I'm back with a new chapter! Wuzzzaaahhhhh!!!!!! Okay, I won't do that again. Once again, thanks for the reviews. I received tons of questions this time, yay! For those who asked, last time I checked, 'koibito' means 'lover' in Japanese. If I'm wrong, then I'm totally screwed. What else? Hmm……well, I don't remember, but I'll eventually answer all the questions, so it's okay. Once again, I don't Digimon, and I don't plan to acquire it anytime soon-nyu……….yes, I've been watching Di Gi Charat lately. And, yes, I am insanely in love with that anime. It's just too darn funny! On to chapter 8, where Daemon shows us just how powerful he is, Takato sees the world around him fall apart, DC participates in a romantic scene I find absolutely lovely, and an incredible plot twist separates this story in not two, or three, but FOUR different branches! Enjoy!!!
SILENT SORROW
Chapter 8
The Siege of Shinjuku
It was the usual morning. The sun bathed his naked skin, warming the white blankets and announcing the arrival of a new day. At first, the blond man refused to open his eyes. He was too tired and too lazy. That was the price of having sex on the night before a working day. But, there's no bad time to make love to his wife, or at least that's what he believed. He didn't know he should pay more attention to what his wife felt. Because, maybe, just maybe, she faked her orgasm last night.
But he was too immersed in his world of bliss to realize there was trouble in Heaven.
That's the consequence of taking everything for granted. Yes, he had everything he wanted from life: a steady job with a good income, a lovely and gorgeous wife and lots of friends. He was well-known and recognized, and he lived his life to the fullest. Hell, he deserved it! He had fought very hard to get all that! But, even if he had everything he needed, he failed to notice that his wife needed him……and not just for physical pleasure………and she wasn't getting even that lately.
Finally, the light on his eyes became too bright and Matt Ishida decided to surrender. Slowly, he guided his tired body to the bathroom, and only reacted until a stream of cold water reached his body.
"Yeeeooouch!!!! It's COLD!!!!"
Normally, it would have caused his wife, Sora Takenouchi Ishida, to fall prey of a round of laughter. That is, if she had heard. Actually, I don't think she'd have laughed even if she had heard……at least not that day.
Haunted by dreams all night, and deprived of sleep once she woke up, she had left her bed (another thing Matt had failed to notice) to strengthen her sorrow by busying herself looking at old photo albums.
And that's why Matt found her crying when he finally made his way to the all-purpose room (living and dining room).
"So……darling, what's today breakfast………darling?"
Hurriedly, he moved next to his sobbing wife, who hurriedly closed the photo album she held with her. "No-nothing!"
"Sora………is there something wrong?"
"I said nothing, dear. So, you were wondering about breakfast?" Sora quickly replied while she got up and walked to the kitchen. "I guess something simple will have to do. The fridge is almost empty."
"Oh……" That was Matt's simple response. Making sure that his wife wasn't looking, he opened the album until he found the page she was looking at. It was easy to find as Sora's tears were still there.
Matt couldn't help but shed a tear of his own, too.
There were five people in the picture, and Matt remembered that day as the last day those five people were together…happy. What a better place for joy than an amusement park? And in front of the carrousels and the roller coaster, there were five Digi-Destined.
He was in the very center of the picture, and his left arm was wrapped around Sora's waist. It was that time of a relationship when you just can't let go of each other. Sora's smile reminded Matt why he had fallen for her. And speaking of Sora, while her right land was on his left shoulder, her left hand could barely be seen behind the monstrosity Tai called his hair. Only her middle and index finger could be seen in a V fashion, while Tai, who was well aware of Sora's actions, smiled at his friend.
At Matt's other side, a smiling Hikari Kamiya leaned on the left shoulder of an equally radiant Takeru Takaishi.
Does that smile even exist anymore? Matt thought, remembering the expression on Takeru's face last time he saw him. He hadn't shown any emotion when he talked to them, as if he didn't even cared that those were the ones he had saved the world with.
However, something forced him to focus on Tai. And he mentally slapped himself for being so blind at his younger years.
Even in his adulthood, Matt Ishida was blind to many things.
It was obvious in the picture. Tai's smile was completely faked and his eyes displayed no emotion. He was sad. Very sad. Matt closed the album and placed it on the nearby bookshelf. Then, he walked to the sofa, where the sleeping form of Gabumon rested peacefully. And Matt did something very unusual. He began caressing his Digimon's fur.
"And you know what the worst thing is, Gabumon?" Matt whispered right next to his Digimon's ear. He got no response from the snoozing Rookie.
"The worst thing is………I can't hate the bastard."
*****Shinjuku. The Park, to be precise*****
The battle began when, with a lightning-fast motion, Daemon extended his left hand's long nails to strike Gallantmon, who swiftly dodged by moving to his left. Daemon immediately twisted his body more than ninety degrees clockwise and attacked with his right hand, to which Gallantmon responded by a side jump.
"Come, Gogglehead! Stop playing matador and kick his ass! We don't have the time to play with him. We have to hit him hard, and fast!"
Then shut up and let me focus!
Gallantmon jumped backwards a few meters to attack.
"Lightning Joust!"
Truth is Gallantmon's Lightning Joust moves in a straight line. Hence, it was excessively easy for Daemon to evade it. Of course, the Demon Lord replied with an attack of his own. With a speed never seen before in the cloaked Digimon, he dashed right beside Gallantmon's attack and grabbed the Holy Knight's head with his right hand, dragging him until he slammed Gallantmon against a tree trunk, leaving him uncovered for Daemon's special attack.
"Chaos Flare!"
At such a close range, the attack had a devastating effect. The only thing that kept Gallantmon still complete was his impressively tough armor. Daemon then grabbed the other Mega Digimon by the lance on his right arm and threw him away like a ragged doll. Takato groaned when Gallantmon hit the ground again.
"Oww………everything hurts."
Daemon didn't seem to be in a hurry, so he spoke to his troops while his opponent regained the will to fight.
"Move to the discussed positions. The attack will commence once I'm finished with this……inconvenience."
"Finish this, loser! Demon's Disaster!"
The beam of pure dark energy took Daemon by surprise and sent him flying away a considerable distance. Daemon stood up as soon as he hit the floor, and he didn't seem to be having much trouble.
"Damn……" Chaos muttered. Guilmon simply let go a feral snarl. Daemon chuckled.
"Oh……the Chaos itself………no, excuse me, I forgot that you're……which is the word…incomplete?"
"Shut. Up." Chaos muttered. If Daemon wasn't covered by that huge crimson cloak, Chaos could have sworn that Daemon was smiling.
"Oh, yes, I know everything. I knew everything about you even before I invaded that other Human Realm, in search of Millenniumon's spore. As soon as those meddling Digi-Destined sent me to that world of darkness and silence, I knew exactly what I had to do. The power of the Dark Spore was nothing compared to you………how could it compete against the work of the Higher Entity itself?"
"You know I'm not one for discussing, Daemon. I'm sure you'd love to have a nice philosophical chat with Takeru……oh, wait, that won't be possible…I'm going to kill you!"
"Oh, really? You and which army?"
"THIS ONE! SEVEN HEAVENS!!!"
At once, seven spheres of holy power collided with Daemon's body, once again sending him several yards away. This time, Daemon did groan a little as he got up.
