The V2 looked up at the original, "You're sure this is the place?"
Takeru looked out at the vast undisturbed sea before him.
"Yeah this is the place."
"Be careful." Warned the V2
"Back at you." said Takeru looking down at the boy just as he vanished into the shadows.
"Takeru are you sure about this?" Repeated Patamon hovering in front of his friend
"We've got to find her." He said raising his digivice.
Without another word Patamon digivolved into Pegasusmon.
"It's been while Pegasusmon." Laughed Takeru as he climbed onto the digimon's back. Pegasusmon opened up his wings, shining softly in the weak light. Pawed the ground once, twice, tree times. Then broke into a magnificent sprint and with a single graceful motion he jumped into the air, his wings catching the wind as they began to fly into the horizon. Takeru looked out at the horizon guiltily enjoying the soft wind on his face. It had been over a year since they had last flown over this part of the sea and Takeru did not have fond memories of the place. The two partners travelled in near silence, both solemn and dreading what they may be forced to do.
It was the sudden cold, a chill that turned your blood to ice, that told them they had arrived. An uneasy feeling washed over them as, in the digital twilight as wind suddenly surged around them, a dark whirlpool appearing below them. In the deepening shadows of the setting son, the darkness seemed even more impenetrable and consuming. It looked like the entrance to some hell.
"No turning back now." Commented Pegasusmon as he began lower himself into the darkness.
The darkness began to surruond them, treatheing to suffocate them. Takeru couldn't help notice the haunting silence they were flying into. Last time they were here, the voices of doomed digimon haunted this darkness, today nothing steared as if the ghosts too feared this darkness.
"Where is everyone?" Takeru asked out-loud, more to fill the silence then for an actual answer.
"Maybey they moved?" Pegasusmon said, hopefully.
"You'd wish we'd leave that easily, wouldn't you?"
The fearfully familiar voice ecchoed around them in the deepening darkness.
"Devimon!" Takeru called out even tough he couldn't see his old enemy.
"Digidestined, you have some gall flyign into my terrain as you did. Do you not fear my darkness will not corrupt your heart like it has so many others?" The digimon's voice surrounded them, there was no way of knowing where Devimon was. Takeru's head dashed from side to side but still he couldn't makeout the dark digimon, not even his blood-red eyes.
"I don't care what happens to me, I just want to help Hikari."
"And you truely believe that is the only reason. But Takeru you hide a secret in your heart you will not confess."
"Wh-What do you mean?!"Takeru called into the darkness.
"Takeru don't let him get under your skin." Cautioned Pegasusmon.
"I know, I must stay focused." But he was finding difficulty calming his rapidly beatign heart. "Devimon stop playing games, just take us to Hikari."
"Ah, but the journey from here is more turbulant then the last time you visited that realm. Your heart must be clear Takeru- greed, envy, pride, lust- they must all be absent, if not you will become a puppett to the darkness like the rest of us."
"Takeru, are you sure about this?" Pegasusmon warned again.
"Certain. Devimon, take us to the Dark Ocean!"
"You cannot say I didn't warn you." Devimon growled. All of a sudden a pair of wretched, red eyes opened infront of the didgidestined and his digimon. Trough the darkness they could just make out a pair of giant skeelton hands, clasping them in a grip of pure darkness...
Takeru wake up.
He squirmed, turning on his side. He could feel cold sand under him.
"Five more minutes." He mumbled sleepily.
Takeru wake up. You said you are going to find me, rememebr?
His eyes shot open.
"Hikari!" He called sitting up so quickly that he sent Patamon, of had been standing on his chest, stumbling backward.
"Thank goodness, I was worried for a second." Said the digimon shaking sand off his fur and flying towords his partner. The latter was quickly trying to calm his heart beat, he must have just been shocked, that must have been it, but that voice...
"Are you all-right patamon?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing, do you feel any darker or something?"
carefully Takeru stood up, shaking sand off himself, adjusting to the bizarre dark light of this world.
"I feel totally normal." He admitted.
"Good old Takeru." Chirped Patamon landing on his head. "No darkness can get to you."
Somethig Hikari had told him resurfaced in his mind, how no dark shadow had surrounded him during his 'fight' with his v2, was it possible he didn't have a darkness? No, that wasn't possible.
"Let's find Hikari and get out of here." He concluded, shaking off the thought.
"Always hated this place."
