A Digimon Frontier Fanfic

By Sakura Martinez

Author's Notes:

First off, thank you to Sightbent, TwinkieTUTUS, ToraHimeSama, and FireFairy219 for their reviews. Greatly appreciate that.

Anyways, I just finished THT fanfic, so I had time to update this fanfic. The next update would probably come after CoT:CW is updated, so until then, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I made it quite long to satisfy everyone's hunger… lol

Enjoy!

BTW, for some strange reason, whenever I upload a document and edit it on FFN, I always get these box symbol thingies (). Of course, I try to erase them, but there may be instances where I was unable to delete some of them. Sorry about that. I have no idea why those box thingies are appearing... and I am as annoyed as you guys when you come across them.

The Rabbit on the Moon

Endure and Resist!

His long, black hair rode with the wind as he lay hidden behind large boulders on top of a cliff overseeing the vast expanse of the ravine below. His silver, plated armor hidden underneath a Coffee-colored cloak which also danced whenever the wind blew. His eyes looked over a pair of binoculars, scanning the surroundings, counting the number of dark-armored men patrolling the area below.

This had been the job given to him, Kouji Minamoto.

He, along with a couple of other members of the Organization and with Katsuharu and Teppei as well, had been given the mission to scout the area before the others arrived, and to find a safe place for them to make camp. It had been almost five days since he received that mission, a mission that no one bothered to go against...except for one person.

"Kouji," Katsuharu had called him. "We're being summoned by the Leader."

He had been training at that time, but nodded nonetheless and followed the older man to the place where the briefing was to be held. When he got there, he was surprised that he was the only one left that they were waiting for.

"Good, you're all here." The Leader spoke as Kouji made himself comfortable. "First, I would have to congratulate all of you for managing to unlock your Level 3s. I must admit, I wasn't too sure if you all would be able to do it."

Takuya grunted. He was the only one who the Leader was obviously NOT referring too. Kouji felt sympathy for the young ex-apprentice. Izumi looked over towards the young Kanbara, as if to tell him not to make any side comments. Kouji was glad that she did so, otherwise, the meeting would probably have ended up the way they always do whenever Takuya would open his mouth against the Organization.

The leader seemed to have appreciated the intervention as well, as she went on: "With all seven of you capable of using that power, it is safe to assume that we now have a stand against Takuya's Clone. However, we can not go rushing about to the Lone Island. It would be suicide, not courage, if we do so."

Everyone nodded at this, even Takuya. Seeing that they all agreed, she went on, "That is why, we're going to send you off into two teams, each with ample number of people. One team would scope the enemies location and find good attacking points, basically, the first team would deal with taking information and scouting the enemy base. When we have gathered enough information, the second team would be sent out to infiltrate their base and rescue Commander Orimoto, General Kimura and your friend, Kouichi Kimura."

"How do we go about this team, then?" He, Kouji had asked.

"We've already arrange for the teams based on your current strengths and weaknesses as well as the ability you all possess. Teppei, Katsuharu, and Kouji – you three would be on the first team. Izumi, Tomoki, Junpei, and Chiaki would be on the second." She replied.

The mention of everyone's name except for his, made Takuya rise up from his seat and demand an explanation. "What's with that? How about me?"

"Takuya, you are in no position to fight." Katsuharu was the one who replied. "You haven't managed to get back your powers, and you'll only be slowing either team down. So, just sit this one out."

Kouji saw Takuya clench his fist. "There's no way I'm sitting this one out! I want to get back what that 'thing' stole from me!"

"How do you think you'd be able to accomplish that?" The Leader questioned. "It is evident that you do not have any powers of a Chosen One left. I do not need to ask them to call out their Guardians to give proof and testament to that."

Kouji saw that Izumi was about to say something, but Takuya put a hand in front of her to stop her. He could not help but wonder if those two were hiding something.

"With or without my powers I can still fight." Takuya remained stubborn. "I was not raised up to only rely on that power, I was trained to be a warrior and trained to fight with a blade at that. I can protect myself as much as these guys can."

"We know how you feel, Takuya." Chiaki spoke. "But we could not risk you getting killed or captured by your father again. Even without Flayhme or your power, you are still a Chosen One. And it is the duty of the Organization that none of us fall to their hands."

"But I won't be captured or killed, or any of that stuff."

"That's enough, Takuya!" the leader bellowed, obviously not liking the fact that Takuya was once again creating havoc in the meeting. "It is final. You are staying behind. If you find that not to your liking and if you continue to go against that, I would have to have you locked up and make sure you don't go anywhere."

