A Digimon Frontier Fanfic

By Sakura Martinez

Author's Note:

Well, it took a while for me to update this fanfic since I am still sooo busy, but, I manage to squeeze in just enough time for this one. Anyways, Hope you guys enjoy this!


End of Author's Note:

The Rabbit on the Moon

Continuous Divider

The clouds covered any moonlight hiding them even more from the enemy's surveillance. Their steps were precise and their movement nimble. They made sure not to make any unnecessary noises that would let their location be known – a not so easy feat for Junpei, but something that he accomplished anyway. Everyone was still in their normal forms as they wanted to reserve all their energy for whatever lies inside the castle-like structure that they were about to overtake.

Izumi was wary and so was Kouji, whom she had entrusted to tell her and Takuya's findings to. It was as if Kouji had reaffirmed his doubts when she told him of the spy that was sent out to capture them. Both decided not to let Junpei or Tomoki know, not that they didn't trust them, they just figured out that the less number of people to know about the spy being found out, the higher the probability that they would manage to figure out who exactly the spy is.

The four non-organization members were in awe as the fighters that the Organization sent to aid them managed to put off any enemy resistance they find. It was like they were assassins made to kill and follow orders of the highest authority – Assassins that blend well with the darkness of the night. The thought about them being stealthy executioners troubled the young Orimoto and Lord Minamoto, after all, one could not exclude the fact that someone with enough authority to order these Assassins around could also be the spy working with the enemy.

It took just a quick moment for their path towards the evil-looking castle to be clear thanks to the efforts of the Assassins. Once it was so, everyone made their way quickly passed the dead and slowly evaporating bodies of the Dark Knights. Izumi made a mental note to ask of this later. Finally, with what seems like a forever's worth of blending with their surroundings, the group managed to get themselves inside the castle.

The inside of the castle pretty much summed up what everyone thought of the place – creepy and seemingly deserted. Parts of the castle walls were already decaying and crumbling down revealing holes where eyes of various nocturnal animals could be seen gazing with curiosity at the trespassers. It would have appeared to be a lavish castle, but overtime deteriorated to one that could rival a place where Count Dracula could have lived. The thought of unwanted ghosts and spirits lingering about sent shivers down Izumi and Chiaki's spine, if their companions were as scared of the appearance of ghosts, they were doing a pretty good job of hiding it.

Apart from the almost deserted atmosphere and the crumbling walls and fallen pillars, another notable feature of this seemingly out-of-place architectural wonder was that it was pitch dark. No light shone to give anyone hints of which path to take. No candles were lit to give any sign that there was anyone within the walls. But the group new better.

"What do we do now?" Junpei voiced out. He didn't manage to hide the fact that the darkness of the whole place scared him, even but a little.

Everyone looked from the passage to the left to the passage on the right – both had an eerie atmosphere. Kouji could guess what was to be suggested. And his guess was right on the mark.

"We would have to split up." Katsuharu said, an obvious proposal. "Each would take a number of men with them, it would be easier and faster that way. If any team finds something, find a means to tell the other group of it.

There wasn't any choice on the matter and so everyone nodded and agreed to the proposition.

"How should we split up then?" Kouji asked.

Everyone was silent. Izumi guessed that everyone was thinking of it. After a while, Katsuharu spoke again.

"Let's go with strength and teamwork then. Izumi, Junpei, Chiaki and Teppei you four go together while I go with Kouji and Tomoki. Take half of the men with you and whatever path you guys decide, we'll take the other path."

A nod was Chiaki and Teppei's answer. Junpei also nodded with a smile as the thought of having Izumi around with him in such a creepy place would surely give him at least one time with her clinging on to him. Izumi however, looked over at Kouji for a moment, who nodded himself, before she accepted the arrangement.

"We'll take the left path then." Teppei said. No one bothered to go against it seeing as they were unsure of what lies on either path or even what to go up against of.

After that, the two teams separated, but not before Kouji whispered a 'good luck' to Izumi. It would seem that he would have to trust her ability to defend herself as well as on Junpei protecting her in case the spy decides to strike.

The silence was deafening and Tomoki could swear that he would wonder if he still had the sense of hearing if it were not for the sound of their breathing and the beating of his heart, which was racing as he was excited and at the same time, scared of what they were doing.

