen that this fight most likely resembled, but with more than his own life on the line, science fiction didn't matter. Fate was to be the determining factor—yes, fate and skill.
Another narrowly missed slash toward Ki's dirtied face and it became apparent that Kouji was tiring. Though he was unable to show it, it was evident that the constant sword fighting was taking its told on him. His controlled breathing was deeper and faster, and sweat appeared to be rolling down his face.
"Growing tired?" Kouichi mocked. "You're free to stop whenever you want…"
"Kouichi!" interrupted a familiar voice.
"Takuya?" Ki recognized.
"Ah, so now the Legendary Warrior of Fire arrives to aid his comrades," Kouichi noticed.
"I thought I told you to get Izumi to a Trailmon," Ki reprimanded.
"I know, but I knew I had to come back and help. So I left Izumi with Tram-Anh. She's going to get her to the Trailmon. Izumi's in good hands, really."
"What a heartfelt sentiment," Kouichi commented, sarcasm dripping in his voice. "How noble friendship is."
"You know, I'm getting sick and tired of hearing you talk," Takuya replied. "Spirit Evolution! Agnimon!"
"Agnimon, keep him busy as long as possible," Ki instructed. "I'll try and figure out how to break Kouji's ring."
"You won't be able to succeed," Kouichi informed. "As long as I exist, that ring will hold your friend captive."
Ki frowned as his blade connected with Kouji's again. That's not the way the old ones worked, he thought. If Kouichi's right, then we'll have to kill him in order to save Kouji.
"Shut up!" Agnimon ordered. "Salamander Break!"
Kouji made another slash at Ki, but the mysterious Chosen kicked the warrior's feet out from underneath him and overtook him with a judo throw. Carefully, he removed the other Licht Sieger and let Kouji hit the ground. When the Warrior of Light got up and advanced, Ki fended him off with both weapons. Despite the fact that he'd never done sword fighting before, he caught on to the art very quickly and performed beautifully with two weapons.
If the fight looked like a dance before, it certainly was now. Ki made a low hit with the left saber and a slash toward the shoulder with the right. As he was right-handed, Kouji was able to block the left, but the hard light beam was able to dent the armor on his shoulder. Swiftly, Ki spun around, scoring a double hit with both weapons to Kouji's side. Finally, he brought his left saber up to Kouji's right temple; he had to knock him unconscious. But the white-blue light illuminated Kouji's face enough to reveal his eyes.
After four years, Ki thought he'd seen all the clues to mind control. Under Ken Ichijouji, Black Ring victims had glowing red, bloodshot eyes. Under Kouichi Kimura, the controlled had darkly shadowed eyes. Even the two Kaisers had shown a sign! At the age of nine, in the Dark Ocean, the Kaiser's influence caused something to be overshadowed in Ken's eyes, a "spark of life" that disappeared. The same spark was absent in Kouichi's eyes during his time as Duskmon and Velgmon. But Kouji's eyes were still deep blue, sparkling with life and tears. The look in them said, "I'm sorry. Kill me before I can do anything more."
"Takuya!" Ki shouted. "Forget Kouichi! I need your help!"
"What?" Agnimon questioned.
"When I tell you, fire at Kouji!"
"Are you nuts? That'll kill him!"
"Not if we do it right." He made a double strike, restraining Kouji's arms. "Now, fire!"
Kouichi froze in shock. Somewhere in the back of his mind, that voice and those words haunted him. But from where? And when?
"Burning Salamander!"
Agnimon poured forth all of his power, causing him to devolve. The flames rushed at Kouji as Ki jumped out of the way. He took the full hit and went flying. Immediately, Ki rushed over to his friend and carefully lifted him into a sitting position. Next, he pressed his own digivice against the back of Kouji's neck and pressed a button. The numbness disappeared, as did the armor. The sabers, however, remained in Ki's hands. Satisfied with the results, he placed his digivice back in his pocket and helped Kouji to his feet.
"What did you do?" Kouji asked.