"Angels……gotta hate'em………"
Chaos groaned. "Does this guy ever give up!?" He said as he watched the tall figure of Takeru Takaishi as he easily made his way through the mainly shocked DarkScubamon. Right behind him, a Seraphimon flew over Daemon's lines, or at least what remained of them, as the main force had already left to fulfill Daemon's previous instructions.
"Wasn't I clear enough, Takaishi!?" Chaos shouted. Takeru shrugged.
"Of course. The Tamers have no idea we're here. Your beloved Rika is having her beauty sleep as we speak."
Chaos chuckled. "Be thankful she didn't hear you, blondie."
Takeru eyed ChaosGallantmon carefully. "Definitely Chaos. So……how come the Dark Knight is the one having fun?"
"We're switching." Chaos explained. "So that Daemon doesn't adapt to one single battle-style."
"Brilliant." Takeru admitted. "You've truly become a master strategist. Ryo never thought of such things while battling Millenniumon……neither did Tai………and please, oh please, don't get me started with Davis."
Chaos didn't reply. "Okay……so, what now?" He asked, while pointing at Daemon, who was already prepared to continue, not without shooting a death glare at the newcomers.
"You again………"
Takeru made an exaggerated bow. "Hey there, Daemon. This is the…what, third time? Your ugly face hasn't changed at all."
"I'm so going to enjoy torturing you, Digi-Destined of Hope. You, the one with the spore and the girl of Light………"
Takeru did his best to hide the fact that he was pretty scared……and mad. "I told you I quitted that job a while ago. I think we've reached the point first-name basis is okay for us. What do you think?"
"Umm……Takeru………could you please stop teasing him?" Seraphimon finally requested.
"Aww…okay, you and Mr. Mephistopheles here take care of the big, red, freak-o. I'll just keep the DarkScubamon away from my throat."
ChaosGallantmon, who had finally realized that Takeru needed the bad jokes to keep calmed in tough situations, nodded in agreement.
"Will you be able to get rid of the DarkScubamon, because…well……"
Takeru winked at the Dark Knight. "The Lord of Humans has some tricks up his sleeve, Gogglehead."
"If you say so." Chaos replied, at the same time his body began to glow with silver bright. "But I think you should get as far away as you can."
"Got it." Takeru said before running away from the place, a small squad of a dozen DarkScubamon soon following him. Seraphimon spread his wings and rose atop the park's trees.
"Flame Inferno!!!" Daemon shouted from the distance, and a tidal wave of flames covered the entire place.
"Oh, come on; don't tell me you thought you were going to surprise me! JUDECCA PRISON!!!"
*****The Nonakas*****
"Rika?"
"Hmm………Gogglehead……..just go and make breakfast, okies?"
"………okies?"
Now that got Rika up and running. And the first thing she saw that day was the smiling face of her grandmother.
"THE HELL!? Grandma!"
"Rika, don't forget you have to go to school today."
Rika groaned and fell back on the sleeping bag. "Do I really have to go?"
"Rika……you know Miss Nami Asagi won't accept 'Tamer stuff' as an excuse anymore."
"Oh, but she's part of this, too! She knows Takeru form before! She was at Hypnos!"
"Maybe, but that won't stop her from giving classes today."
Rika finally gave up. "Aw, okay……I'll get up in a second."
The elder woman smiled as she reached the door. "Rika."
"What now?"
"Were you……dreaming about young Takato?"
Rika jumped back to the sleeping bag, this time to cover the unavoidable blush forming on her cheeks. Time for some creativity.
"Ahh…umm…yeah! I was pounding him until I forced him to cook for me! How's that for a wuss?"
"Funny……for a second there, I thought you were dreaming about a distant future where the two of you were husband and wife."
Rika was about to mention twelve reasons she'd NEVER dream of something like THAT (even if THAT was EXACTLY what she had been dreaming about), when the sound of a huge explosion reached the ears of everyone in the house. Less than a second after the explosion was over, Renamon materialized right next to Rika.
"Rika!"
The redhead nodded and looked at her grandmother, who sighed in defeat.
"Be back before lunch."
Rika left the house in a hurry, followed by her gracious Digimon partner, and wishing that things were as easy as her mother's mother pictured them.
"Before lunch………I'll be happy if I come back at all."
She shook her head and continued running, but she was unable to get rid of a nagging feeling in her heart. She would be feeling a lot of that in the next days.
*****The Metropolitan Government Building*****
Henry didn't have time to waste. In fact, he didn't even know what he was doing in that place. Why had he gone to Hypnos instead of going to the source of the explosion? In fact, he wasn't the only one wondering that same thing. And the answer was simple: it's the way the Thread of Destiny works.
"Henry!"
The brunette looked behind him to meet Jeri and Elecmon. The little girl panted a little bit once she stopped, as she had run a long way to get there.
"Jeri! Did you……?"
"Are you kidding me!? I think the whole Tokyo heard that thing! Do you think it's……?"
Henry managed to hide the tinge of fear in his voice. "Daemon? Probably."
Jeri sighed. She would have to fight once more. To fight for her life. She glanced at her Digimon for a second before looking at Henry once again.
"Where's Terriermon?"
"He's probably upstairs. My mother wouldn't let me leave until I was done with breakfast, so he left before me. He seemed to be in quite a rush, now that you ask me."
"He's……very worried about young Takato." Elecmon replied. Both humans looked at the Rookie Digimon, who simply shrugged.
"I can tell." Elecmon finished.
Jeri looked at Henry before the three of them walked to the elevators that would take them to the Hypnos complex. They didn't have to wait at all, and both Tamers stepped inside. Henry pushed the button leading to the top floor and……
"Hey! Close that door and sign your death wish, Brainiac!"
The building's guards had to step aside to allow access to Rika and Kyuubimon, who quickly returned to her rookie form before entering the elevator. She wouldn't fit any other way, after all.
"Good morning to you, too, Rika."
"Oh, shut up, Henry." Rika snorted. Both Henry and Jeri frowned. 'Henry?'
"I take it you heard the explosion, too." Jeri said. Rika nodded. It was Renamon's turn to speak.
"She came here to check on Ta-oof!" She said…until Rika's elbow delicately interrupted her. Henry barely contained his chuckle, almost lamenting that Terriermon wasn't with them. Jeri was much more direct.
"We're all worried about Takato, Rika."
Rika's eyes widened for a second, before she looked away. "Who said I was worried about that wussy Gogglehead?"
Jeri simply looked at the only male Tamer in the small elevator, and Henry smiled back. Truth was, Jeri was terrified because of the upcoming battle. Would she be ready to put her life……her partner's life on the line again? She knew that she couldn't stop her Digimon's warrior spirit, but……
Jeri would never leave Henry's side for the next four days.
*****Takeru*****
"Pauline, how many!?"
Twelve!
"Okay, prepare yourself for some card slashing!"
Takeru picked a card from his coat's pocket. It was a little invention he was very proud of, as it was an enhancement not for the Digimon, but for the Digivice itself. Then, he stopped, and found himself completely alone. He knew that the DarkScubamon were watching him behind the bushes, hidden in the shadows. It was their style, after all.
"Card Upgrade!"
A lone DarkScubamon jumped out of a tree and attacked.
"Digital Blade, activate!"
Data began gathering at the Digivice's slots for card slashing, until it condensed at extended way past his right hand, merging into a shining sword entirely made of data. Takeru didn't waste any time slicing the offending DarkScubamon in half.
