I know that broken wings do not fly."
Kouichi Kimura—"Oreta Tsubasa de"
(Translated by KarenSedai)
With Broken Wings
Chapter Sixteen: "Oreta Tsubasa de, Part One"
He made his way down the familiar streets of Tamachi, the ones he'd wandered every day of his life. His mission was to find the Tamachi T.M. apartment complex. Funny. He never had this problem back home. He could blindly wander around the streets, his mind elsewhere, and he'd suddenly find himself unlocking the door. Maybe it was because he was trying to hard to find the buildings that he was having such a hard time. Or perhaps it was the pouring rain, soaking through to his legs (which were unprotected by his black anorak) and creating no more than a gray haze around him. His disposition becoming even more bitter by the rain, he pulled his hood lower and kept walking.
Ten-year-old Toshiko Kawamaru glanced out the window, desperately searching for the young man they had called.
"Arc, I don't see him," she alerted.
"Have patience, Toshiko. He'll be here."
His instincts took over once the elevator stopped at the correct floor. He casually walked to apartment 303 and reached in his pocket for the key, only to remember that it wasn't there. Feeling awkward at being a guest in his own home, he nervously pressed the buzzer.
"Who is it?" a young girl questioned.
"Ken Ichijouji," he answered.
The door rapidly opened, and the girl ushered him in. She glanced around the corners and locked the door tight.
"Arc, he's here," she informed.
"Toshiko, where are your manners?" a familiar voice asked from the kitchen. "I raised you better than that."
"Oh, sorry," she apologized, taking his wet jacket.
Ken removed his thoroughly soaked sneakers and socks and stood in the hallway, wearing a long-sleeved gray thermal-knit T-shirt, a thin quilted black vest, and black nylon pants that were sure to dry soon.
"Hello, Ken," greeted a tall, white-haired woman in a close-fitting red dress. Ken stared at her in shock. "It's good to see you again."
"Uh, it's good to see you too, I guess, Archnemon," he replied.
"Please, here it's just 'Arc.'"
"Arc then," he corrected himself.
"You two know each other?" the girl asked.
"Toshiko Kawamaru, Ken Ichijouji, the Chosen Child of Kindness," Archnemon introduced. "Ken, this is my adopted daughter."
"I see you've made quite a life here," he observed, accepting a cup of jasmine-scented tea.
"Arc is a successful businesswoman," Toshiko explained. "With her money, she was able to rebuild—"
"Actually, Toshiko, I was saving that as a surprise," Archnemon interrupted.
"Oh. Oops."
"Can you get our jackets? We'll have to be leaving soon."
"Sure," she agreed, getting up from the couch. "It's really coming down out there."
As soon as Toshiko was out of earshot, Ken turned to his former nemesis. "I'm glad for you. You're getting the chance Mummymon and Oikawa didn't get."
"I've set up a trust fund for Toshiko. When the time comes, she'll have full access to my firm. I don't want her to be left without anything."
"I guess you finally know what it's like to love," Ken decided. "I'm just sorry you had to learn this way. And I'm sorry no one other than the Kaiser passed through the portal with you."
"Whatever happened to…" She seemed to choke on the words. "My father? Whatever happened to Oikawa?" Why was it so hard for her to say? Yukio Oikawa had created her from his own DNA, so he was her father. It only made sense. So why couldn't she admit it? Or was it that she was afraid of what she'd learn?
Ken sighed. "He never had a chance. He died before Iori could get him through the portal."
"The boy," Archnemon realized. "The one that fascinated BlackWarGreymon."
He nodded. "In the end, your father could never achieve his dream. He didn't have the strength to take that one step into the Digital World. And even after all he did to me, I still mourn his loss, as does Iori."
"Hmm," Archnemon answered.
"How did you know to contact me?" Ken questioned.
"Toshiko and I have kept in contact with a Chosen Child named Kouji Minamoto…"
"Kouji Minamoto? How did you meet him?"