"I neutralized the Black Ring," he explained. "Now we'd better escape. Hopefully, Takuya called for back-up."
"No."
"What?"
"I'm not running. I've avoided this battle long enough. I'm going to fight him."
Ki nodded in comprehension. "I'm sure that if he was here, Osamu would be proud. And were he in your place, he'd join you. I know Ken would do the same."
Kouji took the Licht Siegers and charged at Kouichi, who revealed another blade and accepted the battle. The weapons struck each other endlessly in a savage rush of adrenaline and sweat. As neither scored a satisfactory enough blow to the other, a loud shout rang through the forest:
"Erase Claw!"
The attack narrowly missed the fighting warriors, striking the ground as they both tumbled out of the way. Kouichi stabbed one of his swords in a small pile of mast while Kouji pulled himself out of the mud and clay. A small hole appeared in the ground where the attack hit, but neither of them cared.
"Missed," Taiyou observed.
"Still good enough," Kage replied.
"Where's Quince?" Ki checked.
"He and Tailmon entered the Trailmon," Valerie answered. "Everyone is waiting."
"What are those two doing?" Taiyou asked. "That little halfling is really beginning to push me to the limit."
Kouji finally dropped his sabers and began fighting with every martial arts technique he'd been taught for the past three years. Kouichi fought back with everything that he was, but nothing could stop either of them. Valerie watched, intrigued.
"They really are brothers," she realized.
"All right," Takuya addressed, "who are you, and what have you done with Valerie?"
"Just watch them fight," she instructed. "There are no rules. In every form of combat, there is a set of rules, but they aren't using any. My nieces and nephews fight the same way."
Kouji was knocked over at the river's edge. Kouichi slashed down with one blade, but Kouji deftly caught it between his hands. In a single instant, the sword became the whip, and a surge of electricity coursed from it. The skin on his hands began to melt with the heat.
"Blazing Ice!"
A sudden blast of ice hit Kouichi's hand, freezing it. Kouji rapidly got up and headed for the others. Ki grabbed Kouji's bag and sabers, knowing he would never be able to hold them.
"Hurry up!" Takuya ordered. "We have to get to the Trailmon!"
"BlackWarGreymon, help Kouji!" Kage ordered. The Ultimate lifted Kouji onto his shoulders and flew off to the Trailmon. This time, no one could afford to miss it.
Meanwhile, Kouichi turned his attention to the source of the ice storm. A brown-and-pink rabbit-like Digimon stood there, staring at him with dark brown eyes.
"I should have guessed it would be you," Kouichi commented. Master stared at student, and student stared at master. There was a long silence before he drew his blade and attacked.
"Lopmon evolve! Wendimon!"
If the battle of brother against brother was bad enough, student against teacher was worse.
-------
The burn specialist at the hospital, Dr. Linn, peeled away the last of the skin cell paper from Kouji's hands. She looked at the shiny red skin underneath and commented things in Cantonese that he hoped were good.
"Your hands have healed well," she informed in English. "I can barely find the burns. You were lucky. Second-degree burns usually accompany third-degree, or can upgrade to them. We didn't need to do any surgery. Just keep exercising your hands to rehabilitate them. They won't completely heal for another two years. There may be some scar tissue, but you'll be fine." He nodded, but a distant look in his eyes indicated that his mind was elsewhere. Dr. Linn carefully scrubbed his hands with a washcloth, then dried and bandaged them, being sure to cautiously wrap each finger individually. When the job was finished, she exited, and Sakiko entered with a pile of black clothes.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" she checked. He nodded as Ki walked in, his head covered as usual.
"Don't go overboard," he advised the Gothic former slave. "He's only going to be disguised until he can meet my contacts in New York. They have some clothes ready that they brought with them or bought, and they'll take over from there."
"I only gathered as much as I thought was necessary," she assured. She then handed Kouji the clothes and shut the door. After several minutes, he emerged in a black T-shirt, black jeans with chains on the sides, a Celtic cross, and black gloves over his bandaged hands. Ki handed him a leather jacket on loan from Zyun, and Sakiko marveled at the transformation.