"Heh, silent assassins my ass. I might not have Patamon with me, but I still can kick some Digi-butt myself!"
*****Takato*****
"Lightning Joust!"
Daemon dashed aside, to evade Gallantmon's attack, but Seraphimon already had targeted the Demon Lord.
"Seven Heavens!"
Daemon jumped up and levitated backwards before the holy power struck him, evading five of the seven beams of light. However, he didn't consider the two remaining spheres of energy, which made a direct hit which sent Daemon backwards. Takato and Chaos switched places for extra damaging power.
"Demon's Disaster!"
The dark version of Gallantmon's Lightning Joust struck right on Daemon's chest and slammed him against the trees with amazing force.
"Alright!" Chaos celebrated. "That will teach him."
Seraphimon shook his head. "I wish it were that easy."
"Flame Inferno!"
Both the Holy Angel and the Holy Knight leapt away to opposite sides, evading the unholy flames. And that was exactly what Daemon wanted, while hidden in the dust.
"Chaos Flare!"
Using both hands to launch the attack to both sides, Daemon caught his opponents by surprise, successfully hitting both of them. Seraphimon, having the type advantage, managed to keep himself in the air, but ChaosGallantmon ended exactly the same way he had left Daemon: slammed against a tree trunk.
"Damn……" Chaos muttered as he tried to get up, until something stopped him. An open hand, right in front of his face.
"Chaos Flare."
Chaos' scream was heard as far as three blocks away.
*****Hypnos-2*****
Henry and Jeri walked side to side as they followed Rika Nonaka and Renamon through the monotone passages that leaded to the core of the Hypnos complex, where they knew everyone was monitoring the expected Digimon activity. They weren't welcomed in the best way, though.
"Takato!!!" Terriermon's desperate shout reached his Tamer, the two girls and the Digimon, who entered the Main Room in a stampede.
"What's going on!?" Rika demanded to know. However, the screen spoke by itself, as it showed the shape of ChaosGallantmon on the ground, which was almost immediately followed by Seraphimon. Rika couldn't believe what she was seeing, so she satisfied her need for answers by grabbing the person closest to her.
"Why did you let him go!?"
"Hello to you too, Rika!"
"Oh, shut up, Rabbitmon! Now spit it………not literally!"
Terriermon sighed. "From what I heard, Takato left on his own free will. He made the others promise not to involve us."
Rika threw the little Digimon away and went back through the same way she had arrived.
"Wait! Rika, where are you going!?" Henry asked.
Rika didn't stop walking away. "I'm not going to answer such a stupid question!"
Henry looked at Jeri, who was chuckling like the little schoolgirl she is.
"Well, the red demon has a point. That WAS a stupid question." Elecmon said.
"Elecmon!"
Terriermon was laughing like crazy. "Red demon! Ha, I gotta remember that!"
Henry sighed. "Let's just……go. Okay?"
Meanwhile, Rika was already going down the elevator. "That Gogglehead………I don't know if I should kiss him or kick him."
Silence.
"……………Rika……"
"What is it, Renamon?"
"Do you realize I just heard everything you just said?"
"What do you mean by……AWW CRAP!!!!"
Renamon didn't laugh. She never did, not even when she wanted to.
*****Back to the Park*****
"Takato!" Seraphimon shouted desperately. "You……Seven Heavens!"
Daemon eyed the Holy Angel……and smirked. "Fool. Flame Inferno."
The flames engulfed Seraphimon's attack and destroyed it, leaving a shocked Vaccine Mega Digimon. "No……no way……you've been toying with us all this time……"
"You are truly stupid, Holy Angel. Chaos Flare!"
This time, the attack was strong enough to sent Seraphimon down to the cold grass. To his credit, he didn't de-evolve, he just passed out. With the annoyance now gone, Daemon was free to do whatever he desired. So, he took his time getting to ChaosGallantmon. Then, with all the patience of the world, he grabbed the Dark Knight by the helmet and picked him up.
"And now, your power is mine."
"Not today, Daemon! Double Impact!"
Daemon threw ChaosGallantmon away and leapt aside to evade Beelzemon Blast Mode's shotgun attack. This gave the rebel Digimon time to get right next to ChaosGallantmon to help him get up.
"Jeez, what would you do without me?"
Meanwhile, we could say Daemon was a little more than unpleased.
"Who dares disturb me now!?"
Beelzemon chuckled. "Name's Beelzemon. I live to disturb. Believe me, it's nothing personal."
Daemon growled in response. As for ChaosGallantmon, he was having big trouble just to stay on his two feet.
"Urgh……dammit."
"Are you up to some switching now, Gogglehead?"
Oh, shut up. You know our bodies wouldn't handle another switch. Damn, I can't believe we lost so easily.
"Losing? Who said something about losing? I'm NOT a loser!"
"Beelzemon, I'll distract Daemon while you go check on the Angel over there. If the three of us fight together, maybe we……"
"Are you kidding me!? You can barely stand, much less fight!"
"Oh, shut up and MOVE!" ChaosGallantmon shouted and pushed away Beelzemon, just in time, as Daemon had already lunged at the two Virus Mega Digimon. While Beelzemon fell to the ground unharmed, ChaosGallantmon received the full force of Daemon's tackle, sending both Dark Knight and Demon Lord tumbling to the grassy ground, with Daemon on top. The demon in the crimson cloak snarled in triumph…….
"Now you're mi-oof!"
……until he met ChaosGallantmon's left fist. Takao tried to continue the attack by ramming Daemon with his lance, but Daemon easily moved his body aside and grabbed ChaosGallantmon's head, to slam him against the ground again. However, ChaosGallantmon still refused to de-evolve.
"Why can't you be a good boy and give up!?"
"I'm a Virus, Daemon. I'm not a good boy."
"Oh well, I didn't want to make this painful for you, but you asked for it."
"Double Impact!"
"Seven Heavens!"
Once again, Daemon moved away at the right moment, and the two attacks only hit thin air. The problem is, Daemon didn't expect a THIRD attack.
MegaGargomon's Mega Barrage hit with pinpoint accuracy. And much to Daemon's chagrin, four foxes of fire, wind, thunder and water soon followed the missile attack.
*****Takeru*****
"And that……makes……four!" Takeru shouted tiredly as he pierced a DarkScubamon's chest with his sword. The good news is that he had managed to delete four highly trained Ultimate Digimon. The bad news was that there were still eight left.
"Damn, I'm tired……being a human sucks."
See? Playing tough guy is never a good idea!
Do you think they'll let me return with Takato in one piece?
That pretty much depends on you.
Well……watch this.
"You can't catch me!" Takeru said before running towards a group of nearby trees. The DarkScubamon followed him, of course. In the last second, Takeru jumped upwards and extended his right arm to grab a branch. Hanging on it, he managed to turn and send a strong kick to the jaw of the nearest enemy, which was sent a few feet away. The closest DarkScubamon then jumped at Takeru for the kill, to which the blonde replied by letting go of the branch he was holding. Being in midair, the fooled Digimon couldn't do a thing to avoid being stabbed by Takeru's blade.
"And that's the fifth!" Takeru said as he grabbed the defeated DarkScubamon and threw it at the others. The remaining seven covered their faces with their arms by reflex, but the impact never came, as the dead DarkScubamon faded into data. The few seconds of distraction, however, were enough for Takeru to gain a valuable advantage in his sprint back to where the others were fighting.
