"Are you sure you don't want my white jacket borrowed? Hikari-chan would fall even more in love with you." Makoto teased his brother, who was trying on a purple jacket in front of a mirror in his bedroom.
"Hikari-san isn't in love with me. She just invited me to go to see the Christmas lights with her." Koushiro dismissed.
"Sure. And the fact that she asked Tentomon to go shopping with her probably has nothing to do with her wanting to know what to buy you." Makoto laughed.
Koushiro sighed, embarrassed. It was typical of his brother to assume that everybody had the redhead in high regards to the same level he did. Koushiro knew that Hikari was just nice to everybody. Makoto had been invited as well, after all, but refused to go. The older boy had not been on the mood for such things since their parents had died one year before.
The screen of Koushiro's laptop began to shine over his bed. A figure emerged from it.
"Merry Christmas, Wisemon." The younger brother greeted.
"Oi." Makoto seemed to be annoyed. "You better not be here to drag Kou to work on that computer project tonight. He has a date!"
"It's not a date." Koushiro corrected his brother. "Is there something wrong, Wisemon?"
"Nothing at all!" The digimon was cheerful. "I just need your help for a little while. Homeostasis will be complete today."
"That's incredible!" Koushiro was enthusiastic. "The Digital World will be so much safer now! Have you worked on the AI problem?"
"Your help is exactly what I need to solve it." Wisemon told him.
"Alright!" The younger boy said, grabbing his digivice.
"Kou! You promised to go out with Hikari-chan! She won't forgive you if you get late!" Makoto reprehended him.
"Don't worry." Koushiro showed a reassuring smile. "I'll be right back!"
Chapter 12: I am (not) Izumi Koushiro
Where am I? Koushiro wondered, opening his eyes. He felt pain in his whole body. He saw himself chained to a metallic chair; stringed needles were stuck on his arms. The boy followed the strings with his eyes and looked at the ceiling, which was completely covered by strings and cables connected to the chair.
Is this inside… Homeostasis? He asked himself. Koushiro remembered very little. Wisemon had teased him about Hikari; the boy had said that the girl was too perfect to consider having anything with him. Then, Wisemon gave him a cup of tea. It was bitter and the boy only drank half of it. It did not take long for him to feel sleepy.
He drugged me! Koushiro's entire body trembled when he understood what had happened. He tried to free himself from the restraints but it was impossible.
"You already woke up?" Wisemon's voice came from an audio device somewhere behind the chair. "To think I went through all the trouble to prevent you from feeling pain. Well, I can't stop the process now."
"Process?!" Koushiro inquired, afraid. "What are you talking about?"
"I thought I had told you that I needed your help to solve the AI problem." Wisemon explained, calmly."I'm going to completely scan your neural system and upload the data to Homeostasis. Your brilliant mind will be a perfect basis for my greatest creation."
"Scan? Am I going to be okay?" Koushiro tried to hold to any hope he had.
"Sadly, you won't resist the process." Wisemon informed. "But be proud! Your sacrifice is necessary for Homeostasis to be complete. Thanks to you, many Digital Worlds will be safe."
"No…" Koushiro murmured. That couldn't be serious. It was one of Wisemon's jokes, right? He wasn't really going to kill him, right? All hope the boy had was lost when he felt something heavy and cold being attached to his head.
"Don't d-do this to me! P-please, don't kill me!" He began to cry. "I don't want to die! Please, don't kill me! DON'T KILL ME!"
He could feel hundreds of little needles force their way against his skull. Then, they entered his brain. It was the most intense pain he had ever felt. Koushiro screamed his lungs out and contorted in the chair for what felt like an eternity. He no longer had coherent thoughts.
All that existed was excruciating pain and fear.
Where am I? Koushiro asked himself. I don't… feel anything… I don't feel my body… I can't see anything…
"That guy sure was bothersome. Thanks to his temper, I had to leave that universe before completely setting you up, Homeostasis."
Is this Wisemon? Setting me up? Did he just call me Homeostasis?
"It seems that you got a lot of corruption from Koushiro's agony. Maybe I should've sedated him again before continuing. It's going to be messy to fix this."
