ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!!!
I HATE MY COMPUTER!!! I've had to write this chapter three times now!!
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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, never have and never will.
The Grass is Greener…
Chapter 4: Forgetting and Kidnapping
"Whadda mean 'forget'?!"
Izzy sighed. He'd expected this kind of reaction. As the other, older DigiDestined were at college, the group in his room consisted of the younger ones. "Exactly what I said." he muttered. "You're forgetting what its like to be in your normal bodies. It won't be long before you forget all together…"
"But Izzy…" Gatomon protested, running her fingers through her long, white hair anxiously. "How can that be? I don't feel any different…"
"But you're acting different." Izzy noted the fingers and Patamon's tapping foot. "As a Digimon, and even as Angemon or Angewomon, you never had nervous reactions like that."
"But what happens when it's done?" Kari asked, grooming herself absentmindedly. "When we're finished…and how long?"
Izzy sighed again, trying to phrase it in less complex speech so Yolei and Ken didn't have to translate for the others. "When…When this gets over with…You two… T.K., Kari…You'll forget everything."
"Everything?" Gatomon asked.
"Everything." Izzy shook his head. "Even having partners, and your families. You'll just be a couple of wild Digimon…Everything that makes you human…Gone. "
There was silence, then Patamon spoke: "And us?"
"That's the strange thing." Izzy sighed, perplexed. "Somehow…This spell doesn't effect you two in the same way. When it is complete, you'll be fully human, but retain your memories of the Digital World, and having partners. But Kari and T.K. just…forget everything."
"How long until then?" Ken asked.
Izzy sighed again before answering. "One week."
Kari and T.K. exchanged upset looks. Wild Digimon? Forget everything? How could they ever forget their partners? How could the ever forget…
"Izzy!" Yolei suddenly exclaimed. "Take a look at this!"
She pulled out of her bad the wooden Drimojimon they'd found after their last battle. Izzy became fascinated by it, examining the doll and turning it over and over in his hands as the others told their story.
"First of all." he said when they were done. "You shouldn't risk Digivolving. It may speed the process up, and will continue to do so every time you do it."
"Aw…" Kari groaned. "I liked Digivolving. Makes you feel tons stronger."
Izzy gave her a stern look. "Don't do it." he warned. "We don't want to lose any of you."
"Izzy…the doll?" Cody asked, pressing on.
"Yes…About this doll…" Izzy turned back to the wooden figure. "You said that you found it after you defeated Drimojimon, right?"
"Yeah." Davis nodded. "It just showed up."
Izzy was quiet a moment, then spoke. "I think I know what's going on here."
"Well?" Yolei insisted after another silence. "Spit it out, Izzy!"
Izzy felt along the finely-carved edge of the doll, noting every detail from the thickness of the wood to the thinness of the paint. Finally, he took a deep breath and began his analysis.
"This doll…" he explained, holding it so everyone could see. "Is made of a special kind of wood. This kind comes only from one tree, a type of hard elm, which is only found in a certain wood in the Digital World. This wood, when carved like this, can be used in a ritual by a spell-caster type Digimon…that is, Sorceressmon or Wizardmon…and become a living, breathing Digimon."
The kids glanced at each other. "So…this is a power that Sorceressmon would have?" Ken asked.
"Indeed." Izzy nodded. "Gennai and I discussed it during that incident with Arukenimon. We ruled it out after Palmon found out about the Control Spire Digimon."
"So…So they're not real Digimon?" Cody asked. "Just…made of wood?"
"Exactly, Cody." Izzy nodded. He lifted the doll up and blew on it, sending a cloud of fine black ash flying and covering Davis's face. "That ash is part of the ritual. It's from the same tree, and when sprinkled over the doll, with the correct chants, brings it to life."
"So there could be hundreds of these things." Gatomon muttered.
"And they're twice as strong as normal." Ken added. "So it'll be tough if she pulls an Ultimate or something on us, especially without one-third of our team."
