Enter The Light
Part Fourteen: The Last Day
Standard Disclaimer Thingie: Digimon, not mine. Plot sort of is. This part is borrowed greatly from the original, which is, as I said above, not mine.
Also: The author is not responsible for any sort of mental/emotional damage which may be incurred by the reader after reading this story.
It gets better, I promise.
Hikari slept almost continuously for five days, and when she did awake, briefly, it was only to eat a little food before she returned to sleep. She seemed to have no interest in conversing with the others.
She seemed to be mostly uninjured, only tiny cuts and bruises, yet she slept as though she had been through some great trauma, which was true in a way.
On the morning of the sixth day, the sun rose unseen behind the clouds of black and the fluttering wings. Thunder rumbled in the clouds and the lightning began not long after what would have been dawn. The flashes of light appeared intermittently, almost randomly, in the sky.
Hikari sat up before any of the others had awakened. She pushed aside the blanket atop her and got to her feet. Her toes were bare in the cool grass. Thunder rumbled softly and the lightning flashed.
There was another brief flash of light that didn't come from the sky, and Plotmon became Tailmon once more. With big blue eyes, she watched the clouds.
"This is the last day," she said, and followed Hikari to the river.
It was mid morning by her own estimate when they found her, sitting on the banks of the stream and watching the water gently flow past over tiny rocks and pebbles on the bed.
Taichi breathed a sigh of relief and waved a hand, signaling to the others. They slowly moved off, back toward the fire where they could prepare food.
Hikari seemed to notice none of this. She was sitting, cross legged, in the thick cool grass by the riverbank. The crest dangled from her neck on a thin string that seemed near to breaking, and she clutched it in one hand. Her eyes were shut – for a moment he feared she might have sleep-walked – and a serene expression was on her face.
He sat beside her and waited, uncertain of what should be done. Sleepwalkers ought not to be awakened, he had heard, and so he waited.
After some time, Hikari opened her eyes and turned her head to face her brother, who had not yet taken his eyes from her. "Hello," she said, and smiled a half-smile.
"Are you – ?" he began.
"I'm fine, Taichi. There is more at stake here than me."
He nodded, a frown appearing. "You know something I do not?"
"And you know something I do not," she returned. "It is the last day."
"I know," he answered. "Do you know what will happen?"
She nodded then, but turned her face away from his and looked up, toward the covered sky. "I have seen parts of it. I don't understand it completely."
He didn't have an answer for this, so he waited, a thousand unformed questions passing through his mind and leaving again, unspoken.
Hikari stood up, her bare feet making barely a noise in the damp, soft grass. The fabric of her nearly threadbare skirt rustled as she moved. She turned her eyes back toward her brother. "I hope you are willing to risk yourself," she said then, and her eyes were soft and concerned.
She turned to walk away. "Hikari," he said, scrambling to his own feet quickly so that he might follow her. She paused and turned back to him. He straightened his shoulders. "I am."
She smiled, but it was a sad sort of smile, and her eyes were filled with concern and love. "I know," she said.
The evening had fallen after the last day, and there had been no change, nothing to report. They ate some fish and what remained of their rations – unwilling to take from the people in the town.
Upon observation, Miyako had helped to determine that those who were asleep within the village were indeed under some sort of spell, and with Jyou's help they knew that they were mostly unharmed. The spell had not caused any sort of damage, and it seemed that while asleep, those enspelled had no need of food or water, for the spell kept them alive – at least for the time.
The lightning continued with increasing frequency, periodically illuminating the landscape. There was nothing to do but wait, and so they waited.
Hikari has spoken little upon her return. She had responded with the same gentle smile to all those who questioned her about her state, and she had nodded when they asked if she was all right. She said nothing further, but sat near the fire, her mind seemingly elsewhere.
When evening had fallen – although it looked more like day because of the continuous lightning - she stood up and crossed to the opposite side of the clearing.
Yamato was seated on the ground, having just completed his share of the evening meal, and now he sat, thoughts on the future and the past. He had seated himself some distance from the fire, preferring to be alone for the moment, and took no notice of the others until Hikari sat beside him on the thin blanket he had made his own temporary bed.
"I hope," she said, "that you are willing to risk yourself."
