DR: Episode five and Daemon hasn't arrived to Shinjuku…… *sigh* Oh well, I just hope I actually get him in there before chapter eight, and I expect to finish this story in twenty chapters in the worst case scenario. I might reduce the battling episodes, you know? After all, how long would a Mega Digimon take in destroying a city?
I got mixed comments about last chapter, too……
Terriermon: DR wants to thank the dynamic duo, Digidestined of Courage and Frozen Phoenix for their valuable comments.
DR: As for DC, when you asked if you'd end up like Takato and Takeru, did you mean dead? Okay, I was joking. Your quest for illumination will help me take this saga to a whole new level. Don't worry, it will be fun!
Terriermon: In your sick and twisted definition of "fun", that is.
DR: Exactly!
Terriermon: What could I expected from a boy who studied the Cabbala at the age of 11?
DR: Whatever. As for the criticism I received (and enjoyed), I already replied the e-mails, so……oh, yes! Dear "someone": It's easy to discover the similarities between my work and others like Xenogears or Neon Genesis Evangelion (to show the most important examples). And I do admit that I enjoyed both the game and the anime. I could also say that they were two of the reasons I began to write this. But I will make myself clear when I say that the concepts I'll develop in this fic and in future stories are based entirely on my very own vision of the world. May it be as similar as you think (I wouldn't know, I haven't played Xenogears in quite a while), I'll take it as a compliment. It means that there's someone in the world who decided to go beyond the standards. And if some Japanese dude could do it, why not me? I enjoy writing, and I can tell there's people who enjoy reading it, so……why should I change it? So I won't change the course of events I have settled, because doing that would mean betraying my beliefs.
Terriermon: Gosh, you sure take this thing seriously.
DR: Of course I do, long-eared one. I wouldn't enjoy it otherwise. Anyway, I don't own Digimon or anything related to it……damn.
SILENT SORROW
Chapter 5
Damnation, Part I: The Calm Before
"What do you mean HE'S GONE!?" Takeru shouted, his voice growing louder than anyone else's.
Rumiko nodded meekly. "Yeah, well………he kind of……got mad at us and left………"
"Oh, I can't believe you!"
"Calm down, TK……" Patamon replied, from his usual place on top of his Tamer's head. "At least he hasn't gone berserk……"
Takeru ignored Patamon's use of his former nickname, and the slight gasp that escaped Rika's mouth.
"………yet." The blonde Tamer finished his partner's sentence. He then looked at Ryo, who made a military salute.
"Got it. As soon as I wake my lazy Digimon up, we're off to search for him."
Takeru nodded in approval. "Alright. I'll contact Daneel. He might get a little grumpy, but if there's someone who can find a person in this hellhole you call hometown, that's him. The rest of us we'll stay in case he returns or tries to contact us."
"Um……shouldn't you help look for him, too?" Rumiko's mother and Rika's grandmother asked. Takeru shook his head.
"We three have other problems to deal with."
He couldn't avoid moving his eyes to face the pitiful form of Rika Nonaka, sitting against her bedroom's wall; her head hung low between her legs. We'll need the Tamers at their best for this……she can't be like this when he arrives!
Takeru watched at Ryo until he left with his dragon-type partner right beside him. He kept staring at the empty door for several minutes after Ryo left. For a moment, he got lost in the fake peace the house was filled with as nobody spoke. Not even his own breathing reached his ears. However, his mind was overwhelmed by the situation. It was just beyond his control.
And I'm called the Lord of Humans………what a joke………
"TK……are you okay?"
"No, I'm not okay. I've never been this not okay since……the old days."
"Well, we lived through that!" Patamon said cheerfully. "And you were just a child back then!"
But maybe……that was precisely the reason I survived……will I make it through this? Will Takato make it through this? All the odds are against him, though………what am I doing wrong? What am I missing!? Is there something I haven't seen, something I haven't taken into account?
"………the Apex………"
Huh? Pauline?
What?
What did you just say?
Who, me? Nothing……why?
Weird……I could swear I heard a female voice just a moment ago……
Oh, really? So there IS another one! Is that why you keep rejecting me!? Come on, spit it out! Who is she!?
Pauline!!!
The soft touch on a delicate hand on his left shoulder interrupted the adult Tamer. He looked back to meet Rumiko's worried gaze.
"I……I don't know……what to do………"
Takeru didn't need to be a genius to know what the woman was talking about. He followed her to Rika's bedroom and sat net to her. By the lack of a reaction and a further examination he could find out the girl had cried to sleep.
"She's sleeping."
Yes, I just said that, Takeru, thank you.
"I think she's cried more today than in the rest of her life before." Rumiko noted with a sad smile. Takeru looked down.
"I……I wish I could say I know how she feels, but……we didn't have to go through this much psychological trauma. The Digi-Destined, I mean."
Takeru got up and, once again, followed Rumiko, this time to the kitchen, where Rika's grandmother awaited.
"How is she?" The oldest woman asked as soon as the two adults entered the room.
"Asleep." Her daughter was quick to answer. Both blondes joined the brown-haired woman for a late drink. No alcohol this time, though. Rumiko decided to push a little further on Takeru's emotions. She could tell he was still affected by his childhood's memories.
"You just said you didn't have to go through what Rika's going through. What……what do you mean?"
Takeru sighed. A part of him wanted to avoid that conversation, but the other was dying to talk. It was then when he realized……
Gosh, I've been so lonely all these years……
Oh, so now I don't exist!
