Episode 10 Wind V.S. Steel
Nine days later was also known as the first day of December. Icria didn't return to school that week after Thanksgiving break. Her mom assumes that she's having fun in Kamakura. She couldn't be any less worried.
"I'm sure she's fine," her mom would say. "Icria just needs a little time alone." They even tried making calls, but she never picks up.
"I say we sneak on a train and go to Kamakura to see for ourselves!" Kris suggested. "There's no way she can be absent for four weeks and can still keep up with her homework! Besides, what fun is it without us?" Haruki slowly came to a stop after his 8th circle around the classroom.
"Anything?" Suoh asked while slumping in his chair.
"Anything but something," Haruki sighed and shoved his cell phone back into this pocket. "Why don't we just go anyways," he suggested.
"Fine," Kris gave in. They exited the classroom and snuck into the computer lab. No one was there after school on Fridays. They gathered around the school computer.
"I hope this works like last time." She held out her digivice, with Suoh and Haruki, and aimed it towards the computer. In a few seconds, they were sucked into the digital world.
The ground was soft, but warm. Specks of sand flew around their heads as if they were in a cup that was being stirred. Ahead of them was a small town that looked abandoned in the middle of the storm.
"This looks like it," Kris smiled. "Just what Zoe said. I guess you really can choose which area of the digital world you land in." They walked into the village and knew that the area couldn't be very dangerous. They peeked into one of the shops. A Burgermon was happily running back and forth a tray of buns next to the stove.
"Hellow there," another Burgermon called from one of the tables inside. "You must be the new digidestineds. Welcome!" she smiled happily while holding her cup of tea.
"Uh, yeah. How could you tell?" Suoh asked.
"Everyone knows the heroes that saved some other villages a few months ago," she recalled. "Ophanimon was so pleased, and even Seraphimon was glad his castle only had minor damage."
"Is that so?" Haruki grinned, remembering breaking most of the crystal walls of the castle while battling Chrysalimon at Seraphimon's castle. They took a seat next to the Bugermon.
"You see, the children from before saved my husband and my children from a great big digimon a year ago. He wanted a new, better burger in order for them to bring back my husband. They helped make new creations and bring him and my children back," she stated. "At first I thought they'd come back, the old digidestineds, but if there were new legendary warriors, then there would be new children too."
The Burgermon that was once moving a tray of buns was now moving a tray full of hamburgers towards their table.
"Try one," he said. "This was created by your friend, Tommy."
"Wow, they're way better than McDonalds," Kris blurted.
"That kid making this? I don't think I can believe that," Suoh laughed as he started for his third serving.
"That's because you cook like Takuya, Suoh. All there is to it is meat and more meat," Haruki teased.
"Face it, guys just can't cook," someone called from behind the counter. She took off the cooking hat the Burgermon gave her to wear.
"Icria!" Kris shouted.
"You took a while to get here," she sighed as she walked towards their table.
"Well, duh. That's because we were waiting for you! Why didn't you answer your phone?"
"Be reasonable Kris." She held out her phone. "No satellite, no signal, no calls. You can't rely on technology anymore in the digital world." Icria pulled a chair from another table and sat next to Haruki. For some reason, he felt uncomfortable.
"So why did you want us to go to this area?" Suoh asked.
"I came here by myself once and felt something strange. I thought, maybe you would want to see for yourself," Icria replied.
"Then, let's check it out." Suoh got up from his chair and walked towards the double wooden doors.
"Thank you for the food," Kris stated and followed Haruki after Suoh.
"Be careful," the Burgermon warned. The sandstorm started to lose its speed. Only sand that flew was below their knees. Suoh looked both ways to the edges of the town. They were about an equal distance.
"Kris, Icria, you search on that end," Suoh pointed in the opposite direction here the wind blew. "We'll meet back in two hours. If not, come look for us or we'll look for you." Without complain Kris and Icria strolled down the road. Suoh and Haruki walked the other way.
"Are you sure Kris is going to be okay with Icria by herself?" Haruki asked.
"What?" Suoh was confused. "Why wouldn't she be? They're girls after all."
"Don't tell me you didn't notice something strange. She had this weird presence as if something possesses her. She was surprisingly happy too."
"Maybe you were just hungry," Suoh joked.
"I'm serious!" he yelled. "Since when does Icria invite us to things she finds, or even takes your orders so willingly? That's not Icria!" Suoh thought for a bit
"Maybe she's just changed. Haruki, we haven't seen her for a month. Anything could've happened to her. Don't overdo it."
"Not like this, Icria would never be this calm."
They walked silently in thought. They were about fifty yards from the town and were traveling in nothing but sand. A hand suddenly immerged from the sand and grabbed Haruki's leg. He fell and was slowly being dragged back.
"Haruki!" Suoh grabbed his hand and tugged the opposite direction. After a few minutes, the hand finally released.
"That damn thing whatever it was!" Haruki yelled while getting up.
"If you weren't so heavy, it would be less painful," the digimon teased. They looked up and saw the grey dinosaur standing about ten feet away.
"You again!" Haruki was furious. "You're the asshole who sent Devimon and Devidramon to attack our school!"
"Glad you remember, Haruki Tsukino," he smirked.
How does it know my name? He thought. Haruki watched it closely. The digimon pulled out his two knives from his back. Without hesitation, Haruki released the fractal code from his hand into his digivice. Suoh followed moments later.
"Execute!" they both yelled. "Evolution!"
"Koorimon!"
"MetalGarudamon!"
"Suoh!" Koorimon yelled. "What are you doing? You know you can't control your beast spirit yet!"
"At least I'm giving it a shot!" he replied from the air above. "You can't beat him if you plan to fight like last time!" That was true. The last time Koorimon fought the digimon, he was barely trying, and that was when he was only using one knife. Koorimon just had to fight, and ignored the past.
"Crystal Slash!" he yelled as blue, icy flames rose from his sword. The digimon stopped his attack with the knife in his right hand. He used the other to stab Koorimon, but missed. They continued in a sequence of blocking and missing. MetalGarudamon took the opportunity to attack.
