Chapter Fifty Seven: Only Pieces
[Storm's P.O.V]
I stopped looking over the Digital Script. I glanced at Koichi, Koji, and Takuya. They were staring at the image but it was rather surprising. I looked over my shoulder to Kari. Since no one was looking I let the smile fall. I didn't need Koichi worrying over me. I still had my darkness to duel with but we need to focus. I need to focus on the task at hand and I don't need to be the distraction for anyone. I looked back to the Digital Script. Something wasn't right with this writing. I placed my hand on the wall. I could only read the parts that were lit up and every line or character that was lit seemed only to pertain to one person. This didn't say anything about the fight.
"This doesn't make any sense." I mumbled the words as I placed my other hand on the wall.
There were only four lines lit up at the moment, the rest of the lines weren't and they weren't any symbols that I knew. Even the portion that was lit up wasn't symbols that I'm familiar with but for some reason I could read them and understand them.
"Why?" The words that I could make out didn't make sense.
Why would this be part of a prophecy? Why would this have to come true? Who was the sick thing that created these stupid prophecies? I curled my hands into fists, the jagged parts of the wall dug into my fist but I didn't care. The words that I could read were burned into my mind.
Two shall suffer the loss of everything.
Two shall be torn apart.
One shall be targeted since a child.
One shall suffer from the secrets of the past.
I knew what most of it meant. Evan and I lost everything. Koichi and Koji were split up before they could remember everyone and then had to fight each other for a while. Kari has probably been a target for every enemy since she became a DigiDestined in her world. The only one that confused me was the one about secrets of the past causing suffering. It was obvious that it was meant for Takuya. Each of the lines was color coated too. The one about loss was a miss of a light yellow and an orange red, the colors that belonged to Evan and me. The one about Koichi and Koji were a mix of the grey and blue. Kari's line was pink and the last was red, which was Takuya's color since he was fire.
"Can we all be honest here?" My question drew everyone's attention, well besides Kari since she was still out.
"I said it wasn't time for questions earlier but it is now. We need to know so we can work together, working as a team means being able to trust each other." I didn't want to talk about the past but it had to be done.
I remember Gallantmon's words to this day. He told me that one day there would come a time where I had to do something that I didn't want to. He told me that one day I would have to take a step out of my comfort zone. He even said that there might be a day I would have to do something I wasn't ready for.
"Why don't you tell us what you translated first?" I looked at Kari's partner, Gatomon if I was correct, I doubt she trusted me.
"The yellow and orange line says that two will suffer the loss of everything. The grey and blue line says that two will be torn apart. The pink line says that one will be targeted since a child. The red line says that one will suffer thanks to the secrets of the past." I glared at the Digital Script, why can't it let me read more so that I could make better sense of this?
I knew why I couldn't read anymore. Gallantmon had taught me about this once before. At times there were 'seals' placed on things that would only allow certain things to be read or viewed after all of the needed things were gathered. At this moment I knew what the keys were to read this prophecy. Everyone needed to be here, all of the eight people needed to be here besides Evan. Evan couldn't be meant to be here or we were screwed because he wasn't going to show up.
"Evan and me loss everything and most recently I have even lost him." I lowered my eyes to the floor.
"You think its color coated then?" I nodded my head at Koichi's question.
"It would fit if you think about it. Koji and Koichi were kind of split up before they could remember each other then they had to fight, even had the scare there for a minute when we thought Koichi was going to die." I gulped at the last part of what Takuya said.
I had been gone for the past two years. I had missed when they went into their Digital World. I didn't know what happened besides what I had heard from Gallantmon and what I had gathered myself. I knew that Koichi and Koji were split up years ago; it was something I accidently heard their mother talking to someone about over the phone once when I stayed over when we were kids. Gallantmon told me that they had to fight but I never heard the part about Koichi nearly dying.
"Since Kari was revealed as the eighth DigiDestined she has been a target too." Gatomon sounded angry but perhaps she shared my anger with whoever wrote this.
"That would leave the one about the secrets for Takuya." I nodded at Koji's word and looked at Takuya.