"The new Kaiser, Kouichi Kimura, recognized me from your memories and enslaved me. I encountered a Tailmon who promised to help me escape so long as I kept watch over a boy named Kouji. The boy and I finally met in a train station when he was trying to get Toshiko to safety. I promised to take custody of her. After Kouji's escape, we've been corresponding via e-mail. Apparently, the address to your D-terminal is in his contacts list, and Toshiko managed to hack into it. She's just as clever as you and that Koushiro boy. If we weren't in another world, I'd wonder if she had a Dark Seed like you do." Ken hid a smile. It was funny how things turned out. "And what of the other Chosen? I'm surprised they're not with you. You were always inseparable, especially you and that Daisuke boy."
Ken's smile soon became a frown. "I regret to inform you that the Chosen no longer exist. It's amazing the older Chosen managed to get us all into this world without any of us killing each other."
"How did this all happen?"
"If you want the answers, ask Kouji. He knows the whole story now."
Toshiko appeared with two trench coat-style raincoats and a couple of flashlights. "Here you go, Arc."
"Thank you. Ken, you'd better get your jacket. There's something we want to show you."
The trio exited into the blinding rain and took the train at Tamachi station, continually trading trains till reaching the Toyoko line. Never once did Ken lower his hood, afraid of the undue attention his appearances would receive.
After walking around a well-off neighborhood in Yokohama for anywhere between ten and twenty minutes, Archnemon located one house in particular that was different from the others, reasons for which Ken could not see.
"My company hired contractors to rebuild this," she informed. "I have enough influence to counter that of the Imperial Guards. As long as that company and this district are under my protection, Kouichi Kimura will not dare to harm them. Although, that doesn't stop him from holding raids every once in a while."
"But what's so special about this house?" Ken questioned.
"You didn't see the hearthstone," Toshiko observed. She shined her flashlight over a single slab of gray marble in the concrete wall surrounding the house. It took a couple of minutes for Ken to read the kanji, having gotten used to romaji, katakana, and hiragana for the past few months, but he was able to read the name "Minamoto" carved in the stone.
"Minamoto?" he exclaimed.
"Yes," Archnemon replied calmly. "This was the surprise. I found this house burned to ashes, worth nothing to anyone but those who'd been forced to leave it. I located the blueprints and convinced my company to rebuild it."
"Come on!" Toshiko urged. "Let's go inside!"
The second Archnemon unlocked the door, Ken felt a sudden burst of the personification of memories. True, he never had the gift Hikari did; but as the door opened, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as though he'd been there before. He carefully removed his wet shoes, socks, and jacket, and stood in the doorway.
"Weird feeling, isn't it?" Toshiko asked. "This place just reeks of memories."
"Reeks" wasn't exactly the word Ken would have used, but it gave a fairly decent description. The house seemed to give off an aura of emotions: of joy and sorrow, of life and death, of hope and despair. Almost as though he'd lived there himself, Ken wandered around the house, noting where furniture was supposed to be and who was supposed to be where.
Slowly, he walked upstairs, heeding the echoes of the past: voices talking, a baby crying, and the music of someone softly playing the electric guitar. The music was something he'd heard before, thanks to Hikari's obsession with it. It was a song Kouji had created years ago, something he rarely sang outside his friends and family. People always said, "If these walls could talk…" and then imagined what they'd say. Ken wasn't imagining; he was listening.
He turned the knob of a door on the right side of the stairs. The room, naturally, was empty, and thunderheads were visible outside the terrace window. Only now did he marvel at the irony. Did Kouji step out on that terrace the way he and Osamu used to at their home? It wasn't hard to imagine he had.
Against the wall from which the door opened, there was supposed to be a bed. Against that was usually an electric guitar—a gift for Kouji's tenth birthday. He'd usually sit on his bed or at his desk, playing it while it was hooked to a small amplifier he kept in his closet. Against the back wall, there was supposed to be a desk, where Kouji would keep pictures of his shattered family. His cell phone would rest on either his desk or dresser.
But right in the middle of his empathic experience, Ken noted several troops approaching. Various colorful words exited his mouth as he raced downstairs and to battle.
"Back home, are you, Kaiser?" asked the leader.
"What?" Ken questioned, forgetting that he'd discarded his anorak and with it, the hood that was his mask.
