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Digimon Keeper Chapter 2: When a Heart Beats
Toshiro floated weightless in that strange, myriad of colors and shapeless forms, staring at the regal but strangely ominous figure which stood not a meter away, and three heads taller. His seemingly religious apparel fluttered as if buffeted by a wind, which might have been the case if not for the absence of anything natural in this place, and that strangeness was reflected in the heavy, commanding voice it used.
"You are not what I imagined, Toshiro Tengi."
Toshiro stared with fearful eyes at the imposing stranger, the echoes in their voices serving to further upset his wildly beating heart.
"Wh…what do you mean? I… I don't understand what's happening."
The figure raised its hand, a chain emerging from within the sleeve, glowing in a vibrant red hue. "I understand your confusion, but for the time being, you must learn to trust me. The world you are about to see is not one easily viewed, and its dangers may prove your undoing, if you cannot steel yourself. Do so now, if you can, for that is our destination."
Before Toshiro could voice the dreadful questions and complaints he had over this arrangement, the chain erupted into a shockwave that turned the already confusing space into a swirling tunnel of cascading color and motion. Nausea set in hard, as he felt his body getting pulled toward some far off gravitation, down and down into its seizure. His cries of terror echoed around him, as he spun through passing pallets of red, white, orange, and finally, a blistering glare.
His body struck something soft but solid, causing tremors throughout his body, that sent him gagging from the unexpected force. With no sense of direction, slowly, he opened his eyes, afraid of what he might see.
A feverish, blinding brightness made him regret that decision. Groaning in pain, Toshiro forced his body to roll over, allowing him to open his eyes safely at what appeared to be… grass? Except it was like no grass he could recognize.
It was a verdant green, but tipped with some oceanic dye and pointed in soft puncturing tips, with blades that seemed too stiff and short compared to what he remembered. He placed a hand atop it, feeling its softness, and pressed down to discover an utter lack of moisture. In fact, the dirt beneath it seemed almost… warm. And the sun, pressing against his back, seemed to embody the magic of that warmth. He noticed there were no bugs flying about, no insects that normally permeated any ecosystem, leaving him to wonder… what was the rest of it like?
His breathing suspended, and his awe mounting, Toshiro turned his gaze upward, and beheld a sight more beautiful than anything he could imagine. The rays of sun, piercing through a sky that seemed laden with cloud and strange electronic marking, cast a hazy glare upon fields of blue-tipped grass and healthy trees basking in natural purity. A slight wind had arisen, blowing the leaves and meadows slightly east, and his own hair spread thin across his eyes did little to mitigate the majesty he felt radiating from it all.
His eyes alight with wonder, Toshiro felt a true peace and happiness simply staring out at the masterpiece, and his smile soon broke out.
"Wow!" And with that one word Toshiro was on his feet, looking over hill and yore, trying to drink it all in. He breathed a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "It's… beautiful!"
"I agree."
Suddenly startled, the smile disappeared as Toshiro turned to behold the same stranger standing nearby, his staff firmly planted in the grass. Stuttering a little, Toshiro begged the expected questions.
"Where am I? Who are you?"
"Getting down to business then. Good. I can tell you have a lot of questions about this entire affair, and you deserve a few answers. My name is Laozimon, and this, is the Digital World."
Awed at the response, Toshiro looked back over the meadows. "Digital… World…"
The figure drew a little closer, letting Toshiro see how much bigger he was compared to the young boy. "Yes, the view is incredible is it not? But… I'm afraid this is will all be gone soon."
Surprised and upset, Toshiro turned his pitying eyes to the now named Laozimon. "What? Why is that?"
Wordlessly, Laozimon raised a hand, and pointed his gloved finger into the distance, where Toshiro could spot a wide mountain range, with trees dotting its side and birds flocking nearby. Strangely shaped birds at that. But what drew his attention, was a sudden rumbling that shook the very ground he stood on. Anxiety swiftly returned, as he watched fearfully in expectation. Unfortunately, he was not disappointed.
Over one crevice in the hillside came a thundering monster, orange in color, with horns on either side of its armored head and a dangerous tail swinging behind it. The creature greatly resembles a prehistoric dinosaur, and it frightened Toshiro greatly, so much so that he had fallen over backwards.
"D…d… dinosaurs?"
"Not dinosaur, a Digimon."
Toshiro's fright was slowly drained as he observed that the creature had absolutely no interest in him, but rather on a group of oddly shaped creatures far smaller than it. They were mere dots on the hill, which lay about 100 meters off, but he could make out odd protrusions and motions that excluded them from any category of animal he knew. He wanted to shout for somebody to save the poor critters, but he quickly realized that nobody was around that he could trust. This was a strange, untamed land. Anything could happen. Growing pity caused him to watch the Digimon chase his prey, and he let out a weighty sigh as the group escaped into an even narrower crevice in the mountain, out of reach.
