Yes, it's early! This is my birthday gift to you. And what a birthday it was! Coming home sick from school, dinner with my college-aged sister, and a surprise party!... Now that I think about it, I may be taking on halfling traditions... Anyway, yes today is my birthday. I'm now 3,769. I know. Big landmark, isn't it? Although it kinda loses its magic considering it's the twentieth landmark I've celebrated. (In case you didn't figure it out by now, I'm not going to tell you how old I really am. I don't really care much about birthdays anyway.) I don't know if this is my favorite chapter or it that title goes to the next chapter...it's close.

Disclaimer: Go ahead. Tell me I own Digimon. I dare you!

Old Demons

Chapter 15: Darkness Rising

"The determined scholar and the man of virtue will not seek to live at the expense of injuring their virtue. They will even sacrifice their lives to preserve their virtue complete."
-Confucius

Kouji stared up into the face of his brother. No. The darkling. The being looming over him was not Kouichi, whatever he claimed. Kouichi wouldn't do this. He couldn't. Kouichi wasn't so callous as to kill. He was too soft. And though the darkling would say it held him back, Kouji believed it was his brother's best quality.

No, it wasn't his brother holding a knife to his throat. Despite everything he saw and heard, Kouji refused to give in to that lie. If he died now…so be it. But he would not leave his brother with the burden of responsibility. This was not his fault.

Kouji closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable. His laborious breathing slowed somewhat, though his thoughts were still a bit fuzzy. Soon enough, he wouldn't need air anymore. There was a jolt, blood welled, and the pressure lifted.

-

Kouichi had been running for so long that he had stopped thinking altogether. He had been numb for most of the journey. All he had been aware of was the stinging pain shooting down his legs with each step and the rasping breaths that weren't quite sufficient. He had kept running when he crossed into the Wind Sector, afraid that he would collapse if he lost momentum.

As he had reached the top of one hill, his heart had skipped a beat. On top of the next hill, he had seen two nearly identical figures. The darkling and Kouji. Kouji had been flat on his back, the darkling on his chest. Though it was partially hidden by their bodies, Kouichi had seen a knife in the darkling's right hand, held against the far side of Kouji's neck.

With one last desperate burst of speed, Kouichi had run down the hill, almost losing his balance. His legs had burned, but he had kept going, refusing to give in now. At the top of the hill, Kouichi had placed a hand on the ground to steady himself and had tackled the darkling.

-

The darkling was taken by surprise. He landed halfway down the hill, Kouichi still on top of him, and slid several more feet before he realized what had happened. Once it registered, however, his sharp mind began working. He still had the knife, and Kouichi was unarmed. This fight was as good as won. He raised his hand.

Kouichi grabbed the darkling's wrist, stopping the attack. The darkling couldn't hide his shock. Kouichi's reaction had been so quick. Impossibly quick. How had he done it? He should have been dead by now.

'I don't plan on dying today.'

'How…!'

'You can hear my thoughts. I can hear yours, too.'

'But I'm not projecting! How can you hear me?'

'I wasn't projecting my thoughts before, and that didn't stop you. All I had to do was listen.'

The darkling growled. This was not how this fight was supposed to go! He brought his knees up to his chest and kicked. Both of his feet connected with Kouichi's gut. Kouichi went flying, losing his grip on the darkling's wrist, and landed down the hill, not far from a battered Takuya. Kouichi groaned and lay there, his tired, sore body reluctant to move.

"Kouichi!" Takuya cried. "Look out!"

Kouichi opened his eyes to see the darkling bearing down on him, knife aimed at his chest. Kouichi rolled aside, scrambling to his feet. The darkling was faster. He kicked Kouichi's feet out from under him. As the darkling came at him again, Kouichi grabbed his right hand. The darkling, however, had the advantage – standing over Kouichi, he had better than leverage than Kouichi, who was still on his back. He slowly overpowered Kouichi, pushing the knife closer and closer to the blue-eyed boy's heart.

"You've been running for a long time," the darkling hissed. "You're exhausted. Face it: you're going to lose eventually. Don't delay your own fate by fighting someone stronger than you."