Pauline, you know what I mean……human contact.
……………
"I mean……now that I think about it, we had it quite easy. It was a matter of 'find the bad guy and make the Digimon beat the crap out of him'. Some enemies were harder than others, of course, but in the end there was no physical or psychological contact between us children and the enemy. The Digimon did most of the gory stuff. There were a few exceptions, of course, like Ken and Ka……Hikari, but………nothing much, at least compared with the Tamers."
Takeru stopped for a few seconds. His throat was dry and he felt like he was getting a headache. Excessive flood of memories was the main reason. Rumiko looked at the young man with a look of longing and compassion that didn't go unnoticed by her mother, who simply smiled.
"Unlike the Digi-Destined, Tamers go through heavy physical and mental stress in every battle, especially when they reach Mega……"
"That's when they become one with the Digimon, right?"
"That's right, Miss Rumiko. As they control the Mega Digimon's actions, they are linked to all of the Digimon's 'neural' functions, in lack of a better word. To make things simple, they feel what the Digimon feels."
"Does that……?"
"Yes, Rumiko, pain is not the exception. They probably won't admit it, but they still must be recovering from the battle against D-Reaper, as they were forced to withstand continuous physical and mental effort, and exaggeratedly high amounts of pain, in highly threatening conditions."
"But that happened more than six months ago!" Rumiko exclaimed. Her mother took another sip of her coffee.
"Maybe, but they used every simple bit of energy they had during that battle, even the body's natural reserves. And we have to consider the damage their bodies sustained, the natural loss of energy bio-merging requires and the effect of the modified Juggernaut program they used to defeat D-Reaper. It's hard to explain, as I'd have to go into details about the process of bio-merging, but……you'll have to believe me when I say bio-merging is much harder than your daughter makes it look. I can barely do it myself."
"You can do it, too!?" Both women chorused. Patamon was the one who replied.
"Yep! We become SlashAngemon, a powerful Angel Digimon!"
Takeru finished his juice and continued.
"Of course, some of the Tamers have it harder than others. Suzie doesn't bio-merge with Lopmon, and she has just slashed one card in her entire life, so she's out of the equation. Kenta can't bio-merge with MarineAngemon, because his Digimon is already a Mega, so his only source of stress comes from card-slashing. Same with Hirokazu. Jeri hasn't spent that much time with her Digimon, and she only bio-merged a few days ago, but her experiences with D-Reaper definitely left a scar……"
"The problems begin with Ryo. He has been in this business for years……"
……more than a decade, actually……
"……and he's gone through a lot. Someone without Ryo's cool personality would have shattered with the pressure Ryo's been through. Henry has received his share of decision-making in tactical situations, too, so he's been through highly stressing experiences. But I guess having such an………interesting partner helps him."
Rumiko bit her lower lip. She could tell Takeru was saving the worst for last.
"As for Rika, well………she's had it tough. Anyone would say she's been through the same as let's say Henry, but that's not true. Henry's first bio-merging was rather easy to accomplish, due to his martial arts training. The thing is, bio-merging requires a certain level of……mental stability, accomplished by relaxation. Although it is true that they've been able to bio-merge when their feelings take over, too. However, the basics of bio-merging are full synchronization between Tamer and Digimon, and that's not so easy to accomplish. It was especially difficult for Rika."
"Why?" Rika's mother asked.
"Because there's something that still upsets her to a level that it didn't permit any kind of synchronization with Renamon."
"And that would be……" Rumiko insisted, even if a part of her already knew the answer.
"……her father."
*****The Dark Ocean*****
BlackTerriermon had no other choice but to look down. He was tied to a small wooden post, so movement was completely nullified. Besides, he already knew what he'd see when he looked up, and he didn't want to see that.
He had given up calling him long ago. No matter what he said, no matter how he said it, his Tamer wouldn't respond. It was as if he had switched himself off the world……any world. His mind traveled to the events that took place a few hours before.
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"
He could still hear his Tamer's voice ringing in his large ears. The terror, the pain………what had he experienced? What happened to him?
The Dark Digimon moved his gaze towards Tatsu. The boy's head was lowered, but BlackTerriermon could tell that he was looking forwards, with an incredibly hateful look. The Digimon followed Tatsu's gaze to the small tent's door, where the DarkScubamon which was selected for guard duty examined Tatsu's blade with great interest. The boy let go a snarl every time the Digimon's slimy, amphibian hands touched the weapon. And for an awkward reason, BlackTerriermon felt sorry for the katana's true owner.
Finally, he looked at Eclipse, not without having second thoughts. For the first time ever…no, scratch that, SECOND time ever; BlackTerriermon had developed fear of a woman. However, what he felt around Eclipse was much different from what he felt about Rika Nonaka. Rika made him feel sheer terror, but this……girl………activated an alarm within him, something that ordered him to be cautious around her. And he didn't like it. He made a mental check to ask Tatsu about it……if he ever had the chance, that is.
Because they were, in lack of a better word, screwed. Right in the middle of Daemon's camp, with absolutely no chance of escape. Their guide had lost his weapon, the girl was discarded as absolutely useless, and his Tamer, well……
BlackTerriermon sighed as he looked back to DC, looking for any sign of recovery. There was none.
***** Dreamworld, yeah! *****
Where……am I?
…………is this………what is this?
The man looked around to find himself in a world without light. Pure blackness enveloped his surroundings. But then……
If this place is pitch black……how come I can see myself?