"Exactly." Izzy nodded. "It'll be tough, but you have to remember: If it leads us to Sorceressmon, it'll be worth it. She's the only way to get everything…and everyone… back to normal."
~ * ~ * ~
"Those brats…" Sorceressmon growled, putting the finishing paint touches on her latest doll. Her arms and face still ached from the beatings her beloved Master had given her. "I'll show them…Master only turns on me in failure."
She set the doll down, crossing her dark room. "You'll see." she whispered to her reflection. "My plan won't fail this time! My Master will have them, and then…" Her eyes glazed over. She could just imagine her rich reward:
"My dear, this is easily the most wondrous plan ever concocted." the Master would say to her, sipping his drink. "You're much to good for me."
"Oh, Master, nothing is good enough for you." she would gush, blushing at his glory.
"How nice of you to say, my dear…"
Sorceressmon snapped out of her daydream, still blushing. "Yes! I'll do it!" she cheered to herself. She grabbed her now-dry figure and the box of ash. Pulling the doll close, she sprinkled the ash over it gently.
"Live…Live…Live…" she chanted. "Live, you thing of wood and ash. Live and serve my Master…Live…Live…Live…"
~ * ~ * ~
Yolei yawned, leaning against the tree. "Okay…I say we take a nap."
"We have been walking all day." Ken sighed. "It would be nice to take a break."
"Alright then!" Davis yawned, stretching for the sky. "All in favor of breaking here say 'aye'!"
"Aye!" the chorus rang out, and soon they were all napping serenely in the shade of the tree.
Yolei was leaning up against the trunk, Cody had curled into a sort of ball, Ken had one way or another fallen asleep sitting up, and Davis was up the tree, stretched out on a branch. Gatomon was opposite him, on the other side, while Patamon was below her, also leaning against the trunk.
Kari yawned and curled into a ball, like a cat. T.K. folded his ears around him so that he looked like a furry blonde egg. The other Digimon were scattered around the grassy plain, fast asleep.
After about ten minutes, Gatomon glanced down. Patamon was directly below her. "Now's my chance." she thought mischievously.
Silently, she leapt down. Being human had not hindered her gymnastic skills, and she landed on all fours, quiet as a mouse. She crept forward apon the sleeping boy, silent.
Patamon awoke to a heavy feeling on his chest, as well as a strange warmth on his arm. This was because Gatomon had curled up to him again, hugging his arm and resting her head on his chest.
Patamon blushed red. "Gatomon. I know you're not asleep. What're you doing?"
Her eyes opened and she put one finger to his lips. "Oh, you shut up." she giggled. "We've only got a little while longer in these bodies. Why shouldn't we enjoy it, sweetheart?"
Patamon felt his ears get hot. He was blushing like a tomato. Gatomon smiled, then cuddled back up to him again.
There was a sudden blast of wind from above them. The DigiDestined were thrown across the grass, while the Digimon tried to recompose themselves. Gatomon groaned inwardly. "I never get a chance…"
"What…What was that?!" Yolei gasped.
"I'm not sure…" Ken muttered. "It sounded like a…Snimon…"
The green Digimon suddenly reared up over the hill. "Oh, that was good!" Davis called, stumbling back.
"One of Sorceressmon's, I'll take it." Cody muttered. "We should Digivolve."
"Right!" T.K. cheered as he and the other Digimon raced down off the hill.
"Not you." Patamon warned, snatching his partner out of the air. "Remember what Izzy said about Digivolving."
"You either." Gatomon chastised Kari. The cat humphed and curled up.
Within a few minutes, all the other Digimon had Digivolved. Snimon fired a few more bolts, then flew up. "You guys take cover!" Yolei called down to her friends. "We'll take care of this!"
With a disgruntled sigh, the four ducked into a small hole in the side of the hill and watched anxiously.
It was apparent easily that the Snimon was an even match for the Digimon they had. The Champions looped and spun and attacked and dodged, but none did much of anything to the attacker.