His heart was still beating fast, but knowing that the critters would live truly eased his mind. Despite this, he still yelped as the dinosaur turned about, and let out a defeated roar, before turning back to the mountainside whence it came. Toshiro placed a hand on his heart, certain that at any moment the beast could turn and spot him… but thankfully, it did not. It took a minute from when he'd last seen the creature disappear before he felt he was truly safe, and began gasping with breath he didn't even realize was bated. A hand came into his peripheral vision, offered by Laozimon, which he took after a moments hesitation.
"What you have just witnessed is the cause of my present fear. The creatures of this world, Digimon, are sometimes wildly aggressive and untamed, but this one has been terrorizing the inhabitants of this valley for several weeks now, and nobody has the strength to stop him. Those small Digimon you saw being chased? Those are the last remaining children inhabitants of this mountain range."
Toshiro looked in pity to the point of retreat the critters had taken, as if hoping to see some movement. "So… this dinosaur… he ate them all?"
"In a way, I suppose. Digimon don't 'eat' other Digimon in the same way that animals eat animals in your world. Here, everything is digital. To 'eat' a Digimon is to absorb its data, often to grow stronger, and once that kind of power is tasted it's near impossible to slate the thirst of a wild Digimon."
Toshiro rose in anger at the explanation. "Then why haven't you done anything about this! You're strong right?"
Laozimon chuckled a little at the human's show of emotion. "Good, that's the reaction I was hoping for. If I were to answer you honestly, however, I am rather weak when it comes to fighting. The beast would likely devour me like he did the poor ex-inhabitants, except that my robust data would probably make him unstoppable. You see? Fighting him would only make him more powerful."
Toshiro deflated at this response, growing rather depressed. "But… then…"
The gloved hand found his shoulder. Toshiro may well have found comfort in the eyes of the stranger, who seemed decently kind, if not for the metal mask had hid them. "Don't let it bother you too much. Come, I want you to see something."
Curiosity ruled his body, as he allowed himself to be beckoned toward a nearby rock formation, sitting less than 50 meters from whence the dinosaur Digimon had appeared. The walk to get there was slow, agonizing even, as Toshiro's brain finally caught up with the events transpiring around him.
An alternate, digital world? Insane!
Monstrous dinosaurs? Insane!
But most of all, it was his role in this adventure that confused him. Why was he brought here? Did Laozimon expect some performance on his part in defeating that crazy monster? Or worst of all… was this some sort of hallucination? Some… fantastic dream, that he'd imagined in order to deal with his anxieties of late? He swallowed hard.
His shoes clapped against rocks here and there, slid through dry strands of grass, and snapped over stray branches and upturned soil as the tree grew near. The air was still, silent even, but warm nevertheless.
Before long, the pair had reached the formation of rocks, which appeared to be comprised of some bright limestone as far as comparisons go. The formation was circular, similar in design to the Stonehenge from the human world, except that flora kept a good portion of it from view. And at the very center of this formation, as if planted by a god, stood a singular pillar, illuminated by majestic light rays that filtered through the overhead canopy. The room was about 50 feet in radius, but even from its edge, Toshiro could feel something… powerful, emanating from that pillar. And familiar too, in a horrifying way.
A stray hand found its way to his stomach, and his breathing became a little ragged. A distant thought crossed his mind… one that brought back painful memories. His eyes widened as that thought became more prominent, but he desperately supressed it, hoping against hope that it was nothing more than a passing whim of the imagination.
Then, Laozimon acted. The great figure struck his staff into the ground, causing a slight tremor, that shook the formation several times before ceasing. Toshiro watched in wonder, his thought momentarily discarded, as the pillar emitted a bright light, one that might even have blinded him had he not shielded them with his hands. He heard several mechanism click and whirl, as the pillar rose several meters into the air, revealing a concealed pocket at the center of the pillar by the time it finished rising, and with a final click became motionless.
"Come forward, Toshiro. Here lies a great weapon, and I should wonder if it suits you."
The gesturing hands pointed Toshiro toward the opened pillar, and something… drew him towards it. Even though his mind screamed at him, telling him to run away, still his foot lifted, and planted itself timidly forward.
Another footstep, and the feeling grew stronger, except it wasn't drawing him in any more… it was pushing against him, harder than he could describe. A pain, sharp and foreboding tore through his body, a shudder and a shock that made him pale with fear. His mind won outright, and he flailed backwards, clutching at the heated heart in his chest. His panting was heavy, and his eyes betrayed everything to the present Digimon.
"NO! No no no… no please… not again… not again…" Tears welled up in his eyes, as his chest throbbed time and time again, sending shock after shock over the boy, until at last, it ceased. Panting, he planted his hands on the ground in front of him, barely supporting him.
"Why…" He sobbed.
"Why now… this… this place, it has to be a dream!"
Pity crossed the eyes of Laozimon, as he watched the poor human struggle with his pains. For a while he stood wordlessly and motionlessly, and then, when the boy seemed at last to compose his posture enough to stand. "…You are not at all what I expected, Toshiro Tengi. Not one bit."
Still biting back his frustrations, Toshiro watched with watered eyes, as Laozimon exited the structure, the pillar untouched. Anxiety and fear mixed harmfully in his heart, as he stumbled after him.
