Tai: Now you've done it. You didn't get any reviews for the last chapter
Me: Wah! XX
Sora: Oh yeah, since she's too last to go back and add it in, Matt's song is called Tobira and is not owned by The Light's Refrain either.
Me: Which brings up something; what exactly are the rules for posting lyrics? Is it okay if you give credit to whose lyrics they are, or is it forbidden completely? If the latter is true, then I see a lot of people breaking rules . If lyrics are completely forbidden, then I can easily remove them from the last chapter, but Matt has to be singing something at his concert, and I can't have him going lalalala, so that might be more difficult….Disclaimer, anyone?
Davis: No, The Light's Refrain doesn't own Digimon. Nope, no way, nada, not a bit.
Me: Story time! Please leave some reviews this time, even if they are bad TT
Wingless Angel
"Gone..." Kari muttered to herself. "Everyone's gone..."
Her entire body had been flickering for some time now, but she seemed to barely notice it.
"Kari..." Gatomon replied softly.
"And it won't be long until I'm gone too..." Kari added.
"Don't say that!" Gatomon snapped. "We'll pull through this, I know we will!"
"But for what?" Kari asked. "Everyone's dead..."
"No, not everyone," Gatomon replied. "You've still got Ken and Davis. And what about your parents?"
"True..."
Gatomon looked back down on the ground. "And their partners will come back, at least. It's not like we Digimon stay dead..."
Kari continued to stare at Gatomon. Something was bugging her at the back of her mind, but she couldn't quite tell what.
"They'll be Tokomon and Bukamon and Tanamon and Koromon and..."
Then it hit her.
"Gatomon!" she exclaimed, interrupting her Digimon's monologue. "Why aren't you sick?"
Gatomon let out a cry of surprise and looked at herself. She was right. Her body hadn't even been flickering at all this whole time. And from what she had seen, the Digimon got sick with their partners...
"I-I dunno," Gatomon admitted.
The white feline sank into deep thought. Why wasn't she sick? What made her different from the rest of the Digimon? What would have the power to-
"The tail ring!" Gatomon exclaimed, suddenly snapping her head back to look at it. It had been giving off a gentle glow ever since this had all started, beginning to when she and Patamon had first seen Matt. Why the hell hadn't she noticed it before?
She always knew that the tail ring held a great deal of power. After all, it had been taken from her so that its power could be used to help shield the whole Digital World from evil, among some other things. So it wouldn't be so hard to imagine it protecting her from some wayward virus.
She slid the golden ring from her tail to her palm, then held it out to Kari. Her body flickered slightly. "Take it."
"But what-"
"Take it,' Gatomon repeated, more sternly this time. "Digimon come back. People don't."
A few more moments passed, Gatomon's expression leaning more towards annoyance than fear. Hesitantly, Kari reached for the ring and took it away from Gatomon's paw. Almost immediately after Gatomon started flickering more violently, but she only smiled and nodded to Kari. She gave a unsure nodded back, then slipped the ring onto her finger.
With little delay both Kari's and Gatomon's bodies became stabilized.
Kari's face lighted up. "Gatomon, you're okay!"
Gatomon had a slightly astonished look on her face as she realized that she was back to normal as well. "Well whaddaya know? I guess if the DigiDestined partner is protected, then the Digimon is protected as well. Or something like that."
Kari smiled and gave a firm nod.
"Hey Kari!" a voiced called out.
Kari and Gatomon whipped around to see Ken running over to them, with Wormmon riding on his shoulder. "Anybody mind telling me what's going on around here?"
Kari grimaced. Did he have to ask?
Remains
"My god," was all Ken could manage to utter as he staring at the ground, seeming to hope the soil beneath his feet would say otherwise.
Kari nodded slowly. Her mind still couldn't quite grasp the concept that almost all of her friends were now dead. She was half-expecting at any moment they would suddenly pop out of the bushes and explain how it was all a prank, just a really sick prank.
She looked back over to Ken and noticed he was wearing a simple necklace a black shard with a piece of a golden ring wrapped halfway around it.
"Ken, where'd you get that?" Kari asked.
"Oh, this was a gift from...a friend,' Ken answered, holding it up a little to admire it better.
