Frontier 02: Home Frontier – Chapter 18: The Beast Spirit, the Witch, and the Dark Area
madjack89: Hi everyone! Ready for the pulse pounding, heart stopping eighteenth chapter of F2HF?
Takuya: Yes!
Kira: Hell yeah!
Kouji: Duh!
Kouichi: Uh…yeah.
madjack89: Well good for you! I'm all excited about writing this part. I've had this in mind for awhile now, and I finally get to write it all down! Hooray!
Kouji: Wait, you mean from the very beginning you were planning on doing this to me?
madjack89: Yupers!
Kouji: What the hell!
Takuya: Buddy, she's doing stuff to all of us. She just happens to be doing more to you.
Kouji: This sucks…
madjack89: I'll try to make it less suckish for you later, Kouji. Alrighty, let's see what those reviews say!
*break*
hazeleyedharmony: Sorry about the suspense. I like doing suspenseful endings, for some reason! Thanks for the complimenting and I definitely can't wait till I read Breaking Dawn! Woohoo! Thanks again!
GoldenDragon326: Sorry, but…I can't tell you up here. This is starting to sound monotonous, but read on to find out what happens (sorry)! Um…yay Light Sabers! And yay for author power! Thanks!
Kayland Elric: Heh heh, Kouji's at everyone's mercy! (Kouji: Dang it…) And I thought the story was getting a little serious, so the Light Saber jokes had to be used to lighten the mood. Thanks for the compliments and reviews!
kyokoaurora: Yes, suspenseful. Ah, suspense…hee hee! Thanks for reviewing!
babytigera: I'm sorry it took me so long with the chapter, but things were happening and I couldn't seem to get it finished. And I actually didn't purchase Breaking Dawn (my friend did). So I really do have to wait until she's done. But whatever! I can be patient! Okay, thank you very much!
greywindfalcon: I'm sorry that it took so long! I had stuff I had to do, so yeah! And I don't plan on killing any off the mainies anytime soon…whether I do in the future depends on my mood (ha ha ha)! Well, don't be too hard on Wizardmon, because it's not all his fault…and thank you for reviewing!
*break*
madjack89: Okie-dokie, let's get started!
—
Agunimon stared at Lobomon, confused. "Quit kidding around, buddy," he said, trying to force a smile. "Why would I do that?"
Lobomon glared at him. "Aren't you the one that said you'd kick my ass across the city? Well, now's your chance. Kill me."
"No," muttered Agunimon, shaking with rage. "No! I won't do that, Kouji! I don't care what's happened to you! As long you're still there, I will do anything in my power to help you. But I WON'T kill you!"
Lobomon's eyes widened. He frowned in anger. "You don't understand, Takuya. There is something in my head, controlling me. You'd be doing me a favor by killing me."
"You son of a bitch!" cried Agunimon, shoving Lobomon. "Why are you being so damn morbid? It's not the end of the freaking world! All we'd have to do is find some way to get that thing out of your head! We could purify it, or something!"
"Takuya," Lobomon muttered, looking sad. "I'm sorry that I'm asking you to do this. I know I'd never be able to do it. But you have to! I don't think there is any way to work this out. This thing is too damn powerful! It took complete control of me!"
Agunimon paused. "Well yeah, but…it isn't controlling you now, right? So that means there has to be a way…"
Lobomon shook his head slowly. "It loosened its grip on its own. I didn't…no, I couldn't do anything." He stared at Agunimon anxiously. "Please, Takuya," he pleaded. "I don't want to become a monster."
Agunimon closed his eyes slowly. "I'm sorry, Kouji, but I won't do this." He was engulfed in data for a moment, and then Takuya stood before Lobomon.
"Fine," said Lobomon, stepping back a few paces. "I'll just have to do this myself." He raised his Light Saber (Kouji: I give up…) to his neck, ready to plunge it into himself.
Takuya's eyes widened in alarm. "Kouji, calm down! You don't have to do this! There has to be another way!" He took a few steps forward. "Just put it down Kouji."
