Wow 7 reviews in my first chapter! That's pretty amazing for me…Usually on my first chapter I get around 2, 3 or 4. But 7? Wow! Okay I do admit the pacing last time was pretty fast. I'm not good with long walks and such so I tend to skip quite some parts. Well this story will be really, really long. Most will take place in the Digiworld (along with all the action) and some in the Real world. Wait, correction; there will really only be two in the real world. Last chapter and this. I guess that's all the info you need to know…
Oh yeah and this was supposed to be a serious fic but I couldn't resist adding in some humor. I was also supposed to use English names but it just sounded…wrong. I guess it's because in all my other fics I used their Japanese names…Did I mention I named my dog Ruki? Hehehe…That dal can be just as aggressive as the real Ruki can be…
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.
Blasting the Gauge chapter two: Mysterious happenings and new adventures
"Then we'll have to stop it before the Digital World and the Real World are gone forever!" Takato's voice had a sense of leadership in it as the others nodded in agreement.
Yamaki remained silent. Jen noticed this and quickly asked; "Mr. Yamaki what's wrong? We can do this" Still he remained silent and, behind his dark glasses he looked at the children one by one. These very children had saved the world before and were now willing to do it again. Although he knew their determination, he couldn't trust them with a job like this…alone. Last time they had needed help from the wild bunch and even that had caused enough trouble. Now, members of the monster-makers were already retired. Who could help them now if they got into any trouble?
His eyes stopped at Takato, the seemingly leader of the group. Takato looked straight into Yamaki's eyes, determination and willpower never leaving his pupils. He knew what Yamaki was thinking; that they couldn't do this alone. Both humans stared in each other's eyes, as if they were on conversation. The others were staring straight at Yamaki too, their eyes containing the same power as Takato's. A sudden silence filled the room. The eyes were doing all the talking. Everyone was serious, everyone had something on their mind and endless questions waiting to be answered.
Suddenly Takato burst out what had been bothering his mind since Yamaki had laid eyes on him. "We can do this! You can trust us. We have ventured into the Digital World before, we can do it again!"
The others were surprised and at the same time shocked at Takato's sudden outburst. It was very unusual for him to say such at thing. Takato's brows were bent across his forehead, wrinkles visible between them. His face showed determination and power. Ruki and Jen stepped in front of their friend. The same look was pasted on their faces. Yamaki couldn't do anything. The children were determined to fight and they had had experience. Who else had defeated any other monster? Turning them down would be like turning down the world. He couldn't risk the lives of these children, but he couldn't risk the life of the world too. They were wasting time. He was left with no other choice.
Slowly he nodded his head. "Are you sure you can do this?"
"We're sure…trust us"
The chief gestured Jen towards the computer, he had obviously taught the kid something, as he made his way to the phone. Kazu and Kenta entered the room, breathing heavily.
"So wazzup guys? What's the rush?"
Ruki sighed. "You just missed the world's biggest staring contest…"
"Actually we're venturing back to the Digiworld…" Takato quickly explained before Kazu could make any other move to anger Ruki. The boy quickly nodded his head then turned to Yamaki. "So wazzup Mistor Yamaki?"
"I'm phoning your parents and the wild bunch. Probably they could help out"
"What! Not my parents! NO!" Kazu whined until Ruki glared at him before looking back into the computer at Jen's progress.
Jen's hands flew over the keyboard like lightning as he quickly opened up a program to show them the situation of the Digiworld. A screen popped up and a barren place was shown. Data streams were flashing by. Holes could be seen here and there, revealing the secured data of the ground. Data balls rolled across the desert and smashed onto a mountain. It was quiet. The wind was blowing, blowing hard and objects were sent everywhere. They scanned the place thoroughly with their eyes. The view reflected on Ruki's eyes as she murmured.