Not bad, TK!
"Well, thank you! SlashAngemon, here I come!"
Wha-what!? You didn't say anything about bio-merging!
"Well, there isn't much I can do with this body, is it?"
*****Somewhere in the Eastern Quadrant*****
Gennai's mind was flooded with thoughts as he walked through the jagged passageway. Even if the cool breeze and the breathtaking scenario as he walked his way to a meeting with the guardian Azulongmon were soothing, he didn't seem relaxed at all. Gennai was deep in thought, and he had done a lot of that since his unbelievable meeting with Takeru Takaishi.
The news of the successful completion of Project Asmodeus had been a shock to him. Asmodeus and the vessel of God had been created to control the power of God and prevent a catastrophe to occur in the Digital World. Once Chaos took control of the body, he would have been under the surveillance of the Digital Guardians, of which Gennai was the leader. If they weren't looking after Takato Matsuki, then who was?
He was partially relieved by the fact that Takeru was looking after Takato. Having an Enlightened One willing to do the job was always a good thing. However, the fact that he carried the Crest of Justice didn't explain why he knew so many things, things he had thought nobody else but he knew. Takeru Takasihi was still a mystery to him. But Gennai was patient, so he focused on the real priority.
Takato……how was he created, and by whom. It was already impressive that whoever managed to complete Project Asmodeus still remained hidden. How did that person gather the resources and conceal his work at the same time?
He was forced to shake his thoughts away as he finally reached his destination. The landscape below him no longer visible, as it was hidden under a thick layer of clouds. That way, it was only he, the sky and the giant dragon in front of him.
"I am here, as I was summoned by you."
The giant dragon moved closer to the anthropomorphic database. "I am here to inform you of some unpleasant news."
"I'm listening."
"What we feared so much has finally happened. He who was banished in the Dark Realm fifteen years ago has finally found freedom."
Gennai was in absolute shock. "D-Daemon!?"
"It was only a matter of time. The only thing we can do is preparing ourselves, as his army will soon arrive to this Quadrant, too."
Gennai sighed. "We'll need the Chosen Children again……"
"Unfortunately, they're the only ones with the battle experience to face such a threat. Even if the amount of humans with Digimon partners easily surpasses the millions, they would only interfere in the war that will soon take place."
"But, the Chosen are not children anymore! They have……things to take care of. They won't be willing to put their lives on the line anymore. They have too much to lose now."
"I do understand, Gennai, but it is necessary. They will fight, whether they like it or not. If they want a future for their children, they will."
Gennai let go a long breath, almost as if he wanted to delay the decision as long as possible.
"…okay. I'll talk to them. I'll tell them to be ready for Deamon."
"No."
"No?"
"Daemon won't come here. At least not until he's done with the Southern Quadrant."
"The-the Southern Quadrant?"
"He's after the Tamer with the Omnivice."
Takato!? Thousands of alarms rang in Gennai's binary mind. He's after the power of God!!!
"Oh, dear…………I……I understand."
Oh, yes, he understood. Even more than Azulongmon himself, actually.
*****Back to the Southern Quadrant*****
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, GOGGLEHEAD!!!!!!!???????"
God, that brings back memories……
Oh, but he was not hearing things, as the slender figure of Sakuyamon helped him get up.
"So……what's up, Rika?" Takato said in his best cheery voice, while doing his best to ignore the pain. Rika, meanwhile, was doing her best to shake away the memories of the day before.
"When are you going to stop playing hero, you big dork!? You can't win them all! You're not me, you know!?"
"Gee, now how's that for modesty?"
"Oh, shut up, Gogglehead!"
Takato just giggled in response. Rika was left dumbfounded. How can he be so calm!? And so darn CUTE!?
Rika looked behind her, where Jeri (in the shape of SaberLeomon) and Terriermon were giggling as if there were no tomorrow. "What!?"
Beelzemon groaned. "Can anyone tell the married couple to stop arguing? We have an evil Digimon to take care of!"
Terriermon's laughter grew in intensity. "Oh, yes, please stop the Ice Queen and Taka-chan!!!"
This time, not even Beelzemon could hold the laughter. "Taka-chan? Now that's funny!!!"
Both Rika and Takato thanked God they were in their Digimon forms, because no one could have stopped Terriermon's and Beelzemon's laughter if they had seen the boy and the girl's blush. Of course, Daemon wasn't enjoying the happy moment. In fact, he was about to ruin it.
"Flame Inferno!!!"
Sakuyamon, Beelzemon, Seraphimon, SaberLeomon and MegaGargomon got as far away from the fiery flames as possible. However……
"Ummm……who helped Takato?" Seraphimon asked. All the Mega Digimon looked at each other, then at the flames. When they subsided, an unconscious Guilmon and an extremely beaten Takato were all that remained.
"Takato!" That was shouted by a desperate Sakuyamon right before landing next to the barely conscious boy.
"Gee, Rika………what would I do without you?" Takato's weak voice let go right before a fit of coughing. Rika gasped when a mixture of blood and saliva escaped Takato's mouth.
"Takato! Hold on, dammit! Where are four-eyes and his pink keychain when you need them!?"
Henry groaned. "Kazu and Kenta won't come. It would be too dangerous for them, as their Digimon are not as strong."
Takeru made his way to Takato and Sakuyamon. "Takato, here's the plan."
"I'm all ears, really."
Takeru smiled. "Patamon and I will distract Daemon, so that you and Rika can get away. The others will make sure nobody follows you until you get to Hypnos. Once you get there, you'll tell the people there to evacuate immediately before Daemon's troops take over the Metropolitan Government Building. Once you're done with that, you'll open a Gate to the Digital World with Ruki. Then we wait………"
"Wait? Wait until what?" Rika spat.
"……we wait until I die. Is that it?"
Takeru looked away, at the battle. Daemon had focused his efforts on MegaGargomon, and the others were trying to get the Demon Lord away from the much slower Vaccine Digimon.
"This……will be the last we see each other, Takato."
"Yes."
"What!?" Rika shouted. "N-no!!! It can't be like this! Not like this!!!"
"You're going with him, Rika. To the Digital World. You and as many of the others as you can take."
"Wha-WHAT!?"
"You can't let him go alone, can you?"
Sakuyamon looked away.
"Besides, Daemon's minions will arrive to the Digital World very soon. We can't let them find Takato; we can't allow Daemon to absorb Takato's power."
Sakuyamon didn't felt like doing it, but she nodded in agreement anyway. She then picked the small boy and proceeded to carry him away from the battle.
"Takeru." Takato said softly before Rika took him away.
"I'm sorry we met in these circumstances, Takato."
"I know. Thank you……for everything. Thank you for yesterday."
Rika almost let go of the Gogglehead at the mentioning of the past day. Takeru smiled for the last time.
"No, thank you, Takato. Goodbye."
Sakuyamon then began a hurried sprint. "Digimon Tamers, follow me! We'll let blondie and his Digimon handle the stuff here."
"What!?" Beelzemon complained. "But……"
"Oh, shut up and follow me, Impmon!"
"The name's Beelzemon!!!!" The Demon Digimon shouted angrily before extending his wings to fly after Sakuyamon and Takato, not before grabbing the unconscious Guilmon along for the ride. "Gosh, pineapple head, you are in serious need of a diet!"