The Snimon suddenly struck out with one of its blades and hit Aquilamon to the ground. The bird-like champion turned back into the Rookie form, and his partner groaned, barely remaining conscious.
"Yolei!" Kari called, trying to rush out of the hole to aid her friend.
"Kari, stop!" Gatomon cried, grabbing her. "We can't…"
" I don't care!" Kari cried. "I can't stand this anymore!"
"Kari's right!" T.K. insisted, lifting up from Patamon's head. "Without Aquilamon, they don't stand a chance! We've gotta help!"
The two Digimon raced out of the hole towards the fray. Gatomon and Patamon glanced at each other and nodded. Despite all warnings, all precautions and all dangers, they thrust their Digivices forward and began the fight…
Davis wasn't paying attention to them. He was too busy watching his partner. After Aquilamon had hit the ground, the other Digimon thought it too dangerous and deposited their partners at the top of the hill.
The Digimon were already starting to wear down. If they didn't figure out something soon, they'd…
The silver arrow struck Snimon in the back of the head, doing the first real damage in the whole battle. The Digimon's heads snapped around in surprise.
T.K. and Kari were there once again, ready and rarin' for a fight. Their still-human friends gawked. "What're you two doing?!" Davis cried.
"What does it look like they're doing?" Patamon asked, appearing behind him with Gatomon in tow.
"But…But you heard what Izzy said!" Cody protested. "Every time they Digivolve, we'll have less and less time!"
The Digimon, meanwhile, were still fighting the Snimon and not each other. The Snimon was weakening. Just a little more would do it. T.K. pulled back his right hand and began building the energy for another attack.
Kari, hovering even with him, saw a black shadow start to creep up on the other Angel Digimon. It looked familiar somehow…
With a shock, she realized what it was. "T.K., look out!" she shouted, lunging forward.
The boy Angel looked up a moment, in time to see Kari shove him out of the way. The black shape came down with what looked like a long staff and struck Kari in the small of the back. Kari cried out in pain, then fell to the ground.
"Kari!" Gatomon cried, watching her partner hit. The brown cat lay wounded and unconscious in the middle of a shallow crater.
In a quick hurry, T.K. let off the energy he'd been collecting, which destroyed the Snimon for good. Then both he and Gatomon turned for the crater.…But Kari was gone.
"No…" Gatomon whispered, searching the hole on hands and knees. "Where is she?! Where's Kari?!"
"Looking for this?"
Everyone's heads snapped up. The black shape, now revealed to be Sorceressmon, hovered above the Digimon, smiling a huge grin. In her right hand she had the limp form, hanging helpless in her grasp.
"Kari!" T.K. shouted.
Sorceressmon laughed a low laugh. "My Master will be quite pleased with this new…offering…"
"No!" Gatomon shouted. "Give her back!"
Sorceressmon's laugh filled the air, and before anyone could do anything, she was gone.
The others stared at the spot she had been. Gatomon's mouth fell open in shock. "N-N-No…" she whispered helplessly. "Kari…No…"
T.K. just stared blankly for a moment, then groaned loudly and slumped in mid-air. He plummeted to the ground-head first, shedding data as he went and turning back into his Rookie form. "T.K.!" Patamon called.
"I've got 'em!" Davis called, lunging forward. He caught the Digimon just before he hit the ground.
"Thanks Davis." Patamon sighed, taking his partner up. He cradled the limp form in his arms, checking him over for wounds.
"Is he hurt?" Yolei gasped breathlessly, looking over the boy's shoulder.
"No…" Patamon sighed. "Just unconscious."
The Digimon stirred and slowly opened his eyes. The other's faces lit up. "T.K.! Are you alright?" Patamon asked.
T.K. blinked and shifted sleepily. "Where am I?" he muttered.
"You're still in the Digital World, T.K." Cody told him. "Right where you were."
"Oh…" T.K. showed no real reaction, but kind of gazed away aimlessly. "And… Who are you again?"