Wormmon, who was in his own little world ever since Kari's story, suddenly became alert and twitched his green antennae.
"What is it?" Ken asked.
"There is a bunch of Digimon coming this way into an awful hurry," Wormmon replied.
"Huh?"
Only moments later a herd of Monochromon stampeded onto the scene. With the elephant-sized body of a rhino, fin-like ears, and tough black-and-white hides, these Digimon were not to be messed around with. And right then they weren't looking too happy.
"Digimon Emperor..." one of them growled.
Kari sighed. There were many Digimon who had never forgiven Ken for what he had done as the Digimon Emperor, even though those days were far behind him. As such, he often found himself being harassed from time to time whenever he came to the Digital World.
"I'm not in the mood to fight you,' Ken growled back.
"Too bad, we are!" another spoke up.
This wasn't looking good. Even though Gatomon could go to the Ultimate level, and Wormmon could go to the Champion level, they were no match for a pack of gutsy Monochromon.
Just as feared, some of the Monochromon charged forward, heading straight for them.
All Ken did was lift up his necklace up and look at the Monochromon. The ring fragment began to glow slightly, and then it shot out a widespread beam right at the rhino Digimon. The beam hit the Monochromon dead on. They began to glow, then started shrinking, tumbling over each other as Gotsumon. The pebble-constructed Digimon promptly lost their courage and fled back into the woods from which they came.
"You dedigivolved them!" Kari exclaimed.
"Yes," Ken replied. "A little something I found out when I was tinkering around with it. In fact, this was what I was raving about when-" He stopped himself.
Restless quiet.
"I see," Kari replied. "Let's just leave."
Ken nodded in agreement, and began to raise his DigiVice to the sky. But his expression changed suddenly and he let his arm fall.
"What is it?" Kari asked.
"What about Davis?"
Kari froze. Of course. If the virus could travel across the globe to seize one of its victims, then certainly it could get into Australia and...
Flashes of Davis wandering aimlessly around, scarcely aware of where he was with his body distorted by static and corrupted mist plagued her mind. She was determined to make sure that wouldn't happen to him too. But it could already be happening, or it may have already happened...
"So what do we know about this virus?" Ken questioned, his tone serious.
"Well, it can infect people in the real world," Kari began, mostly summing up what happened to everyone. "It causes flu-like symptoms in the person infected for about a week, then their bodies start flickering a lot and have some translucent mist swirling around them. Eventually it drags them into the Digital World, and it's impossible for them go back to the real world. When they're in the Digital World, the symptoms become much worse much more quickly. They...they become delirious and can't tell reality from dreams or flashbacks of the past..."
Memories of TK came rushing back to her.
"And then...they disintegrate into digital dust." Kari finished.
"I see..." Ken replied. "So basically we're dealing with a virus that's at its strongest in the Digital World, but came also access and infect others in the real world, most likely through electronics. Let's hope that Davis doesn't decide to come here because he's bored, since this is the-"
Kari noticed Ken's odd silence. "What?"
"But if this is the place where the virus is strongest, then why haven't I been affected by the virus as well?" Ken asked himself. "I mean, I've been here practically all day..." Well, he'd been on and off since his parents were busy showing him new colleges, but during the long trips from each college to the next, he'd been able to return to the Digital World. He thanked God that his parents weren't nearly as overprotective as they used to be.
"Good point,' Gatomon replied. "Have you been feeling sick at all during the past few days.
"No..." Ken responded. 'Well, actually...I've been feeling a bit sick at night, but I figured it was from all the traveling. And once I managed to drag himself through the morning I felt much better."
"Hmm..." Gatomon answered. "I take it you don't sleep with that necklace around your neck, do you?"
"No," Ken stated. "Wait, so you think-"
"Well, it can dedigivolve Digimon," Gatomon replied. "So maybe it's been protecting you from that virus too."
Ken analyzed closer. He took hold of his necklace, and began to pull it off. The instant it was completely off, he was seized by intense flickering. He hastily put it back on. "Apparently so."
"Ken, you got that necklace from a friend, right?"
"Yes..."
"He wouldn't happen to have anymore lying around, would he?"