It was then when light came. A bright, blinding light that forced the man to cover his eyes. But when he closed his eyes, the voice came.
"Yes……you close your eyes, as your senses deceive you……"
No, I close my eyes because they hurt!
"Hmph. You haven't changed at all. You're still the gracious child who was chosen more than a decade ago."
Yeah, and least I haven't changed. I wouldn't like it any other way.
The man chuckled as he waited for a response. For some reason, he didn't find it awkward to talk to this girl (because the voice was a female's).
"Oh, but you have changed. Layers of cowardice now hide your true self."
Hey! Now what's that supposed to mean!?
"Are you saying that my words are not true? Because I'm no liar, Raphael……"
I have a name! My name is-
"That is the name your parents gave you! And it means nothing to me! To me, you're Raphael, the Sixth."
The man laughed again. ……whatever. So……who are you, anyway?
"Me? ………my name………I don't have a name. Who are you?"
……I think you already know that.
"I know your name, and I know your past. But I know nothing about YOU. However, I see………"
…………?
"……hmm………interesting……balance, grace, elegance……harmony."
Are we talking about the same me here?
"You are beautiful, Raphael."
And here we go with the 'Raphael' thing again……
"You are indeed the Sixth. You're balance, balance beyond the pain, balance beyond the cowardice…"
I'M NO COWARD!
"………balance beyond the lie………but you're still ignorant."
Look, if you're gonna keep insulting me, then I declare this conversation as over!
"……oh, do you? Do you think you can just……shoo me, the one with the eye of truth, a power not even my brother, the Perfect One, carries within himself?"
…………you lost me there.
"Oh well………I shall take my leave, then………but you should really ask yourself………"
……?
"………do you really know who you are?"
And the light grew to an impossible limit. It was so powerful, brighter than a million suns. So great it was, that it reached the man's eyes even with the eyelids closed. So bright, so powerful……so painful……
And then……he woke up.
"What the hell!?" The man shouted as an abrupt start. He didn't have to look outside to know it was still at night in the Digital World. To his left, a loud snoring warned him of his Digimon's presence.
"Not even the end of the world would wake you up, huh?" He said as he kindly patted the Digimon's head……or at least what he thought was the head under the sheets. The Digimon mumbled something in his sleep and rolled away from his partner.
The man placed his left hand in his forehead, as if the touch could calm the throbbing headache. He could actually feel the incredible pain behind his eyes, prove of the strange dream he had just gone through. Finally, his eyes rested on the black Omniwatch on his right arm, its large golden button glimmering in the darkness, almost asking to be pushed.
"All of a sudden, my life has become really creepy……how come it all started when you showed up?"
*****Takato Matsuki's Bedroom*****
So tired………must sleep………but then……why can't I?
Takato opened his eyes to the sight of his bedroom's familiar ceiling. His tired, sore body asked him for the necessary rest, as running all the way from the Nonaka's Residence and accessing his bedroom without anyone noticing had totally drained him. In fact, he would have never made it without Chaos' help.
He lifted his body and sat on the bed, but he fell back to the soft surface of his bed almost immediately. Once again, he closed his eyes.
"I should………go with mom………they……must be worried………"
Those were his last words before his subconscious took over.
*****The Subconscious………of someone else*****
"What do you want?"
Huh?
"What is it that you want?"
…………
"Tell me, silly. What do you want?"
………peace………
"Aren't you at peace? Why not?"
………so……so many things………I'm confused…………
"What do you want?"
……home……I want to go home…………
"Is that it? You just want to return to your simple, useless human life? Are you so into being a pawn that you don't even want to consider the possibility of actually being SOMEONE?"
………? Life………used to be easy.
"Well, welcome to the Real World. Life is not easy. The path of completion is difficult, especially for those blessed with the gift of Destiny………oh, did I say blessed? Or maybe I should say cursed………"
………what is it……that I need…………I need nothing………just………myself………
"You can always keep running. Why don't stop for a second and look back?"
Huh?
*****The Dark Ocean*****
"Huh?"
Everyone was looking at him. With tired eyes, DC looked around the small place. Eclipse eyed him with a rather frightened face, but he could detect a tinge of relief in her expression. Tatsu displayed no feelings on his face. DC couldn't remember a colder face that the one the other boy was giving him……him? No, not him.
Finally, BlackTerriermon. Awkwardly enough, the little Digimon wasn't displaying any expression of joy for his Tamer's well being. Now completely aware of the strange situation, DC tried to get up……without success.
Only then, he noticed the ropes keeping him immobilized, as well as his friends. A genius wasn't needed to know where he was, or what had happened since he passed out. But the worse was yet to come, because it was then when he realized that a tall shadow was settled on him. Extremely slowly, with the certainty that he was going to regret it, the boy looked up.
And then he gasped.
"At last………"
In an imposing display of authority and power, Daemon stood in front of the definitely inferior human being. The evil Digimon's eyes glowing with the same malice he had seen in the TV show.
No………they're worse……they look much worse now that they look at me………is it the fact that I'm not looking at them from the TV screen, or is it………?
"Hatred………"
"What did you say, Digi-Destined?"
DC remained silent and looked away. He didn't want to see those eyes. However, what he could see was how Daemon's right hand clenched into a demonic fist.
"What did you say, Digi-Destined!? Speak!"
DC didn't respond. Daemon's eyes narrowed to tiny slits.
"You know I could kill you right now, pitiful human……"
Much to the others' surprise, Dc's face contorted in an arrogant smirk.