"Look for two teenagers wearing these symbols on denim jackets," Ki instructed, handing Kouji a sketch of a flower and a comet. "They'll meet you at the ice rink at the address given. Whatever you do, don't give your real name. The Freeport-Baldwin-Oceanside area is Resistance territory, but there are enough Imperials roaming around New York for you to worry. My contacts gave you the name Gabriel, but don't use it at the rink. They'll hopefully find you before the Imperial Guard does. And take these." He handed over two folded black cell phones. "Kage secured the lines on these. You'll be able to keep in contact with Izumi when she wakes up."
"Thank you," he replied, the first thing he'd said in seven days.
He walked toward Izumi's room, not expecting to see anyone. Her family was still in hiding, and due to the chaos of relocation, no one had really had the time to visit her. So he was surprised to see a tall man dressed in the garb of a Catholic priest standing over her with a Bible, praying.
"Father Chen?" Kouji recognized. The priest turned in response to his name.
"Hello. Your friend Ki asked me to come here and pray for her. He said he was hoping for a miracle that probably only God could give."
Kouji sat down in a chair next to Izumi's bed and recalled their first encounter with the man, back when they were thirteen. They'd been running from the Imperial Guard when they'd managed to reach a Resistance worship center out in the woods.
"Are you here for the morning service?" an usher asked.
"Yes," Izumi answered. "But along the way, the Imperial Guard chased us."
"They are not able to venture into these woods," the usher informed. "The Digimon protecting this place can pick up any sign of them."
Knowing it was better to stay in the center than run for the settlement, they entered. A small bowl of holy water was placed next to the door. Izumi dipped her right hand in it and made a sign of the cross. Feeling awkward and out of his element, Kouji did the same.
The service lasted forty-five minutes, and it was unlike anything he'd ever seen. Izumi was Catholic—baptized during her years in Italy. The other Chosen were all Buddhist, while Kouji hadn't been raised under any religion. His mother had been Buddhist, which did him a world of good considering that he hadn't known she lived for years. His father was an agnostic, questioning his belief in everything. And Satomi was no better. She was a Shinto only by family tradition; she really didn't believe in the ancient religion. The closest thing he'd had to a religion was the knowledge that he was heir to one of the Legendary Warriors, and it had never really been something he'd thought much about, even though it hadn't been enough for him. He was glad that his family agreed that he was old enough to decide his own religion and let him be baptized and confirmed. Whenever Kouri was old enough, she would be given the same freedom of decision.
"Is something wrong?" Father Chen questioned, observing the silence in the boy.
"Do you think what I'm doing is right?"
"Sometimes running from something is the only way to save others. Back when China was governed by the Communists, preaching Christianity was illegal. In order to save my parishioners, I transferred to a small church in Kawasaki, and eventually found my way to the Resistance worship center. Now, some of those I used to preach to are fighting this war, trying to win back the fragile peace that was so painfully taken from us. That is what I am praying for: for Izumi to recover, and for this endless bloodshed to cease.
"Keep praying, Father," Kouji replied. "We need those prayers now."
Momentarily, he held Izumi's hand in his own, praying for the miracle that would take so long to come. He came to realize that Kouichi could not be his brother anymore, and was simply now and enemy he'd have to defeat. And he vowed to do just that. He vowed to fight with his love, his anger, and all of his sorrow.
Masaka: impossible, no way
Niisan: same as onii-san
As a note to Raven Nightstrider: Yes, I do write this all out before I post. I got the idea from Nic (Ken's luver) and her brilliant work on "Weight of the Worlds." And yes, I had to make these guys older. Wars don't end in five months—it has to be much longer.
There was only a minute thing of religion, and it was basically in honor of a friend of mine who has the same dilemma right now. Got a problem, don't complain to me about it. It was only for a friend.
BlackWarGreymon is not the same one in 02. That swordfight was from Star Wars, with Ki's thing with both Licht Siegers being from Anakin. G Gundam provided the last line of the chapter.