Kouichi looked to his right, at Takuya. The gogglehead looked like he wanted to join the fight, but he was in worse shape than Kouichi. So they did fight him already. Guilt stabbed him, suddenly, with a vengeance. He should have been there to help. Or, more likely, to face defeat with them. But he had wasted too much time, and now he was the only one with enough stamina to fight for any length of time. The darkling was right. He was going to lose.

With some effort, he forced his thoughts back to his friends. Beyond Takuya, Kouichi saw JP helping Tommy out of the crater. When the young boy was up, they helped Zoe up. They aren't dead yet. He reminded himself. He couldn't stop fighting yet. He was the only thing standing between them and the darkling.

Kouichi turned his head to the left. Kouji was on his hands and knees atop the hill. A small cut marked the left side of his neck, and some red-gray blood had smeared across his neck and the collar of his shirt. Several strands of hair had pulled out of the ponytail and hung around his face. This hadn't been a total waste; he had already succeeded in saving Kouji. For now.

Kouichi somehow managed to smile at his brother. He turned back to the darkling. "I've got too much to fight for to just give up now." He managed to push the knife away by a few inches and got his feet under him. The darkling gritted his teeth, looking around him for an idea. His eyes narrowed.

'Look at them. They're in shock. It would be a pity if something were to happen to one of them now.'

Kouichi paused for only a moment to wonder what he meant. That was all it took. The darkling twisted his arm around, breaking Kouichi's hold on his hand. Before Kouichi could recover, the darkling smashed the hilt of the knife into his temple. Kouichi staggered back, his vision blurring.

The darkling took off past Takuya, who tried in vain to trip him, towards JP, Tommy, and Zoe. Zoe pushed Tommy behind her, and JP stood protectively in front of Zoe. She huffed indignantly, but the sentiment didn't last long. The darkling sprang to the side at the last minute, delivering a roundhouse kick to the back of JP's knees, which buckled beneath him. The darkling stopped in front of Zoe. He grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward him.

"Not that it matters at this point," he whispered to her, "but you can thank Kouichi for giving me this idea." He thrust the knife forward.

Kouichi grabbed the darkling by the back of his shirt and dragged him away from Zoe. Since the darkling was still holding her wrist, she stumbled forward too. Kouichi grabbed the darkling's right wrist and pulled it up and over the red-eyed boy's shoulder. The darkling grimaced.

'What do you mean I gave you that idea?' he demanded silently.

The darkling chuckled. 'You're right. Kouji's kendo training does make him a rather troublesome target. The girl is much easier to get to.'

'You were LISTENING? What about it being between them and me?'

'I wasn't listening the whole time. It got tedious once you ran away, and I had to prepare for Kouji's arrival. Now, if you'll excuse me, this is getting annoying.'

Fractal code surrounded the darkling. Zoe and Kouichi staggered back. The code streamed away, leaving Duskmon standing there. The eyes on his armor focused on Kouichi, but he kept his face turned to Zoe.

'I'll deal with you in a moment.'

"NO!" Knowing it was futile, Kouichi hurled himself at Duskmon's back. The corrupt Warrior grabbed the boy by the neck as he came, strangling him.

"Why are you so eager to die?"

Kouichi could not speak. As it was, he could barely think straight. But he managed. 'They're my friends. I don't stand a chance against you, but neither do they. I'll do what I can to stop you.'

'You don't seem very hopeful about that.'

'Hope deserted me a long time ago, but I'll keep fighting anyway.'

'Why?'

'Because there must be someone out there who can stop you. Even if that person isn't me, I'll fight for my friends. For my brother.'

'You'd die for your "friends"? How do you know they're even real friends? They've done nothing to prove they care.'

'You'll never understand the concept of friends. You assume the worst and expect everyone to prove themselves. I know my friends. Even without everything they've already done to prove they care, I know it's true. And they know you and I aren't the same person. They give me a reason to go on. You have only yourself. Once you reach your limit, you have nothing left. That's why you're always so surprised that I show up when I do. You're the one who doesn't have any friends.'

Duskmon roared in fury and threw Kouichi, just as the boy was about to pass out. He landed behind Takuya. Kouji ran to his brother's side.

