The Crystal Gate

Part Eighteen: Explosion!

Standard Disclaimer Thingie: Digimon is not mine, including all characters, money, etc. Plot is mine. Don't steal, don't sue. Don't forget to moo.

Moo.

"You see?" Mimi asked, now absently playing with a gold chain around her neck. "Something…magical."

"I see," Yamato answered, and stepped forward. "Hikari?"

As before, she made no sign that she was aware of anything in the world around her and did not turn toward his voice or open her eyes. He stepped closer and reached out with one hand, gently placing it atop her left hand, which was resting on the sword hilt.

A strange sensation, almost like burning, though not as painful, spread from his hand, up his arm, directly into his head. He must have made some sort of sound or looked as though he was in pain, because Mimi gasped in surprise. He turned his head toward her and saw that she was staring with wide eyes. Then, he blinked, and the world faded away for a half-second before it returned, and he fell backwards, sitting down hard on the ground behind him.

"Are you all right?" Mimi questioned, stepping forward immediately.

"Fine, I think," he replied, his voice a bit shaky as he got to his feet.

Hikari opened one eye, startling Mimi (who had not taken her eyes from the princess for more than a second, and then only to gape at Yamato), and said, "You should go after him, I think."

"What-?" he managed to say after stammering for a moment or two, but then Hikari shut the eye again, frowning in concentration.

"After who?" Mimi questioned, but Hikari was again unresponsive, and she turned helplessly toward Yamato. "Does she mean Taichi?"

A sudden loud noise startled them both, and Yamato ran immediately to the window, throwing open the glass doors of the veranda with more force than advisable. "What was that?" Mimi asked, still with one eye on Hikari.

"Some sort of explosion," Yamato answered, turning his head left, right, down, searching for the source. "There…no, there! There!"

"In three places at once?" Mimi wondered, finally breaking her gaze to follow him to the veranda. She saw, with some amount of surprise, that there were three columns of smoke and dust coming from three different directions at once, indicating that there had been three explosions at once.

The blasts had happened a bit to the north, then to the south, and then directly ahead, within town below. "After him?" Yamato said absently, asking perhaps himself. "Which him?"

"Well, go!" Mimi scolded, gently smacking his shoulder to convince him. "I'll go if you don't."

"No," he disagreed immediately, turning back to the inside. "Stay here, with Hikari. Keep her safe!"

Something slammed into the ground barely two steps away from where Miyako was standing. The force of the impact blew her hair back from her face and singed the edge of her saturated skirts. The flames were immediately doused by the ever-present rain, which was slowly beginning to fade.

"What was that?" she heard a voice shout, and immediately, before she was even aware if anyone was hurt or dead, Miyako cast out with her magical senses, searching for some sort of danger, some sort of dark magic. Before she had reached far beyond herself, however, she felt the pressure of the crystal's power in her chest, and, distracted by the pain, broke off her search. It was a stronger pressure than she had felt before, making it difficult to breath, and she felt her legs grow weaker beneath her.

"Some sort of explosion," a different voice was saying, answering the question. The sound of voices, of the rain, all was fading and growing fuzzy in her ears, sounding as though it were a great distance away.

"Miyako?" Her partner's voice was at least recognizable, though fuzzy, and when she opened her eyes, Miyako could see a blur of colors that vaguely resembled him. Her vision, too, was as blurry and fuzzy as her hearing. She found herself wondering once more if she was about to die.

"Are you all right?" someone else questioned, and when she turned her head she could see that Ken had dropped to the ground beside her. Miyako thought to speak, but it was difficult enough to try to breathe. The air caught in her throat and all that escaped was a gasp.

"It doesn't look as though she is," Wormmon intoned glumly, his big blue eyes peering at her with concern.

"How is that an answer?" Armadimon demanded, glaring toward his partner. "Did you feel something or didn't you?"

"I don't know if I did," Iori replied, frowning in thought. "It's not a feeling I'm used to having, so maybe it was and maybe it wasn't."

The crystal in Takeru's hands was quietly humming again, and it felt warm on his skin. Suddenly, it began to hum a bit louder, and it felt almost hot. He looked down at it, wondering what the reason for this was, and in that very instant something exploded nearby.

It was very near, and when the loud sound had faded Takeru heard the fearful cries of Li Tan's Airdramon echoing in his ears. He turned and saw that a cloud of dust had risen from the ground nearby, undoubtedly at the place where the explosion had originated. Li Tan had gripped hold of his Airdramon's leads and was trying to calm him, but the explosion had been very loud and very near, and it was not easy.

"What caused that?" Patamon wondered from his partner's head. "I don't see anything…."