"You and I both, bud."
And in silence the two friends walked along the silent shore, where not a single wave crahsed. In this realm where time passed differently it was imposible to tell how long they had been walking, but by the time they stopped for a moment's rest they had not encoumtered a single digimon however now they were in more famliar territiory, they could see the dark lighthouse in the distance.
"You think Hikari and gatmon could be there?"
"That's where I'd go if I wanted to hide." Agreed Takeru getting sand out of his shoes, he and sand did not seem to mix well. Hastily he put his shoes back on as they continued on their journey.
"Can you see that Patamon?"
"yes! Something is running towords us. Should I digivolve?"
Takeru focused on the running figure.
"No." He said taking a quick step forword before breaking into a sprint. "It's Hikari!"
"Takeru!" She gleefully called as her shape become clearer. He now could he hair light brown hair fluttering in the self-induced wind, her uniform was askew but she didn't seem to care.
Out of curtesy, in an attempt to keep his calm, when the two friends were only a foot he slowed. He wanted to hug, to make sure she was alright, but he knew he shouldn't, it wasn't the time.
However the girl did not seem to be on the same train of tought as him- she collided into the surpised Takeru causing them to stumble onto the ground. Momentarily phased, Takeru was unsure how to react to Hikari's bozarre behavior. She held her arms around his chest, their legs were akwardly entangled due to recent fall and she was nuzzling his chest, gleefully shrieking his name like a little kid.
"Takeru, I can't believe you really came!"
Still confused by her behaviour Takeru pushed her gently back, causing her to look up at him. She smiled broadly up at him, seemingly unharmed but a chill had krept into his veins.
"Of coarse I came. Hikari, are you alright?"
Takeru made an attempt to stand but Hikari pullled him back, causing him blush as she nuzzled her head in his chest again. He silently wondered if she could hear his heart, which semed to be running a marathon again. He must have one fit heart, it had been running so fast lately. But something felt off, but he wasn't sure what.
"You're here! Of coarse I'm alright."
"Hey where is gatmon?" panted patamon finally having cought up.
Hikari absentmindedly looked around, finally breaking her embrace. "She's probably here somewhere."
"Well shouldn't we find her?" Takeru made another attmept to stand but, seemingly frustrated she forced him to stay in place, which wasn't difficult considering she was sprawled all over him.
"She's a big digimon, she can take care of herself."
That wasn't right, Hikari wouldn't say that, but Takeru was finding it hard to concentrate as Hikari put both her surprisingly cold hands on his chest, they were so cold he could feel them trough his uniform.
"But..."
"Your heart really is beating hard." Observed Hikari, as she placed one hand over his heart. She looked up at him, there was something strange about the look she gave him.
"Must have been the run..."
Playfully using her index finger she traced circles over his chest with the other still placed over his heart.
"Takeru..." There was a warning in Patamon's voice as he landed on the white sand, his eyes narrowed, but the digidestined was finding it surprsingly hard to listen, Hikari's face was only inches away his, he wondered if he had ever seen her eyes so close before.
"No." She whispered. "Why did you hold back? You wanted this just as much as me."
She leaned towords him, her eyes slowly closing.
To be honest? Takeru didn't know what he would have done,would he have pushed her away?
Would he have pulled her closer?
Takeru, please help me. I need you.
He pushed her away, jumping onto his feet and taking a staggering couple of steps back, Patamon quickly took his place between his partner and Hikari.
"Who are you!?" Takeru yelled, his heart now treatening to go into overdrive, his skin still tingled fro her cold touched.
Pouting Hikari brushed sand off her school uniform. She stood up and gave him another alluring smile.
"I'm Hikari."
No.
"Imposter! Where's the real Hikari?"
The fake crossed her arms, her expression chnaging to a smirk.
"What gave me away?"
Patamon tried to fly towrds her, in an attmept to attack, but he couldn't move. He struggled and fought but couldn't leave the ground. Takeru, to his dismay, too was unable to lift his feet off the ground. He looked up at the fake with distaste, somehow she had manged to trap them.
So there it is! I'm sorry I'm taking so long at the moment to write chapters but I'm in the midst of exam month and studies have imprisoned me. I hope it was worth the wait, I must admist this was a fun chapter to write hehehe :') Well that's it! I hope to enjoyed it, I'll try to update as soon as possible and please feel free to tell me what you think J
-Luna Pendragon.