"Wait, let me out of this place! End the dream… gi… give me back my life!" The two of them exited the formation, albeit at drastically different paces, as Laozimon kept casting words at the weak boy.
"How quickly your tongue loosens, when it tastes fear."
"Please, I don't want to be a part of this dream any more, make it stop!"
"You are not in a dream, Toshiro. This is reality, one that you fail to grasp."
"No… this can't be real. Send me back!"
The Digimon turned about and faced him dead on, causing Toshiro to stop in his tracks, the fear still plastered there. Even though the mask hid his face, one could easily imagine the disappointed expression through Laozimon's voice.
"The world you knew is behind you Toshiro, as are the people you call family. In a day's time I shall return you, until then, do your best to find yourself."
Toshiro jabbered in anxious indignation. "But… what am I to do? I… I…"
"Answer me this one question, Toshiro Tengi. Do you ever wonder how and why it is, that a slave overthrows his master?"
Startled by the question, Toshiro stuttered for a moment, unable to answer. Laozimon placed a gloved finger over Toshiro's chest, as he provided the answer himself.
"Because he can see those things he considers precious beyond the fence of his imprisonment, and only the destruction of his master can unite them."
"Why… why are you telling me this?"
"I tell you because you allow a pitiful fear to control you, because you cannot hold onto the faint wisps of courage I know reside within you. If you ever desire to break free of your shackles, you must learn to call upon that power… or else you will forever remain a prisoner to your own cowardice."
With those haunting words, Laozimon descended the forested hill, leaving Toshiro in a dazed stupor. Beyond the lining forest, he watched as the Digimon crossed the field, before sitting crosslegged beneath a few trees in the meadows. There he sat, unmoving, as Toshiro turned to go about wandered the forest.
…
He didn't really understand why he kept walking, only that his feet wouldn't stop. Leaves were crushed beneath his shoes as his aimless stride carried him through the underbrush, deeper into the mountains, but not so far as that he couldn't find his way back to the meadows if need be. Tears that had long since dried still left their ghostly marks upon his face, as his eyes and mind drifted elsewhere.
He stumbled once, maybe twice, not really caring where his steps landed. All he could do was wait… wait for someone to tell him what to do, to bring him out of this nightmare.
But then… he finally did stop.
Tilting his head, Toshiro could hear something rustling in the trees, some forty paces off, and a growing thunderous noise. He drew closer, taking deliberate steps slowly but surely, until crack by crack on the splintered jungle floor he found himself within a caped opening, and parted some shrubbery that seemed to form a natural wall. The colors of this ridiculous dream never ceased to astound him, but by far this new sight had him baffled beyond compare. There fell water by the gallons, in a beautiful waterfall setting describable only as divine. It fell from quite a ways up, but the pool at its base was surprisingly calm, and riddled with stones of large size and bubbling shape. Standing atop one of them, tipping its frame on one leg, sat a very curious Digimon. It was tiny for one, and somewhat reminded Toshiro of an imp from memories of studied mythology, with black skin, a tail and pointed ears.
"Huh who's there?" The creature suddenly shouted as he flipped about to the sound of a broken branch. Toshiro, ever shy, clung to the edge of the fern, hoping to escape its notice.
"Hey. Cmon, I can see you easily you know." Surprised at the tone and embarrassed of his own failure, Toshiro stepped around the brush, and sat down at the waters edge, his bum rested on a neat stone facing inward.
"I'm sorry… I was just wandering, and well…"
"Wandering? Huh? Are you lost or something? Wait a minute…" Leaping down to stand right in front of Toshiro, nearly his height thanks to his age, the creature peered curiously at the boy before his eyes lit up in recognition.
"Wow, you're a human, aren't you? Talk about incredible!"
"Wh… what do you mean?" His stammering was put on hold as the Digimon extended a three-clawed hand for shaking.
"The name's Impmon, and what do they call you?" Taking the claw timidly, Toshiro made slow reply to hasty shaking of the tiny imp.
"My name is… Toshiro."
"Huh. Not much of a chatty guy are ya? Can't complain though, I've always wanted to meet a human. So what are you doing here? Cmon cmon, you can tell me."
Blushing slightly, Toshiro did his best to explain his situation to the miniature creature, phrasing his words such that he wouldn't betray his disbelief. "Well I… I don't know why exactly I'm here, but… I guess I like looking at this world, it's pretty cool."
"Isn't it? But you know, looks aren't everything. I hear there are some pretty mean Digimon raising a ruckus pretty much wherever you go, even around here, which is why I'm holding up in this special pool of mine. No evil Digimon are getting in here!" His smirk was so wide it might have split his face.
"So you like it here then? Will you be staying long?" Almost immediately Toshiro's face fell, and noticing it, so did Impmon's. His posture drooped, and he sighed.
"I guess the human world is still better than here. I've always wanted to see what it was like… do you have cool buildings? Large mountains? What about your lifestyles? Do you fight each other often, or…"
Toshiro laughed a little at his exuberance. This caused him some great amount of indignation, as Toshiro was quick to learn.
"Hey, don't laugh at me! I'm being genuine here."