"Ken, run!" Archnemon warned, having taken on her Digimon form. "Spider Thread!" She tied up the fighters as best as she could, but an armor-penetrating bullet hit her chest.
"Arc!" Toshiko cried.
"Arc?" repeated the leader. "Stand down!"
Toshiko ran to her surrogate mother's side, Ken right behind her.
"Ken, I hope you found what you were looking for," she gasped, her life fading fast. "Toshiko, I'm sorry…"
The Digimon in this world showed DigiCode when they were dying, as did she. No one dared touch a shimmering speck of her data as it flew into the sky.
"What's going to happen now?" Toshiko questioned in between sobs.
"I don't know," admitted a very somber Ken Ichijouji. "Some Digimon are reborn in the Real World; some aren't." In a few short moments, he'd formed a good friendship with his old enemy. Instead of answering more, he walked to the gunmen. "Next time, be sure you have the right person. It would be wise to remember twins." Disgusted, he put on his socks, shoes, and jacket, and left.
But what he didn't notice was a large red egg inside the entranceway of the Minamotos' home. Toshiko walked over and picked it him, observing a purple design of a spider on it. That small bit of hope warmed her as she held it close in the freezing rain.
-------
Daisuke Motomiya sat in a Hong Kong hotel, waiting. He wore clothes almost exactly like those he wore in the Digital World back home, only he had a red fleece jacket and under his baggy green pants was a brace on his right knee. In the Digital World, digitizing repaired his shattered knee, allowing him to do things that he no longer could in the Real World, such as running, jumping, and all around fighting. In his hand was a switchblade. The weapon was a beautiful piece of work: a royal blue handle with a silver dragon on it. The dragon's eyes were gleaming red rhinestones, staring long and hard at its owner.
He was bunking with Takeru, if only to keep him from strangling Ken, who would be bunked with Iori. Fortunately, Hikari and Miyako were at least on speaking terms with each other, so they shared a room (saving the group from controversial pairing of both boys and girls). Taichi had given him full authority to murder anyone who started an argument, and Ryo's friend Ruki suggested that he get a knife. Both Taichi Yagami and Ruki Makino had been completely serious, so Daisuke never went anywhere without placing his blade in a canvas belt he wore religiously.
Someone knocked on the door, and Daisuke checked before letting in the other four Chosen. Ken was on his way there from Japan, leaving their former team down to five.
Iori took a spot on the other bed while the other three stood around like stray lambs waiting for the shepherd. Iori was the unofficial second-in-command, and the only other one besides Daisuke that everyone really listened to. Across his lap was his kendo sword while Daisuke hid his switchblade in his belt. And that was the way it was: Daisuke would use lethal force if necessary, and Iori would only do so much to injure an opponent.
"Just to inform you all," Daisuke began, "Kouji is safely at home."
"I met with Kage earlier," Iori added. "I told him I was speaking on behalf of Ki. Turns out there are Imperials in the city." He was met with silence.
"Don't you people care?" Daisuke demanded. "This isn't a petty game or anything! This is real!" It took every ounce of his self-control not to remove his knife again. "Well?"
"We have a problem," Hikari informed.
"No freakin' duh!" Daisuke loudly proclaimed.
"I'm serious," she continued. "Ki e-mailed me. He found a young girl who shares my gift."
"What?" Miyako asked.
"How strong?" Iori questioned.
"Strong enough to sense that attack in Antarctica. Worse, it's Kouji's sister."
Daisuke's eyes drifted from to an abandoned black T-shirt, camouflage-print pants, black boots, and tan coat left behind by Ki. The hood from Demon's cloak had been ripped off and was now resting in the silt of a river in the Digital World.
"Why is it that battle brings out the best in you?" Iori asked, voicing Daisuke's thoughts. "You cooperate fine when faced with the prospect of battle, but not on any other circumstances. At least Ken has his past to keep him functioning."
"If all we thrive for is battle," Daisuke added calmly, fingering the sharp blade from within the belt pouch, "then we have actually become the Kaiser."