"That's not the same world we left…this is…this is different…the wind…it isn't ordinary"
Data streams were flashing by Ryo's cerulean eyes as he stared into the world that was his home. "No…this can't be happening…"
Jen's hand moved swiftly across the keyboard, the sound of the buttons echoing throughout the room. All eyes were glued to the screen, each mind thinking a different thing although all had the same question; what was causing this? What were they to do?
Suddenly a laugh was heard. None of them had done it. They looked around them. The screen seemed the same. The cold laughter entered their ears and echoed in their heads. Ryo clutched his chest as Ruki turned abruptly around, breathing deeply. Jen looked at his friend, concern present in his eyes. "Ruki, Ryo what's wrong?"
"Nothing…nothing…"
All of a sudden the laughter stopped. All eyes were huge at this sudden happening. The screen went blank and the computer shut down. Jen desperately tried to turn it on again. The lights turned off, all by itself. Shuichon screamed and hid her head into her brother's chest. Ruki looked cautiously around, her eyes zipping from one thing to another. Something flared inside of her, yet she didn't know what it was.
Her eyes were taking a full photo of the room she was in, taking in every detail of it. She was breathing very deeply. She sensed something. A presence in this room…It was near…It was…
"Ruki are you alright?! Ruki, Ruki!" Ryo was shaking her shoulders. Yamaki had just finished the last of the phone calls. The others were worrying about the electricity. Alice had gone over to the switch to try and see if the lights still work but to no avail. Jen stroked his sister's hair and murmured comforts to her. Juri was holding tight to Takato, who was looking abruptly around him.
Yamaki motioned them to go outside. "Must have been a power accident. You kids better go outside. We'll call you again once we're ready to set you up" They nodded and went outside the building. While going down the stairs, Ruki was occasionally looking behind her, something telling her that there was something. But what had been visible was nothing. An eerie silence had overcome them and all that could be heard was Shuichon's sobs. None could forget the strange going of electricity right after that cold laughter. The same question was playing across their minds. Where had the laughter come from? No one had any idea.
They reached the outside of the building shortly. Juri inhaled the fresh air that had just enveloped them. Looking at the others' tense faces, her comfort suddenly faded. Tugging onto Takato's arm, she suggested that they go home now. After a quick glance at the building, he nodded and followed her home, not even saying a goodbye to the others. Jen took Shuichon by the hand and led her home where their partners were waiting. Kazu and Kenta went their own way, for once silent too.
All that was left were Ruki and Ryo, the only two who had felt something during the incident. Silently they left towards their homes too. About 5 minutes later Ryo turned and asked her;
"Ruki, did you feel something during the brownout?"
She looked at him, horror in her eyes. "Yeah…did you?"
He nodded his head. The same look of terror was visible in his face.
Finally they reached the entrance to Ruki's house. Ryo secretly didn't want her to leave just yet. He wanted company. Ruki just looked at him and waved a quick goodbye before entering her house. Ryo then continued to walk towards his house, still drowned in his thoughts. Around 2 minutes later he snapped back to reality and ran back to Ruki's house and knocked on the door. Ruki answered it, a bitten sandwich in one hand and Monodramon in the other. Her eyebrow was curved up as Monodramon looked at his tamer with innocence. With a little wave and a burp he followed his partner down the street.
"Sorry…I kinda got lost in my thoughts…"
"That's okay…do you feed that thing?" With a questioning look she closed the door. Ryo looked at his partner. He was so…innocent.
"C'mon Monodramon" The dinosaur stretched its wings and trotted after the boy. Worriedly Ryo kept giving him glances, making the Digimon quite uncomfortable. Soon he couldn't help it anymore and burst out;
"Ryo I'm sorry for making Ruki mad…It's not my fault I was hungry!"
Ryo managed a smile. "It's not that Monodramon…"
"if it's not then what is it? Is it about Ruki?"
"No…Monodramon remember what I told you before about…" His voice trailed off as he eyed his Digimon. A serious look was now replacing the rookie's happy and young face. His eyes turned to slits and he gritted his teeth. His fists formed a ball as he slowly nodded his head. Ryo understood and continued to walk on and was soon deep into his own thoughts.