"Oh, but you won't……."
He explained himself before Daemon could even ask. Now even Tatsu displayed absolute surprise at the Tamer's actions.
"You want to kill me, yes………but you won't do it just yet. Only after you have drained every single bit of information, and only after you have rejoiced in my screams of pain………only after you put me through the most hellish tortures………only then, you'll kill me."
Daemon's eyes glowed under his red hood. DC continued.
"Oh, yes, I know you. I understand you. You're so devoured by your own hatred that you can hardly think before you act. After years of horror and solitude in this place, the only thing that keeps you alive is your hatred for those who imprisoned you here. Well, I'm sorry but I have to tell you that I'm not one of those."
"What?"
"I'm not a Digi-Destined, Daemon."
The Demon Lord let go a soft snarl, before one of his long fingers pointed at BlackTerriermon, who froze on his place.
"Are you telling me that's not your Chosen Digimon!?"
DC chuckled. "He is my Digimon, that I don't deny. Yet I am not a Digi-Destined. I'm a Tamer, just like the one you're after. Takato Matsuki."
Daemon's interest immediately returned. "Matsuki………tell me about him!"
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I've never met him. I only know his name." DC replied. There was no way he was going to tell Daemon about his Digimon's experiences with the Omni-Tamer.
Daemon, however, wasn't in his best mood.
"You……YOU'RE USELESS!!!" He shouted at the same time small sphere of flames formed on his right hand's palm, right in front of the Digimon Tamer. DC looked down.
"Go ahead. Shoot. If I'm gonna die, I'd rather die like this."
The flames of purgatory only grew greater and greater, at the same time DC was starting to feel it's powerful heat. Daemon growled for the last time and prepared the blast when………
"Lord Daemon!"
"WHAT!?" The Mega Digimon shouted angrily at the same time his right hand crushed the fireball. The DarkScubamon that had spoken recoiled under his Master's wrath.
"The……the recon team is assembled and ready to be dispatched."
DC chuckled. "Recon Team? What, too afraid to do the dirty job by yourself, Creepymon?"
Daemon growled. That little human was going too far. "Why wasting my time and energy when my people can bring Matsuki to me?"
Daemon turned around and proceeded to leave the tent, his small crew right behind him. The Mega Digimon stopped at the entrance to face Tatsu.
"And you………what is your Master plotting now?"
"He has nothing to do with this, Daemon. This is a……personal matter I wanted to attend."
"So now you're saying you have free will? Ha! You're nothing but a puppet."
"…………"
If it were possible, someone could say Daemon was smiling at the moment. Finally, he eyed Eclipse, who replied with a death glare, of course. Finally, the Demon Lord left. And BlackTerriermon released the air he had kept for the last two minutes.
"Buddy, are you ok!?"
"If you mean okay as in alive and healthy, then yes. If you mean okay as in the middle of a barbecue while watching movies with my friends, then definitely not."
"Are you crazy!? Who do you think you are, talking to Daemon like that!?" The Dark Animal Digimon replied. DC sighed.
"I……don't know."
Eclipse finally joined the argument. "What the hell happened to you!? All of a sudden, you-"
"Can we please change the topic? WE have other things to think about right now." DC interrupted.
"Like getting out of here, for example." BlackTerriermon said. DC nodded and looked at Eclipse.
"So, Eclipse………how are you getting us out of here?"
"Huh? What……what do you mean?" The girl said, puzzled.
"Well, I don't know……use your powers, or something."
"What……what makes you think I have powers?"
Tatsu finally looked up at DC, for the first time a smile covering his face. Smart guy………
DC shrugged. "Well, you're not just Tatsu's cheerleader, that's for sure. Besides, I usually react awkwardly in front of sexy, barely clad girl, as the man I am."
"Hell yeah! You know the sweating, trembling, stammering, bulge in his pants…"
"BlackTerriermon!!! Anyway, I don't feel any sexual attraction towards you, hence……"
"………yes?"
"……………you're not human."
"……………………"
*****Back to Takato*****
A familiar scent filled Takato's nostrils as his subconscious finally retired and his awareness returned. How long had he slept? There was no way to know. However, he could tell he had been moved. Someone had moved him. Without opening his eyes, he tried to get as many details of his surroundings as possible.
Skin……soft fabric………
His head was resting on someone's lap.
………Rika?
Heh, you wished………
Ruki………hello………
………good morning, Takato. Had a nice sleep?
……morning? Is it already morning?
Why don't you open your eyes and find out?
Now certain that there was nothing to fear, Takato opened his eyes, and met………
"Mom?"
Mie Matsuki said nothing. She just raised her child's head and embraced him in a hug. Soon enough, Takato could feel her tears falling on his hair, as well as his father, who waited at the bedroom's entrance.
"I'm……sorry………for leaving…………you must have been worried………"
Her mother's sobbing was the only response. Tears formed in Takato's tired, almond eyes.
"I'm……okay now. I just had to leave……I had to see someone………it's okay now…………"
No more was said. Mother and son cried together, in an anthem of unfair pain and sorrow. Takehiro remained silent, leaning against the door frame……until the phone interrupted him.
A part of him already knew who the caller was, or at least he had an idea. Regretfully, he picked up the phone and spoke.
"Hello? ………yes, that's me…………."
His suspicion was soon confirmed……and he sighed in defeat.
"……yes, he's here…………"
Why does he have to suffer so much?
