Telling me ancient tales of a boy
I will sing of them in my fairytale."
Original: "Fiction"
Recommended Music:
Nightmare—"Fear"
Breakfast/Mind Rape—"Fiction"
Brothers—"Echoes"
Nighttime rendezvous—"Distrust"
Fiction
Track 04: "Fiction"
Koichi was once again the terrifying Duskmon, ready to eliminate the so-called "Legendary Warriors." The Duskmon part of his brain that Cherubimon controlled questioned how any people so weak could even dare to take that name, but the part of him that knew he was dreaming frantically tried to wake. When desperation proved fruitless, he carefully calmed himself and took deep breaths in the hopes that he'd leave the nightmare. All his attempts were in vain, and his body continued to act against him, attacking relentlessly but logically at his enemies.
The worst part of it all was that he knew this battle. It was one that was half a blessing but mostly a curse. While it was true that the events of this episode had first caused him to question himself, what happened was still painful for both him and his brother to remember. Koichi could feel himself shaking as he lifted his right sword, slashing it in Agunimon's direction. Once again, the other DigiDestined were not present, save for Koji. It was an amazing feat that Koichi's body had kept its nerve while he hadn't and that he hadn't vomited/wet himself when he cut through his brother. He heard everyone calling out Koji's name, but there was no one there to pick him off the ground. From there, the actual turn of events changed from Agunimon's apology and Koichi's bout of insanity to what would have happened had the others been gone. Still in Duskmon's body, Koichi lifted his brother's limp body from the ground and cradled him gently.
"Koji?" he called in the same weak voice from all of his nightmares. His twin stirred a little at the sound of his name. "Koji, are you okay?" It was a silly question; of course he wasn't—he'd just been slashed through with a freakin' sword! his mind screamed. But it was enough to get the boy to open his eyes and stare up at the person holding him. "Koji, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you…" Koji just managed to nod in comprehension before closing his eyes again. Fractal Code built around him and disintegrated, flying away from his hands. Koichi was no longer in his corrupted Digimon form—he was thankful for that. But he was not in any way relieved that he was no longer carrying a person he loved greatly.
The door to his bedroom opened, waking him from yet another nightmare. He sat up to see his mother looking at him in concern.
"Are you all right?" she checked. "Your eyes are red, and it looks like you've been crying."
"Nothing," he assured. "Just a nightmare."
"All right then, if you're sure you're okay. Koji just called. He said that your friend Alice is coming over in a bit for inspection?"
"Don't worry, Mom. She just needs to look through our clothes."
"Whatever for?"
"She's connected to that place—" He correctly avoided mentioning the Digital World—"and she wants to put something in our clothes that will protect us if we ever have to go back."
His mother smiled. "That's a good idea. I'm glad to see there are people trying to help keep you two safe. Now, you'd better get dressed. I'm starting breakfast now. Your friend is invited to stay if she wants."
"I'll let her know."
She closed the door, leaving him alone to change. As he did, he took the time to muse about his nightmares. Koji died in each one, but not before he opened his eyes one last time to see his brother nearby. Koichi held an inward shudder as he remembered the paleness of his brother's face every time. Not even Alice was that white. But there was still something about those dreams that bothered him, something he just couldn't figure out for the life of him.
Since when did I go from being a helpless observer to the killer? he asked himself. What's the reasoning behind it? What's my subconscious trying to tell me? Following his time as Duskmon, he'd come to believe that his dreams were subconscious messages from his soul to his mind, telling him what he needed to do or informing him of some dormant guilt. Was he feeling guilty over his past actions?
But I've completely forgiven myself for all that, he argued. There's no reason I should still be feeling guilty. There was another knock at the door. "Come on in," he informed.
Alice opened the door and entered, casually walking past him to his closet. He felt like a complete idiot as he stood next to his bed, watching her go through his wardrobe. She quickly moved things past, attaching the algorithm barriers to the necklines of each of his shirts before she finally turned around to him in mild annoyance.
"For a Warrior of Darkness, you really don't have any black clothes," she noted. Had he not known of her tragic history, he would probably have been angry with her; instead, he shrugged innocently. For some reason, after her comment, he took notice that she was not dressed in her usual black, but rather a gray school uniform with a dark brown skirt. "I'll have to take you shopping after school."
"What for?"
