Authors Note: Thank you all for reviewing and bearing with me while I try to get this out as soon as possible. I apologize for this being another short chapter, but I can assure you that the next chapter will be much longer. Hopefully this chapter will explain a few things, but some things still need to be left unsaid until future chapters. I have also decided to put my reviewer thank you/response list at the end of the fic so you can get to the story quicker. Please enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. That's a good thing ;)
Chapter 9: The Truth About Darkness
Taylor Kamiya: His job is the Leader. His Digimon is Augumon. His crest is Determination.
Augumon: In-training form. Champion level- Greymon. Ultimate level- Metal Greymon. Warp Digivolution- War Greymon. Mega Ultimate level- Red Dragonmon.
Kristy Kamiya: Her job is the Mediator. Her Digimon is Biyomon. Her Crest is Devotion.
Biyomon: In-training form. Champion level- Birdramon. Ultimate level- Garudamon. Mega Ultimate level- Phoenixmon.
Mark Ishida: His job is the Strategist. His Digimon is Gabumon. His crest is Unity.
Gabumon: In-training form. Champion level- Garurumon. Ultimate level- Were Garurumon. Warp Digivolution- Metal Garurumon. Mega Ultimate level- Ravegemon.
Lilly Ishida: Her job is looking out for the Digimon's Well Being. Her Digimon is Palmon. Her crest is Trust.
Palmon: In-training form. Champion level- Togamon. Ultimate level- Lillymon. Mega Ultimate level- Starlight Fairymon.
Kevin Ichijouji: His job is Species Recognition. His Digimon is Wormmon. His crest is Loyalty.
Wormmon: In-training form. Champion level- Stingmon.
Kelly Ichijouji: Her job is Language. Her Digimon is Hawkmon. Her crest is Truth.
Hawkmon: In-training form. Champion level- Aquillamon. Mega Ultimate level- Eaglemon.
Sam Ichijouji: His job is Crest Keeper. His Digimon is Black Wormmon. His crest is Caring.
Black Wormmon: In-training form. Champion level- Scorpionmon.
Jake Kido: His job is Medical. His Digimon is Gomamon. His crest is Dependability.
Gomamon: In-training form. Champion level- Ikkagumon. Ultimate Level- Zsudamon.
Sakura Izumi: Her job is Technical Advisor. Her Digimon is Tentomon. Her crest is Wisdom.
Tentomon: In-training form. Champion level- Kabuterrimon. Ultimate level- Mega Kabuterrimon.
K.T. Takashi: Her job is Trump Card. Her Digimon is unknown. Her crest is Faith.
Casey Hida: Her job is Weapons. Her Digimon is Armadillomon. Her crest is Direction.
Armadillomon: In-training form. Champion level- Ankylomon. Mega Ultimate level- Moncorimon.
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K.T. took a deep breath as she crossed the street. On the other side was the truth she needed and a painful reminder of her past. In order to move on, she needed the answer to one question. Why?
A petite brunette woman was enjoying a cup of tea, at an outdoor café, with an auburn haired man. The man looked up to see a girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes approach them. Something about the girl reminded him of someone. He couldn't quite place it, though. The brunette noticed he was intrigued by something and followed his gaze. Her breath caught in her throat as if seeing a long lost friend or relative. The blonde girl stepped in front of their table before speaking.
"I know that neither of you know who I am, but I have reason to believe that I know both of you. I believe that one of you betrayed my family in a way that is unthinkable," K.T. said.
"You're right. I don't know you and unless my wife here does, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave us alone," The man responded. The woman didn't make an attempt to move.
"I don't expect you to recognize me. It's been five years, but you are responsible for what happened to my brother and myself whether you like it or not," K.T. retorted.
"Fine. Have it your way. Let's go," The man responded.
"Do whatever you like sir, but I will never forget your face. Five years ago, you killed my father leaving my brother and me to live on the streets. You spouted things about choices and decisions. You used to be his friend. You acted kindly towards my brother and me then turned and shot my father. I'll never forget your face, Mr. Motamiya," K.T. shot back.