*****The Nonaka Residence*****
"Hmm………excuse me………"
Rika's grandmother remained unnoticed. Patamon insisted.
"Ahem!"
No response. Patamon sighed. "Well, he hasn't slept for quite a while. It can be expected. What about………?"
"No, she's fine." The elder woman replied. "………Rumiko, dear?"
Once again, no response. It's a shame they couldn't contact the Emerald Omnivice. If they could, they would have heard Pauline's growling. Finally, the Personality Trait exploded.
TAKERU TAKAISHI, GET YOUR ASS IN GEAR!!!!
"Ahh……huh?" Takeru groggily opened his eyes. As his eyes readjusted to the light, he managed to feel something out of place. An excessive weight……on his left shoulder.
"The HELL!?!?"
Takeru immediately jumped up, making Rumiko lose his human pillow, which caused her to fall to the wooden floor. The hit was more than enough to wake her up.
"Oww………huh? What?"
The blonde looked up, where her mother……and Patamon, who rested on the woman's right shoulder, looked at her, barely repressing their chuckles. She then looked left, where a now-completely-awake Takeru Takaishi evaded her gaze, a crimson blush covering his cheeks. It was then when she understood what had just happened, and she joined Takeru with a blush of her own.
"Umm……okay……Mr. Takaishi?" Rumiko's mother finally said.
"Ah…oh……yes?"
"……you have a phone call………"
"Ah……really? Well, I guess I'll get going……"
"Hmm……mister Takaishi?"
"What?"
"……the phone's the other way."
"Oh……oh!"
Patamon chuckled one last time before leaving his resting place to follow his Tamer. Rumiko slowly got up from the floor.
"I………I guess I'll go check on Rika………"
"No need to do that. She's wide awake. She's at the shower at this very moment."
"Has……has she……?"
"She hasn't said a word."
"Oh…………"
Takeru returned a few seconds later.
"They found him."
The two women's face brightened at the same time.
"Where!?"
"He went to his house. He's having breakfast right now. We agreed on meeting at the Hypnos II complex. I guess I can count with your presence."
"Of course!" Rumiko immediately replied. Her mother simply shook her head.
"Hmm……don't you have a job?"
"Well, yes………but this is so much more important!"
The older woman sighed in defeat and walked to the kitchen. Breakfast was waiting to be cooked. That left Takeru and Rumiko alone……to each other.
"Umm……I guess………I could use a shower right now."
"……oh, okay……" Rumiko meekly replied, the same pink blush returning to her pretty face. Takeru turned around amd walked away……just to stop two seconds later.
"……Miss……Rumiko."
"Yes?"
"Could you be as kind as to reminding me………what do you do for a living?"
Rumiko lowered her head, her blush growing more and more.
"I'm………a model."
Takeru chuckled. "Heh………I should have known."
Rumiko's blush reached the most intense shade of red possible. Takeru finally walked away to the bathroom. Once he was gone, the woman let herself fall to the floor again, her arms wrapped around her body hugging herself tightly. Then, without a reason, she began to giggle. Tenderly, sweetly, childishly, cutely………like a young teen at the perspective of high school love.
But it was then, when the long forgotten feelings filled her heart with newfound warmth, that she remembered a seemingly unimportant detail.
"No need to do that. She's wide awake. She's at the shower at this very moment."
Her eyes widened, but it was already too late.
"WAAAHHHH!!!! PERVERT!!!!!"
*****The Wongs' Apartment*****
Breakfast was silent at the small dining room. While most of the family was ready for the house chores or school, the trio of Henry, Suzie and Janyuu Wong wore casual clothes, signal of their absence to their working (and studying) places for that day. In a far corner, right next to the massive window that displayed a fantastic view of Shinjuku, Terriermon and Lopmon ate their breakfast. However, it was just the brownish Rookie, who ate, while the clear green one simply stared outside, as if he wanted to eat the whole city with his eyes.
Lopmon finally looked up, noticing his friend's………absence.
"Terriermon?"
No response. The small Digimon simply stared to the horizon, as oblivious to Lopmon's call as the whole Wong family to the approaching madness that threatened to engulf the whole world.
"Terriermon? Is……something wrong?"
This time, there was a response. A soft, quiet whimper that somehow reached the bottomless pit of Lopmon's soul. It was a cry of desperation, a warning of the upcoming catastrophe. Because Terriermon knew that would be the last day for Shinjuku.
Lopmon looked at the other Digimon for a few more seconds, before finally retreating to his plate of food. However, he was no longer in the mood to eat. Somehow, Terriermon's sadness had reached him, too.
It was then when he heard it. A single, simple word escaped Terriermon's lips. A word, that, even if it meant absolutely nothing to the Digimon who heard, obviously meant something dreadful to the one who said it.
"Daath…………"
*****Takato's House*****
"I'm done. Thanks for the meal."
"……………"
Knowing that there would be no answer, Takato got up and exited the kitchen, leaving his father alone with his food and his mother alone with the empty dishes that had to be washed. Once the sound of his footsteps faded away, signaling that he had reached the upper floor, Mie finally spoke.
"Now………you know what has to be done………right?"
Takato's father lowered his gaze. He knew the answer, but………he'd rather not.
Five minutes later, Takato returned to the kitchen. Overwhelmed by the silence, he simply lowered his gaze.
"I……I gotta go. I'll go get Guilmon and then we'll go to Hypnos. I……I guess I'll be back soon……I think."