"There will be times when we have to go out at night," she explained. "Black clothes are the best disguise, both in the Digital World and here. Your brother had a few pairs—he'll probably let you borrow some if necessary."
"No, it's okay," he assured. "My mom just got her paycheck, so I can borrow some money and pick something up."
Alice shook her head. "I need to go with you. There are certain materials the algorithm won't travel through. That's why I had to check yours and Koji's clothes rather than just tell you that you needed black."
Koichi's mother popped her head in the door and informed, "Breakfast is ready, Koichi. You're invited to have some if you want, Alice."
"No thank you," she answered, "I really should be…"
"Please," Koichi insisted. He felt that he had to make up for knowing her secret. "You should have time before school. We'd be honored."
Knowing that she couldn't refuse without the possibility of dishonoring the family, the McCoy girl accepted and went out to sit before a bowl of white rice, a fried egg, some baked fish sections, miso soup, nori, and a cup of green tea. Where she was recovering from the culture shock, Koichi stared at the food in surprise for a completely different reason. Since when could they afford such a meal when they hadn't even gone food shopping yet? But Ms. Kimura simply replied, "I'm allowed to celebrate like this on my birthday, right? Now, aren't you going to say anything? Both Koji and Alice wished me a happy birthday before you did."
"Happy birthday, Mom." His voice was a bit flat with shock. There was no way they could have the budget for a large breakfast like this; just a few days ago, they had been eating ramen out of the microwave. "Were you saving up for all of this?"
"Actually," Alice answered, "I gave her the money. I wanted to give her something since I was going to be working closely with you and Koji. I didn't feel right about being the only one who didn't give her something for her birthday."
"Is there something wrong, Alice?" Ms. Kimura asked. "You haven't touched anything."
"I'm not sure if there are any customs for eating," she admitted. "I don't really know any customs here. I'm not very used to the Japanese culture, and most of what my grandfather and I make for breakfast is instant oatmeal."
"You don't need to worry about any special manners here," the matriarch assured. "You'll learn them soon enough. You just enjoy yourself now."
The girl smiled slightly. "Thank you."
Her etiquette was a bit shaky, but it didn't matter at all. Koichi was still a bit confused as to how all of this had come about: Alice had been a stranger only a few days ago, and she was now eating at his table as a good friend. And later, there would be more evidence to the changes that had occurred; for the first time in perhaps ten years, both Koji, Koichi, and their mother would be celebrating the same day together. Things were still changing with the arrival of Jeri and this new mission that required the twins to take up the job of Messengers, people who had to save the worlds without any abilities that aided Tamers or Legendary Warriors. He would have to adjust to these changes just as he had with those before. But a fear lingered inside him, whispering that the next changes to come would not be easy to accept.
Little did he know that someone outside was watching every bit of this with the slightest tears in her eyes. She watched as the three stepped out of the apartment and split into different directions: Ms. Kimura to her car, Koichi to his elementary school, and Alice to her middle school. Jeri watched it all with a sadness that the D-Reaper couldn't delete, a sadness that had started this whole mess to begin with. Finally, like a foolish little angel, she leapt from building to building, flying without wings to whatever her destination would be.
-------
It was much later when she finally decided where she wanted to go. She stood on a tree branch outside an elementary school in Yokohama, watching as a student slept in the clinic. There was no way she could get inside as long as the nurse was watching, so she patiently waited for a distraction to come along. The student wouldn't be leaving.
When the opportunity came, Jeri came in through the window and stood over her sleeping victim. Koji Minamoto wore the algorithm barrier that protected him from the chaos, but Jeri didn't want to kill him—that was the D-Reaper's urge, and she was currently suppressed for the most part. The power was still in her body, though, and she decided to put that to her advantage. She placed a cold palm on his forehead, and he automatically pulled back from the feel of it. No doubt he was suddenly dreaming that a corpse had touched him. But this did not deter her from her goal; she remained fixated on it while the mostly dormant D-Reaper was encouraged at what effects the mind rape would create.
"Initiating memory scan," Jeri/D-Reaper's blank voice informed. "Subject: Minamoto, Koji."