Tomoki took notice of it when they split up – Kouji had been eyeing their other companions closely. He was not sure if the others noticed or if they even knew of what that look Kouji was giving them was about. For Tomoki who had been around the young Vice Captain, he knew full well what it was all about.

Kouji Minamoto did not trust the others.

This confused Tomoki. Prior to their arrival at the island, Kouji seemed to have formed a bond of camaraderie with the other members of the Organization, but now it seems that that bond was nonexistent to begin with. He wanted to voice out and ask for the reason why, but he knew and figured that Kouji was bound to have a reason and that he would learn of it soon enough – when the young Minamoto decides to tell him that is.

It would appear that Kouji caught Tomoki looking at him. When he did, Kouji placed a hand over his mouth as if to tell Tomoki not to say anything, then pointed towards the beckoning darkness in front of them. Tomoki, although unsure, could only nod. Kouji had his reasons and he would trust him, he has, after all, not gone wrong with his judgment… yet.

Junpei noticed that she was tensed. He wondered and even went so far as to guess that it was because of the eerie atmosphere they had found themselves in. If it weren't for the comfort of knowing that he has a power to fight back that no others possess, Junpei himself would be worried as well. But even with that knowledge and even knowing the fact that his Lady Izumi was a strong and courageous woman, it was still confusing to see her act as she was acting. Of course, anyone who hadn't spent a lot of time with her would not note the difference.

He knew better than to worry of how she would fare in a battle, he had seen it first hand after all, the result of her training. Whether it was because of that Takuya Kanbara's help or not, he was not too sure himself. Well, either that or he was just too jealous of all the attention that his Lady Izumi is giving the Kanbara heir.

Another thing that he had noticed as they traverse the damp and dark hallway before them, was that Izumi seem to want to say something to him but is not sure if she should or should not do so. If he would allow his imagination to wander, he could almost hear her confess her love for him – something that he felt was out of the question considering the place and their current predicament. Whatever it was that she was hiding or arguing within herself whether to tell or not, was another mystery for Junpei Shibayama.

Katsuharu gripped his sword tighter on one hand and the shield he was carrying on the other. Darkness was not their ally inside the ruins they had found themselves in. Who knows if there were enemies hiding behind its veil?

He could feel the darkness staring back at him as he stared at it – it was either there was really something in the darkness or it was the eyes of his companions behind him. What he was certain of was that he was becoming paranoid.

His eyes darted on Kouji and he saw how seemingly stiff he was. Katsuharu wondered if the Vice Captain was also feeling the same paranoia that he was feeling. Both of them, he knew, had been in more missions than anyone else on the team but it would seem that this mission was by far the most critical in all of their careers.

The Leader had instructed him and him alone on what would and should be done once the two teams were on the island, but it would seem that these instructions would not be useful at what they found themselves in.

It would seem that no plans would have worked, and because of that, they would all have to rely on their instincts and their experiences in the battlefield – no matter how little that may be.

Teppei did not like the arrangement of the team. He did not like it one bit.

Apart from him and Chiaki, he knew that Izumi and Junpei held no experiences in actual combat and even in places such as this. Despite the fact that he knew very well how strong they had turned out to be, experience was first and foremost the most important thing in any missions or battles for that matter.

He wasn't even too sure if Chiaki would be of any help. Yes, she was a member of the organization and a Chosen One like him, but her powers would not be as strong as it were when they were on board the ship.

He held on to his weapon, his twin axes, tighter. The darkness was creepy but the eerie feeling that something or someone was watching them from beyond the cloak of the darkness was even creepier. He had always hated the dark and that did not help him at all. Of course, he did not show it to any of his companions for fear of being mocked.

Apart from that eerie feeling, he also felt that Izumi was distancing herself from everyone. This, he found explaining to himself, was probably because no one vouched for Takuya to come along. He sighed at how unprofessional the woman can be and even went so far as to wonder what she could have possibly seen in that idiot – all these thoughts were in order to free himself from the creep y atmosphere that seemed to be closing in on him with every second.

In the end he resigned himself in thinking how useful Takuya's flames could have been if he still had his powers at such a moment as this.

Chiaki had forced herself to have the façade of someone who felt no fear in their current predicament despite the real her screaming and jumping at any sudden movements. She figured that Izumi was also doing the same as they continued forward hoping for the light at the end of the seemingly endless tunnel.