Once again, no answer. Defeated by sorrow, Takato exited the kitchen and the house, walking away with a slow pace. He was in no hurry, and even if he were, he couldn't waste precious energy running.
I……I wonder how long I have left.
Takato! Don't say such things!
Why not? What's the point in avoiding it, if I know it's going to happen?
I can't believe you're so comfortable with the idea of dying!
………I guess………It just doesn't matter to me anymore………I just hope Chaos will put my body to a good use………
"You can count on it, little fella!"
………………
***** Metropolitan Government Building……okay, okay, freaky Hypnos building……happy? *****
Takeru growled for the nth time that morning as he rubbed his left cheek. On the opposite corner, Rika stood, her depressed mood from yesterday now gone……just not in the appropriate way. She was in a state that could only be described as……fuming. Patamon smirked on top of his Tamer's head, of course, while Rumiko and her mother were leaning against the wall farther from the elevator's door. As they made their way up to the place where the Hypnos Mainframe rested, and where Ryo and the Hypnos gang waited, Patamon decided to start a conversation. You know, to lighten up the moods………sort of.
"Oh, come on, you know it was an accident, she knows it was an accident, everyone knows it was an accident! What's the big deal?"
Rika's snarl was enough of an answer. Takeru sighed. Oh, well, that's a Tamer friendship thrown to the waste.
"I guess she'll only allow Takato to get in her good side." Takeru whispered to his Digimon.
"Did you say something?" Rumiko soon asked. Takeru smiled and looked at Rika, which shot him a death glare.
"Oh, no……nothing."
At last, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Takeru didn't waste a second getting out of Rika's fist range, to be greeted by Ryo and Daneel.
"Everything A-Ok, milord. Takato is on the way."
"Didn't you send a transport or something?" Takeru asked, as no security measure in the world was enough for him. Ryo frowned and Daneel shook his head.
"Hey, I'm not the boss here. And Mr. Yamaki won't spend a yen in paying a cab for the kid."
Takeru sighed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just don't feel comfortable if I can't keep close watch on him."
"Well, we can always use the cameras."
Daneel guided Takeru, Ryo and the Nonakas to the main display; Daneel's favorite toy, and the same computer Takato hacked his way through several weeks ago (Check "Forget the Y2K, This is Madness!!!", chapter 3).
"We got tired of having to deploy a team every time we wanted to record an event, so we got authorization for using the Police's surveillance cameras. They normally use it to keep track of traffic, accidents or unusual events, but I think it might let us keep an eye on Takato."
"Well, what are you waiting for?"
Daneel began typing at the same moment Henry, Suzie and Janyuu showed up, Terriermon and Lopmon walking right next to their respective partners. While the adult decided to join Yamaki and his two assistants, Henry and Suzie walked closer to Rika and her family.
"Good morning."
"To you, maybe." Rika replied. Deciding that he didn't want to know what happened, he simply looked down, finally noticing his partner's unusual silence.
"How come you're not inquiring in Rika's private life?"
"…………………"
"Terriermon!?"
"Huh? Oh, what? I'm……sorry………"
Henry added Terriermon's behavior to his list of worries and then looked right behind him, lured by the sound of the elevator's door opening away. This time, it was Hirokazu and Kenta. Guardromon walked right behind his Tamer, while MarineAngemos was nowhere to be seen, probably resting inside a pocket. Rika grunted in response, and the two boys decided it was better to stay at a safe distance. Inching as close to Henry as Rika would allow them to, the taller boy spoke.
"What's with her today?"
Henry sighed and walked a dew steps away from the female redhead, responding in a quiet whisper.
"I have no idea. But I bet everything I own Takato is somehow related."
The dynamic duo immediately displayed a pair of mischievous grins. Henry found himself unable to hide a smirk of his own. Takeru looked at the newcomers for a second, to then return his gaze to the giant screen.
"Now we only have to wait for our star."
*****Takato-kun*****
Takato slowly made his way through the grassy field, walking the exact same path he walked everyday, covering the distance between his house and Guilmon's resting place. This time, however, there was no hurry, no need to consider the possibility of arriving late for classes, and no eagerness to be close to Rika. That morning, there was nothing. In fact, it almost seemed that Takato wanted to make that usually short trek as long as possible. Although his reasons were mostly physical, as his body no longer had the will (or the energy) to increase his pace, he also had matters of the heart that kept him away from Hypnos, where he knew everyone would be waiting for him. Where SHE would be waiting for him.
A tear threatened to escape from its prison, but Takato struggled to keep it inside his left eye. He tried to shake the unpleasant thoughts away by humming a song he used to enjoy (A/N: If you want to know, it's "Across the Tears"). But not even music would help him this time. His heart was filled with a sense of dread no other human emotion could send away.
He was too focused in his own grief to notice the four relatively large shadows that followed him from behind the tall bushes.
*****The Dark Ocean*****
"Dark Tornado!"
"Poison Ivy!"
BlackTerriermon's attack stopped the DarkScubamon long enough for the Palmon to retrieve Tatsu's katana. The surprised guard didn't have time to react before he was sliced in half by the same sword he had just held three seconds before.
"Free at last! Gosh, my arms are sore…" The Dark Animal Digimon complained while Tatsu smiled for this first time in hours. It felt good to be armed again.
"Great job, Eclipse."
"Thanks!" The cheery Palmon replied. BlackTerriermon looked at the other rookie Digimon and shook his head. Witnessing how the previously hot woman transformed into a perfect copy of a Palmon had been quite a sight.