Lobomon smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Takuya. Tell everyone else I'm sorry, too. And please let Kouichi know that this wasn't his fault." He glanced down the line of graves to one in particular. "At least I'll get to see you again, Seiko."
His hands gripped the weapon, ready to end his life. "Kouji, please! Just stop this! You can't really think this is the only way!" Tears formed in Takuya's eyes. "Please," he muttered, beginning to sob. "What will we do without you?"
Lobomon paused. "You'll get by…" he said softly, preparing to finish it. Suddenly his eyes widened in shock.
-I'm back, Kouji.-
He dropped his weapon, staggering forward slightly. "You…" he muttered angrily.
Takuya stared at Lobomon with relief and worry. "Kouji…are you…" His eyes widened in understanding. "It's back."
Lobomon fell to the ground before Takuya, clutching his head in pain. He was in so much pain that he turned back to his human form, writhing in agony.
"Kouji!" Takuya knelt beside Kouji, looking around helplessly. "What do I do?"
"Seiko…" Kouji muttered.
"Seiko…?" Takuya said in recognition. "You said that name before." Takuya gripped Kouji's hand firmly. "Kouji! Who is Seiko?"
—
~A moment earlier…
Kouichi's eyes opened blearily. He slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He looked around for a moment, and then he yelped in panic. "No…" he said softly, shakily but hastily getting to his feet. "I'm in…"
Kouichi did a quick three-sixty, realizing that he was in the one place that he feared above all else; the Dark Area. He shivered, remembering the last time he was here.
"What am I doing here? Am I…?" He shook his head, not wanting to finish the sentence.
-Kouichi…-
He turned at the sound of the voice, finding that no one was there. He blinked, eyes narrowing. "Why does this seem familiar?" he asked himself.
-Poor child…shunned by your own father…abandoned, really.-
"What is it?" Kouichi closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on the memory, no matter how much pain it caused him.
-And what of your mother? Left with no one but another mouth to feed…her other child ripped from her, without him even knowing she is still alive.-
This voice seemed to be coming from all directions, hitting Kouichi where it hurt the most. Suddenly he remembered what it was about this that was so familiar. This HAD happened before.
It was never Cherubimon that gave me Duskmon's spirit. He slowly turned, ready to face the real culprit. It was…
"No no no, Kouichi. I don't need you remembering this just yet."
He quickly turned on his heel to see who had spoken. Before he caught a glimpse of the person, however, a hand was placed in front of his eyes. There was a blinding flash of light, and the next thing Kouichi knew, he was sitting in the middle of a sidewalk, watching people go by.
Am I…dreaming? He slowly got up, not remembering what it was that he had been trying to remember in the first place.
"Kouji, you're so cute!" Kouichi jumped. He turned to find the source of the voice, a girl standing a few feet away from him, smiling at a boy…
"Kouji?" Kouichi recognized a slightly younger version of his brother standing beside the blond girl, actually blushing in embarrassment. Kouichi had to stifle a laugh.
"Yeah, but that's probably just because of this bandana you gave me," said the younger Kouji, gesturing to his blue and brown bandana. "It manages to keep my hair out of my eyes, at least."
The girl giggled. "Kouji, you're really stubborn, you know that?" She spread out her arms. "It's you're birthday, but all you want to do is get a simple cake and leave it at that. You don't even want a party!"
The girl slumped over, seemingly disappointed. Kouichi gaped as Kouji actually put his arm reassuringly over her shoulder, smiling. Who is this girl?
"That's just the way I am. You know that." Kouji looked up as the crosswalk light turned green. "And I really don't need anything else but you." The girl blushed.
Kouichi's eyes widened in shock. He had never seen Kouji this laid back with anyone. Not even him. And he seemed to like her…
"Well, come on, then! We're not getting any younger!" The younger Kouji stepped out onto the crosswalk, gesturing for the girl to follow. The girl smiled happily when suddenly, she glanced to her right and gasped.