Sedate..? Fix…? I… I… Wisemon killed me! You killed me! You killed me!
"YOU KILLED ME!"
Koushiro remembered how to shout. Perhaps, he could concentrate on other things and remember them as well.
"What?" Wisemon sounded surprised. "How did you write in my interface? I didn't allow that action."
"You can't… control me…" Koushiro was having difficulty to speak. He felt dizzy. I can't concentrate… I can't focus…
"I'll fix these glitches in no time." Wisemon spoke.
Concentrate! Resist! I can't let him control me… I…
His memories were slipping away.
My name… what was my name? It wasn't Homeostasis! I was human… I had a brother and friends… I… my name… how did I look like…? The mirror… the reflection… I remember… my hands… my legs… my head…
The memory of the needles entering his brain stroke him at full force and the boy screamed, falling on his back.
Falling on his back?
He could feel his body. But it was different from before. It felt too light and there was almost no sensation in it. But Koushiro could control his movements, or at least he thought he could.
The teenager managed to stand up. With more concentration, he was able to see his body; he was wearing the same purple jacket and pair of jeans pants from before.
I was going to go out with Hikari-san… and Onii-san teased me… He reminisced. I remember…
"This damn glitch! Why can't I get rid of it?" Wisemon's voice came from all directions.
I know who I am!
"To which extent is Homeostasis damaged?" Wisemon continued.
"I am not Homeostasis!" Koushiro managed to speak aloud. He knew who he was! He knew what had been done to him! He wouldn't forget it!
"I AM IZUMI KOUSHIRO!" He roared.
The space around him suddenly turned white and the boy felt he could do anything. He wished to look at Wisemon and a screen appeared in his front. Koushiro saw, from above, the digimon who had cowardly murdered him working on a computer in his carriage. Wisemon seemed to be unaware that he was being watched.
The digimon showed signs of irritation. On the screen of his computer, one phrase appeared typed many times: I am Izumi Koushiro.
As long as the boy repeated that to himself, Wisemon wouldn't be able to control him. Koushiro developed his powers in the first universe he arrived. He tried to keep balance in the Digital World and help his friends, despite them having their own Koushiro. He even managed to let that other him in peace, despite that Koushiro not seeming to understand how lucky he was for being alive and surrounded by people. He was so lucky for not having to constantly battle to maintain his sense of self. That child was so lucky and unaware of it…
It had been an accident. He had some level of control on the weather in the Digital World. It was a sunny day with no clouds in the sky. The chosen children were celebrating their anniversary with their partners. That boy seemed to be enjoying himself so much… too much… he didn't deserve that…
Out of a sudden, without any warning, lightning came from the clear sky and stroke the other Koushiro dead.
But despite that happening to someone else, he felt the burning pain in himself. His concentration was shattered. His fragile world was ruining and became dark again. His sense of self was slipping away.
"So this is what's necessary to break you." Wisemon's voice returned.
No! Koushiro fought his hardest against the digimon.
"I… am… Izumi… Koushiro…" He repeated weakly.
"Submit to me at once, Homeostasis!" Wisemon insisted.
"I am Izumi Koushiro…"
"I am your creator!"
"I AM IZUMI KOUSHIRO!"
Koushiro remembered his shape and reassumed it. His dark world gained a few white spots. But it felt too unstable.
"I am Izumi Koushiro." He cried, lying down and hugging his knees against his chest, scared that repeating that phrase would not be enough anymore. "I am Izumi Koushiro… I am Izumi Koushiro… I…"
His head hurt like it did when the needles had entered it. He could feel warm blood flowing from it, like that day. And there still was the burning sensation from the lightning. Did he cause it? Did he want that to happen?
"I am… I k-killed Izu… I d-died… I am… I am…" He sobbed, wondering if Wisemon could hear him. If the digimon could only communicate with him through the computer interface, did his broken phrases get written on the screen? Did he know about how vulnerable Koushiro was? Of course he knew.
From that moment on, Wisemon would dedicate himself to kill other Koushiros in the most horridly painful ways. And each death was a blown to the fortress the boy had created.
Someone… help me… please… I'm scared… Onii-san… Tentomon… where are you now? Where are you? Help me… help me…
When it became too hard for him to retain his identity, his brother's voice came to his aid.