"Lightling Rod!" MetalGarudamon cried and threw his spear of electricity towards it. The digimon swiftly shifted his knife to reflect off the electricity. It flew back at MetalGarudamon but it didn't effect him. A spark landed on Koorimon and he held back his attack.
"Suoh, I got an idea," Koorimon whispered while in defense mode. "Turn back into Diosmon."
"Why?" MetalGarudamon asked. "Beast spirits are stronger."
"Just do it." The digimon was slightly amused at their plan to defeat him. It just watched.
"Now what?" Diosmon replied snobbery.
"It doesn't look like it can attack in any other way but by using his knives," Koorimon stated. "We need lots of fire. MetalGarudamon can only use thunder attacks, and my attacks of ice and wind won't do anything. Think of it as a house. Fire can't reflect off steel, and it burns wood."
"So we're making a wildfire?"
"Exactly." Koorimon held up his sword, ready to attack.
"You guys bore me," the digimon stated and started to approach with both knives pointing at them. "Death Behind!"
"Wildfire Blitz!" Diosmon shouted and released a huge amount of fire from his hands. The digimon could have cut through his attack. However, Koorimon made the attack bigger and harder to avoid.
"Frozen Wind!" Koorimon blew out blue flames from his sword moments later after Diosmon attacked. The two attacks fused and were created as a flaming tornado. The digimon took the attack without a choice. They cheered of his defeat. Koorimon pointed his sword to its throat before it could get up.
"Who are you?" he yelled. "I know you're not a normal digimon." It laughed.
"Then you have a good sense," he smiled. "You win this time. It was a good fight, but next time I won't hold back."
"I'm not asking you whether you want to live or not," Koorimon yelled back. "Who the hell are you!?"
"None of your concern," he sighed calmly and pushed his sword away.
"Looks like you lost, Sealsdramon," a voice called from the sky. Her white dress fluttered with the wind. She held onto a human by her collar with one hand.
"You're right," Sealsdramon sighed. "They've improved as legendary warriors, but they're still weak."
"Aeromon!" Diosmon shouted. "It's dangerous to hold Kris like that!"
"Like I really care," Aeromon sneered and dropped Kris from the sky. Diosmon ran and was able to catch her in time. Kris was barely conscious.
"Aermon!" Diosmon started to yell.
"Don't," Koorimon stopped him. "It's not her," he reminded. Aeromon held a huge grin on her face as if she was about to laugh.
"I never knew you were that strong, Haruki. It'll be interesting to fight you." She teased. "Kris was absolutely no challenge."
"Sorry," Kris whispered when she could hear them talking. "I knew Icria wouldn't be like this, but I still didn't want to fight her. Now she has them."
"Has what?" Diosmon asked. Aeromon showed off the four spirits she had glowing in her hands.
"The wonderful spirits of water and earth." Aeromon smiled. "If you want them, one of you must fight me. But if you lose, I get yours."
"You're willing to give up those spirits?" Sealsdramon asked.
"It's only fair since you got two and I fought one." Aeromon smiled and absorbed the spirits back into her body. She pointed her staff at them. "Deal?"
Koorimon responded by filling up his sword with blue energy and held it with both hands, ready to attack.
Episode 11 Light into Darkness
Koorimon held up his blazing sword, but didn't attack. Diosmon dedigivolved back into human and carried Kris, who was still unconscious, off father away from their battle arena. Sealsdramon had already retreated.
"Are you also afraid to attack me?" Aeromon smirked. Koorimon released a stream of blue energy from his sword. She easily brushed it aside with one hand. Her other hand, that was holding her staff, rose above her hand just before Koorimon's sword reached the tip of her hair.
"Icria," Koorimon whispered while still pushing down on her staff. "Please, fight it."
"Haruki," she smiled. "Light and darkness can't be in peace for long. Seraphimon and Cherubimon were a fool to join the spirits. Face it, one of them has to win."
"It doesn't have to be darkness."
"The strongest ones are from darkness," she objected. "Cherubimon, Lucemon."
"Then what about MagnaGarurumon and Susanoomon? They both had to control the elements as much as they did."
"Haruki, there is darkness in everyone's heart. You have it too, and it will stay with you forever."
"That's not the way to become strong. You can't just surrender everything to…"
"There is nothing I have surrendered!" Aeromon yelled and pushed back on Koorimon's sword. Koorimon fell back and stood up again. "If you don't want to fight, hand them over." Koorimon attacked again.
"Crystal Slash!"
"Solar Flare!" Aeromon fired back viciously and released a yellow stream as if it was a rope. It destroyed Koorimon's attack and hit Koorimon like a giant whip. Sand was falling from the impact.
"I guess I win again," she sighed. Then a huge gust of wind blew in front of her as if the sandstorm was starting again. Aeromon covered her eyes until it stopped a minute later. There was a huge beast about eight feet tall and had white fur. IT looked like a tiger with wings of an angel.
"It's not over yet," it growled.
"Interesting," Aeromon stated. "The beast of wind, JagerGryphomon."
"Avalanche Missile!" JagerGryphomon yelled and fired a round, blue sphere from his mouth. Aeromon slightly dodged it from its extreme speed. She attempted to attack back after, but JagerGryphomon had already fled from his previous position.
"This is fun," Aeromon laughed and waved her staff in circles above her head. "Moonlight's Shadow!" She casted six other replicates that allowed her to see in every direction. She still couldn't see him. JagerGryphomon leaped out from under the sand moments later and flew straight at the center of where the replicates stood.
"Zephyr Gale!" He began to spin and created a strong tornado. Aeromon was in one piece again, and had slightly avoided it. At the same time, JagerGryphomon stopped spinning and slapped her unexpectedly with his tail from behind. Aeromon was on the ground again, too dazed to focus clearly on his movements.
"Avalanche Missile!" he attacked once last time. The sphere hit the ground a few inches from Aeromon. However, the impact was so strong it was able to freeze Aeromon up to her chest. She couldn't move. JagerGryphomon flew down next to Aeromon and returned to his human form. Kris was awake again. They ran closer to Haruki and Aeromon to hear their conversation.
