Title: Return to the Frontier
Author: AikoNamika
Warnings: Original Characters (attempts not to make them Mary Sues/Gary Stus, but they're still original), language, occasional violence, an author who's often just making things up as she goes along.
Pairings: None at the moment.
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon: Frontier, or any of its related merchandise. They belong to rich people in big offices, while I'm just a girl with personality problems. However, all original characters, original Digimon, and the plot line belong to me, and there will be severe consequences if I see anyone stealing without permission!
Note: I'm working with a combination of the English anime and what information I can glean off of websites – if something seems completely screwed up, well then you know why.
Additional Note: The little commentary-thingies at the end of the "episodes" will be done by my muse/plot-bunny wrangler, Nall. Just so you know who the heck he is. ::nods::
Nall: With Takuya and Chisato are on their way back to the Forest Terminal aboard the Trailmon, it looks like Junpei and Tomoki are next up. I hope they don't have as much trouble with their target as Takuya had with Chisato. After all, there's two of them, so it should go a lot more easily…right?
Chapter 5: The Stranger in the Forest
The heat was intense in the forest, and Junpei wiped at his forehead with yet another of his magician's scarves, the colorful clothes having come in useful for both himself and Tomoki. The smaller boy let out a groan and dropped to the ground for a moment, running his hands through his hair in an attempt to shake some of the ever-present water out of it. The liquid wasn't just the fault of their physical exertions – it seemed as if they were walking through a cloud, judging by how much water was in the air in the midst of the forest.
"Why didn't we see this the last time we were here?!" he exclaimed, flopping back against the ground so that he lay on his back, looking up toward where the tree trunks reached up, and up, and up…It was like they never stopped!
"I dunno, little guy. Maybe this was one of the places that had already been scanned – the Digital World was already pretty patchy when we first arrived, y'know?" Junpei said, cracking his back and then pulling out a few more scarves. He eyed them for a moment, and then twisted them around rapidly, handing the complete head bandana over to his friend. "Here, tie this around your head, right at the hairline. It should help soak up some sweat." As Tomoki gratefully tied it on, Junpei made one for himself and wrapped it around his forehead, tying it tightly behind him; when he glanced down at Tomoki, he had to laugh – his friend looked like some sort of guerilla fighter, clad in the greens and browns they'd worn to try and blend in, with the red bandanas forming a spot of brightness in the forest.
"All you need is some mud streaks, and you'd look like a movie star, Tomoki!" he chortled, and then laughed harder as Tomoki good-naturedly gathered up some of the damp earth underneath of him and smeared it across his face.
"Whaddya think? Do I look good, or do I look good?" He posed for a second, and then an evil grin spread across his face. "Then again, if I'm going to be a forest fighter, than so are you!" Of course, before Junpei knew what he was doing, Tomoki had already lunged at him and shoved him to the ground, smearing dirt across the larger boy's face as well.
"Hey, hey! I give, I give already!" With a mock-resigned expression, Junpei allowed Tomoki to add "war paint" to his features, and then with a yell he pounced, already gathering up dirt.
A mud/dirt war ensued, and by the time the two boys had settled down, they were both covered fairly uniformly in mud, and they were both grinning like loons about the entire thing. However, the scuffle had allowed them to relieve plenty of the tension that had been building up as they searched fruitlessly for their goal and found nothing more than trees, trees, and more trees. Oh yes, and a few bushes. They'd asked the few Digimon whom they'd met so far if they knew anything about a Legendary Warrior in the forest, but for the most part they'd only received replies of, "I don't know," or dead silence while the Digimon they'd asked would hurry away as fast as possible.
The fact that the forest Digimon seemed so afraid of something had triggered Junpei's suspicions, and he and Tomoki were doing their best to find out what it was that had them so frightened. Was it the rouge Legendary Warrior?
Finally they'd gained a little bit of information that might help them – "Go to the temple and ask there." So they'd stopped searching for the Legendary Warrior and started searching for the temple – both searches had the same result of absolutely, positively, completely, nothing. Thus their previous state of frustration and tension, which led to their current state of being covered in mud and feeling a lot better about the world(s) in general.
Tomoki lay down again, and this time Junpei joined him – neither was really worried about the ground being dirty, as they were both probably dirtier than the ground now – and sighed, resting his head on his folded hands and staring off into nothing.
"What's wrong?" Junpei lifted his head a little bit, looking over at the other boy.