Henry and Terriermon tagged along beside Beelzemon. They weren't really happy with the idea of leaving Takeru by himself, but time had taught them to listen to the Digimon Queen. SaberLeomon ran right by MegaGargomon's side.
Of course, Daemon wasn't very happy with the idea.
"You're NOT taking him away from me!" He said as he got ready to chase them, until Takeru and Seraphimon stood on the way.
"Gee, that sounded like something Rika would say." Seraphimon said as he de-evolved back to Patamon. Takeru nodded and chuckled.
"Amen, father. So, Daemon, ready for round…………which round is it, Patamon?"
"Well, we won at Odaiba, and lost miserably at the Digital World, so this would be the decisive one."
Daemon snarled in annoyance. "You're nothing but insects to me. Get out of my way, Digi-destined of Hope, and I'll allow you to live a few days longer."
"Oh, believe me, we know that. But if we get to delay you from getting to Takato for at least five minutes, we'll have done our job."
Pauline……
Takeru, please don't do this! It's killing you! Your body can't handle bio-merging, and you know it!
Well, then I might as well join Takato………
But…..what about………us!?
There's no 'us', Pauline. I created you, and that's it.
……………
However…………
……?
However, you………made this years bearable. You……make me happy.
Takeru………
Pauline………I love you.
"Daemon! How many times do I have to tell you!? I quitted the Digi-Destined job years ago! I AM A TAMER!!!"
Rika, I saw you last night. I beg you, be true to yourself! Just……just be with him……let him find happiness, even if it's just……
A lone tear escaped Takeru's left eye before he let go a deafening battle cry.
***** Let's go our world! Thought I had forgotten about this, huh? *****
The Digimon Tamer known to everybody as just 'DC' was paying no attention as he walked through the crowded street. Incredibly enough, he hadn't bumped into the first person or lamppost yet. To make things even more unbelievable, he actually seemed to MOVE out of the way right before he smacked his face on something. No, DC doesn't have amazing psychic powers……yet. There's a very plausible reason for this fantastic performance by everyone's favorite cameo. But now, we find him in a direct collision course against a lamppost, until……
……right.
"Thank you."
And he moved to the right, easily evading the potential insanely large lump on his head. Meanwhile, BlackTerriermon performed his best stuffed doll performance while he allowed his Tamer to carry him with his left arm. The voice from the Omnivice's personality trait echoed in the boy's ears.
Tee-hee. I gotta thank the Third for this little gift he gave you. Now we can always be together!!!
Yippie……
Oh, so you're not excited about having a cutie like me by your side all the time? Why you little…
*PZZT!*
Ouch! Hey! Now that's not fair! I know nothing about you!
Well, find a place to stop so we might talk more freely.
DC did as told, by returning to his house and letting himself drift to the sweet comfort of slumber. However, by doing that, he would force his brain to work even harder. A second after his body entered in sleep-state, he accessed that secret shrine of the mind where Takato, Takeru, and now DC can have the chance to talk more freely with their Omnivice Traits.
"So……what do you think?"
DC didn't reply. He could barely think. In front of him, there was a little girl with the appearance of a twelve or thirteen-year-old; with the most angelical face he had ever seen. Her brownish hair reminded him of caramel, and her almond eyes sparkled with life. A cute smile adorned her lovely face, and a white long dress completed the outfit of absolute kawaii-ness……I mean, cuteness. To top things, an immense white ribbon tied her long hair. Oh, come on, a ribbon!
However, DC couldn't help but feel a strange familiarity as he looked at this girl. He was sure he had seen her, or someone like her before.
"I…think……you're a little too straightforward for your age." DC said to the girl who had kissed him. The little girl giggled.
"Yep, that's me."
As if on cue, a large white bench showed up in the middle of the darkness. The girl sat only after she made sure DC followed her. Her politeness impressed the Tamer greatly.
"First, I guess I have to apologize. I overrode the Omnivice's original algorithm so that I could become the only Personality Trait."
"Hmm……I didn't understand any of that."
The girl's lovely smile grew even wider.
"You see, every one of these Digivices comes with the capability of being programmed to have a personality. This is usually set up by the Tamer, adjusting it to his or her personal preferences. However, in your case, you didn't do any of that. In other words, I hacked your Digivice and took control of it. I'm still learning, but I think you'll be able to use most of the Omnivice's commands."
"I…see……I think. But……who are you, anyway?"
The girl stretched his right hand, which was covered by a white glove. "You may call me Gabrielle. Pleased to finally meet you, my sweet koibito."
DC twitched, but took her hand and shook it delicately. "Oh, my, what a gentleman."
DC blushed and looked away, unable to believe that such a young-looking girl was making him go through something like this. However, looking away didn't stop him from noticing that Gabrielle was inching closer to him.
"B-But……where do you come from? Where are we?"
Gabrielle leaned on DC's side and sighed with content.
"Right now, your body is sleeping. It's still tired after the battle with Daemon. We're in a small part of your subconscious that your brain never uses, not even when you're asleep. Of course, that means these are not our real bodies. I'm contacting you from the distance. Of course, that mean you won't be able to contact me every time you want. Keeping a remote connection is kind of tough."
"And then……where's your real body?"
"It's trapped, imprisoned in a container for the flesh and bone. What my captor ignores is that, by locking me where he did, he gave me more freedom that he could possibly imagine."
"Y-you're trapped!? Then, shouldn't I look for you?"
The girl smiled and kissed the boy's left cheek with the delicacy of the flapping of a moth's wing. DC could feel his body getting warmer by such a simple contact, never stopping from wondering how the hell she did that.
"Thank you for caring, but……it's okay. Actually, I could have left my captor a long time ago. But for now, I'm okay where I am. Oh, but do not be worried. Eventually, we'll be together, my dear lover. In body and soul."
For a reason, Dc didn't found that answer very comforting. "Why……do you call me that?"
"Call you what?"
"Lover."
Gabrielle giggled like the little girl she is and her face became the epitome of innocence.
"It's obvious that we have different meanings for the word, my dear. You, who have been taught by humans, know only the imperfect definitions humans handle. You hear the word 'lover' and immediately think of physical intercourse."
Gabrielle stopped for a second to amuse herself with DC's endless blushing.
"Of course, it's not like I have anything against sexual engagement. We'll meet in a few years, and I'll be older by then, so, if you ask nicely, I'd gladly give myself to you……"
For now, let's just say that DC was in serious need of a tissue. (A/N: God, I so enjoy making fun of my cameos!)
"But, to me, 'lover' means precisely what the word says………someone I can show my affection to."
Gabrielle cuddled as close as she could. It seemed that she found great comfort in the contact.
"Is there……something wrong……with my definition?"
DC found himself unable to answer.
*****Back to Takato*****
"Gosh, I hate running."
"Quit whining, Gogglehead! You asked for it!"
"Hey, it's not like I asked Daemon to come fight me!"
"You did by going to him all by yourself! What the hell were you thinking about!?"
"I just wanted to put an end to it!"
"You just wanted to put an end to yourself!!!"
Takato's silence said more than Rika, or anyone else who was with them, wanted to know. Rika fought against the urge to beat the crap out of Takato.
"Oh, I can't believe you! You just think about yourself!"
"Well, I'm the one who's going to die!"
"Stop it, dammit! You don't understand!"
"No, it is YOU who doesn't understand, Rika!!!" Takato finally snapped, shaking his body until Sakuyamon finally released him. They had finally left the park, and a black military van waited for them, Yamaki on the driver's seat.
