A Digimon Frontier Fanfic
By Sakura Martinez (a.k.a Haru Glory)
[A/N:
Well, after a long absence I finally got time to write another chapter of this fanfic. Actually, I already had a bunch of chapters written but due to an unexpected virus attack that I got last week, I did not have much of a choice but to reformat my computer, and since I was practically busy about so many things, I forgot to back up my files before that which ended up with me losing all of my files including those chapters that I have typed and finished. Luckily, I still have those chapters written on my head and all I have to do now is to encode them.
Anyway, here's the next update for Rabbit on the Moon, hope you guys enjoy!
The Rabbit on the Moon
Perilous Change
"Who would have thought that we would be dismissed like that, huh, Takuya?" Kouichi spoke as he sat in the outer seat of the train that they were on, polishing his sword as he spoke.
It had only been two days since Takuya took Tomoki's advice and told Izumi of what he had learned on their break-in at the fortress. It surprised her, of course, but she said nothing to Takuya after that. Instead, Takuya saw her talk with Kouji, looking as surprised as her afterwards.
It only took an hour after that until Takuya and Kouichi were both called in by their commanding officer; another hour before he and his friend were sent packing with Kouiji telling them that their mission was over; and another hour before Takuya found himself staring at the wilderness on his hoarse and on their way towards the nearby town.
"Your mission is over, we already have the information that we needed."
Those words echoed in Takuya's ear. There was no goodbye from any of them – not from Izumi, not from Tomoki and most definitely not from Kouji. He was relieved of course, that his life would not be in that much danger at it did as the mission went on, but there was still that deep feeling of regret for not even having given a chance to say parting words to the person that he had learned to love in such a short time.
He paused. His last thought swirling in his mind. "Love?" Takuya wondered, he was surprised to even see himself thinking of such a feeling. "Did I just say that I love Izumi?"
He stared out of the small window of the rusty train that they found themselves in, his thoughts were flying somewhere else, wondering what Izumi was doing. He felt confused. Part of him was happy and yearning for her, while another part kept telling him to forget about her.
"Takuya," Kouichi spoke. "something's been bothering me ever since that day we attacked your father's fortress."
Takuya looked over at his friend and companion. It was the first time that either of them mentioned anything about the siege.
"What is it, Kouichi?" he asked.
"Did you leave any mark that could possibly lead your father into suspecting you? I mean, any sort of hint that you were behind that rampage?"
Takuya thought for a while. He wasn't sure if he did leave any hints, he thought hard and just when he was about to shake his head, he suddenly remembered the contents of the letter that he had found…
"I think I might find myself trouble whether they found any evidence against me or not, Kouichi." Takuya replied and for the first time in a while, he was worried – no, scared even.
"What are you talking about? What could trouble could possibly find you other than that?"
He hadn't told anyone about the letter and its contents, well, it would seem now though that everyone did knew – Kouji, Tomoki and Izumi. The fact that his closest friend did not know what was happening around them made Takuya think twice.
"If I had trusted those people whom I just met, what more trust could I need than the trust that I have placed with my closest friend?? The only friend who really knows a lot about me?"
With that, Takuya decided to tell Kouichi everything, everything that has happened and everything that he had learned – starting from the very beginning of their adventure.
Hours flew by, the train that they were on had managed to pass another city then another one before the tale that Takuya was narrating finally came to an end. Throughout his narration, Kouichi listened intently. He didn't say anything nor reacted all that much to what Takuya had been saying, he just listened and Takuya was glad of this, after all, how would you feel if you told your closest friend the feelings that you were feeling for someone who is labeled by your family and all those around as your father's rival's daughter? Well, you could only guess.
"Wow, that is something." Kouichi finally said. "If your father knew about that power of yours even before you did, then that would certainly be trouble for you. I mean, your father is so keen on unlocking the secret of those ancient powers that I won't be surprised if he didn't think twice about handing you over to be experimented on."
Takuya did not like to admit it, but as how things looked and by where they stand it was likely and so he gave a nod to acknowledge what Kouichi said.
"What's more," he went on. "Your father probably knows by now that Izumi is also a chosen one, he would have sent his men to apprehend her and this time he would probably be sending a lot more of his soldiers than what we have faced so far. That also goes with Tomoki."
"I think Kouji realized that as well." Takuya said. "I think that's the reason why he suddenly sent us off – to confuse whomever it was that was spying on us or following us, if there are any."
Silence filled the air. Both were thinking about the wellbeing of those people that they have met, of their companions and both of them were unknowingly wishing the same thing as the other – that no harm would come to any of them.
Takuya sighed. "I really find you lucky, Kouichi."
"Lucky? You must be kidding!"
"No, I am not. You don't have as much problem as I do now. You don't need to be on constant vigilance wherever you go for fear of being attacked. You don't find yourself caged in by a lot of rules and a lot of expectations just because you are a powerful person's son…or in your case, grandson. You can practically do whatever you want. What's more, your family wish the best from you…unlike mine who seems to only be interested in the power that is locked within me than just being interested in me as a person."
