"You're more resourceful then I gave you credit for." Admitted the V2, crossing her arms, clearly annoyed, as Hikari, although a bit groggily, got to her feet, using Takeru for support. She gave him an apologetic look as Gatomon ran to her side after having recovered herself. She looked around the room, slightly confused.
"Where's Patamon?"
"He's locked outside." Takeru answered, a bit guiltily, having just realised he had completely forgotten about his partner in his worry. He'd have to make up for that later.
"Don't worry I can deal with this one, she's really gotten on my nerves now." hissed Gatomon narrowing her eyes at the smirking girl.
Dramatically the latter opened her arms and smiled cruelly at them.
"I'd like to see you fools try. I was taking it easy before, I just wanted the crest, if you two hadn't interfered you might have survived. But common sense tells me, if the competition is dead, wouldn't the crest automatically fall to me?"
"You aren't going to touch Hikari!"Growled Gatomon, already sprinting towards the V2, but something was happening to her. Tendrils of dark smoke began to float out of the surrounding shadows, encircling the V2 with a menacing shield of smoke until she was barely visible behind it, all they could see was a pair of frightening red eyes.
"Gatamon stop!" shrieked Hikari before either Takeru or Gatomon could comprehend what they were seeing before them. Swiftly, almost like a blur, a clawed hand erupted from the dark shield colliding with the still running Gatomon, sending her flying across the room. She crashed into the wall with a pain-filled yodel.
"Gatomon!" shrieked Hikari running towards her collapsed partner. Takeru made to follow her- Hikari, not Gatomon, was the V2's real target but champion level Digimon aren't going to be enough this time…
His eyes fell to the crest of hope, as if finally remembering it's existence. Yes, that's right, he remembered the V2 shrieking and throwing it to the ground. If only he could get it, MagnaAngemon could actually give them a fighting's' chance but then his eyes fell to where Hikari was kneeling besides her partner, Gatomon roughly pushed against the girl, ready to charge the enemy again. Then a blood curdling, murderous lough filled the air. It was like something you'd hear in a horror movie, just as the monster was about to attack. The red eyes were looking at Hikari and the ball of darkness took a step towards the girl.
It was decided.
Takeru sprinted towards the crest. He had to get it. But the moment he began his run the V2's unblinking eyes turned to face Takeru. Just like before a shadowed claw emerged from the dark shield and swatted Takeru to the side like an annoying fly. He crashed not too far away from were Hikari and Gatomona were having some type of argument, surprising the two them.
"Takeru!?" shocked, Hikari stood and ran towards her friend, Gatomon hobbling besides her.
"What was he thinking!" Gatomon's voice was full of worry.
Although Takeru's vision was spotty, he was still conscious. He was rubbing the back of his head, silently cursing himself for acting like such an idiot. He felt something hot and sticky begin to seep trough his hair and down the back of his neck, his hand was red with blood.
He could, blearily, see Hikari and Gatomon running towards him while the V2 was still walking towards them, painfully slowly, her laughter echoing around them. Just as Hikari and Gatomon began to kneel beside him and bombard him with questions a light began to stream out of his other hand. He smiled triumphantly as he opened it and saw the crest of hope brightly glowing.
A loud crash suddenly interrupted the V2's laughter, vaguely Takeru could see the door of the room broken in half and on the ground. MagnaAngemon flew in Excalibur already at hand. He landed between the Digidestined and the V2, his magnificent wings blocking their vision.
"Takeru, can't you keep out of trouble for two minutes without me?" scolded the Ultimate Digimon, not looking away from the V2.
"We needed the cavalry." Joked Takeru, even though it hurt to do so.
"Stand aside MagnaAngemon, my battle is with the girl not you." Growled the V2.
"Imposter, you'll have to go trough me first."
"That can arranged."
And a fierce battle began, it was painful to watch. It was like the sun fighting the night – the light of MagnaAngemon's attacks were blinding but the V2's darkness was just too deep, swallowing it up until only darkness remained.
The Digidestineds and Gatomon looked on helplessly as MagnaAngemon fought, Gatomon's claws were bared and she was shaking with frustration.
"If only I could digivolve to Angewomon, then we'd teach her a lesson or two!"
"Another Ultimate could really turn the tables in our favor." Admitted Takeru. He was standing now, barely. He had one hand around Hikari's shoulders for support, his vision had cleared but the back of his head was still bleeding stubbornly and throbbing, as if someone was hammering and his head was the nail.
Hikari didn't speak, there was something nagging at her as she watched the Digimon and V2 fight, as she saw just how deep and swallowing the darkness of her attacks were. It was obvious that the V2 had more darkness then herself but then, why hadn't the crest of light appeared to her yet? Was it because her own darkness? Was she really no longer worthy?
"Hey Takeru…" Her voice was small as she looked down at her feet.
"Yeah Hikari?"
"What if I am not meant to find the crest light?"
"Don't be silly." Said Takeru, looking down at her, but she avoided his gaze. "You can't actually believe the crest would choose that monster over you?"
"No, not the V2 but… what if…" she finally looked up at him and with a firmness said. "I think you're meant to find the crest of light this time."
"What?" Takeru lowered his arm and took a shaky step back. "You're talking crazy Hikari."
"No, no I'm being serious." She pointed her finger at the V2 as she fought. "Her darkness never affected you. It effected Tai and the others, it even got to me! But you never wavered, they never managed to manipulate the darkness in your heart because you have no darkness!"
"That's not it Hikari." Said Takeru shaking his head.
"It has too be! It's the only reason I can see!"