"Maybe..." Ken answered. "I met him at the Fourth Forest Terminal, so he might be back there again. C'mon let's go!"
Rooster Bloom
They tore through the woods, stumbling over wayward roots and vines, and occasionally getting slashed by thorns and other spiny weeds. But this didn't matter as Kari and Ken rode upon their Digimon's backs through the woods; all that mattered was preventing any more death at the hands of the virus.
It was slightly awkward for Angewomon to navigate through all the overgrowth, considering that her three pairs of white wings were meant for open air and not cramped spaces like these, but she could manage. Adding the fact that she had a teenage girl riding on her back only made things more difficult. No one would've ever guessed that this blonde beauty had been a white, purple-striped cat with a long tail not so long ago.
Wormmon's evolution, Stingmon, was much more adept to this kind of environment. His lean, green-and-black body and his smaller wings were much better suited for zipping through tight spaces. Ken rode on the back of what was pretty much a wasp with human arms and legs.
"Which forest Terminal are we at now?" Ken asked.
"I'd say we're in the Third Forest Terminal," Stingmon replied. "Only a few more minutes to the Fourth."
"Good,' Ken replied, keeping an eye out for the hollow tree trunk that would give them access to the Fourth Terminal. "Almost there..." he murmured.
Soon the wooden slide came into view, patiently waiting for them to drop into it.
The DigiDestined did not get off her Digimon; instead, they stayed on their backs as they let the tunnel swallow them. The usual leaves and various other organic debris flew up as they rushed down the hollowed tree. The Digimon accelerated down the slide far faster than just slipping down it ever would. Before Ken and Kari even realized it, he were blinking in the bright sunshine of the Fourth Terminal.
Ken leapt off of Stingmon's back and onto the small meadow sheltered by imposing trees.
"Osamu!" he called out.
"Osamu?' Kari thought, slightly puzzled. "Wait, isn't that-"
"There is no Osamu here,' a cold, mocking voice replied.
Kari and Ken snapped their heads to what seeming to be a rather strange clown. He wore a mask that was half-black and half-white, with a red heart on the white side, two swords and two blue ribbons on his back, and he wore an odd red top with ridiculous green pants and oversized, pointed shoes. He smiled not so innocently. "Hello again."
"Piedmon,' Kari growled.
"What do you want?" Ken growled. This was the first time he had ever laid eyes on Piedmon. Sure, he'd heard the horror stories about him and his brutality from the other, older DigiDestined, but he'd never actually had encountered him before.
"Oh, nothing really,' Piedmon grinned, floating closer to them. "I just heard you from not so far away and thought I might have a little fun with some old friends. So, how about a battle, for old time's sake?"
"No thank you, we have better things to do." Angewomon hissed.
"Oh?" Piedmon questioned. "Who said it was an option?"
Right after saying these words he darted at Stingmon and Ken. They were barely able to move in time.
Ken held up his necklace piece. Like before, a widespread beam shot from the ring fragment and struck Piedmon. Unlike before, though, Piedmon only glowed yellow for a few seconds before the light promptly faded.
"What!" Ken exclaimed
Piedmon chuckled. "You try to dedigivolve me, you foolish child. I was born a Mega. I Ihave/I no lower form!"
"Great, just great," Angewomon muttered.
It wasn't just time they were concerned about. You see, the levels in Digivolution started at Baby, which would go to In-Training, which would go to Rookie (the level most common in the Digital World, and often the main level of a DigiDestined partner) which would go to Champion, then Ultimate, and finally Mega. Piedmon was at the very top level. Sure, a large group of Ultimates could take him down, but one Champion and one Ultimate? Well, Gatomon had once reached the Mega level as Magnadramon, but that had been more of a fluke than anything, and she hadn't been able to do it since.
Angewomon deposited Kari into a tree before rushing into the fight. "Celestial Arrow!"
An arrow of light formed from thing air before launching itself at Piedmon. The shining missile buried itself into Piedmon's shoulder. He shot a glare at Angewomon and snarled.
Stingmon approached from the back while Piedmon was distracted. A blue spike created from light was sticking out from his arm, just above his wrist. Ken watched near the woods.