Takuya gritted his teeth. Kouji could see that his nails were already dug deep in his clenched fists. He expected him to go ballistic, but instead, he gave a sigh of resignation and sat down.

After that, Takuya lost interest in the meeting and did not bother to listen to whatever was being discussed. Kouji could not blame him though. He had overheard him promise Lady Izumi that he would rescue her father by his own hands, and now it seems he would not be able to keep that promise.

The meeting went on and all of them were briefed on what to do and what to expect. After all of those were said, the Leader told the first team to prepare for they would be leaving tomorrow – a surprising announcement for Kouji.

He sighed as he remembered it, so far, no word has come of when the second team would arrive. They have already scouted the area a hundred times and have made an estimate on the number of Dark Knights scattered around the area – some of these knights have already been dealt with as well, and they have sent a report back to the Organization. The Organization, of course, said that the second team would be on their way in 72 hours. But, that 72 hours have long passed.

"Are you worried?" Katsuharu suddenly asked, it was time to change shifts.

"Worried?" He asked back.

"The second team hasn't arrived yet, they should have been here hours ago." Katsuharu elaborated. "I would say that it maybe because of Takuya's efforts to go with them, but that could only be my wishful thinking."

"It would be alright if that's the case." Kouji said as he gave Katsuharu the binoculars.

Silence filled the air as only the muffled voices of their comrades could be heard. Despite his shift ending, Kouji, knowing he had nothing else to do, decided to stick around. Other than the fact that enemies were in the area below and that Commander Orimoto could very well be in peril, Kouji found the place relaxing. He made a mental note to come back to this place when everything was over – provided that he survives all that is to come.

"It's troubling." Katsuharu suddenly said while Kouji was in the middle of his musings. "You would have thought that they had more guards than this, they practically made their location known thanks to their last effort to destroy the Organization a week back."

Kouji nodded. He had wondered about that too. "Do you think they might be over confident?"

"Maybe. With that Clone and those three guys from before…"

Kouji understood what the older man was trying to say, and he felt it too. Despite unlocking the powers that they possessed, there was still that lingering feeling in their minds that they still won't stand a chance at something that had been made only to fight – Takuya's Clone.

He still was unsure as to what the clone meant when 'it' took and ate Takuya's eye – a memory that he wanted so much to forget. It was disgusting, inhumane, and certainly not one of the moments that anyone would want to remember. He would rather think of pretty pink flowers than THAT.

As for the three guys that had almost wiped them off the face of Frontiria, Kouji was confident in dealing with them. He thought that if Takuya, who was the masked warrior back then, defeated those three with his level 3 powers that had just been awakened, they could certainly do it again with all six of them having obtained their own level 3 and are able to fully control it. Victory over them would be inevitable, of course, unless they had been modified.

He sighed. This was what "free time" can do for him – thinking of what ifs, possibilities and all sorts of troublesome things that would otherwise have nothing to do with him.

Teppei suddenly intruded.

"The second team's vessel had been spotted." He said. "It seems they got delayed because of the idiot."

Kouji understood that he meant Takuya.

"How long before they arrive?" Katsuharu asked without looking back.

"About an hour or so." Teppei answered. "We're lucky we have the stealth technology that greatly surpasses that of the Kingdom, otherwise, we can be sure that they would have bombarded something as huge and daunting as that."

Katsuharu nodded but did not say anything. Kouji also agreed. He had learned first hand that the Organization's technology was far more advanced than anywhere in the world. The ship that he was on, for example, was as big as the second team's vessel, and yet despite the size and the enemy's surveillance of the area, they were not found. The same goes for the days that they had spent on the island. He would have called it "Invisibility", but Teppei had explained to him that it was more of an illusion – a camouflage.

"Well, now we can rest assured that the enemy did not attack the mansion while we were away." Kouji spoke. It alleviated his worries, but then again… now that the second team has arrive, their real work behind, and it certainly would be harder than the first.

"Damn it!" Takuya cursed as he banged his fist at the large, iron doors. "I told you I could fight!"

Despite his shouts and the noise that he was making, no one bothered to talk back or even listen to him as he was locked up once again by orders of the Leader.

"This is not fair!" He went on. "You sent all those "ordinary troops" with them, but you cannot send me? What's up with that?!"

He was angry, and he did not bother to hide it. He would shout and make as much noise as he can and he doesn't care about what they would think. His promise was much more important than anything else.

He had promised to protect her, but by being locked up in the room that he was all too familiar with, he knew that he would be unable to fulfill that promise. He had also promised to be the one to stop her from crying and worrying over her father, but that promise would be left unfulfilled unless he finds a way out of that room.