"The spirits," Haruki briefly stated with his hand out in front of her. He started at her coldly until she replied.
"I guess you're not such an idiot after all," Aeromon sighed. Four figures slowly emerged from her body and flew into Haruki's hands.
"Don't try to act like Icria," he scoffed. "You can't replace her no matter what you do."
"There isn't much you can do about it," she hissed. "No matter how much you love her, she's my puppet now. Soon the rest of you will be too." The ice quickly melted from her body and leaped into the sky. Aeromon glanced at Kris and Suoh before she disappeared in the sunlight.
"Haruki!" Kris yelled in joy. "That was awesome! I want a beast spirit as strong as yours," she complimented. Haruki just smiled and nodded. The spirits in his hands moved towards Kris. Her digivice accepted them back happily.
"Haruki, can I ask you something?" Suoh asked.
"What is it?" Haruki replied in his false, cheery voice..
"How did you know that wasn't the real Icria?" How could you tell?"
"At first," he stopped a moment and gave it a thought. "I knew Icria wasn't that cheery. That was a given. Somehow, I can usually feel a strong force coming from her digivice when we're in the digital world. But I didn't feel that, the force seemed like it was weakened."
"Haruki, you seem to know something we don't," Kris stated. Haruki stopped talking and stared off into the empty desert that blew against his face. He closed his eyes and sighed.
"She can't control it. She's trapped."
Episode 12 Things Are Not As They Seem
The digidestineds returned home and got together with the past digidestineds. They assembled at Yoyogi Park one afternoon. Takuya, JP, and Tommy were unable to come.
"She can't control it," Haruki repeated. "Light and darkness aren't exactly the best combination."
"He's right," Koichi continued. "If you were there when Lucemon used both elements on us, you would've have survived." Koichi had a personal experience with the elements before. Previously, he was unable to handle the spirits of darkness by itself. Then when Lucemon attacked with darkness and light, he risked his life to save the others. He didn't make it.
"And why are we the only ones who don't know that Icria was hypnotized?" Kris stared.
"First off, she wasn't' hypnotized; she just lost control." Koji rolled his eyes. "And she knew she was losing control before because she kept on having visions of the past, when we were there a year ago. She didn't want any of you to be worried so she only told us." Kris looked at Haruki.
"Don't look at me," he said innocently. "I forced Zoe to tell me."
"And I forced them to tell me too," Zoe defended. "It was obvious they were hiding something."
"Anyways," Suoh coughed. "Back to the topic…"
"Whenever she spirit evolved, all that strength didn't come from her," Koichi continued. "Icria didn't want anyone to worry. She thought she would have been able to control it sooner or later."
"But it didn't look like she was out of control," Suoh stated.
"Not entirely, just sometimes. That was one reason why Aeromon was stronger and faster than the rest of you."
"She couldn't have just lost it all the sudden."
"Suoh," Haruki asked. "Remember Lilithmon?" Everyone turned to silence. N one could've beaten her. Even MetalGarudamon wasn't strong enough.
"Yea."
"Don't' get the wrong idea," said Koji. "Her will to kill was from herself. She just wanted to protect everyone."
"I know," Haruki replied. "But after that, she was too weak to protect herself." Koji and Koichi thought hard. Koji remembered carrying her to Koichi's house. Koichi put her in bed, but before he left her room, she whispered, Koichi, It's over. But there wasn't anything he could've done but pretend nothing happened.
"I agree," Koichi sighed. He felt guilty for not doing anything at that time. Everyone else just assumed that's what happened and hoped for the best.
The following Tuesday, Icria had returned to school like any normal student. She was content as usual. The digidestineds did not talk to her, but didn't avoid her.
"Today we are going to do a lab about photosynthesis," said the teacher. "We will leave the plants overnight to see the results tomorrow. Now, I have your lab partners assigned. Please go to an empty lab station once I call your name." She started to read off her list.
"Hey Kris," Suoh whispered.
"Hm?"
"Doesn't she look a little..too normal?"
"Maybe Lilithmon's a good actor. Who knows."
"Fujita and Shibayama," the teacher continued. "Yamagata and Koga, Minamoto and Takahashi."
"Good luck," Kris teased and rose from her seat. She walked towards the lab table where Raiden was at. Suoh took his time and walked over to the table Icria was standing by. She was already quietly working. Suoh decided not to bother her. They were in silence for the past ten minutes.
"So, Kris-chan," Rai smiled. "Do you like it here?"
"It's fine, I guess." Kris tried to stay away from him.
"Hey I heard you got the history teacher pissed off a few weeks ago."
"That's none of your business, asshole!" Kris ignored him for the rest of the time they were working.
"Takahashi, can you pass the scissors?" Icria asked. Suoh stared at her surprised.
"Uh, sure." He reached for a pair of scissors from the box next to him and handed it to her. "Why did you call me Takahashi?"
"Isn't that your name?" Icria said puzzled.
"Why can't you just call me Suoh?"
"Well, you never told me your name was Suoh," she sighed. "Alright, I'll call you Suoh-kun and you can all me Icria. Happy?" She went back to work while Suoh continued to stare at her awkwardly.
"Stop staring," she sneered.
"Icria."
"Yea?"
"Do you know her name?" Suoh pointed to Kris from the other side of the classroom.
"Yamagata…"
"Do you know her real name?"
"No." Suoh paused.
"How about…that guy next to her?"
"That's Rai. He goes to the Ninja Academy I was raised at in Kamakura." Suoh found out a little more information about where she was from that she hasn't told anyone. He ignored that and continued to test her.
"And him?" Suoh pointed to JP who was near Kris and Rai.
"Shibayama? Hey, why are you asking me this?"
"Just wondering," he falsely smiled. "No big deal." A few minutes later, everyone was done with their work. They chatted freely for a few minutes before the next class.
"Kris," Suoh called. "I don't think that's Lilithmon, or the real Icria."
"Why not?" she asked.
""First off, she's nowhere near being evil," he joked. "Second, she doesn't know our names, but she knows everyone else's. Lilithmon knows. She called us by our first names a few days ago."