The voice from the silence startled him from his own thoughts, so much so that for a moment he couldn't comprehend what had been said.
"Are you saying that I'll die?"
She shook her head. "No."
"Then why do you ask such a question?"
"It needs to be asked."
He considered this for a moment and then fell backwards onto the ground, gazing up at the black sky. The lightning flashed once, twice, then a third time. "I should like to think I am," he said finally.
"I see. I am glad," she said, and stood.
Yamato stood abruptly. "Wait – Hikari," he said, and she stopped, turned to face him. "What – I don't understand."
She smiled a sad sort of smile. "I don't either," she said, and walked away.
He watched her, his mind asking a thousand questions and yet not knowing what any of them were. She walked slowly from him, past the fire where the others were gathered, waiting, keeping warm, finished with their meal, and sat some distance from them, looking at nothing and seeing nothing.
Thunder rumbled and the lightning flashed.
A cool breeze blew through the makeshift camp, making the flames dance lightly. Takeru shivered and hugged his arms to himself.
There was little noise. Miyako and Sora sat close to each other, conversing with soft voices. Iori was quiet, sitting a little apart from the others, warming his hands by the flames. Koushiro and Wizarmon were also apart, some distance from the fire, looking over the words of the crumpled prophecy and no doubt discussing some other magical problem. The boy that had come with Hikari from the rubble of the prison, Shijo, was slowly sipping a mug of hot tea that Mimi had prepared, and she sat beside him, drinking as well. Jyou appeared to be near sleep, lying on his own thin blanket with his head near the fire for warmth, looking with half-opened eyes toward the blackened sky above and quietly speaking with Gomamon, who was flopped across his torso.
Takeru sighed, feeling restless as he was sure all the others were. The waiting was tiring, and the sky was depressing. Patamon sighed, an echo of his own sigh, resting upon his head. He stood, stretching his legs and arms, and walked a few steps from the fire, just to escape.
Another breeze blew, gentle, almost warm, and he saw Hikari there, almost as though he had never before noticed her. She was sitting a few steps away from the edge of the fire, but seemed undisturbed by the cold. The breeze blew her hair, sending strands in all directions, and fluttered in the fabric of her skirt. She didn't seem to be seeing anything that was in front of her, and Takeru imagined to himself that she seemed lonely.
Without knowing what he would say or do, Takeru crossed the distance and sat beside her. He didn't have anything to say, he realized, and so he contented himself with being silent. Patamon settled in his lap and so he absently began to scratch his partner's ears.
"Are you afraid?" Hikari asked suddenly, completely unexpectedly.
"No," he said, but then regretted it. "Maybe a little."
She nodded slowly. "I am, too," she said, and turned to face him.
"What are you afraid of?" Takeru questioned. She didn't answer, and the conversation faded off into silence. "I'm afraid of the unknown," he said, after some time had passed.
"I'm afraid it won't work."
Again there was quiet, and Takeru sensed that there was more she wanted to say and yet couldn't, so he asked no further questions.
"I'm sure we'll be fine, though," Hikari said then, and smiled.
The lightning increased in frequency and yet no rain fell. The thunder grew ever louder, and there was no storm. In the midst of the rubble of the fallen tower the lightning touched the ground. The Chosen gathered around the prison's outer walls and waited.
The sky grew darker and then there was a sudden flash of lightning and a clap of thunder that crashed into the ground. It was a brighter flash and a louder clap than before, and even from safety across the moat, Shijo could feel the ground beneath his feet shake and rumble. He gripped Koromon tightly in his arms.
He could see, even from a safe distance away, that a black creature of some sort was rising from the midst of the rubble of the building, and after a moment he determined that it was the same vampire digimon that had been defeated. Now, though, he was different in some way.
Perched in a half-destroyed, leave-less corpse of a tree some distance away, the one who had left the courtyard of the prison-fortress watched, scarcely blinking as the bright lights flashed again and again, signaling the evolutions.
"Do you think we should help?" the small green caterpillar digimon questioned, a worried look in his big blue eyes.
"I don't know that we'd be of any use," his partner replied, shaking his head. He shivered. "No, I think our part here is finished," he said instead. "All we can do now is watch and wait."
Then, his eyes strayed toward the edge of the battle.