There was nothing to be seen. The dust was rising to the sky, but nothing had emerged from within, and there had been nothing for it to set on fire. Takeru was beginning to think the worst of the danger was over (which seemed unlikely) when another explosion happened a few steps in the other direction, and then, almost immediately afterward, a third and fourth explosion went off a short distance away. The Airdramon's cries grew louder over the sounds, and Li Tan lost hold of the reins, allowing the frightened serpentine digimon to escape the danger.

"Some sort of magic," Koushiro called, turning sharply when he heard another explosion behind him. "I think it's caused by a bolt of powerful magic slamming into the ground at high speeds."

"So…avoid them, right?" Armadimon concluded, already having taken a few steps back from his previous position.

"I'm not sure if they're trying to hit us or not," Iori called over another explosion. "If they are, they've got bad aim."

"They?" Li Tan echoed. "They who?"

"Wish I knew," Iori replied. "Then we could stop them."

"Can you figure out where the magic is coming from?" Takeru asked the wizard. "Whatever the reasons for this, I'd like to stop it."

A slightly larger explosion than before emerged a short distance from him, this time between Takeru and the others. Instinctively, he took a step back, not wishing to be in the middle of it, and another explosion went off directly behind him, causing him to step forward again. A tiny, mini explosion struck in the dirt at his feet, and he felt a warmth near his toes.

A small fire had started near his feet, and when Takeru looked, he saw that the toe of his left shoe was aflame. He stepped backward, dousing his toes by rubbing his foot in the dirt, but the fire on the ground grew in power. Undaunted, Takeru went to stomp on these flames as well, for they weren't very large.

"Don't!" Koushiro warned. "The magic caused the fire…those might be magical flames. Unless you want to be burned, I wouldn't run into them."

Takeru took a step back from the flames again. "I have this bad feeling…," he said, glancing up at his partner.

"You did say they were after the crystal. If that's true…,"

"They still are!" Iori finished. "Koushiro – do you know where the magic is coming from? Who is doing this? Anything?"

The medical rooms in the palace were thankfully devoid of patients, as they had been for the last few days. The only injured person today was a servant unlucky enough to damage his hand with a knife that was supposed to be used for chopping vegetables but had been used to chop fingers instead. Much to the patient's relief, the wound was not so serious that he would need to lose any of his damaged fingers. Jyou had overseen the applying of a poultice of pain-killing herbs and then left the nurse with the task of applying the bandage.

"Now?" Gomamon questioned impatiently from his partner's shoulder. "Now?"

"Now what?" Jyou asked, though he knew very well what.

"Now can we go outside for a bit?" the digimon demanded. "You've been promising for the last three hours. There aren't any patients, and you don't have anything better to do, but you keep finding something."

"You don't have to wait for me," the doctor replied, slipping through the doorway into his personal office. It was a tiny room, lined with shelves and file cabinets stuffed to the brim with patient records and medical books. "You're perfectly capable of going outside on your own. I know you are, I've seen you do it."

"Yes, yes," Gomamon said dismissively, waving this aside with one flipper. "It's you that needs it, though."

"Need it?" Jyou echoed, rolling his eyes. "What I need is…."

Precisely what he needed Gomamon never heard, because at that moment the ground shook, apparently from the force of an earthquake. Several heavy books fell from their shelves, and a glass instrument shattered when it hit the floor. Some sort of explosion occurred in the midst of one of the bookcases, and a few more heavy books flew violently from the shelves. Instinctively, Jyou threw himself to the ground to avoid the sharp flying pieces of wood that broke off from the bookcases. Some of the books crashed into the wall beyond and then fell to the ground, and a few didn't make it as far as the wall but crashed into other things in the office. A small clock that had been on the desk was knocked to the floor, the glass cover shattering.

"One of your patients not so happy with your diagnosis?" Gomamon questioned of his partner, who stared at him as though he had lost his mind.

"You think someone did this?" he asked, climbing shakily to his feet, looking around him. His eyes fell on the clock, and he grimaced at the sight of it. "I liked that clock. Who would want to damage a doctor's office?"

Gomamon shrugged lightly. "There are all sorts of people in this world," he remarked causally. "Maybe someone who wanted that thing."

He was referring to a small, faintly glowing object which was floating in midair a short distance from the doctor's face. It was the crystal he had obtained in Kido, which he had been keeping safe in a wooden box on the shelf of the bookcase that had been damaged. Jyou reached out and took the crystal in his hand.

"That seems more likely," he said to his partner, and turned to leave the office.

Without any warning whatsoever, the stone fountain exploded, sending small bits of rocks in every direction and immediately flooding the already saturated town square. Taichi didn't seem to much mind the explosion, but Sora did, and she threw herself on the ground immediately. When he didn't follow, she grabbed hold of the edge of his cloak and pulled him down as well. She felt a shard of stone slice open her left shoulder, slicing through the fabric of her clothes without any difficulty. Another sharp, brief pain appeared on her cheek, and when she touched it gingerly she found blood.