The man with auburn hair was amazed at the blonde girls' boldness. How dare she accuse him of such a thing! Unless...no! It was absurd! She couldn't possibly be the girl he saw the day he visited T.K. Even if she was, she wasn't related to T.K. She was visiting. His niece or something. His mind was reeling. Images of what he thought had happened were now mixing with other images he hadn't seen in a long time. Try as he might, the images of that day flooded into his mind. He'd made a choice and was willing to live with a guilty conscience of murder. Could his choice have caused misery to this girl as well? Realization dawned. He'd been used by an evil creature to carry out an evil plan, but the blame was all his. He'd almost destroyed an entire family because of his selfishness. He knew it was wrong, but he did it anyway. He'd forgotten about it until this little reminder came along.
"All I want to know is, why?" K.T. explained.
He looked down at her. "I did it because I wanted something I thought I deserved. I was selfish. I also realize it would have been better to let her decide. At least then I'd know where I stand."
"Davis, what is she talking about?" The brunette woman questioned.
"Something stupid I never should have done," He replied. He turned to K.T. "I'm sorry. I know it's not much, but it's at least a start."
K.T. looked into his eyes. She could see the remorse there. It was then she realized the truth about this man. They say love is blind. Would love blind a person to the point they forget what the consequences of their decision would be? She thought about how many decisions she'd made in her life. Did she ever stop and think about what the chain reaction might be? The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. Could she look this man in the eye and forgive him for killing her father? She asked herself, what would her father do. 'He'd tell me to forgive him,' she thought. K.T. looked over at the brunette who was so confused. She had no idea what was going on between K.T. and Davis.
"There's something else I'd like to know," K.T. began. "Was she worth it?"
Davis bowed his head. "No."
Though she couldn't see his face, K.T. did notice a single tear fall to the ground.
"If there's anything you need, let me know. I want to fix what I did," Davis told her.
"What I need is a mother and father. I never had either in my life. I do have two aunts and uncles and a handful of cousins so, I'll get by," K.T. responded. Davis looked at her, as if really seeing her for the first time. "Mr. Motamiya, even though what you did hurt my brother and me, I forgive you."
Davis couldn't believe his ears. She forgave him for killing her father. It looked like T.K. had taught his daughter well. A loud explosion broke the moment.
"I'm sorry. I have to go," K.T. explained before sprinting in the direction of the blast.
Davis turned towards to confused brunette and without a word, removed the crystal heart necklace, that was around her neck, and crushed it under his foot. The brunette shook her head as if trying to clear her mind. Her eyes scanned her surroundings before landing on Davis.
"Davis, explain," She requested.
"Sure thing Kari," Davis replied.
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To any normal bystander, the scene before them might seem hopeless. Digimon locked in a battle that either side could win. The one thing that made it seem hopeless was that with every evil Digimon the good Digimon defeated, the good Digimon received dark spots. It was almost as if the evil Digimon were poisoned.
K.T. inhaled deeply as she surveyed the scene before her. How could they win only to loose? It didn't make sense. She watched the Digimon fight. Since their last encounter with evil Digimon, four new Digivolutions had taken place. Using Kevin's crest of Loyalty, Stingmon had digivolved to the Mega Ultimate level of Dragonmon. A Digimon that looked like a black dragon with yellow eyes. His main attack was Dragons Rage. Using Sam's crest of caring, Scorpionmon had digivolved to the Mega Ultimate form of Rancormon. A vicious looking Digimon that was a cross between a serpent and a dragon and was a dark brown color. His main attack was Sonic Scream. Using Sakuras crest of Wisdom, Kabuterrimon digivolved to the Mega Ultimate form of Shockmon. He looked like a cross between Kabuterrimon and an electric eel and was a blue color. His main attack was Furry Lightning. Using Jake's crest of Dependability, Zsudamon digivoloved to his Mega Ultimate level of Tsukatomon. He looked like a cross between Sedramon and a shark with green and black markings. He was a water Digimon who was just as deadly on land as in the water. His main attack was Deadly Tsunami. Even with the other Digimon (Ravegemon, Starlight Fairymon, Red Dragonmon, Phoenixmon, Eaglemon, And Moncorimon) The odds of winning didn't look good.
It didn't take the Digidestined long to realize that the black splotches, growing on their Digimon, were actually draining their digimons energy. The evil figure watched the battle from his shadowy perch. He enjoyed watching these children suffer. Two tests down. Only one more to finish them off. They were no match for his darkness. One by one, the Digimon began de-digivolving as their energy was drained. All of the evil Digimon had been defeated but at what cost?