"Maybe we ought to get further away!" Koromon shouted over the sounds of the battle, and Shijo not bothering to disagree with his partner, took a few steps backward and then a few more. No matter how far away he got, though, he knew there would be little refuge and little safety. He would never feel as though he were safe so long as the massive black creature still lived.
"I hope they beat it," he confided to his partner, his voice low. He squeezed tighter. "They will, won't they?"
"Without a doubt," said another voice, one that he recognized, and the boy turned to see the dark figure behind him. "You're not safe here. Come." He turned and walked away. Shijo followed, propelling his legs into a run so he could follow.
"Where?" he gasped when he had caught up. They had climbed steadily the side of a rise in the ground, and they were now overlooking the pile of rubble where the prison had once stood and the ongoing battle.
It didn't seem to be progressing well. The dark figure that had once been Vamdemon and was now something even more powerful rose higher and more massive than the prison had once been. Despite the blasts of light that shot at him in a rainbow of colors, the digimon didn't seem to be affected. With a swing of one massive hand, he tossed aside a few of the digimon. Shijo winced in sympathy.
"Can't you help them?" he demanded of the figure standing beside him. It shook its head solemnly. "Why not? Can't you try? You broke the spell, didn't you? You woke me up – why can't you help?"
"I don't have that sort of power," he answered, his voice sharp. "Not now, not on my own. Do you want me to rush in heedlessly and get myself killed, or do you want me to keep you safe?"
Sobered, Shijo sat down on the ground, frowning. "No," he replied when he had calmed himself sufficiently to answer. "I'm sorry. Don't go, please."
The conversation ceased, and the boy turned his gaze back toward the battle. A few massive explosions sounded, and the ground shook heavily. Shijo shielded his eyes from the bright lights, but when they had faded, the massive dark digimon didn't seem to be damaged in anyway.
"Are you sure?" he asked then, glancing back toward the figure that had seated himself next to him. "Are you sure they can win?"
There was only a momentary hesitation before the answer came, a curt nod.
Takeru's face had grown pale. Patamon, still in his arms, not yet evolved, stared at Hikari with wide eyes. "Are you - ?" he started to ask, then stopped himself. "Yes, I can see you are serious. But - …."
"But it sounds crazy," she finished. "I know. But it's the way, it's the answer, it's the only way. Think about the prophecy, Takeru. 'Angels of Hope and Light,'?"
Wizarmon had the sort of expression in his eyes that one normally gets when one knows what one must do but is reluctant to do it. He shook his head slowly. "I should have remembered this," he said.
"Remembered?" Patamon echoed. "You mean – from the last time? From the first Chosen?"
"I am not that ancient, young one," the wizard digimon replied with some humor in his eyes. "I remember learning this prophecy years ago, and I remember a few other things that are too distant to completely remember. I was young then, too. But she's right," he finished, nodding as the solemn look returned to his eyes.
Takeru looked at his partner, and for a long time they held a silent conversation with their eyes that none else was privy to. Finally, the human half sighed a reluctant sigh and nodded. "If you think it's the only way," he said, "then we will try it."
"And if it doesn't work?" Tailmon put in sharply, directing the question toward them all. Hikari shivered.
"At least we will have tried," she answered.
Two bright lights suddenly appeared, and Shijo squinted through it, desperate to see what was happening. So bright was the light that he was certain it would be seen across the ocean, if the spell had not affected anyone living across the ocean.
When the light faded, he saw for the second time the beautiful and angelic digimon he credited with having saved his life, and beside her, another. For a moment, all Shijo could do was stare in dim astonishment, and then he thought to glance in the direction of his companion.
"I never thought I'd live to see it," the figure muttered in a voice so soft that it was nearly a whisper. He got to his feet, trying to see better the distant scene.
In an instant, Hikari's words made the prophecy clear. Koushiro nodded in agreement, as though it all made sense, and Wizarmon, too, seemed to understand. Taichi stared blankly toward his sister, as though he had never seen her before, and then back toward the battle.
There was a pain-filled shout, and Agumon came tumbling out of the sky, crying out as he soared. Taichi sensed his partner's distress before he saw the yellow digimon take flight, and then he dove forward just in time to catch him.
The bats in the sky overhead squeaked in an approximation of happiness. The others shivered, and their unspoken thoughts whispered in the air. Now what?