"Kouichi!" Kouji cried urgently, shaking him.

Kouichi moaned softly and opened his eyes. "Kouji," he whispered, sitting up. "You have to get out of here. Get the others and go."

"What, and leave you here?" Kouji shook his head firmly. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Kouji…" Tears welled in Kouichi's eyes. Wiping them away, he stood up. "Go. Please. He's too powerful. I can distract him for a little while, but I can't keep it up forever. If you're still here for him to kill, everything I do will've been pointless." He started forward, to where Duskmon was staring at him over his shoulder. Just do this one last thing for me."

"No." Kouji grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. "This isn't over yet." He placed something in Kouichi's hand. Kouichi looked down. It was a D-Tector. A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He sent Kouji a grateful look, and Kouji nodded. Kouichi turned to meet Duskmon's eyes.

'You haven't beat me yet.'

'Ready to die, then?'

'Not by a long shot.' "Execute: Spirit Evolution…Lowemon!"

Duskmon raised his eyebrows and fully turned to face him. Zoe took the opportunity to help JP to his feet and herded him and Tommy away from the corrupt Warrior. Duskmon extended his crooked right sword as Lowemon raised his lance and shield. Neither one wanted to waste any more time. One second they were standing dozens of feet apart; in the blink of an eye, they had covered the distance between them. Their weapons crossed. They pushed against each other, neither one gaining or losing and inch.

Duskmon was the first to break the deadlock. He spun his sword in a vertical circle, forcing Lowemon to retreat and leaving a red circle in the air. "Lunar Plasma."

"Shadow Lance!" The purple aura around Lowemon's lance sliced through the approaching orb. The Warrior of Darkness continued on, driving Duskmon back. The corrupt Warrior grimaced and swung his sword. "Dark Coffin!" Lowemon dissolved into a violet mist.

"That won't work on me. Deadly Gaze." As the mist converged on him, he released the lasers. The mist reformed into a wounded Lowemon, who retreated hastily. 'Still using the same techniques as your inferior spirit? You're going to have to be more original than that.' Duskmon charged, pushing Lowemon a few steps closer to the edge of the crater.

'How does a full frontal assault qualify as "original"?'

'Just watch.'

"Shadow Meteor!" Duskmon leaped back, warding off the attack with his sword.

"Deadly Gaze." The lasers peppered the ground at Lowemon's feet.

"You missed!" Takuya shouted. Kouji grabbed his shirt and pulled him backward. Duskmon did not reply. Everything was still for a split second. Then the ground around Lowemon fissured and gave way. Duskmon pounced while Lowemon fell, leaping into the air and dropping on his other half with vicious force. Lowemon slid lower into the crater.

A knee to Duskmon's gut bought Lowemon enough time to regain his footing. Duskmon danced back, coming to a stop in the center of the crater. Lowemon stayed where he was, wary of getting too close. In close combat, Duskmon's superior strength and skill showed. Lowemon would have to attack from a distance.

"Shadow Meteor!"

"Deadly Gaze." The attacks collided and cancelled each other. "Lunar Plasma Beam." A red beam shot at Lowemon, coming from Duskmon's sword. The new attack caught him off guard. It slammed into his chest, propelling him backwards into the soft dirt of the crater's side. And it kept coming. Lowemon groaned under the constant bombardment. An idea formed through the veil of pain. It was crazy, and he knew it. And yet... It worked for him, he thought miserably, not even caring if Duskmon heard. He brought his lance up with considerable effort. He focused on the idea, driving out all doubt for just a moment. In that moment, the words came to him.

"Shadow Joust!" A beam of violet energy erupted from his lance to combat the Lunar Plasma Beam. The initial surprise weakened Duskmon's attack just enough for Lowemon's to come through, sending Duskmon reeling. Lowemon emerged from the dirt.

"Face it, Duskmon. We're equal. Power won't be the deciding factor in this fight. And in everything else I have the advantage. You won't win."

Duskmon launched into the air, seeming to float there. "We may be equal in these forms, but that won't be the case any longer. Duskmon: Slide Evolution…Velgemon!"