"Haruki's in the next class with her. Why don't we ask him to check if he feels anything weird?"
"Nothing," Haruki stated. "She's completely normal. Cranky little hime," he added. Suoh and Haruki just finished their soccer practice after school. Kris was watching them while doing homework.
"Does that mean she's back under control?" Kris asked.
"But she doesn't remember anything from the digital world, not even us," Suoh objected.
"Maybe you should trust your friend more," someone spoke from the school gate a few meters away.
"That's none of your business, Rai," Kris sneered. "Get lost." Suddenly, Haruki could feel the same force from Icria before. His eyes widened and his hands were clenched into a fist.
"What's wrong? Can't control your beast yet?" Rai teased. Haruki ran towards him and pushed him towards the gate. He held Rai by his collar.
"So your real name is Rai," Haruki spat.
"Haruki, don't!" Suoh shouted.
"Remember when I told you thunder, ice and wind attacks won't work against wood and steel?" Haruki growled loudly.
"Yeah, but you shouldn't be talking about that right now."
"Suoh, what ever happened to the spirits of steel and wood? We didn't get them, someone else did; someone who was watching our backs the whole time." Haruki continued to stare at Rai. Rai gave a huge grin.
"You must be still mad at the kiss I gave her," he smirked.
"What did you do to Icria?" Haruki continued.
"I didn't do anything. I'm a simple pawn and so is she."
"But both of you are after the spirits."
"We're just doing what are masters want. It's more of a competition to see who can claim them all first. Icria is not my ally."
"And who are these masters?"
"There are three of them, and one more who is the strongest. One of them is Lilithmon, but I won't' tell you the rest."
"Then why did you tell us all this?" Suoh asked.
"Because," Rai sighed. "There was no reason for you to receive the spirits in the first place. None of you are strong enough. It's best if you all went back to your normal lives."
"And you?"
"Unlike the rest of you, I'm capable of controlling both spirits. It's more fun than those online RP games. I'm strong enough to survive. But at this rate, you guys might as well die on your next trip to the digital world."
"What do you mean?" Kris yelled. "The digital world isn't a RP game! They're real and living, just like this world. Why the hell would you fight on the bad side? Do you really want everything in both worlds to die!?"
"That is not of my concern either." Rai rolled his eyes. "I couldn't care less about those virtual pixels. How about you? Why do you bother risking your lives to save something that isn't important to you?" Kris was silent. "Well, if you don't have a reason then you can just give it up now."
Raiden grabbed Haruki's arm with both hands and made a flip over his head. He released and Haruki flew across the school ground, back to where Suoh and Kris stood. Icria was nearby and saw the attack. Raiden took out his silver digivice.
"Execute! Sealsdramon!" Suoh and Kris prepared to spirit evolve as well. Haruki was still in pain on the floor.
"It's not going to be that easy," SUoh yelled and started to glow bright red.
"Stop!" someone called. She stood in front of Sealsdramon. "Don't attack. Neither of you should be fighting!"
"But Icria," Kris softly replied.
"I don't care what you guys are," Icria continued. "Either stop your fighting, or take your asses somewhere else!" Sealsdramon took out his knife from his back. He used the moment to stabbed Icria while she was still facing the other way. Icria was quick enough to realize it and blocked it with a kunai from her pouch. She turned around.
"Rai-kun, do you want to die?" she yelled. But he wasn't there.
"Icria!" Kris screamed. Sealsdramon was about to stab her again from behind. Suoh and Kris were too far away to stop him. Icria couldn't react fast enough to block him either. A few inches before the knife reached her skin, Haruki jumped from the side and grabbed her. They both fell a few feet from Sealsdramon. His arm was bleeding from its deep cut.
"Tsukino, you idiot," Icria moaned looking at the blood dripping. Haruki was lying on top of her, still holding.
"I'm fine," he lied. The knife slid across his skin about two inches long. "You're okay though right?" Icria nodded. Kris couldn't watch anymore.
"Execute! Magiemon!" Magiemon approached closer to Sealsdramon to attack. Icria stared at the familiar digimon floating in the air. Suddenly, her head was in pain and screamed.
"Icria, are you alright?" Haruki asked. He tried to calm her by holding her tightly.
"Magiemon…"she whispered.
Episode 13 Remembrance
"I don't know how you do things here, but any guy who messes with a girl deserves their death penalty!" Magiemon yelled.
"Do you want to lose your spirits again?" Sealsdramon threatened. "Being legendary warriors means risking your life. There's no rule saying legendary warriors can't kill other legendary warriors. She'll just have to be alert on her on."
"Coral Escapade!" Magiemon waved her wand at Sealsdramon. The ground below grew think vines around him. A few tangled his hands, legs, and neck. The rest tightly enclosed Sealsdramon in a giant ball of plants.
"Icria, what's wrong?" Haruki yelled. Icria was still screaming. Her hands were clenched tightly on her head and her eyes were closed. Haruki still held onto her tightly while she squirmed.
"Haruki," Suoh yelled as he ran closer towards them. "Take Icria home, we'll fight him."
"No way!" Haruki objected. "Sealsdramon's my enemy!"
"He's all of ours! Don't think you can handle him again by yourself with that arm!" Haruki looked at the cut on his left shoulder. It had stopped bleeding, but the pain was still there.
"Icria, get on my back," he spoke softly. She had stopped screaming, but her head was still dizzy. "Good luck," Haruki blessed before running off to his house which was the closest. Suoh pulled out his digivice after they disappeared around the corner
"Execute! Diosmon!" Sealsdramon was swiftly slicing through Magiemon's vines, but she kept on adding more. Dismon thought about using the same strategy he had did with Koorimon.
"Wildfire Blitz!" Diosmon yelled and caught the vines on fire. Sealsdramon jumped out of the cage a few seconds later, slightly burned. He returned back into his human form.
"She's right," Rau sighed. "If we keep fighting, the whole school's gonna burn," he laughed. "Better off fighting in the digital world where things don't matter." Magiemon and Diosmon were still prepared to fight, but Rai walked out of the school casually and strolled back home.