"Congratulations Digidestined," The dark figure began. "You have proven yourselves to be worthy adversaries. What you have failed to notice, however, is that your sun is slowly dying! Without it, all who draw power, strength, or energy from it will cease to exist. I, on the other hand, will grow stronger. You see, my power comes from the darkness. Only one of you can defeat me. Only one of you knows how to stop the sun from dying. Good luck figuring it out. You only have a few hours left." He laughed a cold, sinister laugh that reverberated off the windows.
"Great. Just what we need, a time limit," Taylor stated sarcastically. "Got any good ideas Mark?"
"No. I wish I did, but with our Digimon loosing energy and our sun dying, I'm afraid there may not be anything we can do," Mark told him.
"I think I know how to fix this, but I'm not positive," K.T. said, joining the group. "Without a Digimon, though, it might not work. Our first priority should be to feed our Digimon. They'll need to replenish their strength."
Everyone agreed. They retreated to an abandoned grocery store that looked like it had seen better days. They split up to gather some food before re-grouping near the back of the store. It was about lunch time so, the Digidestined joined their Digimon in devouring the feast before them. Outside, the dark figure was biding his time. He needed a few minutes, anyway, to set his third and last test in motion. He knew exactly how many hours the Digidestined had before the sun died, but he wasn't going to tell them that.
The evil figure closed his eyes and began to concentrate on the darkness around him. He drew the darkness towards him like a piper leading mice out of town. He needed the darkness that dwelt in every human being. He stopped short when one human, he'd always gotten darkness from, no longer radiated the aura of someone controlled or deceived by darkness. What's more, this particular human had released the other human under the control of darkness. The evil figure was confused. How could someone, corrupted by darkness with the guilt of murder on his conscience, be free of the darkness? It didn't make sense. No one had the power to overcome darkness. He refused to believe otherwise.
The dark figure pushed that thought aside and continued with his plan. Once the darkness had been collected, the dark creature began to shape it into a Digimon strong enough to wipe out all of the Digidestineds Digimon with just one attack. The figure grinned. He was so sure his plan would work he forgot to figure in the possibility that there was one Digidestined who might receive their Digimon in time to stop him. He watched the sun gleefully. Draining the sun of it's power and light was one of his best ideas yet. Sure it took a lot of his strength, but in the end it would all be worth it.
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"Are you sure about this K.T.?" Kelly questioned, after hearing the girls plan. "What happens if you're not supposed to get your Digimon until after we've defeated this figure?"
"Kelly does have a point," Jake said. "There's a slim chance it will work. Besides, how do you know that just forgiving this guy is enough?"
"I don't know guys. It's just a feeling I have. Still, I have to try. The last thing I want is to witness our sun die. This is just one idea and I won't be offended if you decide not to use it," K.T. replied.
The group had been going over several different ideas for a while now. They knew that time was running out. If they wanted to save the sun they would have to act fast. However, they had too many ideas and no good plans. Needless to say, they were starting to get frustrated.
"Guys, I just got an email from Gennai. He says we need to trust in the combined strength of our Digimon, the power of light, and our unstoppable Trump Card. If we digivolve our Digimon to their Mega Ultimate form then call out our crest and the phrase: Combination Format Execute, our Digimon will become stronger. However, the power of our Trump Card must be revealed first, in order for it to work," Sakura informed them. "No matter how you say it, this isn't going to be easy." She sighed.
"Is that all Gennai had to say?" Taylor questioned.
"I'm afraid so," Sakura answered. She was about to close her laptop when a flashing star, on the bottom of the screen, caught her attention. "Hold that thought. Gennai found us a program upload. There's a way to make our Digimon strong enough to survive an attack from the darkness. It's not much, but it may just buy is the time we need while we wait for the trump card. Everyone, hand me your digivices and I'll upload the program."
One by one, Sakura hooked up each of her teammates digivices to her computer and uploaded the program. Even K.T. got the upgrade. Once everyone had the program uploaded, they began to format a plan. It was based more on staying in the game rather than taking out the enemy. They had a feeling that the Trump Card's true power may not be revealed until the last possible moment. Never the less, they'd do what they could to stop evil. Even if they failed, they knew they had done their best. Now that a plan of action was in place, it was time to carry it out. They left the convenience store and wondered through the city knowing they would find the darkness soon enough.