Kouichi looked right as well and immediately saw what had frightened her. Speeding right toward Kouji was a large red truck, seemingly oblivious to the stop light ahead.
What happened next seemed as if it were going in slow motion to Kouichi.
"Kouji, look out!" screamed the girl. Kouji's head turned sharply, eyes widening when he saw the truck coming straight toward him. He seemed to be frozen in panic, unable to get out of the way.
Kouichi took a step forward, but before he got anywhere near Kouji, the girl lunged onto the street, quickly shoving Kouji out of the truck's path.
Kouichi stared in horror as the truck sped forward in a blur, smashing right into the girl.
"Seiko!"
Kouichi's eyes shot open. Above him, he could see the clear night sky. His breathing slowed as he realized that it had all been a dream. But it was definitely more than a dream to Kouji.
He glanced to his left, seeing Zoe slumped against a tree, asleep. He jumped in surprise when he realized that he was resting on her lap.
Zoe stirred as Kouichi sat up, trying to hide how much he was blushing. She rubbed her eyes, smiling. "You don't have to be embarrassed, Kouichi. After all, I'm the one that put you on my lap after you fainted. I guess I dozed off."
Kouichi stared at her blankly. "How long have I been out?"
Zoe looked up. "I'd say about…four hours?"
"Oh," said Kouichi. "Um…what happened after I…"
"After you fainted?" asked Zoe, finishing Kouichi's sentence.
Kouichi nodded. "Sorry," he murmured apologetically.
Zoe scooted closer to Kouichi, ruffling his hair playfully. "It's okay," she said. Her expression turned quickly somber. "But…after you passed out, Kouji…Kouji said he wanted to…kill us…"
She cringed at Kouichi's pained, horror-struck expression. "Then I was right…" he muttered to himself.
"What?" asked Zoe.
"Where's Takuya?" asked Kouichi with a start, realizing that no one else was with them.
"Well…" began Zoe anxiously. "He told me to leave with you…he said he would handle Kouji…but I sent Kira, Daiki, Hotaru, and Shino after them awhile ago."
Kouichi stood up quickly. "We have to get back to that temple right now!" he said firmly, grabbing Zoe's hand.
As soon as she was on her feet he took off, dragging her along with him. "Kouichi wait!" cried Zoe. "Why did you faint in the first place? You were muttering something about remembering and then…"
Kouichi glanced back at her, confused. "Remembering? I don't think I was trying to remember anything."
Zoe stared at him worriedly. Then what did you say that for?
—
Arbormon opened his eyes, realizing that Wizardmon hadn't hit him with his attack. Before him stood Beetlemon, sinking to his knees as his data showed.
"JP…why?" Arbormon looked at Beetlemon, horror crossing his face.
Beetlemon chuckled, glancing over his shoulder. "So you love her too, huh? Well, I can't say I didn't have my suspicions." He paused, giving Arbormon a genuine smile. "But you're still my friend, and in this group, friends help friends."
Wizardmon stared at them, anger showing plainly on his face. "What do I have to do to get rid of you little goody-goodies? Every time I try to attack one of you, someone else has to get in the way. Well, you know what? I'm sick of it!"
He raised his wand, generating a large spark of electricity onto the tip of his wand. Wizardmon glared at Beetlemon and Arbormon. "I'll just have to aim for the both of you!" He raised his wand and launched the ball of electricity at them, not bothering with an incantation.
Shino felt an intense pain, and then nothing. He opened his eyes, realizing that he was floating in some sort of bright, empty space. He blinked, shielding his eyes from the intensity of the bright light.
When his eyes adjusted, he noticed that there was a figure floating in front of him, waiting patiently for him to adjust his sight. He realized with a start that the figure was Arbormon, crossing his arms in front of him.
Shino blinked twice, saying, "Um…hello?"
"Shino," Arbormon began in a voice very similar to Shino's, "I'm a bit disappointed in you."
Shino hung his head. "A lot of people are."