"Water Dragon Summoning," Magiemon whispered and closed her eyes. The water from their school pool moved steadily in a line around the school. Then it circles the wildfire a few times before it settled in the blaze.
"We should see how they're doing," Kris stated after putting out the fire. Suoh nodded.
"She's asleep," Zoe whispered while putting away the first aid kit back in the drawer. Zoe had given Icria a change of clothes after she fell asleep.
"Oh," Haruki breify responded. He rubbed gently on his wound that Zoe bandaged.
"And what about you?" she asked.
"It's just a cut," Haruki replied. "But I'm worried about Suoh and Kris. I should've battled him instead."
"You shouldn't lay any doubts on your teammates."
"I know, but Kris doesn't have a beast spirit yet. Plus her elements wouldn't work well on Sealsdramon. But I guess she'll do fine with Suoh."
"Just rest a bit, don't worry," Zoe sighed. She left the living room and returned to her room to do her homework. Haruki returned to his room upstairs where Icria was lying on her side, staring at the wall.
"Can't sleep?" Haruki asked as he closed the door. He sat on the bed.
"Haruki," she whispered. "I'm sorry." He was surprised she called him by his first name.
"Sorry for what?" Icria sat up from the bed. She looked like she was still asleep.
"I'm sorry for forgetting who you are. I remember everything now," she spoke. "I hurt everyone. Lilithmon took over my body after we fought. Then she erased my memory of everything in the digital world. Lilithmon trapped me in her cage, but I still saw everything."
"She fought Magiemon, she almost killed her!" Icria suddenly yelled. "She almost killed you too!" Haruki put his hand over her mouth.
"Calm down, princess," he smiled. "We're all fine."
"I'm still caged," she growled. "She can do anything to me; take over my body anytime. Haruki, just do it. Kill me."
"What…"
"You have to. It'll be easier to save the digital world this way. Just kill me!" Before Icria could yell anymore, Haruki grabbed her around the waist and pushed her forward so that their lips met.
"Icria," Haruki whispered while still holding her. "Even if you were a threat to both worlds, I couldn't kill you." Icria just looked down.
"Strange," he chuckled. "I thought you were going to slap me for that, or at least call me an idiot."
"Bakayarou," she stated.
"Ouch," he laughed. "Even worse." Icria laughed too.
"Haruki," she said serious again. Haruki stopped laughing. "Then at least take the spirits."
"What do you mean?"
"The original Aeromon from the spirits of light and darkness are not the same as the Aeromon that Lilithmon uses. If you took it, she wouldn't notice, and it would be safe." She reached for her digivice in her back pocket and gave it to Haruki.
"I also heard that the original legendary warriors can be summoned again in the same way. Maybe Koji and Koichi should give it a shot. I don't know how long I'll still be in control for, but I shouldn't return home in case anything happens."
"Alright, I'll give it to them."
"Thanks Haruki." They both got up and walked out of Haruki's room. Kris and Suoh arrived at Haruki's house. They were standing by the porch when Haruki opened the door.
"That was fast," Haruki stated.
"He didn't try," Kris shrugged. "Just ran off. Are you guys feeling better?"
"Fine," Haruki replied. "And Hime recovered her memory." He smiled and put his arm around her shoulder. Suoh and Kris stared because Icria didn't resist. She slightly blushed.
"Kris, can I stay at your house for a while?" Icria asked, changing the topic.
"Sure. We have steak tonight," she smiled. "Let's go."
"There's just one thing I want to say," Icria spoke. "Next time any of you fight with me, I don't expect to see you go easy. Don't expect me to either."
"Like we would ever miss the chance to pwn you," Suoh smirked. Icria smiled and gave him a small punch on the face. Then she ran off down the street with Kris to spend the night.
"What did you do this time?" Suoh asked when they left.
"Nothing much," he grinned and told Suoh the story.
"Hey Icria," Kris called. They were both setting up the beds to sleep in Kris's room. Kris slept on her own bed while Icria pulled out a spare mattress on the floor.
"Yeah?"
"Why are you sleeping here anyways?" Icria paused for a while.
"If Lilithmon takes over me anytime, anyone around me could be in danger. I don't want Koichi or my mom involved in this."
"But you would allow me to die?" she squealed. Icria laughed.
"But at least you have the spirits to protect you, they don't."
"I guess…" Kris chuckled and turned off the lamp by her bed. They both rolled on their side, their backs facing each other.
"Icria?" Kris asked.
"Hm?" Icria rolled over to face her.
"Do you really like him?"
"Why the hell would I like an asshole like him!?" Icria yelled.
"How did you know who I was talking about?" she laughed. Icria blushed. "You were just thinking about Haruki, weren't you?"
"Kris, I don't understand this," she sighed. "How am I supposed to know if I like him or not?"
"Do you want to be with him?"
"I…guess…."
"Did he ask you out yet?"
"No."
"Then just wait," Kris smiled. "Good night, Icria."
"Night," she whispered and closed her eyes.
Episode 14 The Unforgetable Past
Kris continued to run through the darkness. It didn't matter where or how fast she ran. The voices kept following.
"Go back to Japan," one yelled.
"Afraid of being a slave?" another one sneered.
"Shut up!" Kris yelled. "I don't want to go back to that place!"
"Hey, don't tell me to shut up!" Icria yelled and continued to shake Kris. Eventually she threw her off the bed. Kris rolled over.
"Wha?" she rubbed her eyes. She stared blankly at Icria who was sitting calmly on her bed.
"Do you always sleep in that long?" Icria rolled her eyes.
"Sometimes," Kris admitted. She got up. "What time is it?"
"You have an hour before the game starts." Kris looked at the clock on her table.
"Damn it! Why didn't you wake me up?!"
"Not like I didn't try," Icria sighed. Kris ran to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Ten minutes later, she came back to her room to change. Icria was lying on her bed, examining Kris's belongs.
"What's this?" she asked.
"It's a DS. See, you can use the pointer to move stuff," Kris demonstrated. "It's way better than an old gameboy."
"Gameboy?"