"To the back, you two."
Rika, Takato, Renamon and the unconscious Guilmon made their way inside the van, while MegaGargomon, SaberLeomon and Beelzemon worked as escort. Rika didn't fail to notice that Takato had sat as far from her from possible. For three or four minutes, the car itself was the only source of sound. That is, until Takato finally decided to speak.
"What's the point……?"
"What?" An angered Rika spat out. Takato didn't seem to mind her tone of voice. He didn't seem to mind her at all.
"What's the point in fighting………when you already know the result?"
"Come on Gogglehead, don't tell me that Daemon scared you!? Yes, he's strong, I admit that, but we can take him! We have never been beaten before, right?"
"What about-"
"Don't. Mention. Him. Please."
Takato closed his mouth. It was obvious that ChaosGallantmon was a bad memory for the redhead. But Rika's words didn't seem to alter his fallen mood.
"I……was not talking about Daemon."
"………then?"
"……myself. What's the point in fighting…………in the end, I'm going to die anyway."
In that moment, Rika had the serious need to smack Takato's face. The only thing that stopped her was that she knew better than to hurt his extremely weak body. She wanted to tell him otherwise, she wanted to tell him to stop saying he was going to die, she wanted to tell him that she was sick of it! And most important of all, she wanted to tell that she was not going to let him die. Not now that he had given her a reason to be happy again. A reason to let go of the sadness.
She was about to do so when the car reached an abrupt halt. Following the loud screech, Takato and Rika fell off their seats. The metallic wall that separated the back of the van from the driver and passenger's seat almost cracked when Takato's back slammed it.
"Oww……wait, Rika!!!"
Rika, who had fallen too, was being dragged to the front by Guilmon's body, which was just feeling the effect of the sudden lack of movement. The point is that Takato ended up squeezed against the wall by Rika, who ended up squeezed against Takato courtesy of the still unconscious Guilmon. Renamon didn't seem to be affected by the sudden stop.
"OUCH! Rika! I can't breathe!"
"Of course you can't breathe!" Rika, whose face had changed to an interesting crimson, complained. "YOUR FACE IS ON MY CHEST!!! GET OFF ME!!"
"I WOULD IF I COULD! OUCH, RIKA!"
"Shut up, you two!" Yamaki's voice reached them from behind the wall. "We've got company."
Rika's and Takato's combined efforts allowed them to push Guilmon out of the way, so they could open the back door. The sight they met was unnerving.
Kurisarimon. Tons of them! Easily surpassing the hundred, they were everywhere, like a swarm of locusts, bringing chaos to the recently awakened Shinjuku. Takato grimaced when a car suddenly made a 180º spin that ended by crashing against a traffic light. Three more cars followed the first. People screamed as they ran for cover, but the black cloud of Kurisarimon seemed to be everywhere. Beelzemon, SaberLeomon and MegaGargomon were doing their best to get rid of them, but their small size and great speed, as well as their amount made them difficult targets.
The situation reached the terrible apex when the first Scubamon and DarkScubamon started to show up.
"What are you waiting for!? Get out of here!!!" Beelzemon shouted at the ones in the black van. Yamaki didn't need to be told twice, and the pushed the pedal to the max, once again sending Rika and Takato tumbling down.
"Dammit, Yamaki, it's not funny anymore!" Takato complained. Rika fumed, of course.
"And when has it been funny in the first place, Gogglehead!?"
"Ahh…umm………sorry?"
*TWACK!*
"Ow! Rika!"
"Darkness Claw!"
Beelzemon managed to delete several Kurisarimon with his long claws, but it wasn't enough. He looked at SaberLeomon and MegaGargomon, who futilely tried to swat them as if they were flies.
"What are you two doing!? Get going!"
"What!?" MegaGargomon shouted back, with Henry's voice. "But, you…!"
"I can handle these annoyances, but there might be more enemies ahead of Takato! Now get lost!!!"
Both Mega Digimon nodded and ran (or in MegaGargomon's case, floated) as fast as possible to catch up with Yamaki's van. As for Beelzemon, he looked at the cloud of Kurisarimon, which seemed to be ready to follow Takato, too.
"Oh, no, I don't think so!!!"
He flapped his wings with all of his strength, creating a strong gale that sent the small Champion Digimon flying away, enough to disperse the cloud they formed as a whole. This allowed Beelzemon to target individual or small group with much greater ease.
"Alright, this will be a piece of cake. Double……"
"Flame Inferno!!!"
Next second, Beelzemon had fallen on the concrete street. Hard. "Darn………"
Daemon grabbed Beelzemon by the right wing, and used his free hand to strangle the rebel Demon Lord. "Where is he?"
"You again……? And what happened to……"
"That pathetic excuse of a Mega Digimon, SlashAngemon? Annoying as a bug. Took me a minute or two."
"Bastard……you……killed him………"
Beelzemon began to cough and choke. He was slowly losing consciousness. Daemon chuckled.
"Nah……if there's something that Digi-Destined of Hope is good at, it's escaping. The fool opened a Gate right when I was going to get rid of him for good."
Beelzemon gathered his strength to raise his right arm, pressing the barrel of his gun against Daemon's chest.
"Think fast. Double-"
"Chaos Flare."
Beelzemon was abruptly sent flying backwards, as the hand that had been strangling him released him just to strike with Daemon's special attack. Once the smoke cleared, Impmon looked up to the Demon Lord, who simply kicked him away with his right foot.
"I'd stay longer, but the Vessel of God has the only data I want. I'll let the Kurisarimon feast with yours. Who knows? Maybe one of them gets to evolve."
Only his laughing was heard as Daemon was swallowed by his own shadow. Impmon then looked at the sky, clouded by the Kurisarimon which went after me.
"First in the Digi-World, and now here……guess you'll get to have a piece of me after all."
He didn't see the Gate opening behind him.
*****Takato*****
"Damn………curse you, destiny!" Takato said before slamming his fist against the van's walls. "Oww……" He complained right after doing that.
"Moron……" Rika muttered in response. "Beelzemon and the others can take care of themselves. I'd worry more about Takeru."
"He knew he was going to lose."
"He only wanted to buy us some time."
This time, Rika was on the seat while Takato sat on the van's floor, next to Guilmon. He wondered how his Digimon managed to stay asleep with all the ruckus. "He's dying, too."
"Huh?"
"Guilmon……we're connected, you know? I guess it's because I created him. He's getting weaker, too. I doubt he'll wake up again."
"…………"
There was no response from either Rika or Renamon. Takato sighed sadly.
"I guess it's better like that. To die during your sleep……kind of sounds nice, huh?"
Once again, Rika repressed the desire to smack Takato. However, she'd end up doing it, kind of. The reason? Yamaki was forced to burn some rubber again. As the brakes were used to their limit again, Rika was launched forward once again, this time landing on Takato's lap. Takato, being on the floor already and with Guilmon's body to hold onto, wasn't affected by the van's stopping. Renamon, as usual, didn't even flinch. Good for her.
Rika looked at Takato to find his face two inches from hers. "Ahhh…….." She muttered as once again, blood began to flood her face. Takato wasn't unaffected by his mind's works, either.
"There's a God out there, huh?"
Yeah, it's us. Remember?
"Oh, yeah. Good point, Gogglehead."
Then how come you don't use your omnipotent greatness and make us life happily ever after!?