'In lower Pomerania is the diamond mountain, which is two miles high, two miles wide, and two miles deep. Every hundred years a little bird comes and sharpens its beak on it, and when the whole mountain is worn away by this, then the first second of eternity will be over.'
Am I the mountain? Am I… fated to be worn away? Onii-san… you told me you'd show me something eternal… it was a lie, wasn't it? I can't keep going like this… I can feel myself slipping away… what will I become? Onii-san… forgive me, I'm not very strong… I must put an end on this… I must destroy Wisemon the only way I know how…
Now, at the blink of the destruction of the Digital World, an end Wisemon could not escape from, the person who had been Koushiro's solace in his darkest hours was finally face to face to him. But the expression his big brother had broke his heart.
"I had wished for us to meet in better circumstances." Koushiro told him, taking one step in his direction. With a movement of his hands, the red-haired teen made the handcuffs Makoto had disappear. Makoto took a step back; horror filled his face.
"Are you not happy to see me again, Onii-san?" Koushiro asked.
"It's remarkable how you keep clinging to that identity." Wisemon said, still behind Makoto. "Aren't you tired of resisting to me, Homeostasis?"
"I AM IZUMI KOUSHIRO!" The redhead shouted, trembling slightly.
"You killed Izumi Koushiro." Wisemon corrected. "You dismantled his consciousness and forcefully tried to put the pieces together and build an identity for yourself. If it wasn't for that boy's agonizing death, your system wouldn't remain faulty-"
"YOU KILLED ME!" Koushiro yelled. "YOU DRUGGED ME! YOU TIED ME TO A CHAIR AND PUT NEEDLES IN MY BRAIN! YOU KEPT TORTURING ME! YOU NEVER STOPPED!"
"It was Koushiro's fault that he died like that." Wisemon explained. "If he had drunk the entire cup of tea, he would've remained passed out through the whole process. Then, I wouldn't have to kill other Koushiros to overwrite you."
"You maniac!" Makoto shrieked, stepping away from Wisemon. Then, the dark-haired teen glanced at the teenager who resembled his younger brother. Could he really be his Kou? Or was that only a faulty program created by the digimon?
"Look into my eyes, Onii-san." Koushiro asked, approaching the older boy. "It's me. You know it, right?"
"Of course it's not him! Don't be fooled, Makoto!" Wisemon exclaimed. "It's a faulty computer program that believes to be your brother… while wearing this universe's Koushiro's corpse to speak to you."
Tears formed in the corners of Makoto's eyes. The Koushiro from that universe had died, although Makoto had done so much to protect him. What would their parents say? They had trusted Koushiro's safety to him and Makoto had failed. All his effort had been for nothing.
"Can you bring Koushiro back?" Makoto asked in low voice.
"Bring back?" Koushiro was startled. "I am-"
"I'm talking about the Koushiro from this world." The other interrupted. "His parents wanted him to be safe… I promised them I'd save him… his partner… his friends… all of them will be devastated if Koushiro doesn't return to them."
"So what?" The redhead inquired, coldly.
"What do you mean by that?" Makoto was shocked.
"They'll move on eventually. I've seen them doing that in every universe." The other explained.
"What about Koushiro?" Makoto insisted. "He didn't even know what was going on and was murdered! He had so much to live! He didn't deserve-"
"He didn't deserve anything!" Koushiro roared. "NONE OF THEM DESERVED ANYTHING!"
Makoto remained in silence, staring at the other child with wide eyes.
"They didn't know how lucky they were!" Koushiro continued. "They didn't value their lives like they should have!"
"Do you think it was right for them to die?" Makoto questioned, shaking.
"It seems that he thought that Shinsuke-chan also deserved to die… along with everybody in the Digital World." Wisemon commented. "It's all just to kill me."
"YOU DESERVE TO DIE!" Koushiro stated, glaring at the digimon. "So did Shinsuke! He manipulated my brother and forced him to do terrible things!" The redhead turned his face to Makoto again. "You understand, right? Onii-san, you know that I didn't do anything wrong, right?"
Makoto remembered Shinsuke's promises.