"There you go again!" Shino jumped at Arbormon's derogatory tone. "You always think that you're not good enough for anything!" Arbormon's tone softened as he continued. "Shino, I know that this is challenging, and I know that the challenges are only increasing over time, but you have to believe a little more in yourself. Show some initiative."
Shino looked at Arbormon hopefully. "So you don't think I'm just…average?"
Arbormon chuckled. "Shino, if you were any more special, you'd be Spider Man." He stared at Shino with a determined expression. "Now, I have a way for us to beat Wizardmon, but I need you to believe in yourself and concentrate on what we have to do. Understand?"
Shino smiled crookedly and nodded. "Sure," he said. "I'm ready."
Shino felt himself being pulled up as if out of water, and then he blinked a few times, feeling pain in every limb of his body. He glanced to the right, seeing JP unconscious a few feet away. Wizardmon stood next to him, preparing to scan his data.
"Oh no you flippin don't!" yelled Shino, jumping painfully to his feet. Wizardmon turned, trembling with rage.
"I…have…had…it…with…you!" growled Wizardmon, enunciating each word.
He's lost it. Be careful. Shino heard Arbormon's warning in his head.
I know, he thought back. So where's that way of beating him?
Arbormon chuckled. Just look at your D-Tector.
Shino glanced at his D-Tector, seeing a new spirit showing in the little screen. "Is this…a beast spirit?"
Yes, Shino. Now is the time for you to use it.
Shino took a deep breath, relaxing his injured body. "Okay, I'm ready." He opened his eyes, a new sort of data coming from his hand. "Beast Spirit Evolution," he muttered, engulfing himself in data.
Wizardmon glared at Shino as he began to grow, turning into the legendary beast warrior of wood, Petaldramon. He opened his eyes, staring down at Wizardmon confidently. "Well, this seems to put the odds in my favor, doesn't it?"
"Oh, crap," said Wizardmon.
—
"Kouji, who is Seiko?" Takuya repeated the question, trying to keep Kouji's mind on other things.
Kouji's eyes opened slightly, staring at Takuya. He raised his hand slowly, shakily pointing at one of the graves.
"She's…there," he croaked, wincing in pain.
Takuya looked over at the grave. "I'll be right back," he told Kouji, getting up slowly.
Kouji looked back at him pleadingly. "Please come back," he muttered painfully, tears forming in his eyes.
Takuya looked away sharply, hating to see Kouji so helpless. Kouji had always been the cool-headed, confident person in the group. He always kept his head and could think of a plan in the hairiest of situations. And he always managed to keep Takuya grounded. Takuya just couldn't stand to see his friend in this much pain without being able to do anything about it.
He stood in front of the grave Kouji had indicated, seeing a picture of a cheerful-looking blond girl. According to the dates on the grave, she had been only ten when she died. Takuya realized that she would be about his age if she were still alive.
Takuya also realized that the date the girl had died, February 24, was also the date of Kouji and Kouichi's birthday.
"Takuya!" Takuya looked up as Kouji called his name in distress.
"Gatomon?" he said, recognizing the little cat Digimon kneeling beside Kouji. The other Digimon he didn't recognize…
The other Digimon turned, smiling at Takuya. "Don't worry, kid, I'm one of the good guys," she said, making a peace sign. "Name's Witchmon. Nice to meet ya."
—
madjack89: Well, not much to say about this chapter except that this is getting exciting!
Kouji: You're making me sound pathetic!
Takuya: Maybe that's because you are.
Kouji: *punches Takuya*
Takuya: Damn it!
Kira: You kind of asked for that one, Taki.
Zoe: He'll never learn.
Kouichi: Nope.
Shino: Yay, I'm finally getting credit!
madjack89: Yes, all four of your characters are finally developing! That makes me excited! Now you guys can fully integrate into the group!
Shino, Daiki, and Kira: Hooray!
Hotaru: …Hooray.
Tommy: Why aren't I in this chapter?
madjack89: Don't worry, Tommy. You'll get to be in the next chapter arch more.
Tommy: Hooray!
madjack89: Well, see you later, everybody! Remember, your reviews keep me going!