"'And as they looked into the blue eyes of the devil, they wondered how it all could have come to this,'" Hikari quoted. "Takeru wrote that about the battle with Demon. I didn't think it would apply to Kouichi as well."
"So are you saying the fighting is over?" Iori questioned. Takeru nodded.
"Finally," Ken agreed, walking in. "Lock the door next time. Imperials are here, remember?" He walked over and took a seat between the two beds. The three seated Chosen were rulers on their thrones: leader Daisuke, second-in-command Iori, and third-in-command Ken.
"What did you find out?" Miyako asked.
"Not much, but thanks to Archnemon, I found out some about Kouji's life before this mess started."
"Archnemon?" Takeru repeated. Ken nodded.
"But, anyway, we need to work on a strategy," he decided.
"Any ideas?" Hikari asked, her way of apologizing.
-------
Izumi refrained from mentioning the vision she'd seen when she held Kouri. Kouji had enough on his mind at the moment without that news, so it was better to keep it quiet. But at an emergency conference, she would regret her choice.
They met in the computer lab after school, as requested by an e-mail Kage received. Only the Chosen, Kage, BlackWarGreymon, Taiyou, Cyberdramon, Himi, Gabumon, Takamoto, the former Great Angels, and Kouri were allowed to come. Everyone was on edge, and no weapons were left behind. When they entered, they found a brown-haired boy only Tomoki's age sitting at a computer, typing.
"Kid, you need to leave," Takamoto informed. "Resistance business."
"That's why I'm here," he answered, turning around. He was dressed rather warmly for the weather, in a golden-colored sweater, khakis, and a dark brown coat—seemingly accustomed to a hot climate.
"Brad?" Kouji recognized.
"Yes," he replied, "though that isn't my name. I'm Iori Hida, former bearer of the Digimentals of Knowledge and Sincerity. I apologize for not being entirely truthful, but too much was at stake."
"Then Calliope was Miyako," he realized.
"Yes," Iori replied. "I'll let the others introduce themselves later—I think you might be a little surprised at their identities. Kouji might not be, but the rest of you will."
"Where's Ki?" Izumi questioned.
-------
The aforementioned Chosen was currently making his way through Kouichi's base. He'd stolen a pass keycard and had discreetly begun releasing the slaves.
This level's blocked, he realized, swiping the card through a keypad. Must be electronically protected. Kouichi knows I'm here.
"So, it's you," observed the voice of the new Kaiser. More than a little perturbed, Ki turned around. "You've been a thorn in my side far too long. Now to see who you really are!" He tore the white fisherman's hat off Ki's head, shocked at whom he saw. "You?"
"Hello, Kaiser," the unmasked Ki greeted. "Long time no see!" His voice rising to a fury, he punched Kouichi in the jaw and made a mad dash for a helicopter outside.
-------
"As we speak, Ki is trying to release the slaves from Kouichi's base," Iori explained. "Hikari is contacting her brother Taichi in the principal's office. She's informing him, the other Chosen, Gennai, and the Tamers on our situation."
"The Imperials," Kage realized. "They're in the city." Everyone looked at him for an explanation. "BlackWarGreymon located a few two days ago. I thought that was all of them, but I highly doubt it now."
A feeling of dread filled Kouji, much like the hair rising at the back of one's neck. He looked around the room, trying to locate the cause. And when he did, the fear hit him like nothing else he'd experienced. "Where's Kouri?"
"No," Iori denied, realizing what had just occurred. He pulled out his yellow D-3 and his D-terminal. "She couldn't have…"
"Couldn't have what?" Kouji asked.
"Where's the nearest beach?"
"A few blocks away, why?" Izumi questioned.
"Don't ask," Iori instructed. "Just head there now! Tailmon, Patamon, go with her!"
-------
Kouri ran down the streets as fast as her little legs would take her. She could feel him, and she knew he could feel her, so she summoned him to a location so similar to where it had all begun:
The beach.
On one side of the sandy shores stood a young man dressed all in black, and several Perfect and Ultimate Digimon. Part of Kouri trembled in fear at the sight of the faceless man who haunted her dreams, but an undeniable courage flowed through her veins, allowing her to step forward.