'Why has Ruki been feeling something too? What is this? I can't let anything happen to Ruki. I can't. I must protect her. She can't get into this…But she's strong. What if she doesn't want me to protect her? Never the less, I still must. But why Ruki?'
Ryo was now shifting his feet nervously. Monodramon looked up at him, concern and understanding written in his eyes. He had recovered from his terrified state now and had regained his adorable face. He nuzzled his tamer's side softly, showing that he was always there to back him up.
That night as Ryo slept, Monodramon at his side, a strange dream occurred to him. He was standing in vast blackness. There was no floor, no roof, no light no anything. He wildly looked around him horror-struck. He couldn't see anything. He turned around. Still nothing. The only thing visible was blackness. Too terrified to move, he stayed in place. There was nothing he could do. He was stuck. After a while of searching he heard something. At first it seemed too far away to be recognized. Gradually it became louder. It was the sound of pleas, sobs and whines. Surprised, the boy looked for the source of the cries. Then he spotted Ruki. She was a figure carved into the never ending darkness and she was crying for help. Ryo frantically waved his arms and called to her, wishing her to come and be safe in his company. He shouted as loud as he can but Ruki ignored them all. She didn't seem to hear. She couldn't seem to move. She couldn't do anything but plead and cry for help. Finally she called out Renamon's name. A small glint of yellow slowly started to materialize beside the girl. Ryo watched as Renamon desperately tried to materialize and rescue her partner. She couldn't. In Ruki's face was glued a shocked expression. The Digimon's calm, smooth voice suddenly filled the room in an urgent manner. 'Ruki…I can't…I'm sorry…' Ruki stared at her partner in disbelief as she disappeared into the unknown. She became tense and began shouting out names but to no avail.
Ryo couldn't stand this any longer. He knew if Renamon couldn't come neither could Monodramon. He tried to take a step but failed. His feet were rooted to something. Then Ruki called out a name that struck him and made him even more determined to rescue her. 'Ryo…'
With that last word she collapsed to her hands and knees, head bowed down. Ryo once again made another attempt to move but couldn't. He called out Ruki's name. He was now going wild. His heart began beating rapidly as a hand emerged from the distance, slowly enveloping the girl's tired figure. She obviously felt something and looked up. Her eyes met with Ryo's cerulean ones. Her look was pleading for help as Ryo's eyes reflected his concern. The hand held on her even tighter and it felt cold to the bone. She could hardly breathe. A tear formed in her eye but never dropped. She mouthed a help to the boy and disappeared into the vast darkness.
Ryo woke up with a start. He was breathing deeply. He took a quick glance at his clock and noticed it was only 6 a.m. It was too early but he had no wish to lie down and close his eyes once more. This dream he just had had already occurred to him in the past, only without Ruki. His heartbeat went intense. Usually these dreams of his were symbols of…of something. He looked at Monodramon's sleeping figure beside his futon and slowly stroked his broad back.
Later that day they were all called by Yamaki back to his office. He had already talked with the Wild bunch and the children's parents. Now he had to talk once again with the group and talk them over with the details. Gathered there were Takato and Guilmon, Juri and Calumon, Jen and Terriermon, Shuichon and Lopmon, Ruki and Renamon, Ryo and Monodramon, Kazu and Guardramon and Kenta and MarineAngemon. Alice was going to work with the monster makers.
Yamaki eyed them once again and flicked his lighter. "We have prepared the things you would need on your adventure. The Wild bunch has volunteered to keep you up with info and updates on this…thing via communicator. We could not access a camera to view your location so the communicator will be handy" He handed the device over to Takato. "Your parents will be coming over later before you leave. You will not be leaving with the usual portal in Guilmon's hideout but by a new break in time that we have discovered…"
"But why not in Guilmon's hideout? We're used to it there. We already know the way from there. It will be easier not to get lost!" Takato was forceful. Yamaki glanced at him.