Takuya looked uncomfortable suddenly. He shifted on his feet and looked away from us. He slowly began to glare at the wall opposite of me, close to where Kari sat actually. So that definitely was about Takuya and it fit something that happened to him. The question is if he would tell us about what happened. I understand not wanting to tell people about the past. I knew what it was like to have something happen and want nothing more than to pretend it didn't happen and shove the memories to the back of my mind.
"One of my dad's old colleagues, they kidnapped me when I was kid for some reason." I blinked, both surprised by what he said and the fact that he actually said what happened.
"I don't remember what happened there completely. I only survived though because I was sucked through the worlds, I ended up meeting Kari. My memories are hazy but I know that whoever kidnapped me has tried quite a few times throughout my life. Every time they get close though something related to the Digital World pops up. I always thought it was a coincidence." I looked away from him and to the wall.
"We all had to suffer something; we all needed a reason to fight." I glared hearing the voice, the footsteps now registered.
"What do you want?" I called it out and raised my head but my eyes stopped.
I watched as a line slowly lit up. The light that appeared lighting the line was a beautiful sea blue. The blue was different than what represented Koji. The sea blue was soft to my eyes and for some reason it made tension ease slightly.
"Great, now we get to deal with the Demon Lord's lackey." Takuya was annoyed and stepped towards where Daisuke had stopped but I stared at the line.
"Davis?" Gatomon was confused but she hadn't met or heard about him probably; she might not even know that there were different versions of the people that she knew.
"He's not the Daisuke you know, he's a backstabber who works for the Demon Lords." I couldn't find my words to speak suddenly; I want to yell at Koji now that he was wrong.
"You don't know the half of my life so shut up." Daisuke growled the words out and when I felt the air get the slightest bit tinged with the dark presence that Daisuke had when he was going to fight I gulped, swallowing the lump that seemed to had formed when I read the line.
"You're the one who choose to work with them so you can't blame us because you only have yourself to blame." Takuya growled the words out, why was he so angry?
I knew that he worked with the Demon Lords. I knew he was a bad person. I got why you wouldn't trust him but as far as I know Takuya and Daisuke had never actually met before this. I looked at the words for a second longer. Well I thought I knew he was a bad person. I turned and I placed a hand on Takuya's shoulder. I stared at Daisuke, he looked worn and weary. He didn't look cocky or even angry. Despite how angry he had sounded there wasn't a hint of anger in his eyes.
"You were forced into working for them. You didn't choose to be evil." Takuya turned and glared at me but Daisuke seemed a bit surprised.
"How would you know that let alone even try to help me? After what I stood back and allowed Takeru to do to you I would think you would be happy to see me get my skull bashed in." I shivered when he mentioned Takeru but I shoved the flare of anger down, it was Takeru I should be angry with.
"I can kinda read the wall; one shall be isolated, to protect means to be evil." As soon as I mentioned the wall Takuya's eyes widened before he looked at the wall.
We had come to the agreement, before Koji had come in with Kari that the wall mentioned the people that we would have to work with to defeat the Demon Lords. Anyone who dealt with the wall was our allies. I hadn't expected to see the line lit up when Daisuke appeared. I hadn't thought that he would ever be on our side. I watched as Daisuke sighed and his shoulders fell.
"My first and only friend was kidnapped by Daemon. If I wanted her to live then I had to cooperate." So it wasn't a coincidence that it lit up then.
"So you harassed and nearly pushed Kari over the edge to protect someone. You attacked Chrono to the point she was puking blood to protect someone?" I winced when Takuya yelled, his voice echoed in the cave and he was loud enough without an echo when he yelled.
"Yeah I did and I don't care if you hate me for it either! I did what I did to protect the one person who didn't call me a demon child! You have no right to judge me unless you had to live through what I did!" Daisuke yelled right back, his voice also echoed.
"You." Takuya went to grab him and Daisuke got ready to hit but neither got to touch the other.
Takuya stumbled backwards and Daisuke's fist stopped. My hand sparked slightly and Takuya sank to his knees, he sparked the slightest bit. He was paralyzed for a few seconds. I hadn't hurt him and in truth there had been barely electricity behind it. I was surprised that Daisuke had stopped though. My other hand was close to his wrist, I had been ready to knock his punch out of the way and then stun him too.