She could almost imagine that they were inside some horror movie waiting to happen and this caused her to be annoyed with herself for thinking of something that did not help ease her frightened feeling.

She looked over at Izumi and noticed that she had a worried expression on her face. It was surprising to note that she didn't seem scared of the darkness and wondered what the other woman was thinking at this moment. Maybe it was something that could also ease her mind.

She had thought about asking her but decided not to when she saw Teppei's annoyed expression. She could guess, being with him in most of their missions, that it was probably because he did not like how the teams were divided. She didn't mind though as she agreed with what Katsuharu had in mind. The four of them could probably be a better team than if any one member was replaced by another, though she also figured that it would be entirely different if Takuya was on this mission.

The thought of the young Kanbara whom she had helped rescue before made her think that he was probably what is on Izumi's mind right now.

'Maybe she's wondering what he's doing?' She thought to herself as they moved deeper into the darkness covered area.

The eyes of the betrayer surveyed the surroundings. This person knew that the clone's side would be the one victorious. The eyes rested on one of its prey to the other knowing full well how surprised they would be if they realized what was going on and when that time comes it would already be too late.

Yes, it was all to attain that which this person seeks. It did not matter if this person would betray friends and allies, what mattered was the reward gained after all this was over.

For now, the betrayer waited for the right moment and the 'help' that Takuya's clone had promised would come to its aid. The thought of it all sent a smile on this person's face.

Do you know how, when you pray for something not to happen and then it happens anyway? That seemed to have been the case after what seemed like a forever's worth of walking in the dark. It was unsure who was praying for it not to happen, but it would certainly seem that someone did as a loud howl suddenly echoed throughout the hallway. It didn't matter which hallway it was for both teams heard it as clear as the sky is on a perfect day.

"W-what was that?" Chiaki asked with her eyes wide open.

"It sounded like one of those things that attacked the base two weeks ago!" Kouji said as he gripped his weapon tighter – something that everyone did at the same time.

Izumi's hands were already on her back, ready to take an arrow out when she spoke, "Anyone see anything?"

No one answered her query, which left her to assume that what she could see was what everyone else could see – total darkness.

"Everyone stick together!" Katsuharu commanded. "Walk slowly."

Teppei also gave the same kind of command as Katsuharu did, thinking that it was the most logical and safest thing to do.

Junpei gulped, but he was not about to turn back into being a coward. He had no one else to depend on, after all, he had to make sure to protect Izumi at all cost. He was her bodyguard after all.

Tomoki made sure to have his barrier ready just in case there were any surprise attacks. He had been training to make sure that he was quick in doing so and that the barrier would be much more stronger than how it was in the past and that he would be able to keep it up no matter how strong an attack against it is or how long it was needed.

It was as if that how was what the traitor was waiting for as this person's smile widen. Now all that was left was for 'him' to show up and everything would be put into motion. The time when the betrayer's real self was to be unveiled was drawing near and how that person was anxious of that time to come wondering what the others' expressions would be when they find out that their ally was really an enemy.

Slowly and together, the two teams moved further into the heart of the ruins.

Suddenly a voice spoke, it was a voice that was all too familiar to Izumi, Junpei, Tomoki and Kouji…

"We've been expecting all of you." Said the voice whose bearer was still hidden behind the darkness. The voice that was heard by both teams despite the fact that both teams were still in two different locations.

Izumi found herself lowering her bow as she called out the name of the owner of that voice, "Kouichi?"

At the other team, Kouji also found himself calling out his name, "Kouichi, is that you?"

Kouichi, clad in the same dark armor as the ones that they had dealt with outside the ruins suddenly appeared before them in a puff of dark smoke.

"It has been a while." He said. "Welcome, to Takuya's place."

"Kouichi, what do you think you're doing working for the enemy?" Junpei found himself asking. "Don't you realize that the person you think is Takuya, whom you are following right now is a fake? A Clone?"

Kouichi looked at the knight, his eyes showed no emotions whatsoever. "What are you talking about, Junpei? Takuya is Takuya." Then he faced Izumi and said, "He's been waiting for you, Lady Izumi."

