Series: Division of Destiny||Story: Reign of the Undead King||Chapter: The Burning
Characters: Piemon, Vamdemon, Chosen Children, others||Pairings: Ken x Daisuke/Daisuke x Ken, Mimi x Sora/Sora x Mimi
Chapters: 20-40||Words: 2,595||Total: 53,222
Genre: Romance, Drama||Rated: PG-13
Summary: Vamdemon and Piemon rule supreme. Only now, ten years after their victory, are things about to change. For good or for ill.
Garurumon kept his nose tilted into the wind, wary of any and all scents that came their way. Yamato could defend himself fairly well, but the fight against Leomon and Kentauromon still unnerved both of them. Garurumon wasn't going to let anything happen to his partner.
Yamato wouldn't admit that he was unnerved, at least not out loud. Garurumon knew him too well not to know it, though. He read it not just in the pungency of Yamato's sweat, but in the set of his shoulders and the tense grip of Yamato's hardened hands on his fur.
It had been a long, long time since he'd seen his partner this upset, and the circumstances of then weren't anything like now. This time there wasn't anyone else in true danger, and especially not Takeru. This time it was the simple fact that Yamato's opponents were people they'd once considered friends and allies, ones who had no idea of what had happened to them over the years.
Garurumon didn't hate Gennai. It disturbed him that Yamato did, but he understood it anyway.
Perhaps if we can ever defeat Vamdemon… Those were thoughts that neither he nor Yamato voiced openly, but which existed nevertheless. Piemon and Vamdemon remained allies, and that meant that like it or not, they had to on occasion work with the vampire who'd ruined all their lives.
Not that growing up with Piemon had been especially difficult. He wasn't the kind of parent Yamato had spoken of to him before, but he wasn't cruel and heartless, either. It was knowing that four of their friends would never grow up that pained them all.
For Garurumon, it was knowing that he'd failed Yamato when his partner had needed him that made him fight harder now.
He knew full well Yamato wouldn't ever say that he'd failed him. He wouldn't even bring it up. It hadn't been his fault, Yamato would say. He hadn't been able to get to him.
He'd tried. He'd tried with all of his might.
Yamato blamed himself. But Yamato blamed himself for everything that he possibly could and always had.
But it hadn't been Yamato's fault that day, not beyond one point, and that was a point no one could ever fault him on. No one but himself.
Gabumon peered around the corner, holding his breath as he did. None of them wanted to make the slightest sound, not even that of breathing. Being caught out here would be…well, they didn't know yet what Piemon might do to them, but none of them wanted it to happen. It was why they were escaping in the first place.
"It's clear," he murmured, and the six of them hurried along. The corridors of Piemon's castle could be absolute murder to navigate at the best of times, and Gabumon wasn't sure if this even was the best of times.
They needed to get back to the human world. The last they'd seen of it had been when Vamdemon's troops tossed them back through the portal, and nothing had looked good then. Seeing Taichi, Sora, Mimi, and Jou beside Vamdemon, each one pale and with pointy teeth, hadn't improved that last sight at all.
Gabumon worried about Yamato. He'd seen a dark and distant look to the other's eyes ever since they'd found out what Vamdemon did to Sora. They all wanted to defeat the vampire Digimon, but Yamato wanted something more.
Revenge.
So that was why they were here now, making their way out of Piemon's castle on a search for Gennai. He'd helped them get to the human world once before, and if anyone could help them again, it would most likely be him.
Keeping quiet around here wasn't that easy, though. The corridors rang with every step they took, and only by going slowly did they stand a chance of not raising the roof. Yamato inched his way along, having Gabumon or Tentomon or Patamon check every time they came to a crossing. A Digimon would be less likely to cause an uproar if one were seen than a human would be.
He kept his attention on Takeru as well. The little boy kept to himself all this time, though more than once Gabumon had awoken to hear quiet sniffles coming from wherever he slept. Taichi's turning had hurt him more than the little blond wanted to admit out loud.
Gabumon wasn't entirely certain he wanted to believe they'd actually made it outside when they saw the broad doorway, sunlight shimmering outside. But there it was, and two guards were positioned there.
"We're going!" Yamato declared, and Gabumon could already feel the tide of evolution swimming through him. They needed to get out of there, and two guards were nothing to Garurumon and Kabuterimon.