"Are you Kouichi?" she asked in a small, timid voice. The young man didn't answer. More loudly, she demanded, "I have to know! Is it true? Are you my brother? Are you my niisan?"
"Yes," he answered in a toneless, emotionless voice. He then held out a small silver pistol and cocked it twice before firing.
A loud scream informed Izumi, Tailmon, and Patamon of Kouri's predicament.
"This way!" shouted a brunette girl in a shade-changing pink jacket, white peasant top, tan pants, and beige beret. Beside her was a blonde boy in a dark gray T-shirt, a long blue coat decorated with yellow paw-prints, and black jeans.
"Patamon and Tailmon will have to evolve though," he realized.
"Don't worry about me," Tailmon assured. "I can do it on my own."
"Takeru," the girl began, "you don't think…"
"It's worth a try," he decided.
Both held out digivices that looked oddly like D-scanners. Takeru's was white-and-green, while the girl's was white-and-pink—just like the one Tailmon had described. Each shot out a light of its respective color, giving Patamon a little boost for evolution.
"Patamon evolve! HolyAngemon!"
"Tailmon evolve! Angewomon!"
The two Perfect-level angels flew toward the location the girl, introduced as Hikari, provided. Kouri was clutching her arm and crying while a tall, rabbit-like Perfect battled Sakuyamon, Lilymon, Dukemon, and WarGreymon.
"It's about time Antiramon made an appearance," Takeru commented while HolyAngemon flew over and scooped Kouri out of harm's way.
"That arm looks bad," he observed, carefully holding her burned arm.
"Is there anything you can do?" Angewomon questioned. HolyAngemon placed a hand on the burns, releasing a rainbow-colored light.
"I've stopped it from progressing for now," he informed, "but she will need to see a doctor."
"It's too dangerous to try and get her out of here now," Angewomon argued. "We'll have to wait until the danger is over." She gently gave the crying child to Izumi, who cradled her carefully.
"All Three Great Angels," Kouichi noticed. "I'm honored."
"Don't be," Hikari replied. "Your reign is coming to an end."
"The curtain's closing, Kouichi," Takeru agreed.
"Hikari Yagami, the original Child of Light," Kouichi recognized, "and Takeru Takaishi, Child of Hope. After all these years, you're still just as naïve."
"Have you forgotten me?" Izumi asked.
"Ah, the lovely Izumi Orimoto of Wind," he observed. "There is still so much you don't comprehend, and with your closed mind, you'd never understand."
"So be it," she answered.
"Treasure Ax!" Antiramon ordered, his arms becoming blades, which he used to slice through his enemies' attacks.
"Excalibur!" HolyAngemon added, extending a long violet sword. Sakuyamon blocked with her staff, but the newly evolved angel was surprisingly far stronger than she was.
"How were you able to find her?" Izumi questioned.
"We were able to track the Crest of Kindness," Hikari explained.
"The what?" Izumi asked.
"The Crest of Kindness," Takeru repeated. "Ken's Crest."
Kouri removed a small piece of pink glass from her pocket. "Ki told me to keep it all the time."
"Good girl," Hikari replied. "Now, let's try and get her to safety."
Carrying Kouri, Izumi ran from the beach, heading in the direction of the school. Hikari and Takeru ran alongside her, as if bodyguards. A lilac-haired girl in a turquoise blouse, long sea foam green skirt, and white leather jacket stood outside.
"Miyako," Hikari recognized.
"They've all moved to the Minamotos' apartment," she informed. "Come on!"
At the apartment, everyone was standing around anxiously, needing to know what to do next. Iori had commandeered Kage's computer, trying to get a message to his friends on the other side.
Izumi, Kouri, Takeru, Hikari, and Miyako burst in, scaring and relieving all. Kouri was still crying, and clutching her head with her good hand.
"Kouri, what's wrong?" Satomi asked.
"Mommy, he's in my head," she cried.
"Who's in your head?" Kousei questioned.
"Kouichi. He's in my head and it hurts!"
An expression of pure disgust appeared on Kouji's face as he asked, "What did he do to you?"