Lowemon frowned. He didn't know how much farther he could push himself. But he would press on. He had to, for his friends. For Kouji. "Lowemon: Slide Evolution…JagerLowemon!"

"So, here we are again," Velgemon said. "Earlier this morning, virtually this exact battle took place, but you and I were on the sidelines. We know how that battle ended. It will be no different this time." 'But this time, my Dark Obliteration has more targets.'

JagerLowemon growled and leaped at Velgemon. 'You won't hurt them!' Velgemon dove down at JagerLowemon, crashing into his back. They hit the ground, JagerLowemon soon twisting free. He spun around, planting his paws firmly on Velgemon's wings to pin him.

"Dark Secret!" JagerLowemon's claws were covered in a golden glow. He pressed down harder, and gold cords spread from them, wrapping tightly around Velgemon. The corrupt Warrior roared, flapping his powerful wings. He lifted into the air, breaking the bonds, and JagerLowemon fell back to the ground.

Velgemon rose higher into the air, far out of reach of JagerLowemon's attacks. He eyed the battlefield below him: JagerLowemon in the crater; Kouji and Takuya on the rim, staring at JagerLowemon; Zoe, JP, and Tommy slightly less than a quarter of the way around the crater. A plan formulated.

'I should warn you. This attack swallows the first solid object it comes in contact with. Normally it brings that object here. I've never tried this here, though. I'm not really sure what will happen.'

'You're not the type to waste time on pointless talk. What are you trying to say?'

Velgemon laughed through the telepathic bond. He pointed his body to a spot between the two groups of humans. With an abrupt flex of his wings, he entered a steep dive. His eyes glowed red. 'It's time to decide.' "Dark Vortex." Short stretches of red lasers erupted from his eyes. Two headed right, to Kouji and Takuya; three headed left, to the others.

JagerLowemon growled softly even as he started moving. He wasn't moving any faster than the lasers; even though he was closer to his friends than Velgemon, he would only be able to reach one group in time. He instinctively sprinted for his brother, leaping up out of the crater and pausing to let them clamber onto his back. The whole time he was desperately trying to think of a way to save his other friends.

'Better hurry up. Your time's almost up.'

'Shut up!'

'What an angry little kitty you are!'

JagerLowemon angrily shut out the darkling's chuckle. To his surprise, it cut off instantly. He turned his full attention to the problem at hand. Solid object…solid object…that's it! He leaped into the air. "Ebony Blast!" The pistons on the armor on his front legs released several transparent blasts that crashed into the ground near where his friends were scrambling away from the approaching lasers. Dirt and grass exploded upwards from the impact of the blasts. The lasers connected with the debris, causing three warps. JagerLowemon set down in the midst of the falling chunks of dirt.

'Looks like your plan failed, darkling,' he taunted silently as Kouji and Takuya slid off his back.

'Did it now?'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Nothing in particular. But did you notice how close that attack came to your friends?'

'What do you think the dirt was for?'

'I didn't mean my attack. I meant yours. If your aim had been slightly off, they would have been dead.'

'And what else was I supposed to do? Let them die?'

'Make all the excuses you want. I don't really care. Still, I have to admire your creativity. Let's see if you can do it again.' Velgemon's wingtip touched the ground in the center of the crater at that moment. He began tracing a large circle around the Legendary Warriors, dragging his talons behind him to create a deep trough.

JagerLowemon seethed. 'You kidnap me,' he thought, running to tackle Velgemon, 'you attack my friends and brother, you try to force me to let some of my friends die…' He pounced, claws extended. 'I'm ending this NOW!' "Black Deception!" His front claws glowed red and tripled in length as JagerLowemon reached Velgemon. The corrupt Warrior was nearly impaled by the enormous claws and landed on his back, pinned mercilessly by JagerLowemon.

He laughed.

'Now you see how powerful anger makes you. Until now you have fought with only those dark emotions which weaken you – fear, guilt, despair… Now you have tasted to power of anger and hate. You can use it to win any battle.'