"You've never seen a gameboy before?"
"I don't get out much. They always lock me up in that damn academy." Kris didn't respond. She put on a yellow sleeveless shirt.
"You're not going to wear that are you?"
"What's wrong with this?" Icria beamed.
"You always wear black," Kris sighed. "It makes you too gloomy." Kris looked in her drawer for more clothes. "Here, wear this." She threw a blue blouse and a white skirt at her. Icria sighed and put it in.
"See, it looks cute on you," she commented.
"I look like you," Icria stated when she looked in the mirror.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kris didn't stay for an answer and ran downstairs to eat a piece of bread. Then she ran towards the door to put on her shoes. They still had thirty minutes to spare.
"Let's go," Kris muffled with the bread still in her mouth.
When they arrived at Yoyogi Park, there were many kids and parents sitting on the bleachers. The soccer team just finished practicing and was taking a short break before the game started. They wore green jerseys and their opponent was wearing red. Icria and Kris took a seat row rows behind where the green team was standing.
"There are so many people," said Icria. "I didn't think many people would really spend their day off watching childish sports."
"You really need to get out more," Kris smiled and ignored the last sentence. Then both teams started to run out towards the middle of the field and stood in their positions. Suoh was standing in the front with the other team captain from the red team. The referee stood between them, holding a ball and a whistle in his mouth.
The referee blew his whistle and threw the ball up high at the same time. Suoh attacked the ball first with his head. Then the ball continued to roll forward towards the opponent's goal. Takuya took control of it and passed it to another person in green. He dribbled it for some time before kicking it to another teammate.
More green players came in and continued to dribble and kick. One of them attempted to shoot it into the net, but the ball bounced off from the side. Then Haruki came from an unknown area and kicked it back in. About twenty girls from the other bleachers were cheering. They were holding up signs and wearing school colors. Icria and Kris noticed that they were from their school.
The same repeated several times over the past hour. Sometimes the other team got passed and scored. On their last match, Suoh and Takuya were swiftly passing it to each other. The other team had trouble foreseeing their movements. Then Takuya kicked the ball so high that it traveled at the height of their heads. No one from the other team dared to stop it.
Then Haruki, who was standing by the box of the goal in front of the ball, suddenly did a back flip and kicked the ball with grater force. Their final score was 34-16. Everyone cheered and walked back towards the bleachers. Takuya was the first to spot Kris and Icria.
"Hey, Icria, Kris," he called. "Were we awesome or what?" he laughed. Suoh was drinking out of his water bottle and Haruki was wiping off the sweat on his face with a towel. The fan of girls started to jump down the bleachers and crowded around the soccer team. Most of them circled Haruki.
"That was so cool!" one of them shouted.
"You were great!"
"Can you teach me how to play?" Haruki tried to polite with them. They just kept crowding around.
"Okay girls, I need to do some errands now," Haruki said while walking backwards up the bleachers. Icria and Kris were standing on the steps watching the other girls. Haruki ran into Icria and they fell.
"Ow," Icria spoke while rubbing her head.
"Sorry," he said without knowing who he ran into. He looked up. "Icria? Sorry, I wasn't looking." He grabbed her arms and pulled her up.
"No wonder I didn't recognize you," he stared. "What are you wearing?" Icria was just about to shout at him before one of the girls talked.
"Wow, that's so cute!" she giggled.
"He's right Icria, you look great in that."
"You should wear brighter clothes more often!" They kept on complimenting as if they were talking to themselves.
"Hey, we should all go shopping today!"
"Yeah!" all the girls cheered. They started to walk away while chattering excitedly. Most of the soccer players left too. Takuya had to go home to do chores.
"Shall we have lunch then?" Suoh asked. Kris suggested a sushi restaurant. No one complained.
"Ah, it's been a while since I ate real sushi," Kris smiled.
"When was the last time you ate it?" Suoh asked.
"When I was about two."
"You were born in Japan?" Kris nodded. "Then why did you move?" Kris and Icria looked at each other with a worried face. They both stared at their plates. "Was it something I said?"
"We're not supposed to talk about it," Icria stated. "It's too cruel."
"What is?" Suoh and Haruki had a blank face.
"12 years ago, Japan was in war with Vietnam," Kris sighed.
"Everyone knows that."
"But not everyone knows what really happened during the war," she protested. "The military needed more workers to feed and support the soldiers. When they were snooping around neighborhoods, it wasn't to make sure we were supporting the Vietnams."
"They really went to search for people who have young daughters and take them to work," Icria continued. "They didn't have a choice. Some didn't see them coming and were taken away. Others tried to escape; some made it some didn't. But those who survived from the war came back."
"What happened to you two?"
"Kris managed to escape to America, but the only way my parents could've saved me was to hide me. But," she paused. "There was nowhere to hide, so they sent me away, down the river." No one ever heard of Icria's story before. They felt kind of guilty.
"I was just lucky that the people at the Myoryuji Temple found me and raised me," she continued. "The military was trained there, so they didn't have to search through the temple."
"Icria, you didn't have to tell us this if you didn't want to," Kris spoke.
"I really don't remember much of this stuff," Icria replied. "It's what my sensei told me, my mom too." Icria smiled.
"That's strange," she said. "Remember the first time we all met on the train, I was being miss loner?" Suoh laughed a bit. He remembered how everyone was introducing themselves except her. Then they both kept on getting into arguments after that.
"It's not like I didn't want to tell you," Icria beamed as if she read Suoh's mind. "Face it. We were all strangers at one point, and I don't' think anyone would just tell a stranger about their lives."
"So are you saying we're not strangers anymore?" Suoh smiled.
"If you were still a stranger, I wouldn't have gone to your game today, or be staying at Kris's house," she winked.
"That's a relief."
They spent the rest of the afternoon walking around town. Suoh got a high score on a shooting game and Icria beat Haruki at air hockey. After that, Kris challenged Icria to a DDR game. Icria was so clueless that Suoh and Haruki stepped on an arrow for her.
They all enjoyed their day.
The sun was coming down and they all got back on the train back to Shibuya. Suoh and Haruki departed down the road, while Kris and Icria strolled towards the other way.