"Kouji niisan…"
Never once in Kouri's whole life had she called him that. And Kouji didn't need the feeling of the knife twisting in his heart to tell him that being called "niisan" meant something was horribly wrong.
"What did he do?" His voice was soft and comforting, and he carefully took her arm in his hand.
"He hit my arm with a red light!"
"Red light?" Miyako repeated.
"A laser," Taiyou realized.
"The one he stole from me," Kouji concluded. He shouted several words Izumi hadn't heard him say in years before finally storming into his room and locking the door. When he emerged several minutes later, he was dressed in the remainder of his Beowulfmon armor, holding his sabers in one hand and his helmet in the other. Around his neck, beneath the Black Ring, was his defuser—something he never thought he'd need again.
"What are you planning to do?" Hikari asked.
"Finishing what we started," he answered, placing the sabers in a holster apparatus in the armor on his back. They were completely concealed and appeared to be part of the original armor. "He's been two steps ahead of me, using our curse as twins to track my every move."
"The hypnosis session," Izumi remembered, "when he got in your head that time… He's been tracking your thought pattern ever since!"
"And now he's doing the same to Kouri," Takeru added.
"Not for long," Kouji replied. He had that look in his eyes that indicated he was determined to do this, come what may.
"You can't do it alone," Takuya argued while Kouji sorted through the many shoes at the entranceway until he found his sneakers. "Look, at least let us come with you."
"You'll need help fighting those Digimon," Tomoki added.
A knock at the door startled them all. Kouji checked before opening it to the auburn-haired boy he'd known as Zachary Wallace. One look at the goggles around his neck said his identity before anyone else could.
"Daisuke," Iori addressed, "we've been waiting."
"Ken isn't here yet?" he observed.
"No," Kage answered, "but there's no time to wait. We have to stop the Kaiser now."
"All right then," Daisuke agreed, "what do we do?"
"Well, first we…"
"Kouji niisan?" Kouri called. Having found his shoes, he walked over to her.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Hold onto this for me," she requested, handing him a small piece of glass.
"The Crest of Kindness?" Hikari questioned.
"Maybe it can bring you good luck," Kouri suggested.
A strangely familiar heaviness filled Kouji's heart as he held the small piece of glass in his hand. He knew this feeling all too well: the sense of imminent doom, mingled with a dash of fear, a rush of adrenaline, and a great deal of knowledge that this could very well be the last time he and his family and friends would see each other. It all created an unbearable sense of sorrow and loneliness in his heart. He removed his left glove and placed the Crest in between the layers of his bandages, invoking a smile from Kouri.
"Dad, Satomi, Mom," he requested, "get her to Dr. Yamamoto. Don't wait to pack."
"And for the rest of us?" Izumi questioned.
He placed his helmet on his head. "We fight."
-------
Antiramon, HolyAngemon, and Angewomon were still fending off the four Digimon when their back-up fighting arrived. And it was incredible! Vritramon, Blizzarmon, Bolgmon, and Shutumon—all four of them awaiting battle. Kage, Taiyou, Himi, and Takamoto held fully charged weapons while BlackWarGreymon, Cyberdramon, and MetalGarurumon prepared to fire their attacks. And Kouji, Daisuke, Iori, Takeru, Miyako, and Hikari stood seemingly unarmed, as if ignoring the danger around. But something seemed odd in the Digimon's plan of attack.
"No one's protecting Kouichi," Daisuke whispered to Vritramon.
"You're right," he realized. "Everyone, attack!"
The whole fiasco was beautifully executed. The small army charged their enemies, fighting with a ferocity never seen before. BlackWarGreymon and WarGreymon sparred at each other with their sharp Dramon Killers while MetalGarurumon and Cyberdramon attacked from behind.
"Great Tornado!" WarGreymon attacked.
"Black Tornado!" BlackWarGreymon matched.
A horizontal, golden-orange cyclone sped toward a nearly identical black one. Both Ultimates pulled out of their attacks after impact, but not without injury. Each WarGreymon was rather scratched and battered from the collision, but neither wanted to back down.
"Gaia Force!"