"Enough." I growled the one word out.
"I get we have our differences but we can duke it out later." I didn't want to deal with this right now.
"Takuya, you're angry but if it meant protecting Kari or Chrono would you act as the enemy?" I didn't look away from Daisuke even if I spoke to Takuya.
"So what if I would?" I sighed.
"He did it to protect his friend just like you said you would so wouldn't that mean you could've been just like him?" Daisuke slowly let his arm fall and he took a step back.
"How can you use your electricity without your card activated?" It had come from Daisuke.
"The better question is how you used that when your card shattered." Koji's question shocked Daisuke.
"Those cards aren't supposed to shatter, if you shattered it how much energy were you putting out?" I sighed and placed and a hand on my forehead.
"It doesn't matter about how much energy I was using." I already told Koichi and the others earlier though about what the key to my powers were.
"The important thing now is the question of if you're with or against us Daisuke." There wasn't anything that we could to him if he was against us since none of us really had a way to fight, stunning is as much as I could without the card.
"I'm rebelling, I finally found the hiding place that Daemon used and my friend is safe. There isn't any more reason for me to fight on their side." Even after his words I didn't lower my guard, yet.
"You came here with two other people; I can sense them out there." Daisuke sighed and held his hands up.
"Nori, my friend, she was trapped here in the Dark Ocean. I might've partnered with someone since I was no fool to rush in here by myself since the last I heard there was a whole army of mock-Digimon here. We had similar reasons for coming here; it's also kind of my apology gift." When he mentioned 'apology gift' his eyes shifted to Kari.
"I really want to apologize for what happened in the past." When he said that I glanced at Kari, she was awake and just staring at Daisuke.
"I would've done the same for any of my friends." I was surprised that Kari seemed to understand so much quicker than Takuya did, she probably had more reasons to hate him than any of us.
"What's this so called 'apology gift'?" I looked back to Daisuke after a few seconds.
"Eh, playing protector Zale?" I narrowed my eyes and he gave a soft laugh.
"Sorry, you hate that name don't you? You stopped playing protect though a long time ago, you usually just fight merciless until your opponents' fading data or unconscious." My hands sparked and he took a step back.
"See that despite being the mediator you're still angry." Koichi speaking caught me off guard, I expected him to stay quiet in all this.
After losing everything I learned how to push my emotions down to a degree and still act no matter the emotion. It only worked for so long and for so much. I probably had the most reasons to be angry with Daisuke in truth. I can't tell you how many times I fought with him. There was also that time that he mentioned. Even if I should be angry at Takeru I couldn't help but be angry at him, he could've stopped Takeru but he stood back and allowed Takeru to do anything that he wanted.
"What does the wall all say?" I shook my head at Daisuke's attempt to change the subject.
"I can't read anything except what's lit up. I'm the only one who knows Digital Script unless you can." He shook his head.
"Why is everyone in this cave anyways?" Daisuke had turned around to leave before he had stopped asked the question over his shoulder.
"Well that's a long story actually." I didn't exactly want him to know yet that we had no way to fight currently.
Takuya and Koichi's D Tectors were broken and Koji's was pretty messed up after the Piedmon fight and it's probably worse now. My card was shattered while Kari's Digivice didn't work earlier and she had no clue how to use the card. There wasn't nearly enough time to teach her how to use it. Even if he might be one of our supposed allies he didn't exactly have my trust.
"Well I don't know about you but I'm a bit claustrophobic so may we move this outside?" I almost laughed when Daisuke said that, Takuya actually did.
Daisuke shot Takuya a glare but that didn't stop Takuya from laughing. I sighed and shook my head. Those two probably wouldn't get along for a long while. Actually if they ever get along it would be a surprise to me. Daisuke began walking towards the exit and it was next to useless standing in here since there was nothing else that we could learn from the wall currently. Despite Takuya grumbling and Koji looking pretty annoyed we left the cave, Kari leaned on Koichi slightly since she was still a bit weak in the legs.