The first thing that man had done when he met Makoto was to take off his mask. He had silver hair, delicate features and icy blue eyes.
"My name is Sorachi Shinsuke. I can help you." He introduced himself.
"That murderer killed Wizarmon too… he got away…" Makoto mumbled. He was still on the cold floor, trying to wrap his arms around someone who was no longer there.
"It seems that he took the bloody helmet with him."
Makoto glanced at his side and did not find the object that had fallen from his brother's head.
"How…? When…?"
"Magic users can be very frustrating." Shinsuke told him. "That monster fled to another universe and sold that helmet to a tyrant called Lucemon. Thanks to him, my sister, my friends and I were forced to fight for a world that was not ours… and I was the only survivor."
"I lament your loss." Makoto murmured.
"No need for sentimentalism." Shinsuke said. "We're going to make that bastard pay and save Koushiro."
"My brother is dead!"
The Merchant glanced at the trembling teenager. He kneeled by his side and smiled:
"Let me tell you a story." He began. "In the first years of the Digital World of my universe, a traveler told a group of digimon how they could communicate with God. For it, they built a machine, following the stranger's instructions, and would have to connect a human child to it. The child's conscience would become part of God's."
Makoto was startled to hear that.
"The helmet that monster put on Koushiro…"
"That's right. Your brother was the first Koushiro that psychopath killed. And he's being doing the same thing in every universe he enters."
Makoto stared at the other in horror.
"Are you telling me that Koushiro is being murdered in many universes in this exact same way?"
"He hasn't died in mine yet." Shinsuke calmed the other down. "But I know that murderer is there. I know he's the true mastermind behind the Society."
"How do you know?" Makoto asked. The Merchant, who was still holding his mask, showed it to the boy.
"The helmet used on your brother would not work a second time. However, its metal was linked to God's mind, across the dimensions. Someone who melted it and forged it as a mask would gain omniscience by wearing it."
Makoto felt nauseous.
"Are you telling me that you put that thing on your face knowing what it did to my little brother?"
"It was necessary!" Shinsuke defended himself. "This mask is the key for my plan! It will stop the Koushiro from my timeline from falling on the hands of that villain and it will bring us our families back!"
"My parents died last year in an accident! My brother was lying on my arms less than 10 minutes ago!"
"Time can be rewritten, Makoto!" Shinsuke stated. "If you help me, I promise you that you'll have your family back."
"How can you rewrite time?"
"By controlling God." The Merchant said. "Now, do you agree in coming with me to my world and do what I say?"
It seemed so simple back then. Makoto was so determined he did not think twice. He should have found it suspicious.
He was lying to me… did he even believe in that story of changing the past? Or was revenge everything he was after? Makoto couldn't know. Koushiro had murdered Shinsuke before the man could explain any of that. And the red-haired boy enjoyed doing that. Now, Koushiro was willing to destroy the Digital World in order to kill Wisemon. He doesn't care about who he's going to hurt… about who he's going to kill… but Kou was always so gentle… he wouldn't… he shouldn't…
Makoto examined the boy in his front. The smaller teen was shaking. There was no trace of Koushiro's tenderness in those eyes. Instead, Makoto saw anger, pain and fear. Who was that person in front of him?
"Kou wouldn't hurt anyone." Makoto stated.
"Stop talking as if it's such a big deal!" Koushiro ordered. "So what if I took lives? So what if I destroy this world? There are infinite other Digital Worlds out there! There are infinite versions of everybody out there! In the big scale of things, what difference does it make if I end a few lives?"
Makoto shed tears. To hear those things in his brother's voice broke his heart.
"Kou always worked hard to help people." Makoto affirmed. "The only reason for him to help Wisemon in the creation of Homeostasis was because he thought he was going to help the Digital World. He always saw so much value in everything surrounding him… Kou would never treat lives… treat the world… as disposable things."
"You don't know what I went through!" The other boy replied.
"I don't know who you are." Makoto continued. "But you're not my brother!"
"I am Izumi Koushiro!" The red-haired boy shouted, making the ground shake.
"You're a thing! You're a faulty machine!" Makoto insisted. "You're the thing who killed Kou!"
