Calmer of the Storm: Wow! I am so sorry this took so long! You see, I write as I go along, and I just haven't had the time to! Again, I'm very sorry! I'm going to try and make this story a little deeper than I usually do, if at all possible. Like I said, even now as I write this author's note, I have no clue how this chapter's going to end up. So, I guess I should get on with it, eh?
A voice rang through the air, though it was soft, and fading. It was the unmistakeable voice of Oraclemon, the one who had gotten them all into this mess.
"Only when things have been restored to the right, will you be able to return to your time…if you do, you must find the gate. It will not find itself……"
The voice faded among the wind. The digidestind, scattered around, heard it only in their heads.
~*~
Takeru woke up, his head spinning. He looked around him. He was in a forest, and a very dense one at that. The air around him was damp and thick. The forest was old as the trees reached high above him. He had no clue where he was.
The boy could hear the faintest voices around him, though he couldn't distinguish who they were, or how far away they were. Slowly, as he began to come to, he could make out the unmistakable voice of Daisuke, and the incessant whine of Mimi.
"Ugh…" he groaned.
Yamato lifted his head. "Hey, he's awake!"
"Wh-where am I?" TK asked as he sat up.
"Actually, we're not sure. All we've concluded is that we're in the middle of nowhere, in a very big forest."
Takeru gave him a bland look. As he did this, he noticed something. They were no longer wearing their beach clothes. Each person was wearing an old looking style of outfit, all of them shades of green and brown. He guessed that that was the reason for Mimi's complaining. He looked down, and realized that he too was dressed in the same way.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Well, we don't know that either." Yamato replied.
"Great, just great." Takeru huffed, planting himself next to his brother.
He took another glance around, and noticed that not all of them were there. Sora, Hikari, Yolei, and Cody were all missing.
"Where are the others? Did they go somewhere?"
"Uh, well, it's funny that you ask that. We don't know where they are. They weren't here when we woke up."
"What?!" he exclaimed, horrified at the thought that Kari was somewhere else.
Matt threw up his, "Hey man, we feel the same way you do, and we figured that we should find out a little more about this place than to go wandering off into the forest. Who knows what kinds of animals and things are out there. We don't even know if we're in the real world. We could be in another one, with monsters more terrifying than a raging monocromon. For all we know, we could be here for a very long time. So just relax, we'll find something."
Takeru was silent.
Tai stood up. "Well, I think that we should at least check out surroundings. Like Matt said, don't go too far. We can't afford to get lost, and there's sometime about this forest that tells me that that won't be all that hard.
TK's head still greatly hurt him, so he was allowed to stay behind.
The four other boys spread out, and Mimi followed Yamato. She had complained and whined the whole time, and Takeru wouldn't have been able to stand it with his headache. Yamato seemed to be the only one that could handle it.
The younger blonde knew it was because his brother had lately been having feelings for the girl. Takeru was very shocked to hear such a thing, as Yamato wasn't the most patient man in the world, and Mimi was not known to be quiet. Then again, like himself, Yamato had the ability to see the good in people before anything else.
Mimi was very sincere (maybe a little too sincere at times) and she always spoke her mind. Not caring what anyone else thought of her was also and admirable trait that not many people possess. She was also very sweet and kind-hearted, though, she had a tendency to whine when things didn't go her way. Though, she was getting over it. And, Takeru had to admit, she wasn't all that bad looking. In fact, she was rather beautiful. Many of her previous boyfriends had dated her only for this.
~*~
While searching, Tai was able to find a path. It was wide, and seemed to be a main road that passed through the seemingly endless sea of trees.
Deciding this was enough of information, he headed back for their 'camp'. When he got there, he found that Yamato, Mimi and Daisuke had also returned. Ken followed soon after.
"Did you guys find anything?" Takeru grumbled. He was in a rather irritable mood, for various reasons. One being that he was stranded in the middle of an unknown forest, and had no way to get home. The second was that he was worried sick about Kari, and knew that Tai was probably going through much of the same thing. The third was that he had suffered a blow to the head, and had a massive migraine.
"There's a big path just out that way." Tai pointed out past the biggest tree in the area. "If you got strait, you should come across it quite quickly."
"I found a path too, though it's rather overgrown. It seems that it hasn't been used in a while." Ken reported.
"We found a little spring out there." Matt pointed to his left. "There also seems to be a place where supplies are stored; there was a small cave that held what looked to be old burlap sacs."
"I found some trees." Daisuke mentioned.
"Nothing else?" Tai asked.
"Nope."
"Oh."
"Well, I have an idea. Why don't we head out to that path that Tai found, and split up on it? We can mark our place somehow, and follow the path to see where it goes." suggested Ken.
Tai shrugged, "We have nothing better to do. Maybe we'll find someone else." He looked over to Takeru, "Will you be alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine I guess. A little walking never hurt anybody."
The six of them headed out. They soon came across the path that Taichi had been talking about. He was right, it looked well-travelled.