JagerLowemon hesitated. Velgemon was lying. He had to be. JagerLowemon started to tremble. Black Deception. The name of the attack echoed in his head. It had felt almost like Dark Secret, but…wrong. There was something about the attack he had just use that felt sinister. Like it was something Velgemon would use. He had been so angry about everything that had happened to him in the past few days. All he had thought about was making the darkling pay.

Suddenly it dawned on him what he had done before. He really could have killed his friends. It was a miracle no one had been hurt. He trembled, barely noticing his claws return to normal.

Velgemon scowled in disgust. 'You finally reach your full potential and you cower in fear? You're pathetic!' He pushed JagerLowemon off him and took to the air. JagerLowemon kept a wary eye on his other half, but didn't change position. 'I'm through with you. At least you won't have to watch your friends die.' "Shadow of Death!" Velgemon folded his wings in front of him as a black whirlwind surrounded him. A thin black shadow emerged from the top of the whirlwind. Two milky blue lights shaped like eyes appeared at its center. The blob swirled around JagerLowemon, joining with itself to form a seamless egg with the eyes in the center. JagerLowemon never even struggled. He could still feel his anger smoldering, ready to take control again. He refused to let that happen again. The eyes blinked closed and the whole shadow wavered and disappeared.

"Kouichi!" Kouji shouted. Takuya grabbed his shoulder to keep him from running to where his brother had been. A pair of blue eyes appeared behind the Legendary Warriors. The air around the eyes rippled, and Kouichi fell to the ground. The eyes disappeared. Kouji ran to his brother's side, kneeling down to check on him. Zoe and the boys knelt beside him.

Kouichi moaned and rolled onto his side. Kouji placed a hand on his elbow. The older twin opened his eyes and looked up at his friends. "Sorry," he whispered. "He's just too strong."

Zoe grabbed his hand and helped him sit up. "Hey, you lasted longer than we did."

Velgemon landed and Slide Evolved to Duskmon. 'Well, it's over. Again. I'm victorious…again. And this time I will kill you. But let me guess. You want to go first.'

Kouichi didn't bother forming a reply. That last attack had drained his energy and with it, his will to fight. Why make his friends watch him die first? Duskmon seemed to understand his sentiments. He chuckled. Stepping closer, the corrupt Warrior grabbed the front of Kouichi's shirt and lifted him into the air. Kouichi glared at Duskmon for a moment before he was flung aside.

Duskmon turned toward the boy's limp body. He extended his right sword. 'This is my world. My element. Your friends beat me in the World of Light, but they are weak here. Even you are weakened by the darkness of this world. You could have beaten me; you stood on the verge of victory. But you faltered. You gave up true power. Why?'

Kouichi looked at him weakly. 'I don't need to explain myself to you.'

'Still defiant? I don't see why. You're about to die. So why not tell me. Just so I know.'

'Because the power wasn't worth it. By reaching my "full potential" I would become too much like you. I will never let that happen. Even dying is better than that.'

'Why? What's so bad about being me? I'm the most powerful being in this and quite possibly every world.'

'You have no friends. You don't even have allies. The only ally you might have had was Duskmon, but you used him for your own benefit. If that's how you treat your only ally, it's no wonder that you're alone. If that's what true power does, I don't need it. I don't even want it. I have my friends, and I want them to remember me like I am now. Not evil and full of anger. They saw me like that once before and they risked their lives to save me from it. I won't betray them now by giving in.'

'Friends are a liability. If it wasn't for your friends, you wouldn't be dying now. . . But have it your way.' Duskmon's sword glowed dull red. He aimed it at Kouichi. "Lunar Plasma Beam!" The energy beam covered the distance in a split second, enveloping Kouichi in its deadly glow.

…Sorry? … Maybe I should go before someone shoots me…

And Then There Were Ten: Most of it takes place in the future…580 years in the future. Roughly. Although that may change significantly…

Review! Even if it's just to say you hate me! Trust me, I take flames well.

-Child of Healing

Word Count: 3782 (Up by another 429 words! I only need to add 1218 to the next chapter to get to my goal. … … This is what happens when you're in an advanced math class and go a day without math. THEY'RE WARPING MY MIND! Okay. Better now.)