Again, I'd like to thank everyone for their support. So here's the next chapter up nice and quick. That's what happens when one is up at 3 am: free time. I hope you all can handle this one. It might get kinda sad, so you've been warned.
Don't own Digimon or the Creed song.
Me sucky at fight scenes. And the evil digimon's name is lame. She was an early creation.
In one word: DRAMA
Always With Me
Chapter 3: That Fateful Night
The bus drove through the light traffic. It carried the precious cargo back from the elementary school field trip. The restless children, exhilarated and exhausted, were bouncing in the seats, poking each other, singing, and shouting. The bus driver was close to insanity. He was so distracted that he didn't notice the large animal standing in his path. At that last moment, he saw it and swerved to miss it. The front wheel went up onto the curb and the bus came to a stop. The children were still screaming and crying. The driver was shaken. He wasn't sure if he missed it or not.
"Everyone stay where you are," he ordered. He climbed down the steps. The kids sat and watched intently. It was silent for a moment. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!" he shouted as he rushed back onto the bus. He pulled a lever and the door flapped shut. Suddenly, the door was ripped open and off of the bus. Small monsters and ghosts squeezed in. The screams of the children echoed.
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Sora stared out the window. She was becoming increasingly nervous. The eerie green cloud above the city had grown.
"Are they here yet?" she asked.
"All set and ready," Izzy reported as he typed in the last commands. He pressed the return key and quickly moved out of the way. In an intense beam of light, eight little monsters appeared from out of the computer, landing in a pile in the middle of the room.
"Agumon! You made it!" Tai shouted excitedly. He hugged the little dinosaur happily. The other digimon and kids greeted each other, happy to see each other again. Sora went to greet Biyomon when she suddenly froze. Her mind was filled with screaming. She grasped at her head to make it stop. Something was then shaking her. She looked up to see Tai and Biyomon in front of her.
"It's time," she muttered.
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The children were huddled together, crying and whimpering. The monsters kept them in a tight group. The largest of the monsters was a large lioness. She sat and glared at the group. She didn't make a sound as she kept vigilant watch on both them and her surroundings. She noticed that people were collecting on the bridges at a distance. Some cars were approaching slowly. She decided that they were a threat. She growled. Neon volts surrounded her body then shot towards the cars. The asphalt was ripped apart into jagged pieces, blocking the path of the cars. The group stared in horror. She turned back to them.
"Don't get any ideas," she growled. They gasped. It talked.
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"We have to hurry!" Tai ordered. The Digidestined finally escaped the crowd of worried parents giving their words of encouragement and began to run out of the apartment. But before they could reach the door, Sora's mother appeared. Sora stared down toward the floor. There was a silence.
"You kids go ahead," she said softly. "I would like to talk to Sora for a moment." With a nod, Tai led the others outside. She then looked back to Sora who was still staring at the floor.
"I'm sorry mother," Sora mumbled, "but I have to go now."
"I know," her mother answered. She kneeled in front of Sora and lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "I know what you must do. But if something is to happen to you, well, I want you to take this with you." She took Sora's hand and placed something small in it. Sora looked at it. Tears welled to her eyes.
"A sakura," Sora choked. "To remember that you are loved," her mother explained. "I love you, no matter what." Sora smiled happily with tear-filled eyes. She threw her arms around her mother and hugged her tightly.
"I love you too, mama." The two were silent for a moment as they hugged, happy that their differences were finally resolved.
"Now go on," her mother urged her. "You don't want to keep your friends waiting." She let her go. Sora stopped at the door and looked back at her. She only smiled warmly. Sora smiled back then ran off. Her mother's warm smile lessened into a worried expression. Somehow, she knew that Sora might not be coming back.
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"Where is my child!" a distraught mother shouted at an officer.
"We're doing everything we can!" he explained nervously. "But we can't get to them. The streets: they're blocked!"
"Then unblock them moron! Oh those monster may have already killed them." The other parents began to talk and wail amongst themselves.
"Calm down everyone," the officer urged. "We will get through and we'll bring Animal Control as soon as possible, or Ghostbusters." Just as he spoke, eight large monsters ran by them. The people stared in shock.