The little she knew about him already was utterly illogical without knowledge of his deep past. She began with memories he didn't even know he still had, from his infancy to his conscious recollections in later years. All of these memories came with such speed and intensity that he was sweating and straining for breath while she invaded the deepest reaches of his mind. Many of these were painful, causing the boy to struggle frantically in bed, tied down by sorrow and fear. But finally Jeri reached the most recent additions to his brain, memories that forced a sudden calm on Koji that eased him back into a generally peaceful slumber.
A circle of five children holding hands, united as one for a common goal…A sad farewell to his other self, but with the hope of a reunion someday…
A tear to resurrect a brother and more to celebrate a happy ending…
A surprise bouquet of roses for a stepmother that released him from a promise he couldn't keep…
A fulfilled promise to see the mother he now had the chance to know…
A future he helped create, in which he would no longer be alone…
Jeri pulled back her hand in confusion. It was understandable that the D-Reaper couldn't comprehend the shifting emotions and the changes in opinion, but it was disturbing if the human she inhabited didn't understand. How was it possible for a person to go through such dynamic transformations in only one year? It should have been impossible for strong hatreds to become such firm loves.
"That's true chaos—when you yourself are caught up in it." He'd warned her before about this. Things like this were always too difficult for the D-Reaper to decipher. She still had no idea what it was that made the Tamers willingly risk their lives for Jeri (and later for Calumon and Beelzemon as well) or what it was that made Koji cry with such emotion that his own tears returned life to his dead brother.
She pulled back even further, stepping away from the bed and barely even daring to look at the now tranquil sleeper. Color returned to her face and life to her eyes. Though her thought processes were corrupted still by the D-Reaper's influence, she was once again Jeri Katou, the little girl with a lion's heart.
"Could he be able to…?" she began, inspiration striking her. There was possibly a chance of undoing all the damage that had been done, and the key to it was asleep nearby. She was just about to try and wake him when the sound of the returning nurse reached her field of hearing. Her sudden epiphany would have to wait for now. But that didn't mean the D-Reaper had to kill her burst of excitement. As she jumped across rooftops with the agility granted to her by her alter, she noticed for the first time the exhilaration of half-flying and half-falling through the air, always escaping the harsh confines of gravity. For the first time in months, a large smile spread across her face and elation danced in her eyes.
-------
Even though he only had a few months of testimony to support it, Koichi knew that Koji would never intentionally break a promise to anyone. He'd been to the gates of Hell and beyond just to keep those promises, even when he didn't want to make them. And when it came to his family, he wouldn't let even Lucemon stand in his way. So when he didn't show up at the apartment at the time they'd agreed upon, Koichi got worried. He'd had a terrible headache earlier—even worse than the one he had after smashing his head on the concrete floor of the Shibuya train station—that had to have been an indication that something had happened to his brother. But that feeling had faded, leaving him with no evidence other than a broken promise to indicate that something was wrong.
They were halfway through dinner when Koji finally appeared, but he was in such a condition that Koichi wasn't sure he wanted to ask what had made him late. He was pale, and a latent fear was present in his eyes. Koichi had never seen him like this.
"Sorry I'm late," Koji apologized, saving Koichi the trouble of asking what was wrong. "I had detention and then I fell asleep when I got home. Dad barely woke me up in time. I'm sorry."
"It's all right," his mother assured. "We're just glad you're here."
Koichi watched his brother carefully the rest of the evening. He seemed to have to force himself to eat, and despite everything, he still looked very tired. But it wasn't until they'd finished eating that he had a chance to ask what was wrong. Their mother had just opened her gift and was trying it on in her room, giving Koichi the perfect opportunity to talk to Koji without either of them feeling as though they needed to hold back the truth. He started washing the dishes, handing them to Koji to dry, when he finally asked, "What's really wrong with you? You look awful."
"I'm exhausted—I've been this way for days now. But today, every time I close my eyes, I keep seeing painful memories."
"How painful?"
"The destruction of both worlds, Lucemon's rebirth, when he took your Fractal Code…I'm even dreaming about the divorce, and we were way too young to remember it."
Koichi sobered even more. It seemed he and his brother had a bit more in common than they'd prefer to admit. "I know what you mean. I've been having nightmares myself. But mine are all 'what ifs' that could have happened in the Digital World. I'm not bothered so much by my memories."
"Neither was I until this afternoon."
"This afternoon?" Koichi repeated. "I thought these happened during the night. Is this why you had detention?"