He sighed. Keeping it from the others was really not worth the trouble but, he knew he had to, after what he had learned.

It was just by accident though, or maybe it was by fate that he came across that information.

During the course of his training, he would often dream of Flayhm. Those dreams was real, he knew it, after all, it was Flayhm who showed him how to communicated to others like them in dreams, so it would only be natural that he would contact him through such methods as well. But it seems that Flayhm's way of communicating is one way. Takuya would not be able to call for him in his dreams, only Flayhm could do that. That was the difference between the dream in which Takuya communicated with Izumi.

It was Flayhm who told him about it. It still bothered him how his missing guardian could know of such things.

He closed his eyes for a while and began to remember that vivid dream.

"I don't have much time left, Takuya." Flayhm had said.

Takuya could not see his face to know if he was joking about it or really meant it, but judging from his voice, Takuya could guess that his friend was in pain and was sad.

"What do you mean?" Takuya asked. This dream was before the dream where Flayhm was supposedly taken by a shadow. "You mean in talking like this in a dream?"

He heard movement, he guessed it was the movement of Flayhm's head but he couldn't see if he was shaking his head or nodding.

"Don't ask questions, Takuya… don't speak for now, just… listen." The guardian said. "Time is short, and I can only tell you this. You may have already guessed it or know about it, but I left a part of my power with you when I gave you my eye… I know it isn't much, but with enough effort and training, you might be able to get back that which you have lost."

"You?" Takuya asked. It was evident to him that Flayhm was something dear that he had lost.

Flayhm laughed, it was a mixture of fondness and sadness. "Your power. However, it won't be as powerful as it was before… maybe it would only be half of it. The only way to fully regain your strength if by defeating your clone… something that I can no longer help you with."

Silence.

"Takuya, I know you might tell the others about that, but I suggest you choose carefully who you tell your secrets to." Flayhm went on. "A plot has been sent into motion, a plot to capture all of you and someone from your end is helping the enemy."

"A spy?" Takuya said surprised. Flayhm affirmed it. "Wait, are you telling me it's someone close to me?"

"I… can't say." Flayhm replied. "But you don't have to worry that heart of yours, it's not Izumi or Kouji, I am not even sure if it's a person you've met before… but, you must be wary about what information you impart. That's why, you have to pretend. Pretend that you know nothing, that you're powers are completely out of reach for you. You have to make sure that they would think that you are only just an ordinary human now… and if you can, hide the fact that I transferred half of my powers along with my eye to you."

Takuya was taking this all in slowly. He was in disbelief that a comrade may very well be an enemy. Flayhm seem to have seen the disbelief in his eyes or his gestures.

"Takuya?"

"I'm fine… it's just…"

"Hard to believe, I know." Flayhm said. "I wish I could help you out more… but this is what I can only do now."

"How did you know about this?" Takuya asked, it was an obvious question to ask after all.

But before Flayhm could answer, he vanished. Takuya called for his name several times, but no answer came. Soon afterwards, Takuya awakened.

Takuya was still clueless as to who this 'traitor' and spy could be. No matter how wary he was, he could never find out the identity of the person. That is why, he had to get out. He had to make sure that nothing bad was going to happen to his friends, especially to the woman whom he was willing to give his life to, Izumi. He was not going to let up though, as the noise barrage went on.

Izumi was worried, and she did not bother to hide it to her companions: Junpei, Tomoki and Chiaki. The other Chosen Ones thought that she was worried for Takuya, even Junpei who did not bother to hide his feelings for her, had to admit that it was Takuya whom she was worried about. But, they were far from their mark… well, not entirely.

Izumi bit her lip as she remembered the discussion she and Takuya had the night before.

"Why do you always try and stop me whenever I try to tell them that you've managed to get a hold of some of your lost powers?" Izumi asked, they were once again in the dreamworld – the place that they both felt was their safe haven. "It's hard to believe that you're doing this because you are afraid that they might expect more from you.

Takuya was sitting beside her along a cliff. They were once again in Harim. They always chose that spot, the spot where they would always go to, past the forest, as a place where they could and would talk. The cliff, overlooking the great valley below and the clear blue skies always made the scenery pristine, and with just the right angle of the sun's rays, it was almost magical.

Parallel to them was the mountain range overshadowing the valley where they could see the snake-like shape of the river that was Harim's water supply. Beyond the mountains was the vast, blue sea which glimmered when the rays of the sun touched it. The valley, apart from the water supply, also held various trees and greens that were either too far to see clearly or otherwise, Takuya had no idea what kind of trees they were.