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"So what are we going to do with them? Huh? Huh? Huh?" another lion pranced around excitedly. The large lioness grabbed his muzzle to silence him.
"Hush, you annoy me." She let go of his muzzle. "Patience. We'll dispose of them soon. First, I wanting to have a little fun."
"Play time's over!" She looked back to see the eight monsters and the eight kids standing in front of them. "We should have known you would be here," Tai shouted.
"It's the Digidestined," she smiled evilly. She slowly slunk closer. "It's so nice to see you again. Although I am a little surprised. I was certain that some of you had died already. Or at least one of you," she snarled. She glared straight at her enemy.
"Get bent," Sora retaliated coldly. Deathhatemon smiled briefly then in a flash lunged at Sora, her jaws around Sora's neck. Sora's face went ghost white. Her body trembled in fear. She could feel the warm saliva and the hot breath. No one knew how to react. They watched in shock. Deathhatemon then relaxed her jaws and removed them from Sora's neck. She smiled at the frozen girl.
"That would have been too easy." Sora collapsed to her knees. Tai put his arms around her to keep her upright. She was in shock. She thought for sure that her life would end right there.
"How much lower can you get?" Matt mocked.
"I can go lower," she growled. She lunged at him with a roar. She was attacking. Garurumon tackled her. She released an electric shock, throwing Garurumon away from her.
"Let's help him!" Greymon ordered. The others joined into the fight.
"What are you waiting for fools!" Deathhatemon shouted to her minions. "Help me! Don't let them get to the hostages!"
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News reporters watched from the safety of the bridges.
"The monsters and what appears to be eight teenagers are locked in into a battle! There is fire and explosion! They're ripping up the entire street!"
The helpless parents and law officials watched a television monitor. Crowds across town gathered in front of store windows to watch what all the noise and excitement was all about. The Digidestined parents watched their brave children fight. For the first time, everyone watched a real digimon battle.
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The big digimon fought the big digimon and the small digimon fought with the kids. Clothes were ripped and skin was slashed. Wounds bled and defeated digimon burst into pieces of data. Concrete fell into piles. The force of the large digimon broke the street. Deathhatemon stood off to the side, the way a general watches the army succeed, or fall.
"Deathhatemon!" Sora shouted. Deathhatemon looked to see her standing tall, courageous. Her eyes burned and her knuckles bled. "Stop this now!" She marched toward her.
"What are you going to do to me?" Deathhatemon snarled. Sora stopped in front of her, her determined eyes stared straight into the eyes of evil.
"All you ever wanted is me. This is not necessary. Just take me and leave them alone!"
"I do hate you, but I despise all children!" she roared. She swiped her paw and slammed Sora into a brick wall. "Now I will destroy them!" She turned toward the screaming children. Volts gathered around her body. Sora drowsily looked up.
"NO!" she gasped. She looked around and spotted a jagged piece of metal in front of her. Without second thought, she snatched the piece of metal and ran as fast as she could. She threw herself at Deathhatemon, and reaching around to her front, stabbed her in the heart. Deathhatemon roared in pain. The children screamed in terror. The sound of electricity was terrible. Sora screamed as her body was burned on the inside. Deathhatemon's body finally exploded. The explosion threw Sora away and she rested injured in the street. Everything came to a stop. All digimon, both good and bad, dedigivolved back into their lowest forms. The clouds of smoke disappeared; Deathhatemon was gone. The kids were safe.
"Sora!" Tai screamed. He ran over to where she lay; electricity still ran through her body. He touched her and a painful shock ran through his arm. He pulled back quickly, but he couldn't leave her. He carefully lifted her body and cradled her in his arms. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him. Her eyes were shattered with extreme pain.
"Why'd you do that?" Tai asked.
"We… couldn't change it," She stuttered. "No matter what… we couldn't change it. I had no choice."
"You're alive," Tai smiled. "You can still be saved."
"No Tai. I'm going to die."
"Don't say that, Sora!" Tai shouted angrily. "Don't ever say that!"
"I'm sorry, Tai," Sora whimpered as her voice tapered, "but I can't stay here anymore… you have to understand that…" Tears came to her eyes.