"I'm sorry Impmon, you just talk so fast and so much.. it kinda reminds me of my sister a little. Well… I mean, kinda."
"You said 'kinda' twice. Are you doing okay?"
"Sorry..."
"You also said 'sorry' twice! Well whatever, if you aren't going to be here forever, we should make the most of this opportunity!"
Toshiro raised his eyes as Impmon stood up tall on his rock, stretching his clawed arms slightly ahead of him. His breath spiked a little as his right arm firmly grabbed his own, and tugged on it ever so slightly.
"Cmon, let's go have some fun Toshiro!" Slowly, and sluggishly, as if being dragged from sleep, he let himself stumble over the rocks in order to follow the Digimon on his merry way. He stepped over stones, brushed aside bushes, but through all of it he couldn't help wondering to himself… if this was a dream, he wouldn't mind it lasting a little longer.
Before long Impmon had led him to the top of the mountain, safely guiding him along non-existent paths just to see something spectacular. Toshiro was content just to listen to his comical jumping, his breathing, as he energetically led him forward.
"Hey, Impmon..."
The creature turned to look at him, without stopping or losing his stride even once. "Yeah? What's wrong?"
Toshiro looked down at his feet, clearly embarrassed by something, but refusing to outright say it. "Nothing."
Impmon could only narrow is eyes at his odd behavior, but still he kept going, not trying to pry and take Toshiro out of his comfort zone. "Look up there, that's the drop off."
Toshiro could see ahead of them a neat river flowing swiftly from a nearby lake, a small one albeit, that sat unassuming at the mountainous peak surrounded by rocks and small trees. In less than a moment, he was yanked toward the cliff face. This scared the boy, as he didn't really want to imagine such a hearty fall, but something inside him clicked… when he stared out over the valley.
If there was one word in his large vocabulary to neatly summarize this spectacle, he couldn't remember it. All he could do, was gasp in a pleasant smile, despite the dangers of being a few feet from death.
It was a sunny, hazy evening that spread out before him, with the sun on one horizon and clouds lingering close above, while the winds of the valley fluttered and flowed all around. He could feel the heat of the glare contesting with the bite of the altitude, but what truly struck him was the sights below. He could see everything, every outcropping every twist in the labyrinthian structure of the mountain range. Far into the distance there was the sea, the single largest body of water Toshiro had ever seen, and closer to home and behind him was the meadows, where a single person he knew was sitting, and waiting.
Impmon was intently watching his expressions, and was pleased with what he saw. He jumped even closer to the ledge. "Hehe, betcha your world doesn't have a view like this! Now watch this watch this, this is the best part."
The small imp raised his finger, pointing downward toward a group of bounding Digimon down and to their left. From this height it was difficult to make them out exactly, but he could vaguely make out a resemblance the beasts shared with ogres or goblins from popular monster art and cosplay… perhaps some strange mixture of the two.
"See those guys down there? There's nothing better than having a bit of harmless fun at someone else's expense." Having said as much, a flame appeared on his outstretched finger, while the imp spoke a few choice words aloud, though not so loud as to attract the attention of the Digimon below.
"Night of Fire!"
To Toshiro's amazement, the black flame lit up and launched itself down towards the unsuspecting victims. It burned the rump of one goblin, enraging the beast so much that it turned about and began attacking the first goblin it could blame. Their indecipherable curses and shouts reached the ears of one awe struck boy, and his trickster companion, who was rolling on the ground with no control over the laughter that escaped him.
"HAHAHA, they never wise up! Cmon cmon, you gotta admit that was funny! Betcha you can't do things like this in the human world."
"Wow… did you just use magic?" The laughter ceased immediately as Impmon gave the human a curious glance.
"Huh, magic? What's that?"
"Well… it's something that happens that you can't explain."
"Well then it's not magic. That was my special attack, Night of Fire. I guess you must be pretty new to the digital world after all… didn't you know that almost all Digimon have some kind of cool attack?"
Toshiro could only take a step back in amazement, and no small does of incredulity. "I had no idea… but if this is all just a dream, then it would make sense..."
Impmon gave another hearted laugh, this time at the boy's expense. "A dream? That's a good one Shiro. Nothing about this world makes sense to any of us, and that's a fact. Still..."
He breathed deeply as he stared out of the canyons, drawing his companion to do the same. "I'd rather believe in dreams, if it means getting to the human world."
Toshiro was dumfounded by his words. His head and heart were at odds, but the wisdom of such a small, fun-minded creature somehow burrowed deep and echoed in his head. "Hey..."
Impmon looked up at Toshiro. "Thanks for listening, and spending time with me. It gets lonely out here you know… there's nobody to laugh with."
Impmon sat down on the edge of the cliff, and settled into a relaxed position. Toshiro watched him do it, watched the contentment upon his face, and suddenly he was seized by a reluctant guilt. Was it worthwhile… he wondered… to call this place a dream, when he'd placed so much hope in dreams since the beginning?
Frowning, Toshiro laid himself down on the rock, if a bit further away from the edge than Impmon, and stared out with him into a waning sunset, with daintily lightly rays spreading in every direction, and the wind picking up slightly.