"Gaia Force!"
An orange sun collided and exploded with a red sun, causing a brilliant flash of light to engulf them. Taking advantage of the situation, Cyberdramon used his ultra-acute senses to locate a momentarily blinded WarGreymon, and add in his contribution.
"Cyber Nail!"
A deep scratch formed in the Ultimate's armor. A Perfect was not enough to cause a great deal of damage, but to a Dramon Killer, this incident was unforgivable.
"Gaia Force!"
Cyberdramon could feel the large sphere of hot energy heading toward him. Without eyesight, he had no way of locating a safe exit. He was, for once, helpless.
"Cocytus Breath!"
MetalGarurumon's icy attack intercepted the Gaia Force sphere, freezing it. Sensing safety instantly, Cyberdramon reached up and sent another attack at the now-frozen sphere.
"Erase Claw!"
Instead of slowly deleting the attack, the Erase Claw caused a chain reaction that detonated it. Harmless shards of ice hit the ground.
One shard landed right in the middle of another battle zone, but Vritramon crushed it as he took a step back. He, Blizzarmon, and Bolgmon were in tough combat with Dukemon, Aiding them were Kage, Taiyou, and Miyako.
"Corona Blaster!" he desperately fired.
Each bullet harmlessly reflected off Dukemon's shining white armor. Miyako, Taiyou, and Kage assisted with their lasers, but the Ultimate never showed a sign that he'd felt the concentrated light beams ever hit him, much less hurt him. He turned his head, observing the one Chosen Child and two Tamers, and raised his long javelin into the air. Bright blue energy gathered at the tip, and he brought the saber down, pointing it at his enemies. Then he pulled it back and thrust it forward, sending forth the attack.
"Royal Saber!"
Without so much as a moment's hesitation, Bolgmon and Blizzarmon placed themselves in front of it, taking it just in time to prevent harm to the three humans.
"Arigatou gozaimasu!" Miyako cried as the two took a brief moment to recover.
Dukemon knew this was the perfect opportunity to strike. He turned his attention to Vritramon and aimed his shield.
"Final Elysian!"
The nearly invincible attack struck Vritramon hard, automatically returning him to his human form.
"Ugh," he groaned, picking himself off the ground. "That does it!" He held out his D-scanner and concentrated on a power he hadn't used in a long time: "Double Spirit Evolution! Ardhamon!"
"Takuya onii-chan, good idea!" Blizzarmon cheered.
"Tomoki," Bolgmon warned, "don't expect him to do everything. Remember, Dukemon's an Ultimate."
"We'll do what we can too!" Miyako assured.
"Now!" Ardhamon ordered. "Brahma Sutra!"
"Avalanche Step!"
"Double Thunder!"
Attacks and lasers struck at Dukemon, never once slowing to a halt. One of Blizzarmon's axes caught the reflection of the sun and reflected it into the silver blade of Daisuke's knife as he delved it into Lilymon's side.
"Flower Cannon!" she growled angrily, narrowly missing Himi.
"Be careful, Daisuke," Takeru warned, "she's a Perfect!"
"Even without being a Ultimate, she's still powerful!" Hikari added.
"I know that!" he replied, withdrawing his knife and taking a strategic retreat.
"Daisuke, try this," Takamoto suggested, handing over another laser.
"No thanks," he refused.
"Are you crazy?" Himi demanded.
"If Iori's determined to fight with no more than a bamboo kendo sword, this little blade is enough for me!"
Lasers flying behind him, he charged ahead with all the determination of Iori, who was currently blocking Sakuyamon's staff with his sword. As the staff continued to press down on him, HolyAngemon placed his sword underneath it as well.
"It seems two need to push this back," he observed. Both he and Iori poured forth a great deal of strength and nearly threw Sakuyamon off balance.
"Holy Arrow!" Angewomon shouted. A single white arrow sped past Sakuyamon's head, slicing off several strands of her silver hair.
"Treasure Ax!" Antiramon assisted, slamming into the Ultimate once more.
"Wind of…" Shutumon began.