"No," Tai whimpered.
"I've fulfilled my part," she continued. Tai began to cry desperately. Watching Sora cry made it worse.
"You can't leave me Sora!" he cried. He brought her closer.
"I won't leave you." Tai looked down at her, still sobbing. She gave a weak smile and looked into his eyes with love. She began to sing.
"When you are with me, I'm free. I'm careless, I believe. Above all the others, we'll fly. This brings… tears… to my… eyes. My sacri…" she trailed off. Her body's tense fell away. Her hand slid down from Tai's cheek and rested on the broken street.
"No," Tai choked. His voice crackled. "No. No." He caressed her face with trembling fingers. She peacefully slept. "No," he said again before he realized that she wasn't going to wake up. The other Digidestined and children watched in mortified awe. "NO!!" Tai screamed toward the sky, holding Sora's head fast against his chest. The reporters on the bridge down the street watched, speechless. The helicopters passed over head, shining their searchlights. The sirens of police cars and fire engines screamed, trying to find a way through the streets blocked with rubble and debris. Tai completely broke down. He bowed over Sora as he sobbed and cried. His tears fell to the street forming small puddles. Everyone else there began to cry with the same intensity.
"Over here!" came a voice. Two paramedics climbed over the rubble. One of them pulled Tai away while the other carefully laid Sora down. Tai thrashed and struggled.
"Can you kids hold him?" the paramedic shouted. Matt grabbed around Tai's waist and latched himself on tightly. Tai struggled violently.
"Calm down, Tai," Matt ordered. "They're going to help her." The one paramedic positioned his hands on her chest and pushed in a rhythm. The other placed a mask over her mouth and nose and squeezed the attached plastic bulb. Tai stared in terror. The others watched sadly.
"Mijo!" a woman screamed. "Mama!" one of the little boys responded. The mothers and fathers of the children had escaped the police block and rushed to their little children. They hugged and cried and laughed.
"Tai! Kari!" Their mother and father, too, followed.
"Izzy!"
"Mimi!"
"Matt! TK!"
"Joe!"
The families embraced them happily with tears and relief. Sora's mother stopped short. She trembled when she saw Sora laying lifeless with the paramedics over her. The clamor turned to silence as everyone watched the paramedics. There was both hope and doubt among them. After an eternity of dead silence, the paramedic lifted his hands away from Sora's chest.
"Oh Tai! I'm so sorry!" his mother sobbed. Tai buried his face in her blouse. The lifeless Yokomon that Mimi held in her arms burst into tiny pieces of data. The Digidestined gasped in horror. It was for certain that Sora was dead. They broke down crying in grief. Her mother sank to her knees in disbelief.
"Mommy, is she going to be okay?" a little child asked.
"No sweetheart," she answered sadly.
Tai slowly left his mother and went over to Sora's mother. He kneeled down next to her. She looked at him. Through her teary eyes, she could see the tears in his eyes. He felt the same pain. One of the mothers stepped in front of her.
"Thank you," she said. "Thank you for raising such a wonderful daughter. She saved our children's lives."
"Thank you." "Thank you." A chorus of grateful parents sang. She stared at them a moment then smiled.
"Thank you all," she stuttered as she wiped her eyes. "You don't know what this means to me."
Tai smiled at her, but saw past her and saw Sora. He slowly stood and walked to her side and kneeled down. He looked over her face in sadness. She was pale; her lips had turned a pale blue: death. But he noticed that even in death, her features were still beautiful. Without thinking, he leaned over her and softly touched his lips to hers. After a moment, he sat back up and took another look at her. Tears ran like rivers down his face. The paramedic returned and draped a white sheet over her body, and that was the last time Tai ever saw Sora.
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Ack! Sad, huh? But don't you worry. It ain't over yet. Not by a long-shot.R&R if you still like me.
Just some notes:
Deathhatemonis hate, therefore she hates love.
This starts Post-01. I'd like to say Tai, Sora, and Matt are in the 13 year-old range. The next set is in the future, but you'll find out next chapter.
I am terribly devout to Taiora, so they are always primary focus, regardless of what is happening to them.
You have just seen some of my dark side.