"I'll never look at a hot, barely clad woman with the same eyes ever again."
The Palmon chuckled. DC checked his possessions.
"Damn……Daemon must have my D-Power. But I still have my deck of cards."
Tatsu smirked. "Well, now we look for Daemon's tent, we get your Digivice……and I cut his throat with this baby."
DC shook his head. "And you just don't get it, do you? We don't stand a chance! I think we should just get as far away from here as possible. Daemon already sent a recon team to the Tamers' world, so warning Takeru is out of the question."
"Precisely!" Tatsu insisted. "The Tamers can handle a bunch of Ultimates and Champions, and if we get rid of Daemon, everyone will be happy!"
"I'm with you until the 'beat Daemon' part!" BlackTerriermon commented. Tatsu sighed.
"Alright, you win. We'll go get your Digivice, and then we run as if there were no tomorrow."
But if I get a chance at Creepymon, I'm taking it!
Tatsu looked at Eclipse. "I need something fast, Eclipse."
In a moment shorter than the blink of an eye, the Palmon was gone, to be replaced by the mighty Raidramon.
"Ready for a wild ride, Tats?"
"Always."
The boy climbed on the armored Digimon and looked at DC. "Cover me."
Before the Tamer could even get the meaning of those two simple words, Raidramon had already left on a mad dash to Daemon's camp. Immediately noticed by Daemon's troops, but too fast to be intercepted by them, Eclipse and Tatsu covered the distance between their former prison and their destination. Tatsu shouted a battle cry right before leaping inside the Demon Lord's tent.
"Daemon, you're mine!"
"HELL INFERNO!!!"
The next thing Tatsu felt was heat. Intense heat.
*****Takato*****
They were quicker, but Takato's reflexes were still at their best. When the DarkScubamon finally attacked, Takato retreated with a quick leap. Immediately, driven by his innate fighter instinct, Takato studied his opponents. Even though his skills at the Digimon Card Game were, in one word, crappy; his knowledge of Digimon was still unmatched.
Four DarkScubamon and ten Kurisarimon………I'm open to suggestions.
"Four Ultimates, ten strong Champions and no partner? Run like hell, Goggles."
I'm in no condition to run, Chaos, and you know it.
Oh, he should. It's mostly his fault, anyway.
"Hey, hey! I'm not the only one to blame! Don't you think keeping you functioning affects your Takato, too?"
Takato realized that Ruki's silence implied that she hadn't considered that fact. However, he wasn't in the mood for discussing those matters at the moment.
Um……enemy Digimon at twelve o'clock and approaching!
"We have to fight!"
Yes……
You're in no condition to run, much less to fight!
"Well, we're not getting any bright ideas from you!"
Ruki sighed in defeat. ……Battle Mode, engaged.
Takato moved one step back. Daemon's minions moved two steps forward, the Kurisarimon menacingly floating behind. Takato gulped. He needed Guilmon, but he knew the Digimon wouldn't let him run away. Besides, his legs wouldn't resist the 100-ft sprint that separated him from Guilmon's hut. Would he listen if he shouted? Maybe………if he wasn't sleeping. But it was Takato's only choice, so he inhaled as much air as his tired lungs could hold.
He shouted his partner's name at the same time the DarkScubamon attacked.
*****Guilmon's Hut*****
"GUILMON!!!!!"
Impmon, being the only one awake, was the only one who heard Takato's call. He immediately got up and looked for the origin of the voice. For a strange reason he felt very uncomfortable. Maybe it was the feeling of necessity in Takato's voice, or it was the fact that he sounded absolutely terrified. Impmon rushed to wake up the sleeping Guilmon.
"Hey! Pineapple head! Get up, dammit!"
He kicked the reptile Digimon's side, without result. Guilmon simply rolled away from the small demon. Impmon groaned.
"Oh, I can't believe this!"
He looked outside once again, but he couldn't see Takato from there, so he looked back at the two sleeping Digimon. Calumon rested right next to the much bigger rookie. Impmon considered waking Calumon and asking for his help………just for a second.
"Gee, what would you do without me?" Impmon muttered as the dim glow of evolution covered his body.
*****Hypnos……gosh, these guys are up to quite a surprise*****
"Smooth plan, Daneel." Takeru muttered.
Daneel sweatdropped at the sight of the hundreds of cameras that were being displayed on the massive screen. Cameras carefully placed in specific locations within Tokyo for the main purpose of traffic control, now used to locate a single being. However, finding a person in the insane amount of images displayed was, to put it simple, impossible. Daneel typed some commands with his keyboard and the number of cameras was considerably reduced.
"I've had reduced the list to those cameras located in Shinjuku."
"There's still quite a bit of them." Ryo commented.
Call it instinct. Heck, you could call it destiny. The thing is that, in a matter of seconds, the mainly bored Rika Nonaka found the group of cameras hidden in their usual gathering place: the park. And she couldn't help but release a gasp.
If the cameras included support for sound, they would have heard a piercing scream of pain, as Takato was being severely punished. Everyone could count ten Kurisarimon wrapped around Takato's body, their tentacles shocking him with powerful bolts of electricity, at the same time a bigger, darker Digimon seemed to hold the Omni-Tamer with an arm-grip. Then, at the same time the DarkScubamon twisted Takato's right arm, a second one punched him right below his ribcage, forcing the air out of Takato's lungs (a massive gasp filled the Hypnos Control Room at this moment). Takato immediately began to cough, a mixture of saliva, bile and blood released with each spasm.