"I dunno. I'm really happy to be back here and all, and now I know that my mom won't be worried if I don't come back immediately – I told her that I was sleeping over at a friend's house, just in case we didn't get back as fast as we did last time," Tomoki explained, and Junpei nodded – he'd done much the same thing. The smaller boy continued, "But…I really don't know. It doesn't seem like it's as much fun this time around, though I remember that last time wasn't a ton of fun, either! I don't know why, though…" He trailed off in confusion.
"Maybe it's the fact that we all split up this time – we're not traveling all together in one big group like last time," Junpei offered, and then turned his own gaze upward as Tomoki nodded eagerly. "I know what you mean; I feel the same way about the whole thing. However, if you think about it, this is more important than last time!"
"Yeah!" Tomoki's voice was awed and excited, as well as more than a little frightened. "I mean, Cherubimon and Lucemon were bad enough, but whoever this guy is, he's managed to trap four Legendary Warriors in their own shapes, and to keep the Great Angels from leaving their castle! Grottomon and the rest could only manage to make Seraphimon turn into a Digiegg last time because he'd just been woken up – he wasn't nearly as strong as he could be! But this guy's even worse than that…"
The two of them lay in silence for a long time before Junpei let out a sigh and began to get to his feet reluctantly. He held out a hand to Tomoki, a rueful expression on his face.
"Okay, enough of us lazing around little buddy – we've got some work to do, and it won't get done if we just sit around like bumps on a log." His voice was apologetic, but he still managed to inject a certain amount of amusement into it, especially when accompanied by that grin of his. Tomoki accepted the hand off, and the two turned to continue in the direction they'd been heading in before, two dirt-stained warriors united by a bond of friendship deeper than anything else.
---
Surprisingly, it wasn't too much later that the two finally burst out of the forest proper and into a huge clearing; there, they stopped and stared around in shock and amazement as they tried to take everything in at once. It was hard, though…in the center of the clearing were the clear remains of what looked like it had once been some sort of Mayan temple, a ziggurat made out of pale gray stone that stretched upwards toward the sky majestically. Closer up it was apparent that designs and patterns had been etched into the stone with amazing precision and grace, covering almost every inch of the temple with beautiful artwork. It was mostly plant-themed art, appropriate to their surroundings, though there were several patterns that had no real meaning to either boy who examined them.
"Can I help you?" The soft, deceptively mild voice came from behind them, causing Junpei to spin around rapidly while Tomoki yelped and then turned to face their unknown "assailant" almost as fast as Junpei had. The reality of the stranger's appearance was…odd. There were no distinctive facial features, only a long, hooded off-white robe that hid any clue as to his identity behind concealing folds of fabric. A single pale hand emerged from one sleeve, lightly grasping a wooden staff, while the tips of black shoes could be seen peeking out from underneath the hem of the robe. Otherwise…they had nothing to go on.
"Who are you?" Junpei demanded, his expression fierce. He didn't want to be caught off guard by anything, especially if this was the thing frightening the forest Digimon. However, the newcomer did not seem at all discomfited by his actions and continued to radiate an aura of serenity.
"I would ask the same of you, seeing as this is my home that you have intruded upon. However, to make you at ease, I shall reply anyway. I am Mokuzaimon, keeper and guardian of this temple." At that he offered them a little bow, bending slightly at where Tomoki guessed his waist would be, before straightening once more. "May I have the same courtesy of the two strangers before me?"
It was weird…Mokuzaimon spoke with a strange formality that was alien to Junpei, and his voice (because he at least sounded like a "he") was a smooth, cultured tone that made him think of some of the rich kids he'd seen hanging around before. Unlike the rich kids though, there was no hint of any of the high-and-mighty, "I'm better than you ever will be," tone. The cloaked Digimon spoke to them as if they were his equals, though still strangers.
"Eh-heh…Sorry 'bout that. I'm Junpei Shibayama, and this is Tomoki Himi. We're from the Human World." Junpei put one hand behind his head in a little bit of embarrassment, and offered a charming grin, while Tomoki just smiled with the unbridled enthusiasm that was part of what made him essentially him.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Junpei Shibayama and Tomoki Himi. Would you care to join me inside and refresh yourselves? It is approaching noon, and it is not a good time to be outside in the heat." With a graceful gesture, the robed figure gestured toward the temple with one hand, turning as if ready to move inside at any time.
"Would we ever!" Tomoki exclaimed, bowing courteously to the tall Digimon as his grin widened. "And you can just call me Tomoki, you don't need to use my full name."