"Well, Davis, Ken and I will head this way, and you three go that way. I'd say travel for half an hour, then turn around. If it starts to get dark before then, turn around immediately and come back. We don't know what things come out a night." Tai told them. The others agreed with this.
They headed off down the road.
~*~
Cody found himself lying on the ground. It was cold, and hard, and felt like stone. It was dark, as there were no lights. He wasn't sure where he was, and didn't really feel like finding out.
He was brought out of his state when something warm, and very wet, touched his face. He felt hot breath, and it smelt bad. He opened his eyes, and found that he was staring into the big brown eyes of a rather large bloodhound. Needless to say, he was immediately woken up. He rose, and flung himself away from the dog, only to find another right behind him. Scurrying away once again, he found yet another dog. Terrified out of his wits, Cody dove and hid under one of the benches that was in the building.
The dogs followed him, but didn't seem interested in mauling him to death. Actually, they looked kind of glad to see him moving again. Cody peered up at the dogs, and found them all lying nicely beside the bench. They seemed friendly.
"Uh…hello there…" he said.
The dogs merely looked at him.
"…Where did you guys come from?" Cody's eyes drifted across the room, and he saw three wooded bowls laid out by the door. On the other side, there were three mats, about the size of the dogs. It seemed as if he was intruding on their home.
"Okay, that answers that question…So, where's your owner? Are they here?" Cody scolded himself. He was talking to dogs. Dogs.
He noticed that there was another door, and decided to check it out. Peering at the dogs once more, he slowly opened it. They did not stir.
Inside, there was a bed. It wasn't a huge elaborate one, but it was a bed none the less. On the opposite side of the room, there was a table and a series of shelves. Looking over, he found various herbs and spics upon the shelves, all labelled neatly. It seemed to be some sort of working area.
Leaving the room, he saw that the dogs still had not moved. Glancing around, he noticed something. The room was large, and had a series of benches. They were all in rows. He had seen this sight before, though in a more modern sense. He suspected as to what this place was. Looking up to the front, his suspicions were confirmed. There, at the front, was a large, wooden cross. It was a church.
Looking down, Cody realized he wasn't wearing his normal clothes. He was dressed in a brown robe, complete with a hood. The robe was held closed with a piece of rope that went around his waist. He looked like a monk.
'How did I get here? Where exactly is here? Where is everyone? How do I get home?'
~*~
Moaning, Hikari opened her eyes, and found that she was in a small room, dimly lit. She was lying in a bed, small, but comfortable. On the table beside her, was a series of bandages and a bowl of what looked to be water.
Glancing around, she saw that the walls were made of stone. There was a window to her left, and by the looks of it, she was at least on the second or third floor of some building. How she got there, she did not know.
Across the room, there was a rather antique looking armoire. It was huge, and looked to be oak. It extended up to the ceiling, and the handles of gold had been formed into intricate designs. Beside that, there was another door. Where that led, she wasn't sure.
The sound of a door opening (a different one) caught her attention. She slowly turned her head, as she was still rather groggy.
In the doorway, stood a short, and rather stout woman. She was dressed in a black outfit, with what looked to be some sort of apron, which was white, over top. The woman turned, and noticed that the girl was awake. Her face brightened at the sight.
"My lady! You are awake! We were all so worried about you. After the fall…"
Hikari was confused. "Where am I?" she asked.
"Why, you're in the castle, silly! It's where you've always been! At the moment, though, you are in the healing ward. You suffered a blow to the head after you fell…I always told you not to go into that forest. It's dangerous, you know. And the bandits that live there! You never know what they could do to you!"
The woman rambled more, and Hikari still had no idea what was going on. Obviously, this woman thought she was someone she was not.
"Oh! I almost forgot. The lord will be delighted to see you! He was so worried about you…the poor man. Although, my lady, please take it easy..." she leaned in close, "Rumour has it that he is going to ask for your hand in marriage". She giggled lightly to end off the comment.
This sent of alarms in Kari's head. "What?! I can't get married! I don't even know where I am! How can I marry someone I don't know! For Pete's sake, I don't even know who you are!"
The woman was appalled. "My lady! How could you say such things? You have lived here your whole life, and you know that the master has a liking for you!"
Hikari's mind was spinning. She didn't know what to do.
The woman pondered for a moment, then spoke. "Maybe, my lady, your memory was impaired after the fall. You hit your head very hard, and you've been asleep for a long time. You woke up a few times, but it seems you don't remember them…" her voice was soft and gentle, which surprised Kari.
She brightened, "But we'll just have to make you remember! I'm sure after seeing the sights you'll be sure to remember everything! Now, I must go tell the others about this. We can't have people coming in here, it would be much too overwhelming for you. Get some rest now, my lady, and I'll see you later!" The woman smiled brightly, and left.
Kari sighed, and laid back on her pillow.
'Oh, now what have we digidestind gotten ourselves into?'
~*~
Yolei was scurrying about, trying to get done the things that were being ordered at her. She didn't know what she had done, but realised that she was in a lot of trouble.
Apparently, she had been sleeping in the flour store, slacking off. All she remembered was being found there, and then being beaten. Now, she was cleaning, dusting, and complying to the whims of whatever her 'master' told her to do.