"Dammit, Takato, no!!" Takeru shouted right before looking away. He began to run to the elevator, to stop two seconds later. After a brief gaze, he realized he wasn't needed to aid Takato.
Rika was gone.
*****The Dark Ocean*****
Okay, that was stupid………
DC watched how Tatsu and Raidramon were engulfed by Daemon's unholy flame. He also knew it was a matter of time before they were caught too. And he also knew there was only one possible course of action.
"Well, pal, it was good to meet you."
"Same here, buddy. Never thought we'd die because of someone else's stupidity, but………"
"It's the way things work………I wonder how long it will take before mom actually notices my disappearance?"
Both Tamer and Digimon remained silent for a few seconds. They only watched at the defeated shapes of Tatsu and Eclipse, and the tall, powerful shape of Daemon, who stood right in front of the fallen couple. Finally, BlackTerriermon sighed in resignation. And the battle began.
"Crimson Blast!"
The small shots were enough to knock a Kurisarimon, drawing the attention towards the small rookie Digimon as he bravely (or stupidly) attempted to make his way through the hordes of evil Digimon. His Tamer soon joined the riot, throwing rocks and sticks to any Digimon who tried to get near him or his partner. However, it was a matter of time before they fell, too. A lone DarkScubamon managed to avoid the rock shower and dug his teeth in DC's left leg, causing the boy to release a loud scream. BlackTerriermon tried to help his friend, but twelve combined Data Crashers sent him flying away, falling on the soft cloth of the tent that had been their jail. Immediately, three of four DarkScubamon leaped at the fallen Virus/Data hybrid like a pack of rabid wolves. Daemon mindlessly watched the duo's useless struggle, while DC attempted to resist the Kurisarimon's electric attacks and the three or four DarkScubamon became twenty or thirty. The Mega Digimon looked at the unconscious Tatsu and Raidramon, and then his gaze shifted to the small object he held with his left hand. A crimson Digivice.
*****One Last Scene*****
Gennai slowly entered the room, adjusting his eyes to the illumination……or, specifically, the lack of it. A pair of neon lights was the only source of light in the immensely large chamber, the two bright rods being not enough to reveal the contents of the place, which was precisely the idea. After all, if someone else were able to see what was inside the room, they would have been greeted by quite a disturbing sight.
However, I might be lying if I say the two neon lights were the only illumination in the room. Once his eyes were used to the almost absolute darkness, Gennai began to check on……whatever he kept in that place. He walked to a certain spot, looked at whatever he hand in front of him, wrote something on a pocket PC, and walked away to repeat the procedure in a different place. The only clue in the possible contents of the room were the way the light from the two lamps was reflected on whatever Gennai looked at, revealing a faint glow from what seemed like glass. Other than that, Gennai remained in the dark.
Eventually, Gennai reached the other end of the room, right below the two neon lights. Being the only part of the room that was fairly well lit, it allowed a better sight of whatever caught Gennai's attention. A huge glass vial with a cylindrical shape, with the number seven printed on it. The seven-feet-high tube was filled with a transparent liquid that occupied almost three quarters of the total volume. And, floating in the liquid, what seemed to be a human being.
A young girl, approximately eleven or twelve years old, with long brown hair. Her eyes were closed and her face was contorted in an almost unnoticeable frown. Gennai knew every detail about the girl, so he had no need to look at her. He was more interested in the numbers displayed by the small LCD screen at the vial's base. He wrote the numbers in his pocket computer and walked away, crossing the entire room with quick steps.
Finally, he stopped in front of the screen right at the entrance. Several graphs and tables were displayed on it, but Gennai was more interested in the small symbols at the bottom of the screen.
Subject: Takato Matsuki
Code Name: Asmodeus
E.T.D. (Estimated Time of Death): 136:25:44
"A little more than five days left………good."
But there was nobody to hear Gennai's words as he finally exited the room, a huge steel door closing behind him, as a symbol of the important secret kept behind it. However, Gennai hadn't been able to avoid a little self-praise when labeling the room, with four simple letters that adorned the entrance, even if they were of no meaning to any other person……in the highly unlikely case that someone reached that place.
A.D.A.M.
*********************************************************************
*********************************************************************
End of chapter 5…………
Terriermon: At last, we're done with chapter 5!
DR: Yeah, yeah……once again, I apologize for the excessive delay. College takes most of my time, and the few free time I have left I'm forced to spend it on preparations for a trip I'm gonna make. Besides, I've restarted my philosophy courses and I'm re-reading my kabbalah annotations. All for the sake of my future fanfics. I know each chapter is taking a while, but don't be worried: I haven't forgotten them. Once again, thanks in advance for your reviews and the (constructive) criticism. Any questions and additional comments, feel free to e-mail me. And now, next chapter's preview!
(The Biggest Dreamer starts playing)
Ryo's Voice: Hey, it's me! Ryo Akiyama! Anyway, Takato is in big trouble, his weakened body being no match against the DarkScubamon and the Kurisarimon. Will Sakuyamon and Beelzemon arrive in time to save him? And what about DC and BlackTerriermon? How will they escape from Daemon? Project Asmodeus is finally revealed to the Digimon Tamers in the next episode of "Silent Sorrow": Damnation, Part Two. If you like inner drama and cool battles, then this chapter is for you!
Daneel Rush (daneel_ff@hotmail.com)