But Piedmon took quick note of it, and slashed at him using his twin swords. Stingmon got a cut across the chest and his arm.
"Stingmon!" Ken cried out.
"I'll be fine,' he replied, diving back into the fight.
Angewomon found herself hastily dodging Piedmon's attacks. Despite that he had a glowing arrow embedded in one of his shoulders, he wielded his two blades with ease. She saw Stingmon getting ready to attack again over Piedmon's shoulder.
Just as Piedmon was getting ready to look back, Angewomon delivered a swift jab right to his face. Taken by surprise by the quick blow, he got ready to slice Angewomon into ribbons when he felt a sharp pain in his back. He snapped his head back to see that Stingmon's blue spike had sunken deep into his back. If he hadn't been a Digimon, blood would've been everywhere. For that matter, if he hadn't been a Digimon, it would've ended right there. Angewomon destroyed his swords with Celestial Arrows, converting them to harmless bits of data that floated harmlessly away.
He let out an enraged, pained cry. He somehow managed to pull himself off the spike, and ascended into the air. His eyes were alight with fury.
"Make a fool out of me, would you?" he barked. "Well, you won't live long for that!"
Briskly he pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and flung it at the humanoid bee. It was plunged straight into his heart. With a cry of pain Stingmon fell to the ground.
"STINGMON!" Ken screamed, horrified by the sight of his Digimon beginning to disintegrate. It was then that he noticed Piedmon heading right towards him, another dagger being held low.
There was no time to run.
In that brief instant, the crimson shot up like a cock's comb, from his stomach to his neck. The slim string that held the control spire shard and Destiny Stone ring was cleanly snipped. It landed softly not the ground as Ken fell backwards.
"KEN!" Kari screeched running towards him, almost stepping on Stingmon's fading remains. The blood hastily scampered from his body, forming in a almost perfect circle around him.
I"Oh god,'/I thought Kari. I"Oh god, oh god, oh god…."/I
"Monster!" Angewomon screamed.
"Why thank you," Piedmon replied, his hand and dagger drenched in wet scarlet.
As rage twisted her face, Angewomon began to glow a deep red. A pillar of crimson light gushed out of the ground below her, utterly obscuring her from view. The red light bathed the entire area, making it too bright for either Piedmon or Kari to see anything. When the scarlet illumination finally started to fade, Magnadramon stood in the place of Angewomon.
Only Magnadramon was different from before. For one, she was much, much, larger, more of the size and length of a Chinese dragon, as compared to her usual size of maybe eight feet long. Instead of soft pink, her fur was a deep maroon, and her eyes were yellow with red, narrow pupils. She still had the five pairs of wings, but her walking limbs were no longer present. She still had those slim, pointed thorns pointed backwards, but now they were a very dark red instead of just black.
Eyes focused right on Piedmon, a harrowing combination of a screech and a scream erupted from her throat. The cry lasted for a couple of minutes. For once, Piedmon looked just a tad bit afraid.
Kari stared at the dark incarnation of her Digimon. At any other time, under any other circumstances, she would've been horrified. But right then it didn't even faze her. Right then all she wanted to do was make Piedmon suffer, and suffer greatly. After all, she had just had the most harrowing day of her life; why shouldn't someone who actually deserved it not go through something just as bad?
"Fafner Inferno!" the dark Digimon screeched, belching out thick blue and purple flames upon Piedmon. The pitiless pierrot screamed as the flames engulfed him, taking him away from view. After a few more minutes of neverending flame, his cries were nothing but mere echoes as his disassembled data were lifted beyond the flames.
Magnadramon stopped spewing out the fire as she looked up towards the scattering data. A moment later, her body glowed a soft white as her image shrunk and shrunk until she had become Gatomon again. She tiredly managed to get over to where Kari was.
Ken had long since faded away, leaving only a pond of scarlet behind. Kari was kneeled over right where the blood stopped, tears slipping down her cheeks. "Why does destiny have against me today? I only helped save the world..."
In her hand she held the necklace piece, painted red. The string was lost somewhere in the pool of crimson. Kari looked down on it; at least it wouldn't go to waste...
"I'm ready to go back now, Gatomon."