"Three simple reasons……"
One, this is all for a greater purpose. Two, we're trapped in a body which is about to die, so the powers are kind of……limited. And three, even if we wanted and we could, we wouldn't do it. After all, if we intervened in every simple problem, it would be kind of dull, right?
You call THIS a simple problem!?
"Hmm……Gogglehead?"
What?
"How come you knew all that?"
Hey, you're not the only 'Divine' being around here, okay?
Neither Rika nor Takato moved during that short interlude. Takato was too busy with Chaos and Ruki and Rika was too busy muttering 'Ahhh's and 'Uuuhh's. Thankfully, we have Renamon for cases like this.
"Just how long are you going to stay there, Rika? As comfortable as Takato's lap might be, but, really……"
One point six seconds later, Rika was jumping out of the van while Takato banged the wall with his right fist.
"Yamaki, what's going on!?"
Rika would answer. "Dammit, Goggles, it's Daemon!!!"
"What!? And what about……"
Takato's thoughts on what might have happened to Takeru and Patamon were interrupted by Yamaki's voice.
"Hop on! We're getting out of here!!"
"What? Wait!" Rika shouted, but the van was already accelerating. Renamon and Takato barely managed to help Rika get inside.
"Yeesh! What's his problem!?" Rika said as she fumed, when Takato grabbed her by her shoulders.
"What happened to Henry and Jeri!?"
"They……must be fighting right now."
Renamon and Rika barely managed to stop Takato from opening the back door and jump off the van. "Are you crazy, Gogglehead!?"
"We have to help them!" Takato shouted as he slammed his fists against the door.
"We can't!" Rika shouted back.
"We have to!" Takato insisted. With great difficulty, Rika and Renamon pulled Takato away from the door. At this, Takato reacted by slumping down on the cold metal floor of the black van.
"But we have to………" He said softly as the day's first tears threatened to appear. Rika groaned silently, while at the same time her heart began to beat faster. It was in those moments when her strong will was supposed to complement Takato's sensitive heart. Unfortunately, Rika is a beginner in these kinds of stuff, so she still didn't know what to do.
Meanwhile……
"Mega Barrage!"
This time, Daemon was ready enough to evade MegaGargomon's attack. But, as he moved away, SaberLeomon lunged at him and sent him to the pavement.
"Data type……so pathetic!"
Daemon grabbed SaberLeomon by its front paws and threw it off himself…
"Gargo Missiles!!!"
……only to receive the blast of two huge missiles.
"Oh, yeah! Gotcha, Creepymon!!!"
"Terriermon………"
"Aaaaaaaaaarrrrgggghhhhh!!!!!!!"
Henry's blood froze when Daemon's furious cry reached his ears. The smoke cleared and revealed a weakened Daemon, and a weakened Daemon is an angry Daemon.
"You…are……an annoyance!"
Two seconds later, Daemon was just an inch away from MegaGargomon, and he already had a special attack ready to strike right at the machine Digimon's chest.
"Ahhh….uhhh……sorry?"
"Terriermon!"
Daemon looked up, at the face of the much taller MegaGargomon, and Henry could swear he saw Daemon smile. Then, the demon lord disappeared.
"Huh? Where……?"
"Henry, right behind you!"
MegaGargomon didn't have enough time to move before a powerful kick knocked him down. Next thing he felt was a pair of hands on his back.
"Flame Inferno."
The only thing was kept him from de-evolving was the type advantage.
"Henry!" Jeri shouted as the tears threatened to come out.
"Flame Inferno!!!"
SaberLeomon didn't share MegaGargomon's luck.
*****Freaky Hypnos Building*****
Daneel met Yamaki, Takato, Rika and Renamon as they hopped out of the black van. After giving a quick glance at the unconscious Guilmon, he spoke.
"Tough ride?"
"Shut up, rookie." Yamaki growled as he walked towards the building. "We have to evacuate the building."
"Already working on it. He's on his way, huh? Anyway, I already sent for the Tamers' families."
"What for?" Rika asked. Takato would answer that question.
"Daemon might use them to get to me. Where are you planning to hide them?"
"We have a little place for situations like this. Technically it's a nuclear shelter, but I guess it'll do." Daneel replied.
"Where are Kazu and Kenta? You must take them, too."
"Mister Shiota and Mister Shitagawa are directing the evacuation. They said they wanted to be helpful. Mister Akiyama is going for the Wongs, and then for the Nonakas."
"Great." That was Yamaki's only response.
"I guess I'll take that as a 'Good job, Daneel'." Daneel replied with a silly smirk.
The four humans and two Digimon reached the main lobby. Daneel continued with his explanation.
"Rika, Takato, take the elevator to the roof, and open the Gate to the Digital World. Yamaki and I will take Guilmon with us and leave the building to meet the other Tamers."
Takato nodded. "At this point, Guilmon would only slow our escape, right?"
Daneel nodded. "In the case he woke up, Lord Takeru can use his Omnivice to make him digivolve to Ultimate. We could use as much help as possible. As for you, Takato……"
Daneel extended his right hand. Takato took it and both shook hands.
"It was an honor to meet you."
Yamaki and Daneel walked away to the parking lot. "Oh, and Rika……"
"Yes, Mister Randt?"
"Please try to make Takato's last days VERY enjoyable, if you know what I-OUCH! Boss!!!"
Both Takato and Rika sweatdropped as they watched Yamaki dragged away the young Hypnos technician, along with Guilmon. Behind them, a loud sound and the elevator's doors opening. Takato, Rika and Renamon turned around to face the elevator.
"Well……ladies first."
"…………"
They entered the elevator and pushed the button that would take them to the top.
"So……when we make it to the Digi-World……what do we do?"
"We find a place for Takato to rest." Renamon replied to her Tamer's question.
Nothing more was said until the elevator's doors opened again. And they froze.
"Hi there, Vessel." Daemon said. "Mind if I join you?"
"Yeah, quite." Takato replied, making his best to hide the fact that he was THIS close to wetting his pants.
"Well, let's finish this game of tag once and for---uugh!!!!"
Takato and Rika froze when they saw how Renamon tackled Daemon away from Takato.
"Get out of here!!!"
"Renamon!!!" Both Takato and Rika shouted.
"Why you annoying little b-"
"Renamon, move out! Seven Heavens!!!"
Renamon jumped away just in time before Seraphimon's attack struck the fallen Daemon, and a good portion of the building.
"Lord Takeru!"
"Hello to you too!"
Takeru and Renamon walked away slowly while Seraphimon tried to find Daemon inside the cloud of debris and dust. However……
"Digi-Destined of Hope!!!!!!" Daemon shouted angrily as he leapt out of the dust right towards Takeru and Renamon. Takeru pushed the rookie Digimon away just in time, but he ended up receiving Daemon's attack, as the demon lord's claws buried deep in his body, right above the heart.
"Lord Takeru!!!" Renamon cried.
"TK!!!" Seraphimon shouted as he prepared to attack Daemon, but a black blur did it before, tackling Daemon away from the adult Tamer. Next thing Daemon saw was a double-barrel shotgun on his chest.
"Blondie did me the favor of healing my wounds, Daemon." Beelzemon Blast Mode whispered menacingly. "Time for payback."