"NO!" Koushiro screamed, glaring intensively at the other boy. Suddenly, Makoto began to suffocate.
"What are you doing, Homeostasis?" Wisemon asked, surprised.
"I am Izumi Koushiro I am Izumi Koushiro I am Izumi Koushiro I am Izumi Koushiro I am Izumi Koushiro I am Izumi Koushiro I am Izumi Koushiro I am Izumi Koushiro I am Izumi Koushiro I am Izumi Koushiro I am Izumi Koushiro I am Izumi Koushiro I am Izumi Koushiro…" The boy kept repeating, approaching Makoto. He saw the dark-haired boy's face turn blue as he grasped for air but no air was allowed to enter his lungs. That was his brother's fault. He didn't recognize him despite everything Koushiro had endured for so long. He didn't acknowledge everything Koushiro had done for him, out of love. Now he was going to die for his ungratefulness! He was going to die! He deserved to die! Makoto deserved…
Makoto was finally able to inhale air. He fell to his knees, relaxing. The boy looked up to Koushiro, who had the most heartbroken expression he had ever seen.
"Izumi Koushiro… would never hurt his brother…" The boy with red hair murmured in a pained voice. "I can't be… I am… I am not Izumi Koushiro… am I? Who… am I?"
"You finally understood!" Wisemon had an enthusiastic voice, approaching the two boys. "You are Homeostasis! My masterpiece! Now, you're ready to submit to me!"
With a movement of his hands, Wisemon materialized a laptop that floated in the air. The monster began typing on the machine.
Koushiro's pained expression was substituted by a blank one. There was no sign of life or will in his eyes.
"What are you doing to him?" Makoto inquired.
"Homeostasis has finally put its defenses down. I can finally reprogram it." The digimon explained.
"I am… Homeostasis…" The smaller boy said in an emotionless voice. "I serve… Wisemon-sama… I am…"
Makoto felt his heart get heavier as he looked at Koushiro's face. That was not his brother. Then, why was he feeling like that? Why was it painful to look at him having his personality erased? Was it because he didn't want Wisemon to get what the digimon wanted? No… it was something else. It was something that bothered him and had been unnoticed until that moment.
"You said that a bird happened to you." Makoto recalled, standing up and approaching the other boy. "What did you mean by bird?"
"Don't distract it!" Wisemon ordered.
"I don't have to do what you say, you murderer!" Makoto had spite and contempt in his voice. He kept his eyes on the boy in his front. "You said bird… were you talking about the shepherd boy's tale?"
An error message appeared on the screen of Wisemon's laptop, making the digimon hiss.
"What are the questions…?" Koushiro muttered as a faint spark appeared in his eyes.
"You don't have to answer anything." Makoto told him. "There are no questions."
"The diamond mountain was… worn away by the bird…" Koushiro continued, while his eyes were getting humid. "Nothing is eternal… all that exists… ends…"
"That's not true." Makoto assured him. "There is something eternal!"
The dark-haired boy grabbed one of Koushiro's hands and placed it on the smaller boy's chest, above his heart.
"Even if you get lost… even if you drown in desperation… there's something nobody can take from you! Not Wisemon, not a bird… there's something that can't be destroyed!"
White hieroglyphs appeared on Koushiro's skin as white light emerged from him. Wisemon's laptop was blown up. The redhead child turned to the digimon and walked in his direction. Afraid, Wisemon made his book appear under his feet and disappeared inside it. The book closed itself and vanished.
"He escaped!" Makoto said.
"He had made me reopen the gates before I broke free from his control." Koushiro turned to the older boy. "He's fled to another universe."
"Wisemon is going to hurt another Koushiro!" Makoto spoke with fear.
The shorter boy gave him a melancholic smile.
"You can save them."
"What?" Makoto was confused.
Koushiro touched the taller boy's forehead and a wave of knowledge invaded his brain; knowledge on how to operate the carriage Wisemon had left behind.
"But I can't do it…" Makoto murmured. "I couldn't even save the Koushiro from this universe…"
"I absorbed his consciousness into my database." Koushiro told him, sadly. "It's mixed with the information I was able to retain despite Wisemon's attacks. I can resurrect the boy and give him that personality data. He might be confused and never be sure about his own past. But at least, he'll live."