"You don't trust him simply because he was mentioned in that messed up prophecy do you?" I looked at Koji; I was surprised he was asking me that since we didn't seem to get along ourselves.
"No but I know a bit more about Daisuke than you guys. I've done a few missions and I learned some of the, demons of his past in lack of better words." I hadn't meant to figure it out actually.
When I read that line I knew. One world favored requesting my brother and me to help them. They had DigiDestineds of their own but they had their attention pulled in so many directions usually. In the world the DigiDestined had tried to befriend us, Evan was able to befriend them to a degree but I wouldn't. I couldn't get close to them. They said I was like one of their missing friends, he went to great lengths to protect his friends but he kept himself closed off afraid to be hurt again. He lost his family to an explosion; he was the only one who survived. After one of the DigiDestineds' sisters was taken because of him he drifted and rarely went 'home' and after a while he never went back.
"Mind telling us since we have to work with him?" I stopped at Takuya's question; we were few feet from the exit.
"Normally I would but I won't. If I hadn't suffered what I did I would but I know what it's like trying to forget a past like that and trying not to let others know." His friends in that world told me that he blamed himself for being the only one to survive.
I hadn't meant to connect the pieces. I never would've had the thought because the picture they painted was quite different than how he let himself come off as. There was a slim chance that I could be wrong but it seems like I'm linked to everyone somehow so far. I was friends with Koichi and Koji's twin while I have a growing suspension about Takuya being a certain person from a nearly forgotten memory had it not been for parts of it being burned into my memory. I had even met Kari in passing a while back; it was probably a year ago now that we passed each other. She didn't remember me but it wasn't that memorable anyways. I'm surprised I remembered it.
"Stop talking about me behind my back, if you people wanna know anything ask me to my face." Daisuke stepped in front of the cave, giving them a glare.
"Also you, how did you learn anything?" His glare turned on me and sighed but offered a small smile, it was forced but most couldn't tell if they didn't really know me.
"Their attention gets pulled in a lot of directions since it's a war field pretty much. My brother and I had to step in and help at times, they liked talking to us." His eyes widened a fraction of an inch but he forced his surprise away.
"They're all still alive?" The worry tinted his voice ever so silently that it could easily be missed.
"Last time I was there a couple months ago." Know that about him was odd.
"You brought up an apology gift, what did you mean by that?" Kari's question was answered with a grin from Daisuke and rushed footsteps.
The person who appeared in the entrance looked the slightest bit familiar but different than the one I knew. So he was working with Daisuke. I wonder if that means if he also had connections to the Demon Lords. Did he used to work for them like Daisuke?
"Tai!" I yelped when Kari rushed passed me and tackled the chocolate haired boy.
I sighed and I didn't even bother to move. I sat on the ground now, my tailbone hurt a bit since I fell on rock but I've felt worse and was just glad that nothing seemed broken or twisted since there was a slight incline at the entrance of the cave. I looked only to find a hand being offered by Koichi, I accepted his hand and he pulled me up.
"How'd you get Kari's brother with you?" At Takuya's question it explained Kari's reaction.
"You ok?" Koichi's question was quiet.
"Yeah I'm fine." I answered in the same quiet way.
"It doesn't really matter does it?" Daisuke wasn't looking at us anymore but looking at the clearing.
"If you give them to me I can fix them." The voice belonged to a girl, someone that we couldn't see.
Leaving the cave and having to maneuver around Kari and her brother I spotted who had spoken. She had red hair that barely reached past her shoulder blades; her hair was cut roughly and uneven. She wore a torn up shirt, it barely covered her and it didn't even seem like it should be staying on her from how messed up it was. She wore shorts, well they were shorts now.
"Fix what?" Daisuke didn't sound happy.
"It's probably because of the shards but I can sense it, their Digivices are cracked." I was confused by what she meant by 'shards'.
"Shit, no wonder you freaking people where in the cave!" Daisuke was angry, yet again.