"Same for me – is there anything you want us to call you other than your full name?" Junpei was just as excited as his fried to get out of the heat, but he was aware that he should be polite to his host.
"No…Mokuzaimon will suffice. Please, join me." The hooded Digimon turned fully and led the pair into the cool stone darkness of the temple. They walked down a long hallway, the temperature dropping with each step until the blazing heat of the outdoors was barely a memory, and the two boys were sighing in deep relief and content with the change.
"Here is a bathing room, if you would care to clean up – I have refreshments waiting, and places where you may rest if you wish to do so," Mokuzaimon said quietly while opening a door, and the two humans entered while looking around in wonder. With a soft murmur of "I shall return later," the robed Digimon left them.
The bathing room was tastefully opulent, with a huge pool that dominated the room. To one side waited smaller tubs and shower heads, obviously there to be used for the actual cleaning before they entered the large pool. With identical exclamations of delight, Junpei and Tomoki dropped their backpacks by the door and made their way over to the showers, shedding clothes as they went.
They later settled into the warm water of the pool while sighing happily; Junpei slung his elbows over the edge and let the heat soak into him, a hot towel resting on his forehead, while Tomoki floated slowly across the surface of the water with his eyes closed and a silly grin on his face. It was so nice to be clean and sweat-free – the dirt bath had felt good to get rid of the sweat at first, but then it had started to itch a lot after a while, and then they'd just felt so dirty…Being clean was a wonderful thing.
"Will you be joining me for a light lunch?" The soft question startled both boys badly, and they did their best to jump while still in water. Junpei's towel fell into the water and Tomoki nearly drowned himself when he tried to stand while the bottom of the pool was still several feet below him. After he swam over to the side where he could cling to the side, and Junpei had recovered his wits, they both looked over to the entrance where their host was standing, looking oddly abashed. It was strange to see, because featureless robed people don't usually convey emotion very well. "I apologize…I did not mean to startle you so."
"S'okay," Junpei muttered, coughing out a bit of water he'd tried to inhale. "'m good. You okay, little buddy?" A few coughs answered his statement, and a vigorous nodding of a head. "Yeah, we're good. So…What didja want again?" He looked back over at Mokuzaimon, who was waiting for them much as he had been before, though he'd left his staff behind somewhere.
"I wished to know if you would join me for a light lunch – you have probably traveled far, and I wish to know what it is you have come seeking," the tall Digimon replied in his cool-as-a-cucumber voice. He placed the towels he'd been carrying on a bench near him, along with two sets of robes very much like his own (though one was smaller – obviously meant to fit Tomoki). "I have brought some clean clothing for you that you may wear until I have cleaned your current clothes."
"Food? I'm there!" Tomoki's enthused voice rang out, and he began to swim over towards the stairs leading out of the pool with Junpei in hot pursuit.
"Yeah, we're coming!" Junpei echoed, offering his host one of his cocky grins.
"Very well then. Once you are dressed, simply exit to the left out of the door and proceed until you come to a door on the right. I will be waiting for you there." With another of his little bows, Mokuzaimon left them alone.
As they were getting dried off, Tomoki glanced up at his friend with a speculative look on his face. "Is it just me, or is there something kinda…weird about him?"
"You mean the fact that you never see his face or anything specific about him, or the weird shivery feeling I keep getting around him?" Junpei replied, his tone sarcastic but his words serious. The cumulative effect that the Digimon had upon him was a combination of said shivery feeling and a sensation that he should know him somehow…
"Both, I guess. That and the fact that he just invited us in here without really knowing who we are – for all he knows, we might be trying to kill us!" Tomoki exclaimed, and then a frown furrowed his brow. "For that matter, how do we know that he's not going to try to kill us?"
"I don't think he's got homicidal intentions toward us," the taller boy said, his words muffled as her pulled the robe over his head. As he finally got it on entirely, he grinned at the other boy, managing to dispel the uneasiness that had been clouding his thoughts. "Anyway, if he'd wanted to kill us, he had plenty of opportunities where we were pretty damn vulnerable, and he didn't take any of them. More than that, he's offering us food!" As if on cue, both humans' stomachs grumbled to remind them of the fact that they hadn't eaten in far too long (at least according to their stomachs). Both Junpei and Tomoki were growing boys though, and they eagerly acceded to their bodies' demands for sustenance.
"Now, how do we get there again?" Junpei mused, rubbing his chin with one hand as he looked both ways down the corridor through the door that led out.