She had put together that she was some sort of maid, or slave. She was in a castle; that wasn't hard to conclude. What did befuddle her, was how she got there. At one moment, she was on the beach, and the next…She stopped.
"Oraclemon…"
"Get back to work, you wench!" She heard a cruel voice behind her call. Immediately, she went back to dusting what looked to be a portrait of some sort or ruler.
~*~
Sora was sitting at a wooden table, staring blankly at her food. Her 'family' around her constantly asked her if she was alright. She assured them she was.
She had woken up outside, on what seemed to be the front lawn of a house. The house was rather large, and the only one around, for that matter. She didn't recall much, except the frantic voices of people all around her. They were shouting odd things, and calling her names (at least, she thought they were talking to her) that she did not recognise.
Now, they had convinced themselves that she had gone mad in her apparent time that she had spent in the forest. According to them, she had run away two weeks ago, furious about something. They never told her what it was. Now, they said, she had returned after realizing her mistake, but the time in the wilderness had impaired her memory, among other things.
Sora was beyond confused.
"Sweetie, are you going to eat? You haven't eaten in a long time…You must be very hungry."
"Uh, no, I'm fine. I think I'll go up to bed…" standing up, Sora went into her room. The house was nice, and this family was obviously well off. She wasn't sure what everyone was so excited about, and apparently there was to be an important visitor the next day.
He flopped down on the bed, and stared at the ceiling. The house was all one floor, and made of wood and stone. Her mind was swirling with thoughts, as she wondered where she was, where the others were, and how to find them and get home.
She had concluded that they were still in the real world, just maybe not in the same time as they were used to. Sora was one who loved history, and y ancient kind especially. She recognised the clothing and housing styles here, and concluded that it seemed to bee sometime around the 1600's. The medieval era. At least, it's what it looked to be. Then again, as all of the digidestind had learned (the hard way, at that) that things aren't always as they seem.
~*~
After wandering a little, Takeru, Yamato and Mimi came across a village. They saw that in the distance, there was a castle.
"Where are we, Yamato?" Takeru asked in awe of what he was witnessing.
"I'm not sure, Tee." he replied, equally stunned.
Out if instinct Mimi grabbed onto Matt's hand, and clung to his arm. The blonde boy seemed to busy to notice.
"Well, the sky still isn't all that dark, so why don't we go down? We can ask some townspeople where we are. Hopefully they're somewhat hospitable." Takeru said, looking at his brother.
Matt slowly nodded. "Yeah…" he replied, and they headed down.
As they entered the village, they came across the main street. They figured that that's what it was after seeing all the merchants and stands.
As they passed, the three began to notice that the people would stare at them, and whisper among themselves. Some of them had even come over to ask for money. Confused and a little frightened, they simply told them that they had none.
"I don't like this, Matt. The people are all staring at us…" Mimi remarked.
"It's alright, we'll be out of here in a minute. We just have to get some information as to where we are."
"Hey, TK, take care of Mimi a moment, will you? I'll just go talk to this vendor over here, then we can go."
The younger boy nodded, and Yamato left them.
TK wandered to the side of the street. He noticed that on the side of the wall, there was a sign. Reading it, he saw that it was a wanted sign.
"Hey Mimi, come look at this."
The brunette girl made her way over. She too read the sign.
It read:
Wanted
Robin Hood, for theft and treason
Dead or alive
Reward
Sir Guy of Gisbourne
"Wow…we must have been thrown back in time." Mimi commented.
"Yeah…"
Yamato ran up behind them, and pulled them away.
"Takeru, we have to get out of here!" he said.
"What? Why?" he asked, confused.
"I'll explain later. For now, we have to get back into the forest before too many other people see us."
The two others quickly obeyed, and the three travellers fled for the cover of the woods. When they reached the tree line, Matt stopped them. His breathing was hard.
"I talked to that merchant, and I know everything. I know where we are, when we are, and even who we are."
"I don't understand, Matt, I-"
Matt cut his younger sibling off.
"Takeru, listen to me. You saw that sign, right? The wanted one?"
He nodded.
"Takeru, you are Robin Hood."
The boy's eyes went wide, "What?! No I'm not! I'm just a-"
"Listen to me! Oraclemon has transported us here. Don't you see? We have been put n the places of historical characters, fact and fiction. You are Robin hood, and we are your band of merry men. We live in Sherwood forest, and this town is Nottingham." He paused a moment, and waited for it to sink in.
"We have to find Cody, Kari, Yolei and Sora. Then, we have to restore things to the way they're supposed to be."
"Why, what's wrong?" Mimi asked.
"I'm not exactly sure, but you heard those things that Oraclemon said, didn't you? We have to put things right, in order to get home. That means that something is wrong. We also have to figure that out."
TK held a thoughtful look on his face. "If we can find Sora, she'll help us. She's the one that knows history inside and out."
Matt nodded. "But we also have to lay low. There are prices on out heads, we are outlaws. Now, let's get back to our camp and tell the others what we've found.