"It's here," Taichi said again, not glancing in her direction, and got to his feet. Fearful of another explosion, Sora grabbed at the hem of his cloak again, but it slipped from her fingers.

"No," she gasped, and reached farther, this time grabbing hold of his ankle before he had walked far enough to be out of reach. "Don't – it's dangerous."

"It is indeed," said a voice she had never heard before, and Sora looked up to see that a pale-skinned man with long, dark, oily hair was standing in the space where the fountain had once been. "You should not have come here with him. You have interfered."

"You shouldn't have brought him here," Sora returned, quickly scrambling to her feet. "Who are you?"

The man smiled vaguely. "Ah, you are clueless, aren't you? Wonderful. Everything went according to plan."

As though awakened from a dream of some sort, Taichi turned his head to face her for the first time since they'd left the palace. "Sora?"

"What plan?" Piyomon demanded, stepping out from behind her partner.

"It doesn't matter," the man replied, shrugging. He was dressed completely in black – black, shiny boots, black pants, black shirt, black jacket, a long, black cloak around his shoulders. "I have a use for him, but not for you."

He waved his arm, and Sora felt her feet leave the ground, the world suddenly rushing past beneath her at a great speed. Then, everything seemed to be moving in slow-motion. She saw her partner, hurrying to follow, and Taichi, who was staring at her as though he were wondering if this all was a nightmare that might end soon.

There was a bright light somewhere behind her, and a blur of blue and white rushed past at a great speed. Somewhere, Sora was aware of someone shouting, but she couldn't hear what or tell who it was. Then, she stopped moving and slammed into something.

"It won't be hard at all. I'll do all the work. I only need a little bit of help from you, if you don't mind."

Yamato had disappeared, running down to something below, Mimi wasn't sure what. She turned away from the window at the sound of Hikari's voice, but it didn't appear as though she was the one being addressed, because the words didn't make much sense.

In the hallway beyond the room the sound of frantic footsteps could be heard, coupled with an occasional gasp of breath. After a few moments the footsteps stopped and Jyou appeared in the doorway. His hair was disheveled, his clothing rumpled. A few tears and rips were scattered around his shirt and pants, and his glasses were crooked on his nose. He paused for breath, leaning on the doorframe, and straightened them so he could see clearly before speaking.

"Are you all right?" Mimi questioned, for she had never before seen him so upset. Gomamon, who was holding onto his partner's head for dear life, shook his head ominously. "What's happened?"

"My office," Jyou said. "My office exploded!"

Mimi glanced toward her partner briefly. "Exploded?" she echoed.

"Exploded!" he replied.

"It wasn't the whole office," Gomamon interjected in a far calmer tone. "It was only the bookshelf, but it did a bit of damage."

"Broke my clock," Jyou muttered, crossing the room to sit in a chair. "I liked that clock." He only then noticed Hikari, who was still seated on the edge of the bed, legs folded beneath her, hands grasping the sword. "What is she doing?"

"I don't know. Seeing, I suppose," Mimi answered dismissively. "Why would anyone blow up a bookshelf in your office?"

"Disgruntled patients," Gomamon replied cheekily. Jyou glared at him for a moment, but the digimon appeared as immune as usual.

"It was not," he said, finally breaking off the glare. "I think they were after this thing." He held out his hand, opening his fingers to reveal the crystal he had collected in Kido.

Mimi frowned for a moment, and turned toward the window. "Maybe that's what caused the other explosions as well," she thought aloud.

"Mind?" Daisuke said unexpectedly. "Why would I mind?"

The rain had almost stopped, and there had been no further explosions. Miyako did not seem to have been physically hurt, but nor did she seem to be all right. She had fallen to the ground after the explosion, clutching her chest as though she was in great pain. Her breath was coming in quick, shallow gasps, and she was looking rather pale.

"Mind what?" Shijo questioned, looking toward him, but he didn't seem to have heard or seen. The boy noticed that a strange sort of expression had come over his face, as though he were listening to and perhaps seeing something that was not there.

Without saying anything else, Daisuke crossed the space between himself and Miyako. Perhaps sensing something of importance, Ken stepped back, watching with one eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"What's he doing?" Agumon questioned of V-mon, who shrugged absently and sat down in the mud to watch. He was already filthy and soaked, so much so that anyone who had never seen him before would have thought his natural color was brown rather than blue.

"It's not going to hurt," Daisuke said, apparently addressing Miyako, who was staring at him as though she did not know him. "I can help, if you let me." His voice sounded strangely calm, almost as though it was not his own. He reached out one hand and, with only a bit of apprehension, Miyako took it in her own and nodded, understanding or perhaps merely desperate for relief.