…
...
The two of them shared a spell of tranquility for a while, until Toshiro let out his heart to the small digimon.
They were both quiet, as they conversed.
"Impmon… I'm sorry for not being honest with you earlier."
"Huh… what do you mean?"
"In the human world, I was always trying to be something more than I was… trying to be normal."
"Normal? Why?
"Because I thought that I could feel things that have been foreign to me for so long. What is love? What is compassion? What does it mean to have courage? I know I'm just a nobody. I know I'm weak, and cowardly. All I wanted was to be like everyone else, to have friends. Its so… painful watching that chance fall away. And that's why… that's why earlier today, before I met you, I was convinced in the hope that this place was a dream."
"Oh… so then… what changed?"
"You did. You made me feel happiness. That's something only my sisters and Erena have managed."
"Then I'm happy. Nobody should ever go through life without happiness."
"...Thank you Impmon."
"No problem."
"Hey… Impmon?"
"Yeah?"
"Is it okay to call you… my friend?"
"Heh… like you even need to ask that."
"Thank you.. thank you..."
His eyelids sagged, followed by a yawn. Despite how high they were, the cold wasn't too well set, and so distant in fact that the drowsiness he felt overcame him, and he began to drift.
Who knows how long he slept there, supposing that time flew at a similar pace to the human world. It didn't matter to him.
For the time being, he was content to enjoy this dream, and secretly, he hoped it would never end. If there was one thing he adored above normality, it would be…
Happiness.
…
And so the two of them slept on through the night, hours spent in alien company, and neither were bothered. In fact, Impmon couldn't recall a recent memory more fond to him, and Toshiro had only the more recent interactions with his siblings to compare. Even though neither said a word, even though the boy never gave it pause, somehow the two of them knew that a bond stronger than friendship had formed. It was a blissful peace.
…
...
When morning came, however, it saw that peace destroyed.
A QUAKE, a thunderous, murderous pounding sound, brought them shuddering into the morning sun, which went unnoticed while they frantically tried to understand what was happening.
Another QUAKE, brought them to their knees in panic, holding to the rocks as if they might give way. Toshiro noticed in his panic a flock of bird-like Digimon soaring away from the valley floor, which brought his attention to a shaking row of trees below and to the left of the cliff's edge. Quickly following his gaze was Impmon, who made a distressed groan.
"Oh no… it's Greymon."
Toshiro looked to his companion. "G… Greymon, is that a Digimon?"
There, plastered on the face of the happy-go-lucky Digimon, was a woefully misplaced emotion that he himself was quite familiar with; fear. It made his knees wobble and eyes quake, messing with the usual confidence he exuded. "Yeah… it's a dangerous Digimon that's been prowling the island for a year now. He's the one that forced me and most of the Digimon around here into hiding… damnit!"
His fist clenched and struck the cliff, tears barely kept at bay. "I hoped he would never find this place… what happened all of a sudden that made him come this way?"
The tiny Digimon dove down the cliff-side with surprising agility, leaving a frightened Toshiro to wonder at his speed. That is, until a crash brought his attention back to the valley below, and a huge creature lumbered into sight.
It was the same gigantic, orange monstrosity from yesterday. The dinosaur gave a resounding roar, as it placed one huge foot in front of the other, in pursuit of tiny Digimon at its feet. Again, it was the same Digimon group from yesterday, the ones who had barely escaped it before. Worry erupted on Toshiro's face, as he scrambled to follow after his newfound friend. His flight down the side of the mountain was far less agile, tripping and almost plummeting twice, but still he pressed on, despite the scrapes his knees were suffering. His breath was haggard, trying to keep pace with his heart.
Before he could reach level ground, a figure appear on a ledge above him, causing him to stop in his tracks. It was Laozimon.
Briefly Toshiro felt a small prick of anger in his heart, but the Digimon said nothing to aggravate him, so he pushed onwards, letting his vendetta slide. He shoved brush after brush in his flight, hoping against hope that Impmon was safe.
...
Laozimon stood there a while longer, silent and stoic as ever, his staff rested at his side. He sighed once before jumping high into the air, and flew towards the ensuing chaos.
...
Toshiro couldn't quite understand why he felt so compelled to action. Every sane part of him screamed at him, telling him to run away. But something... some singular part of him that didn't, was so powerful, so overwhelming… that his sanity simply couldn't match. What was it… this power that drove him? It felt oddly familiar, but he couldn't remember where.
Now he stood, panting, at the pool's edge, but the forest around had been striped bare, and the grotty had been disfigured beyond recognition. Impmon was still nowhere to be found, but Toshiro could imagine the sorrow he must have felt at the loss, because he felt it too.
When beauty is destroyed, he couldn't forgive the destroyer. There was sadness now in his heart, and he hated it. He walked across the scattered stones, looking for his friend, and thats when he saw something near to his feet, covered in loose stones.
The rumbling had come closer again, and Toshiro could faintly see the Digimon panicing in the corner of his eyes… but that didn't matter to him. There was Impmon, lying face-first into the ground at the edge of the pool, his body bleeding and broken. He had no way of knowing if he was dead, and he had no way of knowing how to fix him. All he felt…
...was rage.