Beelzemon released his "Double Impact!" at the same time Daemon used his Chaos Flare attack. The building was the most damaged by both attacks, and now it threatened to fall apart. When Takato and the others could see clearly again, the saw both Demon Lords hovering in mid-air, both very battered and breathing heavily. And now Daemon was VERY pissed. With a loud war cry, Daemon lunged at Beelzemon, pinning him against a wall. Both Digimon struggled, one to keep a strong hold, the other to get free. Seraphimon was ready to go help Beelzemon, but once again someone beat him to it.
"Rapid Fire!!!"
Rapidmon's missile attack struck Daemon's back, and even if they didn't do much damage, they were enough to force him to let go of Beelzemon.
"Henry!" Takato exclaimed as Henry showed up, panting and with his hands on his knees.
"Though I would……miss the fun? Had to come……say goodbye………"
Takato managed to reach Henry before the brunette slumped down to the floor, his energy completely drained. "Henry? Henry!!!"
"Jeri……okay. She's with Ryo."
"That's good, Henry." Takato said with a sad smile. Henry smiled, too.
"But……really, I had to come……"
Takato nodded and hugged his best friend. Henry weakly hugged him back. "We'll never see each other again, right?"
Takato didn't reply to that question. "Take care of Jeri……for me. Please. She's……like a sister to me."
"S-sure thing, Takato."
"And, Henry……"
"What?"
"……you have my blessing. You know what I mean."
Henry blushed, but nodded in response. "Thanks."
Both Tamers cried.
"Goodbye, Takato."
"Goodbye………brother."
Takato walked away, to Rika. "Let's go."
Rika nodded and followed him, her face cold but her heart and mind a mixture of emotions: compassion, pain, regret, fear, frustration, and love. An undeniable love for the boy she was following.
Takato and Rika reached the very top of the building, which was beginning to shake, as its structure was weakening. Rika shivered when a strong gust of wind reached them, and when she saw the giant cloud of Kurisarimon approaching and wreaking havoc in the city.
They'll have to evacuate all of Tokyo if they don't want casualties.
Meanwhile, Takato was in a little bit of a dilemma.
What do you mean you can't open a Gate!?
I don't have enough energy, Takato! As you remember, I depend of your energy resources, which are pretty much depleted by now!
Well, I don't care! Open the Gate, NOW!!!
Takato, I might kill you!!!
THAT'S THE IDEA!!! THE SOONER THE BETTER!!!!
Takato………
Slowly, a Gate to the Digital World began to appear in front of Takato, who could feel the sweat running down his forehead. He could also hear the sounds of the battle raging inside the building.
"Seven Heavens!"
"Double Impact!"
"Golden Triangle!"
Daemon evaded Rapidmon's attack, which would leave a triangle-shaped hole on the wall behind Daemon. Daemon also evaded Beelzemon's attack, which finished with the wall Rapidmon had begun to break down. What Daemon couldn't evade was Seraphimon's special technique. That's the advantage of having a full-range attack instead of one which goes in only one direction.
"Damn……" Daemon muttered before a fist sent him flying against a wall. Renamon, after realizing that her special attacks were as good as shooting paper balls at Daemon, decided to rely on her most basic martial arts training, which, surprisingly enough, actually did some damage.
After realizing that it had been a rookie, a rookie of the Data type, the one who had hurt him, Daemon got up. The fact that it actually hurt him to get up got him EXTREMELY pissed off. It was time to stop being delicate.
"Pathetic insects……don't you realize that it doesn't matter what you do, the Vessel of God will be mine!?"
The four Digimon took fighting stances. Daemon snarled. He was tired, in every sense.
"If I wanted to, I could get rid of you all right now…….and guess what………I WANT TO!!!"
Takeru was the first one to realize what was going to happen. The others followed his trail of thought when the whole building began to shake.
"Guys, we're getting out of here!"
Rapidmon rushed to Henry's side to pick him up. Renamon disappeared, her thoughts focused on her Tamer. Beelzemon waited for Seraphimon, and his jaw fell to the floor when the King of Angels de-evolved to Patamon.
"What the hell are you doing!?"
"Digi-Modify! Digimental of Hope, activate!!!"
"Patamon, armor digivolve to………Pegasusmon!!!!"
"Better transport." Takeru explained as he jumped on the Armored Digimon's back. Rapidmon, Pegasusmon and Beelzemon were just about to exit the building through one of the many holes on the walls, when Daemon blocked their path.
"You're not leaving this place." Daemon whispered triumphantly. "FLAME INFERNO!!!!!"
Right above them, Takato, Rika and Renamon entered the portal………right before the entire building exploded in a pillar of unholy flames.
E.T.D. (Estimated Time of Death): 112:19:37
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End of chapter 8……….
Author's Notes: This is the end of the first part of Silent Sorrow. And the longest chapter I've ever written, I think. And to think it only covered a little more than an hour and a half. Anyway, now's when the story splits in four different "sub-plots". Which means no Takato and Rika for a while. Yeah, damn. But I guess I should explain myself a little further.
The four sub-stories take place simultaneously. I'm writing them separately to make things easier to you and to me.
Silent Sorrow: Scars of Happiness is the story of how Daemon's arrival affects the Eastern Quadrant, and how the Digi-Destined are reluctantly forced to battle one more time. However, things are not as easy as when they were children, for the simple reason that they're not children anymore. Conflicts and differences that were hidden will suddenly arise, and truths will be revealed when Takeru decides to join them one last time. The secret of Tai Kamiya, the secret of Sora Takenouchi, the secret of Takeru Takaishi and Hikari Kamiya, the secret of Mimi Tachikawa………the Digi-Destined are far from retirement. This segment of the story will begin with next chapter.
Silent Sorrow: Path of Sephiroth stars DC, BlackTerriermon and Gabrielle, as the Opal Omnivice now guides the Author-Tamer on a new adventure in search of the supposed secret behind Project Asmodeus. It is in this segment where we find out what's the deal with Gennai, as well as many questions which find answer. And, last but not least, the defense of the Dark Ocean, as once again DC and Tatsu wuill have to join forces against Daemon's minions. Contributions by other authors are welcome for this part, which will be the second to develop.
Silent Sorrow: Hell's Door is the story of the Tamers and their war against Daemon. With Takato and Rika gone, and Takeru missing, Henry will have to lead the Tamers to a losing battle, to delay Daemon and prevent him to find Takato. And it is in the middle of war when the most basic feelings are released. Henry and Jeri will find love in the ruins of the fallen Tokyo. The question is whether they'll be able to enjoy their newfound happiness, as Daemon won't stop until every Tamer is annihilated. The third sub-story is a story of how determination and love can keep the will strong even in the darkest moments.
And finally, Silent Sorrow: Concerto of Despair narrates the events that took place in the Digital World during the same period of time, the final battle against Daemon and the death of Takato Matsuki, as well as the end of the Tamers Forever series. With Daemon's minions in the Digital World, too, Takato and Rika have no other choice but to hide. With the aid of Digimon with good hearts, Takato spends his last days in the company of his loved one, days that will remain in their hearts forever. Not even death can stop destiny, not even death can stop true love. The fourth and final part of Silent Sorrow carries one simple message: miracles exist, and love is the force that makes them happen.
The pieces are set, the game is about to begin………but how is the Prophecy going to be fulfilled, if Takato's going to die? What is life? What is death? What does being a God mean? What is 'God'? Those are the questions. Takato will soon find the answers.
Daneel Rush (daneel_ff@hotmail.com)