"We turn left, and it's the first door on the right, he said," Tomoki reminded his friend, setting out at a quick pace even as he spoke, reveling in the feeling of the cool stone floor beneath his bare feet.
"H-hey! Wait for me!" The Thunder Warrior exclaimed, darting after the smaller boy and catching up with him easily. "You didn't have to start without me…" he grumbled.
With a sigh, Tomoki cast Junpei an "oh yeah?" expression, clearly indicating his disbelief of the statement, and then continued down the hallway side-by-side with his friend.
They reached the door quickly, and opened it, stepping out into…a forest.
"Awww, man! We took a wrong turn! What happened back there?" With much wailing and gnashing of teeth, Junpei was about to head back into the dimness of the corridor when Tomoki tugged on his sleeve, catching his attention.
"This isn't the same forest! Look, the trees in here are all different, and it's cooler in here. And if you look up…" He trailed off, looking up even as he pointed out the object of his scrutiny: the entire place was roofed by a series of multi-layered, multi-faceted panels of glass that let the sun through, along with a cool breeze, but kept the majority of the heat from disturbing the peace.
"Do you like my sanctuary?" The quiet comment caused both boys to bring their gaze back to ground level and toward where their host stood, waiting for them. For a moment they both stared, as the Digimon was not wearing the concealing hood any longer…and it was very, very difficult to tell that he wasn't as human as they. The pointed ears were a clue though, along with the fact that his deep green eyes were actually glowing softly in the cool light of the indoor forest.
"I find that having someplace such as this is a blessing when the outside world become too hectic – and as I am best suited to a hermit's life with the occasional visit, the outside world seems far too hectic almost constantly." The young man smiled faintly and then turned back down the moss-carpeted path he'd arrived on, his deep brown hair (the exact color of forest earth, Tomoki noted wonderingly) gently brushing against his ears. Junpei and Tomoki followed after slowly, the two taking their time to stare and gape at the amazing landscape – it seemed like it should be impossible to have something such as this, a forest in the middle of a stone temple, but then again, the Digital World didn't play by any rules except for its own. Of course those rules were often irritatingly ambiguous, to the annoyance of those who were attempting to obey them (or move around them).
"This is great!" Tomoki burst out, not able to hold his excitement in any longer. He grinned widely as they entered a clearing, a large stone in the center serving as a table while conveniently-place tree stumps were perfect for chairs or stools for whoever wanted to sit there, no matter their height. The light-brown-haired boy plopped himself down on one of the taller stumps, resting his chin on his hands as he stared in awe around him, smiling delightedly at the small (but still rich-looking) meal laid out before them.
"Yeah," Junpei agreed, "this is really nice." He lifted his cup toward his host, who merely bowed his head a bit. "Let's dig in!"
"Kampai!"
They all began to eat enthusiastically, though the two humans ate at a far faster pace than the dignified Digimon, who contented himself with slight amusement at the voracious state of his guests. As their stomachs started to fill and lost the growling hunger they'd had not a few minutes ago, Tomoki and Junpei slowed down as well. While Junpei was busy decimating a meat-apple that was the same flavor as roast beef, Tomoki looked over at their host.
"Ummm…Mokuzaimon? Would you say that you know all the Digimon around here?" With Mokuzaimon right there to talk to, it would be silly to ignore this opportunity to find out more about the object of their quest – the Warrior of Wood (and probably of other growing things as well – wouldn't Warrior of the Forest be a better title? Tomoki shook his head to stop his musings – he didn't need to be zoning out now). He listened eagerly for the Digimon's reply.
"I would say so that I do not intimately know all of the Digimon within this forest, but I do know of most of them. If I need something, I ask the information of those who live close by. Why do you ask?" Mokuzaimon's response was, as always, infuriatingly calm and controlled.
"Well…" the young boy said, and then continued, "Junpei and I are looking for a certain Digimon, but we don't really know if they're here or somewhere else, and I was hoping you might know."
For some reason, it seemed like some sort of indefinable tension was beginning to build up around them, but neither of the humans could really figure out why. Junpei put the half-eaten apple down on his plate, turning his attention to the elf-like Digimon as well. Maybe they could get this quest over with really fast and go back soon! They might even be able to beat all of the others back!
Mokuzaimon's hand stilled for a moment before he replied. "I see. Do you know the name of this Digimon?"
"No…That's why I wanted to ask you. I was hoping you might know," Tomoki explained.