A new emotion, a powerful one. It rose up in his throat, mingled with the sadness he felt, and opened his heart to unleash a wholesomely fearsome cry.
His yelling turned into a curse.
"Damnit!"
That's when he felt a dainty prick against his leg, and he looked down to see Impmon staring up at him. The smile on his face never belonged there, but it did the trick, calming his anger.
"Wait… Shiro… I'm fine."
Relief spread throughout Toshiro's body, as he collapsed next to his friend, and removed the boulders on his chest.
"Impmon, thank god you're alive..."
Chuckling, Impmon wheezed out his usual whit. "Hehe, betcha you don't have this in the human world either. Probably why I want to go there so goddamn much."
He sat upright, suddenly beset by a coughing fit, before looking out at his destroyed home. "You know… I grew up with stories in my head about the wonders of the human world, but I always knew it would be impossible to reach it. To die in the company of a human, and a friend, in my haven… I couldn't have asked for a better way to go. Still… I wish I could have seen that world of yours..."
Impmon fell unconscious as he said those words, his limp body feeling much heavier in Toshiro's arms than he remembered.
"I'll make sure you see it, Impmon. Even if it kills me."
The ground had rumbled on far too long. He gently placed Impmon to the side of the pool, before standing, and walking towards the great beast of orange and black. It had pinned the smaller Digimon against a cleft in the valley, where they huddled in fear, as the Greymon tried in vain to grab them with his arms. Failing that, it reared onto its hind legs, and touch a deep, growling breath. Flame appeared around its mouth, but before it could fire it, something struck its head. A pebble. It barely tickled the beast, but it served its purpose.
The giant carnivore was now facing down a small boy, all alone, with only a stick in his hand.
Toshiro was shaking in his shoes. He hadn't the slightest idea how he would fight the beast, but he felt that if he backed down now, everything in his life up until this moment would have been pointless. So, with sweat falling from his brow and his body shaking uncontrollably, Toshiro raised his stick, mimicking his sister's kendo positioning, and yelled out with all of his heart.
"I'm going to stop you, no matter what!"
Then he blacked out. The monstrous tail had swiftly smote him against the canyon wall, and the slowly gaited monster towered over his broken body.
Its teeth grew nearer, as Toshiro regained temporary consciousness. His body wouldn't move, his weakness was overwhelming. All he could do was watch as the teeth descended towards him, nearer, and nearer.
But he didn't want it to end this way.
For the first time in his life, Toshiro let go of his own interests, and thought solely on his mission. What would become of Impmon, and his dream, if he failed here? They would all die. He wanted power. He NEEDED it.
...
And that's when he felt it, clenched in his hands as if by miracle, the weapon from the pedestal. When had it gotten there? The shape was rectangular as far as he could tell, with some straps to either side and a glass screen at its face. This had made him cower not 18 hours ago. But still his fingers clenched tightly around it despite having lost their strength long ago, and Toshiro embraced the energy it emitted. That dangerous, foreign power that made his body ache with pain… it was still power. And it was preferable.
…
…
Then there was an explosion.
Light ERUPTED all around him, wind BLASTED in every direction, and Toshiro found himself struggling to remain rooted to the ground. But POWER flowed into him, filling his every cell, pushing each muscle past the point of breaking, and pain LIT each inch of his body.
He screamed in agony, clutching his own body at its sides, as fire consumed him and broke him down only to build him back up. His senses were going haywire. Light fluctuations contorted his sense of reality, and nausea filled his head at the overwhelming myriad of new sensations that bombarded him unawares. The pain ebbed into a dull ache, and the winds began to die.
...
He blinked as the sounds around him came back into focus, and his eyes began to work properly again.
Only when he opened them, nothing was familiar. Color shone brightly through every pore of every part of the land, everything was enhanced twice over, and he could hardly bare it at first. He shielded his eyes, before letting them down again, and adjusting.
That's when he realized… he didn't have any hands. He had paws. Two sets of them. He was a… a… a dog?
He didn't have much time to adapt to his predicament, instead instincts seemed to take control of his body has he leapt nimbly to the side, narrowly avoiding a swipe of the larger Digimon's tail. Toshiro bounded up the canyon wall and rested atop it, where he was allowed a moment to look over his new body.
He had fur.
He had a fluffy tail.
He was red and orange.
He had claws, sharp teeth, a snout.
He had four legs.
His eyesight, smell, and physical capabilities had all been bolstered to preposterous heights… but the greatest surprise of all… the thing that would worry him the most in hindsight… was how readily he accepted it.
Approaching heavy footsteps and the sound of clanging metal brought his attention backwards, where he saw Laozimon approach. The large Digimon was slightly higher than before, meaning that his form had come at a small cost, but his attention was stolen as the figure spoke out for the first time that morning.
"Congratulations Toshiro Tengi, this is your first taste of freedom. How does it feel… being your own master, and knowing the essence of what makes a human?"