They had only departed for a few seconds. Since then, Icria has lost her soul and her body was moving on its own. Kris didn't notice.
"You seem to be a naughty little girl," the witch cried, throwing Icria across the darkness. "I guess it doesn't matter. I'll be getting those spirits back anyways."
"Go away," Icria stumbled while getting up. "Get out of my head."
"Your body belongs to me now," she interrupted. Lilthmon walked towards Icria and grabbed her by the neck. She threw her into a golden cage that was hanging just above her head, and locked the door. It looked just like a bird cage, only it was bigger. Icria grabbed onto the metal bars. She only had a little time left.
"Icria shouted past Lilthmon before she took control. Her body responded and let it out a whisper. Then her body suddenly collapsed onto the floor and lay motionless.
"Icria!" Kris bent down on the floor. "Icria!" Suoh and Haruki were just about to turn around the corner until they heard Kris yell. They ran back.
"What happened?" Suoh asked while trying to get a pulse from Icria's throat.
"She just collapsed," Kris responded.
"Did she say anything before that?"
"She said," Kris swallowed and took a deep breath. "Kris, get away."
Episode 15 Light and Darkness Returns
Even though Icria was now possessed, Kris let her sleep in her house while her body was still soulless. Haruki traveled to Koichi's house, and then Koji's to pass down his promise. Their spirits absorbed into their bodies with happiness.
They spent the rest of the day fighting more digimon that has been coming into the human world. Today they encountered a Goblimon and a Nerfertimon, but it was effortless. They spawned in areas where no people were present: that was the good news. Then as another night passed, Icria's body was still motionless.
Kris woke up the next day and she was gone. There wasn't much to worry about. They knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Just in case then encountered Icria in the digital world, they took Koji and Koichi with them.
"Sure, back then we had D-Tectors, but how the hell are we supposed to spirit evolve now?" Koji fumed. Suoh, Haruki, and Kris didn't know what to say.
"Maybe you can just yell 'spirit evolution' after you release your fractal code," Kris suggested. They already got that fractal code part down. They tried her suggestion but it failed.
"Maybe we should just ask Ophanimon," Koichi gave up.
"She wouldn't know," Haruki opposed. "She didn't even know the spirits can be split in two after they fused it."
"Then how did Icria know?" Koji questioned. "Maybe it's just a rumor."
"I believe in her. I'm sure you can spirit evolve somehow." Koji wanted to believe in Icria too. He really wanted to become the legendary warrior of light again, but he had his doubts.
They traveled pass a town and went into the forest. Koji remembered it well. AT that time, Takuya took his beast spirit and lost control. He and JP were fighting to stop him. They passed the small part of the forest where BurningGreymon destroyed the forest. Kendogarurumon cut down all the trees to put out the fire.
Tommy saved Takuya, but it took a while for Takuya to recover from his emotional breakdown…That was the same lake that Koji was gazing at now. They stopped by there for a short break.
"You're a lot like Takuya," Koji stated.
"Who? Me?" Haruki asked.
"We can all be negative sometimes, but no matter what the chances are, both of you always seem to hang onto hope." Koji looked at Suoh. "I guess that applies to him too." Haruki laughed.
Kris glanced into the clear reflection of the lake. She fixed her hair for a while, and then looked back into the reflection in sadness.
"What's wrong?" Koichi sat next to her.
"Nothing is," Kris stated.
"Kris, I've been alone up until now, I like how it feels. As the legendary warrior of darkness, I can tell something's bothering you." Kris stared at the water and sighed.
"You know the story right?"
"Yeah. My mom told me when Icria came back."
"Well, I wasn't exactly welcomed in America," Kris started. "It was rare for Japanese girls to live there. If anyone saw a Japanese girl, they would tease her. So then I always stood up for them. Even though I'm not Japanese, they saw right through me and treated me like a traitor. They eventually found out that I was from Japan.
"I didn't want to come back here, but I didn't want to stay there either. At least the people here are nicer than I thought. I'm glad I didn't have to be a slave to the military. But I feel sorry for those who are. They lost their lives and had no choice. Even those who survived, they aren't very friendly. The military changed their lives so badly like criminals, and that's what they thought of me: as a criminal." Kris started to break into tears.
"But you're not one," Koichi objected. "It doesn't' matter what others think of you."
"But if everyone thinks of me that way, what good does that do to me?"
"That's not true," Haruki stated. Kris was shocked and looked up. "Why do you think we're all here, together? Kris, if they just look at who you are on the outside it makes them a criminal too. You should just ignore people who don't like you for who you really are."
Easier said than done, Kris thought. Everyone knows that corny stuff. But how can I really be who I am if there's no one to show it to? "Thanks," Kris managed to say briefly and kept her comments to herself. Kris wiped away her tears and got up.
"Let's get going," she said while walking off.
They continued to walk on until a few hours later; they took a short break again.
"This is pointless," Koji sighed.
"But isn't it nice to see things you can't find in the human world?" Haruki smiled. Koji rolled his eyes. Kris was sitting on a huge rock while drinking water. Suoh leaned against a tree next to Kris.
"Hey, what's that?" Kris pointed to a small circular plant on the floor. Suoh walked over and picked it up.
"It's a…..acorn?" Suoh didn't know acorns grew in the digital world. He gazed at it for a few more seconds.
"Koji," Koichi called suddenly.
"Yeah, I know." Koji was alert. They both could hear noises coming from the trees and bushes around them.
"Suoh, drop that!" Haruki yelled. Suoh just let it go to the floor. The acorn blew up and turned into smoke.
"Execute! Koorimon!" Koorimon blocked one of the digimon that came out from the smoke. Two more warriors blocked the others. The smoke faded away. Koorimons' sword was just a few inches away from the digimon, and above Suoh's head. One digimon in dark armor blocked the one that was attacking Kris. Another digimon used his two light swords to block the third digimon.
"Lobomon? Loewemon?"" Koorimon asked.