A faint trace of pink crept along Koji's face. "Yeah. I fell asleep in class. My English teacher signed the detention form, then sent me to the clinic to rest. I guess she could see that I wasn't feeling well."
"It's nothing to worry about," his brother reassured him. "This kind of thing is bound to happen sooner or later."
"It never happened to me. I don't know what it is that's making me so sick and tired, but I want it to pass quickly. I hate being like this." He stared at the bowl he was currently drying. His reflection was caught in the glass, showing him an eleven-year-old boy with heavily lidded eyes that were filled with uncertainty. But when he looked up to see his brother, he could see that they truly were twins: Koichi too had tired, hesitant eyes, and lack of proper sleep definitely showed its mark on him. Just seeing that much made them both feel a little better. They'd sacrificed too much just to give into fears and doubts. Things were bound to get better—they had to be.
The phone suddenly rang, surprising them both. Koichi picked up the receiver and responded in a few one-word answers before hanging up and informing Koji, "Alice called. We have to head to a park in Shinjuku—she'll tell us which one. Apparently, Jeri's been seen there. You can borrow some of my clothes for camouflage."
"I didn't think you passed inspection."
This time, the pink color crept along Koichi's face. "She had to take me shopping after school. She threw the clothes in my arms. It was a little embarrassing." But before his brother could get any more amusement out of this situation than he already was, he decided, "We'd better tell Mom before we go."
-------
Alice was positioned in a thicket of trees, staring at something through night-vision goggles when the twins arrived. As if she'd known they were there the whole time, she put a finger to her lips as an order to keep quiet.
"She's standing on top of the slide," she whispered, handing over the goggles so that the boys could see. Just as she said, Jeri stood atop the slide, the cold autumn breeze tugging at the hem of her skirt and tousling her hair. She was just staring into space, seemingly waiting for something to happen or for someone to come.
"Should we go over?" Koichi questioned.
Alice pursed her lips. "I guess so. Just be ready for anything."
They tried not to make any sound as they crept through the dead bushes, but the resting wood betrayed their position as though it would make spring come again to return life to the park. Still though, Jeri did not move or react in any way. It was only the wisps of breath made visible by the cold night and few park lights that indicated any life in the girl.
Everything that occurred after that point seemed to have been planned, predestined by some force beyond their knowledge or understanding, perhaps by the D-Reaper or perhaps by Jeri. The bare branches of the bushes grabbed Koji's shoelaces, and the more he tried to slip out of the trap, the more tightly wound in it he found himself. Alice and Koichi turned back to help him, but he urged them forward silently. Two Messengers could take care of this just as well as three.
They crept up to Jeri, Alice with her knife ready if need be and Koichi with the anti-chaos electrodes in each hand. Jeri seemed entirely oblivious to it all as they cut off the end of the slide and the bottom of the ladder. But still trapped in the bushes, Koji was suspicious. There was no way she would just give up right then and there. It was then that something she held caught his eye, and he had a sickening feeling that he knew what it was.
"Get away! She has a chaos bomb!"
The bomb detonated, sending Alice and Koichi flying several feet before they fell to the ground unconscious. Unable to disentangle his shoelaces from the branches, Koji attempted to slip his feet out of his sneakers, only to discover that his feet had chosen that inappropriate moment to grow into the shoes. Jeri leapt down from the slide and walked toward him with all the maddening steadiness of a killer in a horror movie about to act upon the helpless victim. But Koji wouldn't let himself die without trying something to get free. He pulled at the branches in an attempt to snap them, but they were amazingly strong. Was this the D-Reaper's doing? Dolphin had said that she couldn't delete anything organic, so had she found a way to make it stronger? She certainly seemed to have done so with Jeri, so anything was plausible when it came to plant life.
Jeri stopped right in front of him, her face just inches away from his. Just his being in her presence brought back the rapid-fire images of his memory, putting him into a worse state of fear than he'd been in before. She reached out for him, but he pulled back violently and fell into the tight grip of the bush. Now he had no escape.
Rather than hurting him in any way, Jeri placed one of her cold, corpse-like hands on his forehead, ending the mind rape she'd neglected to terminate earlier. Koji shook a bit until his body and mind settled into serenity. Jeri took his hand and helped him into a standing position, surprising him far more than anything else had since he'd come to meet her and Alice. But there were even more surprises in store for him when she spoke:
"I'm sorry for doing that to you." Her voice held actual emotion and true remorse. Furthermore, when he looked at her eyes, he could see that they were no longer befitting those of a dead woman. "I just wanted to know what it was that made you sacrifice so much. What I found was disturbing even for me.