"Wait," Iori warned. "We've got a pretty good handle on Sakuyamon now, but Daisuke and the others won't have so much luck. Go assist them!"
"Okay," she agreed, flying toward the battle with Lilymon.
"Your reasoning in that was, leader?" Antiramon asked.
"Sakuyamon did a lot of horrible things to Kouji, according to all I've learned. If Izumi fought her, the desire for vengeance could easily blind her from the original goal—to stop Kouichi." The Great Angels nodded their understanding.
As Shutumon headed to assist Daisuke, she took a brief glance behind to see how the Three Great Angels and Iori were faring without her. They seemed to be fine, but in the distance, Kouichi was apparently retreating while Kouji took chase.
What are they doing? she wondered.
Kouji ran after Kouichi, the words of his challenge echoing in his head:
"This can all end, Kouji. You know what you have to do. But do you have the courage to make that sacrifice?"
I may be reluctant to make sacrifices, Kouichi, he thought, but don't assume that I won't make any. This has gone on long enough. I'll see to it that this ends here and now!
His pace never changed as he followed the darkly clothed ruler through the streets of Hong Kong. Startled people panicked at the sight of the Digimon Kaiser and instinctively ran for cover. As the two young men kept on running, they disturbed vendors, animals, and anyone else that got in their way. But in Kouji's mind's eye, there was nobody else. He never recalled any other people in the street.
Near the Bank of Hong Kong, loudly whirring rotors informed him of two Black Hawk class helicopters—one ahead of him, and one behind. Imperial Guard agents sprung out, surrounding him while Kouichi stared at him and laughed.
Back at the beach, Sakuyamon, Dukemon, WarGreymon, and Lilymon suddenly retreated, leaving several weary Digimon to either devolve or rest, and several bewildered humans to stare after their adversaries in shock. Two black helicopters were seen flying overhead, heading across the sea, and a sudden sensation of dread filled them all.
"They have him," Izumi realized.
Takuya cursed loudly. "All those months of searching wasted! All this time, he was right under our noses, just waiting for us to be foolish—no, idiotic—enough to appear!"
"What is Kouichi going to do to him?" Izumi questioned. "He's tortured him before, but that was before he was enough of a sociopath to kill him!"
"He won't kill him," a familiar voice informed. They turned to see the young man once called Ki. His gray shirt and black vest were damp with the same sweat that beaded down his forehead. "At least, not yet. I don't know; his actions have become different from the original Kaiser's were. But I do know that first, he'll humiliate him publicly, to make an example out of him. Then comes the private little hell, torture. Food will be withheld in order to discourage rebellion. I know that's what he'll do because that's what I did to a Tsunomon that ran away." He took a breath, nearly inhaling his dark hair. "Whatever happens next is up is up to Kouichi, and Kouji has to decide whether or not he wants to survive."
"Is it really that cruel, Ken?" Izumi asked. Ki, or Ken, nodded.
"Then where are they headed?" Miyako questioned.
"That's what we have to find out."
Arigatou gozaimasu: thank you very much
Note to Raven Nightstrider: Emotional enough for you? I agree that the previous three chapters were lacking in emotional content (minus Brad/Iori), but it's very hard trying to write the chapters reading up to the end of a beloved fic, as you'll probably learn soon. Besides, I have plenty of emotional angst in the prequel, "Echoes of Angels Who Won't Return."
And now everyone knows: Ken is Ki. I want to formerly apologize to Saturos/Red Outburst for putting him through so much hell with trying to guess Ki's identity. And I also apologize to Raven Nightstrider for sneaking away to DMF to read. I hope you still enjoyed this though, and I hope it wasn't too hard to figure out—Nic had it after his first appearance as Ki!
"No freakin' duh!" came from a friend of mine named Jen, who yelled it out in either English or biology. Oh, and suggested music for this: "Miracle Maker" for the final battle scene in this part. Or you can use any really upbeat song that would work as battle music. Oh, and while I'm at it, Ken's outfit comes from that FBI agent in Red Dragon. That and Pretender are where the scene in the house is from, and Pretender inspired just about everything else in this chapter, especially the chase scene and the "sacrifices" line.