Finding their way through the Digital World was even harder now than it had been before their trip to the human world. Twisted and changed from what it had been, with each section under the domination of one of the Dark Masters, and with plenty of Digimon who would do anything possible to bring them back to Piemon, it was even more dangerous to them.
Yamato didn't care about any of that. His one goal was to find Gennai and then find a way to destroy Vamdemon once and for all.
The sun still rose and set in the Digital World; if the Dark Masters could affect that, they hadn't yet. So as the sun drew near to the horizon, the small group of escapees looked for a place to rest in safety and find something to eat.
It was a search that repeated itself for several days. They traveled as far as they could by day, hiding from Digimon or fighting them as necessary, and then resting at night. No matter how far they journeyed, the goal seemed impossible. They met no one that they knew and the few Digimon who were willing to talk instead of fight didn't know where Gennai or any of their friends were.
Gabumon didn't keep track of how long they'd been gone from Piemon's castle, but it had been several days, at the least. Long enough for them all to be tired, hungry, out of sorts, and not even close to being at their best.
Koushirou tapped away on his computer, though exactly what he was trying to do escaped Gabumon. Contact Gennai, he presumed, but there wasn't any hint that he was getting an answer. Still, Koushirou kept on trying.
Takeru curled up around Patamon, trying to get a little sleep. The previous night hadn't been good for that; they'd been interrupted twice by wandering Digimon, and Gabumon wasn't sure if he had another evolution left in him after the last fight.
Yamato leaned against a tree, staring up into the afternoon skies. He hadn't said anything in a while, and Gabumon wondered if he should try to talk to him, to see what was going through his partner's mind.
They were all so tired that when a furious roar broke through the air, at best they looked up with a group of weary sighs. Gabumon moved closer to Yamato, while Tentomon and Patamon prepared to protect their partners as well.
"Who is it?" Yamato glanced toward Koushirou, who put aside whatever it was he was working on to identify their attackers.
"They're Flare Lizamon!" Koushirou snapped out, head going up and down between his laptop's screen and the flaming monsters approaching them. "Adult-level, they have multiple flame-based attacks, and are very, very dangerous."
Yamato clenched one fist before he started toward Takeru. "Yeah, I think we noticed that part. Gabumon!"
Gabumon didn't know if he had a fight left in him, but he'd give his all to save Yamato before he gave up. Calling on what strength he had left, he evolved to Garurumon and surged toward the attacking Digimon. He thought he could manage this much; going to WereGarurumon would be much more difficult, and he really didn't think he had the strength for that.
But if he needed to, he would try. He just hoped that he wouldn't need to.
The battle raged back and forth, with Raging Infernos and Flame Hits striking against Fox Fires and Mega Blasters. Angemon hovered near the children, keeping them protected. That worked until another Flare Lizamon roared from the bushes, sending several blasts of fireborn bullets against the angel. Angemon dodged, thwacking a couple of them back at the newcomer, and prepared an attack of his own in retaliation. But before he could…
"Angemon! Take care of him!" Yamato declared, pulling himself quickly to his feet and gesturing to Takeru. The command wasn't necessary; it was built into every Digimon to guard their partner. But Yamato wanted to make certain that his brother stayed protected, no matter what.
Yamato himself darted down the half overgrown path they'd wandered down earlier that day, picking up stray stones and sticks and throwing them at the Flare Lizamon that had tried to ambush them.
"Hey! Fire-face! Matchstick!" Yamato shouted as loudly as he could. "Yeah, that's right! Follow me!"
He didn't know if he could fight a Digimon head-on, and he didn't care. He wanted to keep the monster away from Takeru until the others finished his companions and could come finish this one.
With an angry roar, Flare Lizamon followed him, setting fire to some of the shrubbery as it did so. Yamato vaguely recalled having seen a small lake earlier and ran for it. It probably wouldn't quench these flames, but it might at least annoy Flare Lizamon. Anything to hold him back for another precious few seconds.
Yamato's breath caught in his throat. A stitch seared up his side. His stomach screamed for food that he hadn't been able to properly give it. And yet he kept on running, pausing only to throw more stones and sticks at Flare Lizamon, followed by insults. He didn't know if this were one of the more intelligent Digimon who could understand what he shouted, but it followed him as if it were.