"Hikari," Takeru was practically yelling over the noise of the fight now, causing Gatomon to look around at them in surprise. "It's defiantly not that. I have as much of a darkness in my heart as anyone!"
"Then why doesn't it effect you?!"
"Because I've accepted it!" he said, as he held on to the wall for support looking at Hikari. "I've said it before, as long as there is light there will always be darkness! No one has only light, I have a darkness and so do you, you just have to accept it!"
Hikari was stunned into silence. Was he right? Was that why the crest of light didn't come to her? People always said that. because she was the digidestined of light, she had no darkness but they had been wrong. The crest of light hadn't chosen her for that, it had chosen her because she had accepted, like Takeru, that where there is light, darkness will always follow. But there was a darkness within her she hadn't accepted, a lie she kept on telling herself. At first it didn't dawn on her what that could be, but the more she looked at the battered Takeru, the more she knew the answer. Hikari took a shaky step towards him, Takeru cringed, certain that she was going to yell at him, maybe even slap him or something horrible like that.
He couldn't stand fighting or arguing with Hikari but he didn't regret what he had told her. He had realized something back near the Dark Ocean, while the V2 tried to push herself on him. He had realized that even though Hikari no longer needed his help, he always wanted to be by her side even if it was just as a friend, even if it meant having to tell things she didn't want to hear.
Takeru was anticipating something horrible as she took another step towards him, instead something totally unexpected happened. She stood on her tip-toes (she always wondered when he had grown so much taller then her) and kissed him. It was fleeting, like a soft summer breeze, and it ended so quickly Takeru didn't even have time to comprehend what was happening. She then looked up at him, on her chest the crest of light was glowing.
"That was the lie I kept on telling myself."
From somewhere in the room the crest of light appeared and shot into Hikari's hand. The V2 tried to catch it , but MagnaAngemon held her back and even if she tried, the light would have stung even more severely than that of the crest of hope had done. Hikari caught the crest and turned to the speechless Gatomon and said.
"Time to show this imposter what we really can do." Hikari looked on as Gatomon, finally, digivolved to Angewomon, totally aware that Takeru was still staring at her.
"Takeru close your mouth or else your going to catch a fly." She said smiling and slightly blushing.
Takeru abruptly shut his mouth, unaware that it had been open. His heart was racing, causing his head to pound even more rapidly and painfully. He still wasn't sure if that had really happened. Had it? or was it just a dream? It had been so fleeting… So sudden… but Hikari's blushing, smiling face told him it had. He smiled broadly at her.
"Told you the crest of light was meant to be yours."
"Oh shut up and look at the fight, we are winning."
She was right, they were winning. The V2 was no match for the two Ultimates, she continued to trudge and attack in Hikari's direction, probably hoping to steal her crest as she had done to Takeru but the two angel Digimon were merciless. Angewomon aimed a Celestial Arrow at the V2 as she reached out with yet another of her dark claws.
"Your time here is up V2." She chided, releasing her arrow and piercing the V2's dark shield. A shriek suddenly filled the air, like that of a dying cat. The dark shield erupted in an explosion of darkness with a force so great that Hikari was sent almost crashing into the wall, Takeru caught her before that could happen. When the darkness finally faded they saw the V2, she was no longer screaming she was looking down at the glowing arrow that protruded from her chest. Her hands were cupped around it, unable to touch it due to the strength of its glow.
"I am the Dark Mistress!" she screamed insanely as she took a step in Hikari's and Takeru's direction. The V2's advancement was halted when Angewomon landed between the digidestined and the V2, another arrow already aimed at her chest. "You cannot defeat me! Darkness is everywhere! I am the darkness! The light will always succumb to the darkn…"
She shrieked again as Excalibur emerged from her chest as MagnaAngemon stabbed the V2 with Excalibur from behind. Her horrible screams continued even as her shape morphed and changed until her original, younger appearance returned. It was then, that in a shower of pixels, she vanished, but it was long after that her screams finally vanished with her.
"It's over." Takeru whispered, leaning back against the wall. "It's over, we actually beat her."
"I can't believe it." Agreed Hikari leaning on the wall besides him. The two digidestined looked at each other and smiled broadly.
They watched as their Digimon digivolve back to Salamon and Patamon.
"You two were brilliant!" congratulated Hikari as Salamon jumped into her arms, she was a rare sight, even to Hikari.
"I'm exhausted." Admitted Patamon as he practically collapsed in Takeru's bruised hands. "Can I sleep now?"
"We still have to figure out how to get out of here." Chirped in Salamon.
"I think we have better things to worry about." Said Takeru abruptly standing, Hikari followed closely as the two digidestined realized that everything around them began to fade, the door to the Dark Ocean had already vanished and they were soon trapped in the deepening darkness.
"I'm too tired to fight anymore." Sighed Patamon, his wings drooping.
"We'll have to." Countered Salamon, but her eyes were drooping with exhaustion.
Both Takeru and Hikari tensed as they looked into the surrounding darkness, they would be ready to protect their Digimon this time.
"Hikari, Takeru, welcome! We have been waiting for you." All of a sudden the world around them was filled with a mixture of haphazard colours, some of which they had never seen before. Before them the other digidestined and what seemed like the V2 stood and a giant blue dragon hovered above them.
"Azulongmon!" Yelled Hikari, gleefully.
Hi! I'm so sorry! it has been ages since I last posted a chapter but it was exams month and couldn't do otherwise :3 I hope this chapter was worth the wait . Thank you for your patience and now, only one more chapter remains… Please tell me what you think, I hope you all enjoyed reading it though :D Thank you and sorry again! – LunaPendragon.