Kouichi looked at Takuya intently, not averting his gaze from him and what he saw in his eyes were sadness and longing. He was bewildered by this, and surprise all the same, after all, you would expect someone like him to have everything he wishes for, his father was one of the most powerful people in Frontiria and he, himself, has an ancient power that no one could possibly equal.
He wanted to say something, something that could possibly lift his spirit, after all, that's what a friend should do, right? But despite wanting to do so, he could only find himself saying his name.
"Takuya…"
The train ride went on and on and so did the silence that filled itself in the space between Takuya and Kouichi. Neither felt any need to speak or simple found that the silence was more comfortable than words being expressed.
As night fell down upon the train and its passengers, and with the moon shinning brightly overhead, Takuya found himself drifting off into an uneasy sleep…
There was boy who was already 8 years old…
The sun was shinning brightly at their small, but seemingly important town of Harim. The wind blew causing the braches of the trees that surrounds this peaceful yet busy town to sway along with it.
The children who were the same age as him were given this day as a day for rest, after all, making this one of those training days would be too much of a punishment for them.
He was wearing his usual outfit: a hat made of raccoon fur, a leather jacket which has a black cotton shirt underneath, a pair of pants that matched the whole outfit and fighting shoes – the typical outfit of a warrior in training, which he still was at that time.
He didn't have any care at the world at that time, doing what he was asked and doing what he wanted to do. He found himself being called a trouble-maker at times, but it did not bother him at all…If he was like that, then that's what he's like.
Takuya looked at the scenery before him. He was familiar with it, although he found it was hazy for him. It was as if there was something at that particular time that he needed to remember – something important.
He ran as he played tag with the other children his age. He was smiling, it was a genuine smile, a smile that only a kid could possibly pull off.
As Takuya remembered these events, he felt a voice inside him, a voice that seemed somewhat familiar and at the same time foreign. It was telling him to absorb the things that he will see, to remember…
Suddenly the boy spun around, it looked as if he was looking directly at Takuya. Takuya looked back at the boy whose face lit up in an even bigger and wider smile. He ran towards him, Takuya was already prepared to say something if the boy was to ask him something, but instead of stopping, the auburn-colored haired boy went pass him as if he was not there and went directly to a blond color girl that Takuya did not see until he whirled himself around.
Takuya froze. There standing in front of the boy was a smaller and younger version of a person that not once had ever entered his dream until now…Izumi.
"What took you so long?" The boy asked.
Takuya saw the little Izumi sob.
"Why are you crying, is there something wrong?" the boy asked again.
"Daddy said he got promoted." The little girl said.
"Then that's great! You should be happy with your daddy." Said the boy.
"I am happy for him, but…"
"But what?"
"We're moving to where daddy was reassigned to."
That surprised the young boy. "Moving? When?"
"Today." Said the girl, trying to stop herself from crying.
Takuya felt it was familiar. He felt that he was seeing someone else's memories at the same time. He was confused that he did not know what to think.
"This is Izumi, I feel so sure about that. But why is it that I'm dreaming of this? This is her memory, right?"
He did not know why he spoke those questions out loud. He just felt the urge to do so. He was not even hoping to hear any reply from anyone, so it came as a surprise when that same familiar yet alien voice spoke back to him.
"You're half right about what you think, kid." The voice spoke that startled Takuya.
"W-who's there?" he asked as he looked around.
"Just a friend, no one else. And I am here to help you with something, something that needs to be rushed as so."
"What do you mean? Who are you really?"
"Are names really that much important?"
The two young people in front of him who were silent for a while began to spoke again as the little girl sobbed.
"It can't be helped then…I know how important your daddy's job is." The boy finally said.
"But then I won't get to see you, auntie, uncle or any of the nice people here anymore."
"Don't worry, you can always visit us."
"It won't be the same as living here. Daddy said his new assignment is somewhere very, very far…I don't think I could visit everyday."
The young boy couldn't help but laugh at what she said.
Takuya could not understand. Why were these children – Izumi and this boy, not sad for the parting. Why did this boy laugh when she said that she couldn't visit?
"Can't you really see a familiarity with this?" came the voice again.
"Familiarity?"
"Yes. Doesn't it seem familiar to you? Don't you remember anything about this at all?"
"Remember? What are you talking about?"
"Alright then, how about we make a promise?"
"A promise?"
The boy nodded. "Yep, a promise. A promise that we'll always keep in touch with each other. How about that?"
The boy held out his hand, ready to make a pinky swear, the little girl did the same and said, "I promise."
They both smiled.
"I know it would be lonesome at that new place…" the little girl said.
"You won't know that." The boy said, "But if you are ever lonely just make a wish at the rabbit on the moon."
"The rabbit on the moon?" the little girl asked, confused.
The boy nodded, "My dad said, before he left, that there's a rabbit on the moon who is ready to lend a hand to anyone who needs help. So, whenever you're sad, or whenever you have a problem, just look at the moon and remember you have good-old-me, and I'll go to you and help you out."
"Is that a promise?"
The boy nodded.