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As the sun began to die a slow death, despair and hopelessness seeped throughout the city. It spread like a plague encompassing all of Japan. No one had a clue where this dark cloud originated from. Not may realized the sun was dying. All too soon everyone would feel the full effects of a dead sun. The Digidestineds parents watched the approaching cloud with concern. As parents it was natural to worry. They now realized exactly what their parents had gone through when they were Digidestined. Along with their concern, they also believed in their children. They had walked in their shoes before. They knew the risks, the dangers, and most of all the benefits. Somehow their children would destroy the darkness and save the world. Such was the life of a Digidestined.
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The darkness grew in strength and power from the negative thoughts and emotions the people fed it. It didn't take people long to figure out something wasn't right. Their fear and uncertainty soon added fuel to the darkness. They didn't know that was what made it stronger.
Somewhere, in the heart of Tokyo, a group of Digidestined children stood. They were ready. Prepared for a fight that was sure to mean either success or failure. Either way, they had no choice but to face this evil. Their destiny awaited. This was not the time for cowardice. This was the time to stand up and fight. The fight for humanity, for Japan, for the Digital World, and the fate of the sun was about to begin. It was time to see exactly what they were made of. It was time to prove to the world and themselves exactly what they were made of.
"Dear Digidestined brats. Are we feeling the pressure yet?" A dark voice boomed through the streets. The Digidestined recognized it as the same voice that had taunted them earlier.
"Why don't you step out of the shadows and show yourself," Kelly stated.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you. I'll show myself when I'm good and ready," The voice replied.
Suddenly, the Digidestined were surrounded by growing shadows. Each Digimon digivolved into it's Mega Ultimate form. The Digimon could feel the added protection that Gennai had given them. The shadows charged and the battle had begun. The dark figure watched his soldiers fight. Somehow the stupid Digimon of those annoying brats were able to fight off his Shadowmon. Now they were fiercer than ever. Disgust could be seen on his face. At this rate he might have to actually fight. He looked at the sun. The dying sun seemed to cheer him up. Those digi-brats would never figure out how to save their sun in time. Once the sun had died, it could never be revived.
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K.T. watched the fight before her. True the Digimon were able to keep fighting and it seemed like they would last longer than last time, but she was still worried. What did it take to activate the Trump Card's power inside of her? She felt so helpless. A loud explosion shook the ground and sent the Digidestined flying. K.T. looked up and saw a dark figure looming over the wreckage. The figure smiled. With a wave of his hand, he sent the digmon flying.
"That's Lucerimon," Kevin informed. "He's Devorimon's second in command."
"The info on him is sketchy, but my computer does say that Lucerimon is directly linked to Devorimon. In theory, this means that if you kill one you kill both," Sakura added.
"Too bad our Digimon are loosing energy at an alarming rate," Lilly stated. "If we don't figure out the Trump Card's power soon, we may not have any Digimon left to fight with. Plus, I don't like how fast that sun is dying. We need help. Badly."
The dark figure, known as Lucerimon, was tossing the Digimon around like rag dolls. No mater how you put it, the Digidestined needed help. An evil grin was plastered across Lucerimons face.
"Having fun yet?" Lucerimon asked. "I sure hope my shadows aren't making you work too hard. What's it like fighting in the growing darkness? Don't you know that your Digimon can only survive in the light. Without it, they will die."
K.T. looked at the dying sun as the Digimon slowly returned to their in-training forms. "Please. Show me how I can help," K.T. asked as she continued to stare at the sun. A bright, golden glow surrounded K.T. and Lucerimon shrieked as the light hit him.
The Digidestined turned towards K.T., mesmerized by the light. Lucerimon gathered up all the dark energy he could find and formed it into a huge attack.
"Silent Scream!" Lucerimon yelled as he sent a dark energy blast at K.T. The blast hit the girl and engulfed her in darkness. At the same time, the last rays of the sun began to fade.
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Authors Note: Another cliffy! Please bear with me, 'cause it may be a while before I get the next chapter up. I'm still in the process of writing/typing it up. I'll get it out as soon as possible, I promise. I'd like to thank the following people for their reviews and for giving me the encouragement to keep writing this.
Angewomonandme: Thanks so much for your reviews. I didn't realize how good I was until you came along. You really make me feel good about writing. I actually got the idea for this story while I was at work and it just sort of progressed from there. It turned out a bit different than I thought it would, but it ended up working anyway. I'm looking forward to your reviews.
Anthony1: Thank you for continuing to review this story. I hope this answers some of your questions. The rest, well you'll have to wait through at least two maybe three chapters. I'm not sure. I promise that all will be revealed in the end.