Toshiro's gaze turned to the ruptures in the canyon, too transfixed in the moment to care about his words or grudges, but he felt emotions now that he'd never known existed, which struck a chord in the speeches Laozimon delivered.
If there was indeed something to be found in courage, then he'd found it, and in a word the summation of his ordeal was: Power.
And it would have made him happy, if it weren't for the situation. Another explosion of rock brought Toshiro bounding down the canyon side, eager to test this new power, and reveling in the strength of character it seemed to gift him. The ENERGY he had was astounding, and it intoxicated him like a drug, to the point where he could shout with confidence in the defense of the weak.
Oh and that was another thing. Apparently he could still speak despite having the body of an animal.
"Greymon!"
The clumsy giant turned about from his quarry at the sound of Toshiro's voice, which seemed inlaid with a new echoing pitch, and immediately it salivated in anticipation of devouring the far more data-rich creature before him. Toshiro would not be backing down today. Instead he stared up at the beast with fire in his eyes.
"I'm your opponent."
There was no need for further preamble as the two charged each other, intent on ending the existence of the enemy. But Toshiro quickly altered his course in comedic abandon once he realized the difference in size and power that still existed between them.
"This is insane!" He frantically ran about the canyon on all fours, trying to think of a way to outsmart the Greymon, while barely dodging blasts of fire from its mouth.
"Ouch! Hot!" And so the two of them chased each other around for a few minutes, until Toshiro finally got an idea. Above them was a cascade of rocks waiting to happen, and in the back of his mind was a special… something, an ability of this form he assumed, surfacing like a well-trained memory.
"This must be my 'cool attack' like Impmon was talking about." Yelping he barely managed to dodge another tail swipe that hit the canyon wall, causing it to rumble and loosing a few rocks on the beasts spinal appendage.
The beast roared from the pain, and began chasing the boy in renewed rage. But the boy had a plan, and he was ready to set it in motion. He stopped dead just as the Greymon came under a cleft of stone, and waited for the next fireball. When it finally came, Toshiro dodged to the side, but still the wall didn't cave from the impact of the attack. He frowned, but didn't move. Finally, fed up with the chase, Greymon charged Toshiro, who was trapped in a corner crevice. The beast struck him dead-on with his armored skull, its horns piercing straight through into the stone.
All was silent for a moment.
The shocked expression on Toshiro's face faded.. as did the rest of his body.
The rocks above crumbled and caved, tumbling down onto the hapless Digimon, who was crushed under the pile of rubble. Thud after thud, and finally it was over.
Toshiro panted heavily a safe distance away, faint trials of smoke coming from his orange and red fur. He imagined himself reeking, but Toshiro was satisfied with the results, and so he heaved sided with a mighty exhausted sigh, and fell to the ground.
He breathed in, breathed out, felt his furry chest rising and falling in tandem… it felt a if all the energy in his body had been sapped just by using that one ability, and by the unusual physical exertion he admittedly didn't expect to have.
Small pitter patter steps approached him somewhere in the direction of his head. He opened one eye, then the other, as the tiny bald heads of pink Digimon came into view, their huge eyes staring down at him in admiration. He raised one hand, grunting slightly at the effort, to pat one on the head.
That's when he saw Laozimon approaching the rubble, walking slowly but intently toward the crushed Digimon, and curiosity made Toshiro sit up straight as best he could, his strength slowly returning to him. He stopped, his feet squarely planted, and turned his head to beckon Toshiro forward. Sighing with unspoken complaint, Toshiro heaved himself off the ground as hard as he could, and struggled to maintain his four-legged balance while he straightened his gait. Then, step by step, he trudged forward.
A full minute is what it took him to reach Laozimon, but the effects of battle were noticeably decaying as his muscles regenerated in a fashion he could feel, still, Laozimon was eager to continue.
"You have done exceptionally well, Toshiro Tengi, if perhaps a little worse for where from the effort. Now the great weapon is yours to hold and command, and is bound to you. See there on your left wrist."
Toshiro's turned his vulpine head down to his forward left leg, which might be his wrist were he a human, and widened his eyes at the sight of the device clinging there tightly to his skin. He shook his leg quickly, secretly hoping it might come off, but it held fast.
He sighed, and asked the desperate question lingering on his soul. "I wonder… sir… if it were possible for me to change back."
"You needn't worry, the Digivice has the ability to store and release this state at your command. Simply focus your will on the task, and the Digivice will respond accordingly."
Hope filled Toshiro's eyes as he focused what he imagined his 'will' to be on the idea of transforming back into his human body. His muscles tensed and strained with visible effort, until finally, a data stream appeared, wrapping itself Toshiro continuously until he felt a dull pain cover his body. Slowly his appearance shifted into humanoid form, and the light disappeared… revealing Toshiro in all his humanity.
Toshiro felt himself over frantically with his hands, sighing contently with the repaired image, before noticing a lingering spell of fatigue that didn't exist before.
Laozimon could see the confusion clearly.
"It should be noted that your Digimon form's benefits exist only as a Digimon. Human bodies are quite weak, by comparison."
"What… what do you mean Digimon? Do I… do I become a Digimon when I'm like that?"