"Yeah! Hey, if you know where he is, too, then that would be even better!" Junpei chimed in. He cheerfully met the glowing green gaze that turned to watch him, his smile staying strong the entire time.
"What Digimon is it that you seek? If I know of such a 'mon, I will do my best to tell you where they might be." By this time the background noise had faded away, and both boys suddenly noticed just how quiet it had become in the walled enclosure, and they fidgeted slightly in discomfort. The younger of the two plowed on anyway, determined to at least get this out of his way.
"We're looking for the Legendary Warrior of Wood." As those words dropped into the air, everything went completely silent. Mokuzaimon froze where he sat; his eyes were trained onto the grainy surface of their table as if it were the most fascinating object in the world. Then he raised his gaze to look upon the two as if he were judging their every thought, and a sudden, sad look entered his eyes.
"Yes, I do know of the Digimon you seek." For some reason neither boy could actually say anything – it was like they were glued to their seats with their mouths sewn shut. "You need not search further, for you have found the object of your quest."
Mokuzaimon rose to his feet in a motion reminiscent of a tree growing up from the ground and spreading its leaves out, and that sad look grew even more forlorn. Suddenly Junpei knew exactly what the other was about to say, but there was nothing he could do.
"I am the Warrior of the Forest."
-tbc-
Nall: Like that was much of a shock – of course, Aiko couldn't write suspense to save her life, which is why-
::whackthudsmack::
::Author stands over the cowed muse with a pillow in either hand, glaring viciously::
Nall: Ow! Okay, okay, sorry. Let's try this again. Mokuzaimon, the nice Digimon that helped Tomoki and Junpei out when they needed it, turns out to be the very Digimon they've been looking for! At least that means their search for him is over, but that still leaves one question: Is this guy gonna be as much trouble as Chisato, or is he going to come along nicely? Find out in the next chapter!
(Offstage)
Nall: Geeze…girl can't even take a joke…
::thwapthwapthwapTHUNK::
Nall: Can't take a joke, and keeps bricks in her pillows…::wobbles off for some Tylenol::
Aiko: Alright, I'm very sorry about how long that took me to get out. I was having trouble going and getting this to work the way I wanted it, and I finally decided to just ditch the "have the first battle in the first part" idea, and go for the "dramatic revelation of identity right at the end". Of course, most of you probably figured out who he was the moment he showed up, but that's irrelevant for now. I've got ideas for the next chapter about the confrontation between Mokuzaimon and the boys, but they're only ideas for now. I swear I will get to work right away, though!!! Any suggestions (and feedback! Feedback is always loved!) would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Notes: Kampai A traditional Japanese saying that is basically equivalent to "cheers" or "let's eat!"
Reviewer Responses: I love you guys, you know that?
Dragi – "Update really soon", huh? Sorry 'bout that. I'll try to get the next one out a bit faster. I'm glad you like the story so much, though! Thank you!
Fallen Angel of Oblivion – I'm glad I used the attacks right! I was a bit worried about that, because I was guessing (it was a fifty-fifty chance I'd get it right, ne?). And don't worry about the confusion over the "rewrite or not" thing! It really is okay. Thank you for reviewing!
CustomMagnum – Ah hah! I was trying to figure out the last one! Thank you so much! ::glomps::
Dragons Star – Hee hee…Chisato really is a rather arrogant girl. She's just gonna get worse as the story continues, though she is (possibly) a nice girl at heart. …I think. But yes, she is designed to play kinda opposite of Takuya. In a way, she's the leader of the four new Chosen Children, and partially Kouichi because he was originally evil along with their Spirits. Plus, they've got the shared experience of being trapped as Digimon without any memory of being human…I was tempted to give her goggles, but decided against it. Maybe sunglasses…
coughkouichicough – Bushang? I've never heard that before…I like it! I'm very pleased that you liked this chapter, though! ::hugs:: As you can see, Kouji and Kouichi aren't in this chapter. I hope you don't mind, but that's the way it worked out in my head.
BlueSakuramon – I'm glad you like Chisato. ::smirks:: You might not in the future. Anyway, we're on to the Warrior of the Forests now (I decided that Forest sounds so much better than Wood), and the others will come up in their turn.
mima57775 – I'm very pleased that you like this story. ::smiles:: It makes me feel loved to see people reviewing what I write. Thank you!
Once again, a great many thanks to all those who reviewed! Please review again this time, hm? ::chuckles:: Cookies for everyone!!! ::tosses them into the air gleefully::