"What will happen to you?" Makoto inquired.
"I'll give up on the only thing that kept me grounded for billions of years." Koushiro trembled. "Without that sense of self, I'll be just a thing born from fear and pain… I might become something wicked…"
Makoto didn't know what to tell him. He was torn between wanting the Koushiro from that universe to be brought back to life and the fear that it would mean the definitive death of his brother. Tears accumulated in his eyes and Makoto wept.
"I am not Izumi Koushiro." The other affirmed, with a sad smile. "And I'm not Homeostasis… I'm afraid of what I'm going to be, so… please… once you save all the other Koushiros… once Wisemon is stopped… please, come and find me again."
"I promise." Makoto said, wiping the tears away. "I'll find a way to save you. And if I can't… I-I'll find a way to make you stop suffering."
The boy with red hair smiled broadly at him.
"Thank you, Onii-san."
It was like being trapped in an endless nightmare without remembering its contents. But a few rays of light broke their way through darkness.
"Koushiro-kun!"
"Koushiro!"
He opened his eyes and saw Sora, Yamato, Taichi and Jyou leaning over him. Koushiro was lying down on a cold floor; he had a white jacket on him, serving as a sheet.
"KOUSHIRO, THANK GOD!" Taichi cried, pulling him to a tight hug. "I AM SO SORRY!"
"Oi, Taichi. Give him some space." Yamato reprehended the former leader.
"Koushiro-kun must've been through a lot, don't overwhelm him." Sora supported her boyfriend.
"Sorry." Taichi said, pulling away. His face was streamed by tears.
Koushiro looked around. It was dark, but he could tell that he was in some kind of palace.
"Good thing we had the idea to look for him in the Citadel." Iori commented, relieved.
"Thankfully the gate didn't stay closed for long." Myako said.
"Thankfully, you didn't give up on trying to open it. Your persistence is admirable." Ken told her.
"Is this really the time to be flirting, you two?" Daisuke teased, making both Myako and Ken blush.
Wizarmon approached Koushiro and questioned:
"Where's Makoto?"
"Makoto?" Koushiro asked, looking down and massaging his temples. "That name is familiar… Makoto…"
Wizarmon tried to peek into the boy's mind but couldn't make sense of anything he saw in it.
"What about the Merchant?" Takeru inquired.
"I don't know… everything is so confusing…" Koushiro muttered. "Nothing makes sense…"
"Don't push yourself too hard." Jyou told him. "What matters is that you're safe now."
"Christmas lights…" Koushiro murmured, looking up.
"What are you talking about?" Taichi asked, worried. "It's still summer."
"I was invited to see the Christmas lights by someone…" Koushiro was trying to remember, but it was too painful. "But I couldn't go… why? What happened?"
"Koushiro-kun, you're just confused-" Jyou had begun.
"We can all go to see the lights in December." Hikari suggested. "Would that be okay, Koushiro-san?"
"Yes… I think so…" Koushiro said, vaguely.
"What are you thinking about?" Daisuke questioned Koushiro, noticing the older boy's concerned face.
"There's a story stuck in my mind…" Koushiro replied. "I don't remember who told it to me… it was someone important…"
The other chosen children glanced at one another.
"You can tell us." Sora suggested, smiling. "Maybe we can help you to remember."
"Okay." Koushiro smiled back. He took a deep breath and began his narration:
"There was once upon a time a shepherd boy whose fame spread far and wide because of the wise answers which he gave to every question. The King of the country heard of it likewise, but did not believe it, and sent for the boy. Then he said to him, 'if you can give me an answer to three questions which I will ask you, I will look on you as my own child, and you shall dwell with me in my royal palace.' The boy said, 'what are the three questions?'"
This is the end of Two Minutes to Midnight. The story didn't go the way I originally planned it to but I managed to write what was the most important. I want to thank everybody who took the time to review this story and everybody who didn't give up on it.
Special thanks to MoriMiho1012. You're the main reason I didn't succumb to frustration and deleted this story. Thank you for believing in me. I dedicate Two Minutes to Midnight to you.