"You and I aren't that much different. Both of us have losses that we couldn't recover from, but my losses are more complete. I lost my partner, my mother, and everyone else I cared about. Mama died when I was five, so I don't really remember her. Daddy raised me since then."
"What does this have to do with me?" Koji asked. The answer came, but not in the form he expected.
"My daddy knew he couldn't do the job alone," she continued as though she'd never been interrupted, "so he remarried a few years later. I had a new mother, one I didn't want. I was supposed to be happy, but I couldn't be. Daddy wanted me to accept my stepmother, but I just couldn't." Koji stared at her, unable to believe what he was hearing. This story was his own, just told a little differently. "I never did, and I don't know if I ever can. She's not my mother, and she can't even pretend to be."
"Why are you doing this?" he demanded, his voice shaking. "Why are you making me go through all this?"
She stepped back a few inches. "I'm sorry. I thought you would understand better if I told you, if I showed you how we're the same. I didn't mean to remind you of the pain; I'm sorry."
"What do you want?"
"You were able to bring your brother back from death, right?" He nodded; there was no use in denying it anyway. "Could you please use that ability again? I'd like to see my mother, even if it's just for a little while. Maybe, if I could have the chance to say goodbye, the D-Reaper wouldn't be able to hold onto me like she does. You, your brother, and the Messenger wouldn't have to worry about fighting me anymore. It would all be over."
Though his face still held some of his fear and apprehension, his voice responded sincerely to her request. "It was an accident that time. Even if I knew how I did it, I don't think I'd have the strength to bring back anyone who's been dead for so long. I was severely drained after I woke Koichi, and he'd only been gone for a few minutes."
"I see," she answered. "I couldn't ask you to do it if it might kill you in the end. Another death on my conscience is the last thing I want. I'm sorry for troubling you."
Koichi, meanwhile, was recovering consciousness only a few feet away while Alice rubbed her aching head. Remembering that his brother had tried to warn them of the danger, he searched the darkness with bleary eyes in the hopes of finding him. He blinked a few times to clear his vision, and once he could see, he noticed how dangerously close Jeri was to Koji. "Koji, run, now!"
The shout startled them, and Jeri took it as her cue to leave. She leapt into the trees and soared from one to another, leaving the three Messengers behind on the ground. The bushes seemed to release their insane hold on Koji while Alice and Koichi ran over to be sure he was all right.
"You were lucky," Alice determined when they found nothing wrong with him. "Even with the algorithm barrier, Jeri could have caused some significant damage."
"She did earlier," he confessed, going into detail of the sudden burst of memories he'd experienced that afternoon. "And it happened again when she came near me."
"What happened after that?" Koichi asked.
"She ended it." They stared at him blankly. "There's still enough humanity in her that she could decide that on her own."
"Still, I don't think it's a good idea for you to go on any more missions like this," Alice decided. "Jeri may have responded to you in a way that she couldn't for even Takato and Rika, but that might make the D-Reaper even more determined to eliminate you as an obstacle. It'll be best for you to keep away from her as much as possible."
Koji agreed without argument. What he'd learned that night was enough to keep him from wanting to go into this any further. It was distressing to think that he could have gone down the same road as Jeri had things been a little different in his life. But he could not tell Koichi that at the moment; it was something he'd have to use on his own to find a way to return Jeri to her normal self. And it couldn't be too far off. She was able to take complete control that day. As long as she could do that, there was a chance. That was as much as Koichi and Alice would be allowed to know. The rest was too private, and he doubted that even he'd been meant to see when she took leave with tears sliding down her cheeks.
Parts of this are starting to sound like Witch Hunter Robin, and I apologize. The term "mind rape" came from Evangelion, noted by Chris McFeely in his Digimon Encyclopedia as being similar to the D-Reaper's treatment of Takato and Jeri. If anyone's questioning why they have night vision goggles, remember that Hypnos sent Alice and Dolphin to this world; it's not like Yamaki and the Monster Makers would let them go without equipment that could possibly prove useful. And keep in mind Alice's words about not knowing anything about Japanese customs; it's mentioned later on with an interesting turn of events. Till the next!