"I don't know how but the spirits somehow responded," Lobomon answered. The three digimons pulled away onto one spot. They were all yellow fox-like digimon with multiple tails and flames rising from their feet and tails. They had a bright red and white ornament around their necks with bells on the end.
"Wow, Koichi," Kris gazed upon the digimon next to her.
"This is nothing compared to you guys now," Loewemon blushed. Then he focused back onto the digimons.
"This place is forbidden," one of them spoke.
"We're just passing by, we'll be leaving soon," Suoh responded.
"That is unacceptable," another one replied.
"Why?"
"Because you have stepped onto our territory, you must fight for your freedom."
"And if we don't?" Koorimon asked.
"You fight."
"Works for me," Lobomon stated. Koorimon glared at him as if that wasn't supposed to be an option. Suddenly, multiple digimon came out from their hiding spots and surrounded them. They were all identical. One of them came out of the crowd.
"I am the leader of the Kyubimon tribe," she spoke. "Please state your reason for passing by, legendary warriors."
"We're just doing our duty," said Suoh. "Is there anything suspicious that's been going around? We might be able to help." The Kyubimon looked at Suoh for a while, then at the rest of the group.
"There is one thing," she replied. "There have been multiple attacks upon us recently. Some are still under recovery and we need more to fight them off."
"That's no problem," Kris spoke quickly. "We can handle that."
Kyubimon closed her eye and gave a small nodded. Then she trailed off with everyone else following behind. The digidestineds decided to follow too. They lived in a large cave that had such a small entrance that they needed to crawl into it. In the end, it was about nine feet high. The cave could've fit about a school, except the Kyubimons were much bigger than them and needed more space. A long river ran through in the center of the cave.
About ten Kyubimons were badly injured and were lying together in a corner of the cave. They sat there for a few minutes while looking around. Then, the leader came back from her hunt with some fruits in her mouth. She laid it next to some of the resting Kyubimons.
"The enemy is fighting for our food supply, we barely have enough to spare," Kyubimon responded before they could think about eating.
"Who are the enemies?" Suoh asked, trying not to look hungry. But then, the grounded started to shook. They thought it was an earthquake because several Kyubimons started to run outside of the cave. However, some of them, such as the injured ones, stayed inside. The leader remained calm and watched them all run outside.
"It's time to do your job, legendary warriors," she replied and ran outside after the shaking stopped. They all ran after her, and crawled back out through the tiny opening. Several Kyubimons were already fighting. Fireballs and dragon-shaped attacks flew above their heads.
There were several blue digimon with black armor on their face and bodies. They also had four legs but had a horn and only one tail.
"Raidramons," Kyubimon stated. "They use electric attacks so be cautious." Then she ran off to fight. Kris and Suoh took no time to evolve after that.
"Shadow Meteor!"
"Lobo Kendo!"
Lobomon and Loewemon attacked at the same time, knowing what force light and darkness could create. Their attacks landed in the center of the battlefield. The Kyubimons were aware of it and jumped out in time. Kooirmon, Diosmon, and Magiemon rushed in after the explosion.
"Coral Escapade!" Magiemon yelled and trapped four surrounding Raidramons in vines. Diosmon tired to do fire punches and kicks, but the Raidramons were too fast. Plus, he was doing his best to avoid a forest fire.
Koorimon didn't find his attacks useful either. His movements weren't as fast because it took time for him to store and release energy. They both switched.
"MetalGarudamon!"
"JagerGryphomon!"
Even thought it wans't as effective, MetalGarudamon was able to strike some Raidramon with his electricity. JagerGryphomon created tornados to defend him, until he swiftly froze one Raidramon at a time.
Lobomon and Loewemon used their swords to attack the rest of the time. Magiemon felt a little helpless. The only attack she could've done was caging. And leave the rest to the boys.
This would be better if we were near an ocean, she thought. Why am I always so helpless? Why can't just have a beat spirit like everyone else? She lost her concentration during the battle and one Raidramon got out of her cage. It fiercely attacked.
"Electric Bite!" it yelled. Magiemon still wasn't paying attention. Even MeetalGarudamon yelled after her. The shock touched her slightly and she woke up.
Huge clumps of mud rose from around her. The Raidramon ran into the mud and fell back. It was moving at an extreme speed until the mud merged together and fell towards the other three Raidramons she was holding in her vines.
She had long, dark purple hair with a light purple, long robe and hat. Her staff grew longer and stronger with an orb placed on the top.
"Don't mess with Puissancemon," she glared. "Earth Dragon Summoning!" Then more mud rose from the ground, this time in multiple areas and all shaped as a dragon. They fell upon the Raidramons once again. Then they started to retreat.
"Puissancemon?" Suoh smirked. "Not much of a name." Saishimon smacked her wand onto his head.
"It's fine the way it is," she said positively. "It's way better yours, Mr. Fourteen Letters." Suoh sighed while Haruki came back into human form. Kris wanted to stay in digimon for a few more minutes, and so did Koji and Koichi.
"Thank you for helping us," the Kyubimon said from behind and bowed. "It was honorable meeting most of the legendary warriors." The other Kyubimons that survived came back to their area and bowed as well.
"We should be able to handle the enemy, for now," she continued. "Please continue your journey and we will wish the best of luck to you all." They all replied a nice thank you and walked off. The remaining Kyubimons were still huge in number. It took then a while before they reached the end of their circle. However, the Kyubimon did not move for them to pass.
They just stood there for a while, but it still didn't move.
"Um, can we pass by?" Puissancemon asked. "Please?" The Kyubimon swiftly turned her eyes from Lobomon and Loewemon to Puissancemon. She made a soft growl. The leader Kyubimon that stood several feet away noticed immediately.
The Kyubimon attacked Puissancemon, but the leader pushed her away. She fell against the wall of the cave but got back up and attacked again.
"Dragon Wheel!" the leader shouted and attacked in front of the Kyubimon. The attacked went right through her and the Kyubimon froze.
"Leave, Immediately!" she yelled, but they still stood there waiting for their turn to fight. The Kyubimon fell down and a millions of fractal code surrounded her as she turned back into human. But the girl got up again and took out her kunais to attack.