An amused chuckle escaped the wise Digimon's lips. "Of course, did you really just figure that out?"
A tinge of pride tweaked Toshiro's shy composure.
"Regardless, there's quite a host of things you must know about the destiny of he who holds the great weapon. Calamity approaches, and..."
"Wait, Impmon!"
Toshiro ignored the irate Digimon in favor of running toward the motionless body of his fallen friend. He placed his hand atop the small, frail body, trying to feel for a pulse, but found none.
Tears welled up inside him.
It wasn't fair!
He'd tried so hard to save him… had finally found his courage, but the things he wanted to save… the one thing in this world he wanted to be re-united with… he was gone.
He cried.
…
Toshiro's cries only ebbed when he heard Laozimon approach.
"It is tragic, but why did you care so much about this single Digimon? You couldn't have known him more that a handful of hours..."
The first thing Toshiro felt in response to that statement… was anger.
"Shut up… he was my friend."
If Laozimon was surprised at the response, he didn't show it. Instead, silence was heard for a while, until Toshiro begged in a defeated, hoarse voice.
"Please… is there any way to save him? Is there anything in this world to save my friends?"
"There is."
Toshiro jumped, and turned to face Laozimon with red eyes dripping moisture and a shocked expression sitting there.
"There is? Tell me!"
"It's there on your wrist."
Still wearing his shocked expression, Toshiro's eyes fell upon the device that still clung tightly to his wrist, bearing a striking resemblance to a watch now that he looked closely. He placed a timid hand on the interface, hoping for a reaction.
Then his eyes turned back to Laozimon in expectation. "Pay attention to what I have to say now, Toshiro."
His staff struck the ground, and from him emerged a violent wind that soon died after a moment, but all had become silent except for his authoritative voice.
"The Digivice of this era has a name unlike any of its predecessors, and that name is part of the destiny befitting the destined child of its time.
In an age long before this one, and in every age that followed after, the Digidestined were chosen by this world to become its savior, aiding it in times of great peril. During each and every conflict, a device such as the one you wear now would find its way to their chosen hosts, in order to grant them the power needed to combat the darkest entities of the digital world. Such a time has arisen Toshiro, and now, you have been chosen."
Toshiro's confused question interrupted his speech. "Hold on, I don't want to be part of this destiny, I just want to..."
"Do you wish to save that creature in your arms?"
Toshiro immediately shut himself up.
"The role of Digidestined is not so easily discarded, Toshiro. The device chose you, because in your heart exists a love for the good, and it is that same love that will allow you to protect your friend."
"H… how?"
"The Digikeeper has a very special function, one that has not seen use since the formation of the Digidestined, but has come to light now because of the catastrophe this world faces. See there on the left side of the console, there lies a button that can store your friend's data, preserving and restoring it as the Calamity weakens."
Toshiro quickly moved to touch the button, but was restrained by the arms of Laozimon, who stared down at him with intent, but not a malicious one.
"However… you will not be able to see him again… until the crisis has been averted. Do you understand me? If you choose to save him, you must do so with a promise. A promise to accept and fulfill your destiny."
Toshiro could have wept then and there, if it weren't for the tears already spent upon his face.
"It's not fair."
…
"It just isn't fair. I finally had what I wanted. I had friends, friends that I could understand, and could understand me. But now… but now… now I have to either give one up… or give myself up for them in order to save someone else's world."
"I can see you feel strongly about this, Toshiro. I'm sorry."
Toshiro looked up at him again, a painful look stapled there.
"Toshiro, I understand you completely, but the disasters that befall this world are never contained to this world. You may not believe it now, but if you refuse to help, and the digital world falls, the human world will be next to go. Think Toshiro! I came to your world and brought you here with minimal effort, but the Calamity that approaches will bring about legions of darkness that will tear you, your world, and your families apart. If you have no heart for those of us who live here, surely you must have a place in your heart for humanity."
Toshiro choked once, clenching his fists.
He hated this so much, and yet…
His fists softened.
He reached for the button, and hesitating for a moment… pressed it gently. A flash of light came suddenly from the screen, and the body of Impmon was swiftly converted into a stream of data that entered the device. A rumbling nearby alerted the two companions to the deceased Greymon, which also began to dissolve into data. It all flowed through the air in curving rivers, straight into the waiting digital screen that seemed to absorb it all hungrily.
It flashed once more when the rivers met their end, and the last of the data disappeared.
And still, Toshiro was crying. "Impmon… I promise, I won't rest until you see the human world for yourself."
Woefully he turned to face Laozimon, a resigned, but determined look on his face. "Laozimon… if I cannot avoid this fate… then at least help me along the way. I don't know what to do."
Laozimon smiled down at him with his eyes. "If you could see yourself now, Toshiro, you would see someone entirely different from who you were when you entered this place. All doubt has left you."
His eyes glinted.
"Excellent!"
.
.
I will always appreciate constructive criticism. For example, do you think I moved to quickly with Impmon's friendship? Was there some distaste in Toshiro's psychological development? Be sure to comment and tell me so.