He was looking over this place. It was not real and he knew that the valley was long gone and the mountains was not as beautiful as it was when they were young. What was before them now was a memory of the place that they both shared. Izumi could see the melancholic look on his face, but she did not wish for her question to be left unanswered, and so, she asked it again, this time making sure that Takuya was really listening.

"You don't need to repeat that question, you know." Takuya said. "I heard it the first time."

"Then why don't you answer?" She asked.

Takuya sighed. As he talked he never let go of the scenery before him – of the mountains, the valley and the sky, but then, this time he looked directly at her.

In this dream world, they can look whatever they want. They can change their clothing in a blink of an eye, or even revert back to the appearance that they had as a child or any other states in their life that they had gone through. That was another reason why they both loved this place so much.

And at that time, Takuya chose to have his eyes as they were before, brown in color. It was one of the things that Izumi loved about him, although she would never say it out loud though. His eyes were honest ones, despite the many times that he had "lied" about his identity, Izumi knew and understood that there was an important reason behind it – something unavoidable.

"Do you trust me?" He asked suddenly. His gaze never leaving her.

The question reminded her of the time when she did not knew of who he really was when they first met, and it surprised her that he would ask such a question.

She saw the seriousness of it, and decided to drop whatever useless thing she was about to say and instead gave him a straightforward answer. "You should know by now that I trust you."

He nodded and gave a small smile. "Good, because I trust you as well… with all my heart. And because there's something I have to tell you, something you have to make sure no one else would know… at least, not until the time is right or unless by your own judgment you find them trustworthy."

Izumi nodded.

"You have to swear that." Takuya said as he held out his pinky.

"You're kidding, right?" Izumi said raising an eyebrow. "A pinky promise? Aren't we old for that?"

Takuya grinned, "You're never too old for something. Anyways, it's just like old times. So, do you promise?"

Izumi resigned and gave her promise.

"Good." Takuya nodded. "Now, listen carefully… do you remember that time at the clearing?"

Izumi could feel her face burning as she remembered a different memory than what Takuya had intended for her to remember. If the wind would have pushed or nudged her, she would have ended up kissing him back then.

"Wh-what about the clearing?" She asked, almost stuttering as she did so.

Takuya was confused as to why she was stuttering, but decided to shake that confusion off as he said, "That time, I told you I dreamt of Flayhm… right?"

Izumi's heart calmed down a bit. She had thought that he would bring a different subject up. There was a mixture of relief as well as sadness as she guessed wrong but decided to tell herself that it simply wasn't time yet.

"Yes. I remember." She said as she regained her composure.

"I didn't tell you this back then but, that wasn't the first dream I had of him… but it was the last since I haven't heard or dreamt of him after that. That dream, it was similar to this, minus the fact that it was dark where we always met while every time we meet, well…" Takuya said. "Anyway, in one of the dreams I had of him, he told me some… disturbing things."

"Disturbing things?"

Takuya nodded as he returned gazing at the scenery. "He told me about a plot. A plot to capture all of us."

"I figured that out when they took you away." Izumi butted in.

Takuya laughed, but only for a little while as he replied. "Well, at least at that time you knew who took me away – those Dark Knights. But this time, the plot is deeper than I would have thought if it wasn't for Flayhm. He said that someone from our side is helping with that plot."

Izumi's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. "Are you sure about that?"

Takuya nodded. "I have tried to find out who it was, but I never did. There's no way Flayhm would have said that if it weren't true. That's why, I asked you not to tell anyone how my training was going, about my eye, or anything related about my powers. I guess I should have told you that earlier, huh?"

Izumi was silent as she contemplated on what he had said. It was then that she remembered something that Kouji had told her.

"I remember, it was during the first night you decided to stay out of the mansion." She said. "The four of us: Me, Lord Kouji, Lord Junpei and Tomoki were talking to ourselves about certain things concerning us and the Organization. Lord Kouji suddenly changed the topic in the middle of our discussion."

"You found that bizarre?" Takuya asked, looking over at her.

"At first yes, but then when Lord Kouji was escorting me back to our room and we were talking as we walked, he was acting suspicious though, giving side glances as we walked. When I asked him about it the next morning he said that he felt someone was listening in on our conversation and on the hallway, someone was following us." Izumi replied. "I forgot all about it, until you mentioned that spy. Do you think that whoever it was that was listening in on us or following us is the one?"

"Probably." Takuya said, then something struck him. "Kouji was escorting you? Shouldn't that be that bodyguard of yours' job?"