"The Rabbit on the Moon?" Takuya said wistfully. "Now that's something I'd never thought I'd hear again."
"What are you talking about? You should hear that over and over your head when you get lonely at times, after all, you said it yourself when you were young – it was your father who told you about that story."
Takuya's expression changed from wistful to surprise as a sudden realization dawned upon him.
"This place…this setting…everything...this is Harim isn't it?" Takuya said. "Harim from that time ten years ago."
"So you finally got that part right. Anything else?"
"That girl, she's really Izumi, isn't she?" He asked.
"She is. That's Izumi from that time when her father got the promotion. Of course, she didn't know what her father's job was at all, so she didn't know that the promotion meant that his father would become one of the Commanders of Frontiria. It's much like how you were unaware of your father's job when you were young. You can say that it was because of a promise both your father and her father made to your mother and her mother."
"A promise?"
"Yes. The promise to not put you and Izumi in danger just because you are a son of a Commander and she a daughter."
"Then, why did he change? Why did he and Izumi's father changed like that? Why are they suddenly bent on having more power than the other? My father doesn't even think much about my safety anymore at all."
"I can't answer that question, Takuya…Well, not at the moment." The voice replied. "What I am here for, is for you to recall something, something that is very valuable in the road ahead."
"Recall something valuable by looking at this scene?"
"Yes."
Takuya watched as the young boy hugged Izumi goodbye and suddenly there was nothing but white everywhere he looked.
"You said that this was only a fragment of her memory?"
"Yes. But it doesn't mean that this is hers alone."
"Is this my memory?" He asked. He felt as if it was something that he needed to confirm.
"What do you think?"
Silence.
"You're thinking that it is not your memory, right? That it's because you can't remember anything about this ever happening. But had you thought about the possibility that maybe some of your memories were taken from you? That because of your father's wishes both you and Izumi forgot your memories from ten years ago? That maybe your father modified your memories just as her father modified hers?"
"Then you're saying that what I just saw was part of that memory that was taken from me? Is that it?"
Another silence.
"That's it, isn't it?" Takuya went on. "Then that would mean that…"
"That you and Izumi knew each other well before your first mission. That you and Izumi used to be the best of friends. That you and Izumi grew up together in Harim. That you and Izumi are both chosen ones. And that you and Izumi both made a promise, a promise that neither of you were able to keep due to circumstances."
"Does she know about it?" He asked.
"I don't know. The only thing I know about is you. What she remembers, feels, or all those other stuff about her? I only know the same things that you know."
"Why did you tell me all this?"
"Because the time for you to decide is nearing." The voice replied. "Danger is coming and a change is about to happen."
"Danger what do you mean?"
But there was no reply. What he heard was the screeching of the train's brakes and before he knew it, he was being awakened by Kouichi.
"Wha-what's going on?" He asked, his head throbbing in pain from the impact it received from the sudden stop of the train.
An announcement suddenly sounded off to answer everyone's query, and the voice that spoke came from a man's.
"We apologize for the sudden stop of the train, but we have received word that a young man who is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Ygdrassil Fortress."
"What the --!" Kouichi murmured. "Are they serious about this?"
Just then, a masked man appeared right beside the seat where Takuya was and said: "It's no use to hide, Mr. Kanbara. Your father knows about what you have been doing, and I could tell you, that he is not very pleased."
To be continued…
[A/N:
Before anything else, I would first like to answer the reviews that you have sent from the previous chapter of Rabbit on the Moon…so, here it goes…
Nerf-or-Nothing: Actually, I am not a fan of Sailor Moon and I did not realize, before you pointed it out, that Rabbit on the Moon translates to Usagi Tsukino. I actually thought of the title after watching an episode from (dot)Hack://Legend of the Twilight Bracelet. I just implemented a legend they mentioned (after research about that legend of the Rabbit on the Moon) into a fanfic for my favorite season of Digimon.
lilMayumi Thank you for the compliments. I hope you continue to read this through the end.
Angelheart17: Well, it's a given as to who the warriors of light, dark and thunder are, but as for the other warriors, that's entirely a different thing. I don't think that I'll be following on the usual belief that Katsuharu and the others are supposed to be the bearers of the other spirits. But who knows, maybe I will if I decide to make a different turn from the plot that has already been planned out for this story.
dogluv101: I didn't expect that the previous chapter would have a deeper feel to it than what I had anticipated, but I am happy that you enjoyed reading it. Thank you.
TwinkieTUTUS Yep, it was really quite a long chapter, and thank you for the compliment about it as well. Hope you like this chapter as well and good luck with working on your own 'project'.
asdf Thanks for the compliment, and my exams did go well, very well in fact. And I did not get a writer's block after all, which is a relief. Lol
Now with that out of the way, I want to thank everyone who reviewed and read this fanfic. Being an editor-in-chief in our newly organized school publication would really make me busy now, but I still have managed to plan ahead of my schedule for a time to update every week, which I hope I could follow.
Anyway, hope you all like this chapter! With that said, this is Sakura Martinez saying "PEACE" and signing out! Good day everyone!