"If we use that same portal it would be harder for you to get back. We must use this new as then it will be an easier path for you to go and come back. It is also less dangerous here and we are sure of the place you are going to land on. We can't just risk your lives you know"
Everyone else was speechless and merely nodded. The new portal was in Central park (Shinjuku Park) where they had returned. But now it led to a completely different place. "Now we must prepare you. Takato, you come with me. I will show you how to use the device. Jen, Alice. Activate the computer and try to get more information on this thing. The rest stay with Jen" The all nodded in unison and went over to Jen.
Once again Jen's hands flew over the keyboard making a rapid sound as he accessed the screen to view the condition of the other world. Ruki looked into the screen and tried to spot the thing and figure out what it was. Juri was to nervous to look as it reminded her vaguely of the pain that had come to her when she lost Leomon. Shuichon was to small to see. Ryo began familiarizing the place and making quick calculations and answers in his head, sometimes mumbling them out loud. Alice was typing fast in another computer to access another place in the Digital World. Kazu and Kenta were watching in that computer.
As she looked into the world once ventured in, Ruki recalled her dream last night. She couldn't remember everything but she remembered some parts. She had been in the Digital world, in the middle of what seemed to be an everlasting pit. She had desperately called out to everyone for help. No one came. Looking around her she had seen once again the barren ground and brown mountains of the Digiworld. She had called out to Renamon but she couldn't materialize. She felt sick to the stomach. Suddenly something cold tickled her back and gently trickled down her feet. She collapsed. Terrified she tried to look up and met eyes with Ryo. Before she could say anything, she was pulled down by something that had a tight grip on her body, causing her to be literally dragged away…
She snapped back to reality as the computer shut off. It was almost departure time. Jen shut the computer and carried Terriermon on his head as they went down the stairs. Takato had already learned about the communicator and was experimenting with it and showing it all to Juri and a delighted Calumon. Alice walked beside her chief as Shuichon bounced along her. Ryo seemed to also be lost in space. A serious look now covered his eyes.
Reaching Central Park and the spot where they had emerged, parents began arriving. Rumiko and Seiko ran to Ruki and enveloped her in their arms, telling her their concern and love for her. Rumiko was crying and worried that she might lose her only daughter and didn't want Ruki to go but she had to. "For the sake of the world" Was Ruki's excuse but she had also embraced her mom and grandma in a loving way. Takato's parents also drowned him with their advice and hugs. Janyu, his wife and Jen's other siblings came and said their regards and good lucks. Juri's father and stepmother were reluctant for her to go. They had almost lost her last time; they couldn't afford to let her go especially without Leomon. Takato had been shocked and suddenly went to the defense of Juri.
"I'll watch over her! Me and Guilmon are strong, we can take care of Juri!" Takato urged them to let her go. Hesitantly they agreed.
Kazu's parents were still angry about last time and let him go, supporting him with only some words. Kenta's parents just hugged their son and cried their heart out.
Ryo's dad, however, did none of these. He looked at his son, the same look on his eyes as that of Monodramon's. He was worried about his son's safety. He held Ryo's shoulder and told him good luck. He didn't want Ryo to go. He was supposed to tell him not to but felt that if he didn't let his son go something would happen and their mission would fail. Ryo looked up at his dad and smiled.
Ruki tapped his shoulder and tugged on his sleeve. "Ryo let's go…we're leaving" Ryo only nodded and, with Monodramon close by, followed Ruki to the others. They slowly stepped forward and looked back. Their parents were either crying or waving, smiles and hopes on their faces. Their children were going to save the world. How many kids get to do that?
Slowly they waved back and took a few more steps forward. Yamaki nodded his head and a bright light enveloped them all, sending them to another world, to another adventure…
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Okay that's it. A little fast-paced I guess…I didn't bother to read it again as I'm kinda hungry. More action and seriousness in the next chapters! Please REVIEW!!