"Fox fire!" shouted Garurumon, a blur of white and blue as he crossed the town square, leaping over the remains of the fountain. His attack, a hot flame, surrounded the man in the center of the rubble, followed shortly by the digimon himself, teeth bared, a vicious growl emitting from his throat.

"Are you all right?" Yamato questioned, and Sora realized that he was the thing that she had slammed into instead of the wall of a nearby building. The blue and white blur was his partner, who was now attacking the man, whoever he was.

After a moment, however, Garurumon was once more a blue and white blur as he flew back, thrown. There was a loud thud as he crashed into the wall of a nearby building, and a few pieces of brick dislodged from their previously secure places and tumbled to the ground, sending a small cloud of dust into the air. Almost immediately, however, he recovered, leaping into action at once.

"Let me help, oh let me help," Piyomon said, almost hopping up and down with eagerness. "I don't like that guy."

"I'm not too fond of him either at the moment," Sora answered, slowly breaking away from Yamato to stand on her own. "Go."

Garurumon latched onto the man's arm with his teeth, and had miraculously succeeded in throwing him backward. A moment later a fiery flame attack surrounded them both, courtesy of Birdramon, who attacked from the sky. Another explosion scattered small sparks of flame and pieces of stone and rock around the square.

Taichi had not been hurt, and although his first instinct was to go after Sora when she had been thrown across the square, a second desire was slowly beginning to burn in his mind. Torn between two conflicting wishes, he hesitated for a moment, watching the battle unfold before him, Agumon standing beside him with wide eyes. When the explosion occurred, he threw himself to the ground (at this point having regained enough sense to do so) to avoid the flying debris. A few small pieces of stone tore slits in his clothing and made tiny red marks on his arms.

He vaguely remembered having slipped out of the palace earlier and making his way toward town, but it was as though he had been in a dream, for his memories were hazy and unclear. Silently, he cursed himself for having put himself and Sora in such danger, but he then put aside his self-blame and tried to make sense of the situation.

The solitary man who was somehow managing to hold his own against the attacks of two adult digimon at once was obviously some sort of wizard. A dark wizard, if his attacks were any clue as to his allegiances, and a powerful one.

A memory chose that moment to return to him; the information Miyako had obtained about the crystals before she'd left the palace to head east. Ken had told her there were five crystals, one not far from the palace. Although it had occurred to Taichi to look for such a crystal, he had put it from his mind for the time being, certain that it would soon appear. Again he cursed himself for not having immediately begun such a search. He glanced back through the smoke and dust of the battleground, toward where Sora and Yamato were standing, anxiously watching their partners battle.

Whoever this wizard was, he undoubtedly wanted the crystal. If he was here, perhaps the crystal was nearby. For a moment, Taichi thought of seeking out the object and finding it before the wizard, but he immediately dismissed this. He had no idea where a crystal might be or how to find it.

A third explosion racked the square. Distantly, the sounds of shouting and cries of alarm could be heard coming from the townspeople. The rain had slowed, but was still falling steadily, and it was shortly joined by the louder sound of falling rocks as more of the fountain was disassembled by force.

"If you find the crystal," Agumon suggested, already looking around him as though he might find the object in question on the ground somewhere nearby.

"How do I do that, exactly?" Taichi called over the sounds of battle. A large chunk of rock landed on the ground a short distance from him, and he realized that had he been standing a step to his left he might currently be suffering a rather bad headache at the moment. He thought of getting out of danger, and took a step backwards. A rock slammed into the ground where he had been standing.

"I don't know," Agumon answered. "Maybe there's some way you sense it?"

This was as useless a suggestion as had ever been offered, ever, even if it made a tiny bit of sense. Taichi glanced toward his partner with an expression of disbelief. "How?" he repeated, feeling frustrated.

"I don't know!" Agumon replied again, now in an equally frustrated voice. "Do something instead of standing here waiting for a rock to bash your head in, though!"

The persistent squeal of an activated digivice silence the rain for a brief second, and a white light flared in the square before the massive Greymon appeared and charged into battle. Taichi shrugged absently, thinking that this was better than nothing.

Before his partner had succeeded in getting off more than a few fireballs, however, another explosion shook the town ever more than the first three had. Pieces of stone began to fall from the tops of buildings nearby, and all three digimon were thrown forcefully back, de-evolving as they flew through the air. Agumon fell a short distance from his partner's feet, moaning in pain, and Gabumon and Piyomon landed similarly as well.

"It's too late," said a woman's voice, and slowly the smoke from the explosions began to clear. "Two crystals!"

"Excellent," said the voice of the wizard. "Excellent."

When the smoke cleared, both were gone.

Finally, it seems as though we are nearing the end. A bit of action here, and a lot of blowing things up. I'm not usually fond of blowing things up quite this much, but it was fun.

Lots of action next chapter. How many left? It depends on how fast I write. Stay tuned. Thanks for reading!