He needed to hide somewhere. They'd found enough evidence that this area held some of what had once been File Island, so perhaps he could duck into one of those trees Sora had found back on their first day? If he could tell one of them from the other trees, he would have.
But he couldn't just hide without a plan, because then Flare Lizamon could go back to the others, and Yamato would not allow that. So he discarded the thought and kept running, even as his feet stumbled and tripped over small twigs and clumps of grass and he wanted to fall and not get up again.
Takeru kept him going, the thought of Takeru and Koushirou and all the others. They couldn't survive if he fell. They would try, but the losses they'd already suffered were bad enough. He couldn't let it end like this.
He fell. His feet simply couldn't keep moving, no matter how much he tried. He pushed himself along another few inches, flopping over on his back to stare at the approaching Digimon.
A flaming mouth opened and hellfire erupted all around Yamato as pillars of flame rose. He screamed, the blaze eating at him, singing his clothes and hair, some of the flames even seeming to crawl inside of his mouth, the fire scorching his throat and lungs.
"Trump Swords!" The fire vanished and Yamato could see just clearly enough to watch as Piemon dropped down out of the sky to slice Flare Lizamon in half, finishing it off with a blast of raw energy.
That was all he had the strength to see. He slumped down, eyes closing, just as Piemon moved over toward him, an odd sort of expression on what could be seen of his face.
None of them would ever forget that moment, when Piemon arrived at the battle site, Yamato in his arms, singed and whimpering, and not even conscious. Piemon said nothing about how they'd fled from him. Instead, he gathered them up and brought them back to his castle. With Yamato in the condition he was, no one wanted to argue about it. Staying there would've meant that he died.
Even more weeks passed unnoticed, while Piemon and other Digimon renowned for their healing skills worked on Yamato. The damage was serious; he would never be the same again no matter what they did. But he would be alive.
Takeru remained by his brother's side from the moment they returned to the palace, as did Gabumon. The only time either of them left was when the medical Digimon needed to work on Yamato alone.
"Takeru…" That was the first word Yamato uttered when he finally opened his eyes and there was sense in them. But the way his voice sounded… a low grind, harsh and pained, not at all like before.
The damage had been too great, the healers said when Piemon questioned them about it. The fire seared Yamato's vocal cords to the point he was lucky he could speak at all still. Only by a miracle had he survived the experience.
So Yamato learned other ways. Even with the mask he took to wearing to cover the fire-scars on his face, he became very expressive with what parts of his features could be seen. The few words he spoke became the ones that were the most important for someone else to hear.
And from that moment on, Piemon held his complete loyalty. Piemon saved him from Flare Lizamon, when he didn't have to. He could've let them all die there. He'd made certain Yamato received the medical treatment that saved his life, and helped him recover afterward. He'd even trained Yamato in how to use a sword, with the argument that being able to defend oneself even without one's partner was never a bad idea.
Gabumon wondered on occasion if Yamato defended his position as Piemon's right hand because he didn't know what to do with himself if he didn't have it. Takeru didn't need him to play guardian anymore, and hadn't for years now. Yamato needed to be needed, by someone. Even if that someone was an evil Digimon, it seemed.
We'll have to stop them one day. Gabumon refused to tell this to Yamato. He wanted his partner to figure it out for himself. But they couldn't work with the Dark Masters forever. A breaking point would come.
It would have to come after they found a way to defeat Vamdemon, because until then, Yamato and Takeru both worked completely for Piemon. Koushirou did as well, but he'd turned within himself over the years, and reveled in the tasks Piemon gave him, working on a regular basis with MugenDramon.
Garurumon nudged Yamato briefly, and the blond looked up. They'd almost reached the spot chosen for their base camp. Rest and food would get them both in better condition to search for Gennai and to tackle Leomon and Kentauromon if they found them again.
If I have to… WereGarurumon. He didn't like using his more evolved form; it took a lot out of him, even after all these years of fighting. But something like that might well be what would take them both down, and then they could get answers.
If those answers led to the ending of Yamato's burning hatred against Gennai or to the final flowering of his rage, Garurumon didn't know. But one way or another, this would be settled.
To Be Continued