Yamato folded his arms across his chest, frowned, and nodded to his brother with an expression indicating his certainty on the matter. Takeru hesitated, but only briefly, before he nodded as well.
Taichi got to his feet. "Are you certain?" he asked his sister. Hikari shook her head.
"Nothing is certain," she answered. For what seemed an eternity, they didn't speak and yet seemed to communicate to each other. Taichi set his partner down on the ground and nodded.
"Let's do it, then."
Due to Hawkmon's concerns, Miyako had stayed on the ground, where it was at least mildly safer, but she had not stayed out of the fight this time. Instead, she had evolved her partner and sent Holsmon into the fray while she reluctantly watched from a distance. The massive creature that was Venom Vamdemon was so huge now that her partner became a brown and red speck against the black darkness. She squinted through the shield of the magical spectacles – without them the entire world became a massive black fog.
So preoccupied with keeping her sight locked directly on her partner was Miyako that she scarcely was aware of the sudden bright lights that flashed nearby, signaling not one but two more evolutions. A few minutes later, however, a yellow blob was sent across her line of vision and she followed it for a moment before a massive fiery bird distracted her, shooting flames toward the vampire digimon.
"Look out!" someone shouted, and Miyako turned her gaze toward the ground. Nearby, ghosts were rising from the grave – frightening, smiling Bakemon. She could see one rising behind Sora, and, when she turned to face it, another rose on her other side. "Look out!" Iori's voice inserted again. Waving some sort of weapon that Miyako could not quite identify, the youngest Chosen charged the ghosts, shouting for his battle cry for his partner's evolution. Armadimon, not yet evolved, promptly did so, and as Digimon he swiped away the ghosts quickly.
Miyako felt alone for a reason that she was unable to completely explain. She turned her gaze back toward the sky and tried to re-locate her partner. Another light distracted her, and she turned her head again.
Two magnificent and angelic digimon were preparing to attack. Miyako felt first awe – for she had never before seen Angemon, and had glimpsed Angewomon only from a distant. Then she felt a bit of triumphant hope – Angewomon had defeated Vamdemon easily – surely she could just as easily defeat him now, even if he were more powerful and had managed to evolve.
Both digimon formed bows made of light and notched arrows. Anticipation made Miyako's heart leap and thump in her chest, and she waited, certain that the arrows would be enough to defeat the monstrous enemy. Suddenly, however, her eager hope turned into concern, for neither angel seemed to be aiming for the enemy.
Instead, both had pointed their weapons toward the ground.
Expecting pain, Taichi shut his eyes against the bright light and the upcoming discomfort. He expected that it would hurt worse than anything he had ever felt before.
He felt a sharp poke in his chest, but no further pain. Instead, a strange sort of sensation rushed through him, and he felt as though he was being carried away on a rapidly moving river. The light seemed to be making a lot of noise – his ears were filled with an empty white noise, and he found himself in a world of silence. All he could see was a white light. When he tried to move, he felt no pain, but his limbs would not respond. For a brief moment, fear gripped him – was this death?
Slowly, the light dimmed and he became aware of the world beyond him. The silence faded – he could distantly hear a repetitive, high-pitched noise and he became aware of Agumon shouting.
For some time nothing happened, and Takeru felt his throat nearly close. His brother didn't seem to be moving or speaking. It was likely only a few minutes that had passed since Angemon had fired the fateful arrow, yet it seemed like an eternity of silence.
Gabumon was quiet, too, watching Yamato with some concern in his eyes. Suddenly, he seemed to come to a conclusion, and nodded abruptly.
"Gabumon evolve!" he called.
I'm sure you all know what happens next, though there are a few unanswered questions. I have and will avoid re-writing things that are already known and don't change at all from teh original. The first half of the story is finished, and now I can get into the real meat of it, the unexpected,new stuff. Yea!
Please don't: threaten me or have some sort of serious mental breakdown. This will get better, I swear!
Please do: review, read, and stick around. I'm actually moving pretty quickly with this story and with school nearly over I might actually have some free time. Email me if you don't feel like leaving a review or if you have questions or comments or something else.
I promise I will resolve everything, eventually. I won't leave you hanging for an eternity. Thanks again for reading, ja ne!