"Hey we had to deal with a controlled Takuya, then Piedmon, and then we got a surprise visit from Leviamon himself. I consider it really good that we survived and only escaped with cracked Digivices." It came from Kari and that had her brother pushing her back and staring at her.
"How did you guys get away from Leviamon?" Daisuke was stunned; maybe he wasn't the person he seemed to be after all since he wasn't all mean and condescending currently.
In truth he kept flip flopping. Maybe it isn't that he's mean but maybe he just has a short temper. Maybe it's easy to make him angry. Then again he might've listened to Daemon for more reasons than just one. When the thought occurred to me my eyes widened. What if he had been tainted by Daemon? If he had been then Daemon knows exactly where we are.
"Daisuke, please tell me you only listened to Daemon to keep your friend safe." If they knew where we are then they'd know that we were going after the prophecy that would tell us how to kill them.
They knew about the prophecy and they knew where it was. Kari was right, we're too late. She hadn't gotten to finish what she was saying earlier but now I understood her train of thought. I don't know how she knew that they knew it and where it was but she did. The fact that we got attacked earlier also meant that they didn't want us to learn it.
"There might've been some control." I placed a hand on my head and gripped my head.
"Please tell me that you didn't know that the Demon Lords can track people they taint." Leviamon was one thing, he did his best to keep tabs on me but never let the other Demon Lords know because he was trying to use me.
Even if I was a big shot runner none of those that I fought actually knew about my past. No one knew that I survived the attack of the Demon Lords. The only one that knows is Leviamon, others perhaps thought that I had felt the after effects of the Demon Lords but they didn't know how much I suffered. Piedmon had been sent after us by Leviamon so that explained why he knew. Then again Barbamon figured it out earlier. They might all know now actually if they know the prophecy in truth.
"Tell me he didn't just lead them straight to us?" We had no way to fight so if we got attacked now it would be the worst.
"Daemon shouldn't be able to track to me." Leviamon could barely track me since Gallantmon did his best to mess that up so Leviamon could usually only guess where I was and if he was in the same world then he could track me.
"This isn't good." I looked at the red haired girl yet I was surprised.
Her black eyes gave off a faint reddish flicker of light as she stared at the sky. She spun in a circle as if looking at something. I caught sight of her back and I saw red shards embedded into her back. Her eyes scanned the sky as if she read something only she could read. I looked at the sky but there was nothing there. The sky looked the same as it had earlier.
"Nori?" Daisuke called the name softly so I could only assume that the name belonged to the red haired girl.
"It's coming, this is the true start." Her words confused me.
It became clear a few seconds later as we all saw it. The grey clouds that had gathered turned black before swirling and seemed to make a gate. There was some kind of symbol on it. The gate was massive and there was a rumble from behind the gate. The gates opened slightly and the roar that came out made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. My eyes widened and my ears rung.
We were all startled by the multiple chimes that resounded in the clearing. Koichi, Takuya, and Koji all pulled out their D-Tectors while Kari and Tai pulled out their Digivices. I even saw Daisuke slid out an old beat up device from a pocket. All of their screens glowed as well.
There is no more kidding around.
This starts now.
Find your resolve and stand.
The words rung out from their Digivices and there was an echoing sound. It sounded like heavy doors being thrown against a wall. I raised my eyes to the gate above us. I knew what that gate was now as I watched darkness seep out of it. It was a Demon's Gate, aka the special kind of gates that the Demon Lords used. Those gates though slowly devoured the world that the Demon Lords used them to enter. What Demon Lord would be our first opponent?
"All access to this world is cut off now. I can't even open a gate out." I didn't even care to comment on knowing that there was actually a human that could open a gate.
The bellow that came from the gate echoed throughout the world. The bellow shook the ground and the whole world stilled. It was as if the world itself was holding its breath. It would truly start now. There was no more turning backing or running away. There was no more backing down. It was time to stand up and to make a stand. This would be the first part of the hardest part.
Sorry about not posting during the weekend and nearly a whole week after. I didn't feel well recently but I still got the chapter wrote! Also, can anyone come up with a better title to the chapter? If you can I'll do any reasonable requests or answer any reasonable question [the question though would have to be about the story].