"He's still a knight working for my father," Izumi replied. "He finds it his duty to do that, besides, he's fun to be with at times, provided he doesn't act too protective and obsessive of what he is tasked to do."

Takuya did not bother to speak up at that. Izumi saw the silenced look on his face.

"Don't tell me you're jealous." She said.

Takuya puffed his face, like what he does when they were little, and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Anyone would be jealous if they found out that the person whom they have confessed over and over again to, would be having fun with another person." Takuya said. "And anyone would also be jealous if they knew that the person they love seems to be fond of another person."

"Well, I'm sorry if you weren't around back then." Izumi replied, of course, she wasn't angry. She wouldn't dare be angry in their special place.

"So, you're saying that as long as I'm not around you would go on clinging to him?"

"Hey! Now that's just going too far." She said. "Let's just drop it before we end up fighting again."

Takuya laughed. "Fine, fine… but I still would like to know…"

"Know about what?"

"About your true feelings." He answered. "I would like to hear it from you, I don't mind if it's in this dream world or not as long as you tell me directly."

She wasn't able to say anything to him after that, as she found herself lying in her bed awake. She found it somewhat troublesome that something or someone always interrupts their moment. Her feelings for him had been obvious since they were reunited, but she understood what Takuya wanted. She would like it as well if someone confesses directly at her, voicing through words as much as through actions. Words meant a lot.

But that wasn't why she remembered the dream. Those words of warning he said before he awakened still lingered in her mind.

He had told her to be careful and to not trust anyone outside their circle of friends. He even told her to be wary of the organization. And up to now, she took that warning to heart. She knew that she could defend herself better now, but without Takuya by her side, she still felt unsafe.

"Don't worry too much, Izumi." Kaizen told her, but she could only nod.

At that point, Junpei and Tomoki went to her.

"Lady Izumi?" Junpei said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Are you worried about him?"

"Not really… I'm more worried about our safety." Izumi half-lied. In truth, she was more worried of what Takuya would do after the commotion he made before they left.

"You shouldn't hide it, Lady Izumi." Tomoki said. "We're all worried about us but also of Lord Takuya and your Father as well."

His words came as a surprise to her. He was younger than her, but at that moment, he was more composed.

"You shouldn't carry the burden alone." Junpei said. "And don't think of Takuya as the only person who can help as well. Even if I don't want to accept it, we know how you feel for him. But even so, we're also here and we're also willing to help you out. We're friends after all, aren't we?"

Chiaki nodded in the distance.

Izumi could not help but smile. Yes, they were right. All of them were friends, but that only made the job of finding out who was betraying them harder.

In the end, she could not help but ask: 'Takuya, what should I do? Who should I trust?'

He waited. Patience was something he had learned now, and it was something that would ensure them of their victory. The flickering flames of are the only source of light in the dark throne room and he was the only one around. The King and his 'Father' had both returned to the castle, they have a lot to prepare for, after all.

He smirked. He could not help but think how ignorant his enemies were. Did they actual think that they could hide their presence from him? He was a Chosen One after all. He could feel their presence… always.

One presence he couldn't feel was that of Takuya. For him, it was proof enough that the real one was dead or had simply lost his powers. It didn't matter either way. If he was dead, it only made his job easier, otherwise he'll end up dead anyway.

The thought of his 'other' self being dead sent a smile on his face. "Once you're dead, Izumi would be mine." He thought out loud.

Just then, someone appeared through a puff of dark smoke.

"So, you're here." He said.

"I'm sorry for taking a while." The other said as he reported. "All the preparations are finished."

"Good." The clone said. "The stage is set… Now let the games begin."

To be continued…

Author's Notes:

Who would have thought that I would finish this chapter and even write it while listening to Ichigo Kurosaki and Hitsugaya Toushiro (both from Bleach, if anyone's wondering) sing… lol.

Anyways, this chapter sure is filled with flashbacks, isn't it. Had to just do that though, as this is basically the start of the battles in Lone Island. I have to say that I agree with Sightbent about the whole "powers of collective thinking" thing, lol. I guess that's what drove me to write this chapter as well.

Anyways, I hope that this is enough to keep people want to read this fanfic. With that said, and with all the other things I need to finish, this is Sakura Martinez saying "PEACE" and signing out! Until next time!

P.S

Jason Castro fans may not like hearing this but, I can't help but feel that Jason just took away a spot that would most likely have been Carly Smithson or Brooke White in Idol's Top 4. Hopefully, it would be a David versus David showdown in the finale… otherwise, if either of the two Davids got booted off next week, I would probably not watch American Idol ever again.