Every noticed the blank look in his eyes, it was the same as the look Takuya had prior to the events that took place in the ship. He seemed as though he was in a trance, that he was being controlled by someone, and everyone could only guess as to who the puppeteer was.

Izumi took a step back as Kouichi offered her his hand.

"What's wrong, Lady Izumi?" Kouichi asked in a monotone voice, "Do you not wish to see Takuya?"

"I've seen him, and I don't want to see that Takuya that you are referring to." Izumi replied. It pained her to see a friend in such a state as this. It made her wonder if the traitor that Takuya spoke of was Kouichi.

Meanwhile, at the other team…

"Kouichi, what do you think you're doing? Why are you working for the King? Didn't you want to rescue your grandfather?" Kouji asked.

"Why would I want to rescue someone who had lied to me for years?" Was the reply he received. "Besides, I am perfectly happy being able to work with Takuya once again."

"What are you talking about?" Kouji asked.

"You wouldn't understand." Kouichi answered. "Not now at least. Now, why won't you all come with me."

If Kouji was at ease before, he was no longer now. He pointed his sword at Kouichi as he wondered the same thing as Izumi, and said, "I don't think so. I can't allow you to hand us over to the King knowing full well what he intends to do."

"Kouji's right, Kouichi." Tomoki nodded in agreement as he too poised himself ready for battle. "What happened to you, this… it isn't you."

Kouichi merely stared blankly at them.

"He would be hurt if he hears you say that, Lady Izumi." Kouichi said as he took another step forward and the darkness behind him seemed to follow.

"I don't care. Open your eyes, Kouichi, that person is not Takuya." Izumi said as she backed away and took an arrow out and placed it on her bow, ready to strike.

Junpei seemed to have noticed that Kouichi had come to take Izumi away, and so he moved right in front of her and also poised himself to defend her. "I won't allow you to force Lady Izumi into seeing that 'thing'."

"How can you all believe that he is a clone when he has enough proof to prove otherwise. Can't you feel it? The power of Flame's Chosen One enveloping this whole area and my power as well – a power that he has graciously given to me."

It was as if they all felt it for the first time since coming to the god-forsaken island. It was as Kouichi had said, they could feel the immense power that was Takuya and also, there was that eerie power, the power that seemed to be beckoning in the darkness, the same power that they felt during the fray with the monsters back in Shore. It was then that they all realized who it was that was really controlling the abominations… it was Kouichi.

Izumi could not help but wonder even more if she had found the traitor, and just when she was about to voice it out, Kouichi spoke yet again.

"Now, why don't you just follow me?" Kouichi said. "Abandon the futile mission of hoping to destroy the King's plans, join him instead and open up the path to a new world."

Kouichi's voice had turned maniacal, and it only made Izumi and Junpei as well as the others sure of where they stand.

"No." Junpei said.

"I'm sorry, Kouichi, but if it comes down to it, we WILL fight you." Izumi added.

Just as they were about to activate their Level 3 powers and duke it out with the Chosen One of Darkness, Izumi felt someone point a weapon at her from behind.

"I wouldn't be reckless and do that if I were you." Chiaki spoke, he rapier pointed at Izumi's back.

"Chiaki, what do you think you're doing?" Teppei asked, shocked at his comrade's action.

"I think you should think twice of what you are about to do." Katsuharu said as he in turn pointed his sword at Kouji and summoned his Spirit Guardian to bind Tomoki to the ground. "I can't let you ruin it for us now, can I?"

"Katsuharu?" Kouji's eyes widen, he was bewildered as he had already resigned himself into thinking that it was Kouichi, whom Izumi had been warned of, as the traitor.

"Surprised?" Katsuharu asked with a smirk on his face. "It was hard having to play the role of always siding with the Leader, I was worried that someone would find out about where my loyalties truly lie."

"Nice work, Katsuharu." Kouichi said. "The King would be pleased."

"So it was you," Kouji said gritting his teeth in anger, how could he had let his guard down. "I should have known."

"What's going on?" Tomoki asked. "Katsuharu, why are you doing this?"

"Hmph, I don't need to explain myself to the likes of you." Katsuharu said as he turned around and ordered his men to ensure that their captives would be shown to the 'Master of the Ruins', who was Takuya. Then he turned towards Kouichi and said, "I'll leave them to your capable hands, Lord Kouichi."

Kouichi nodded and with a puff of smoke vanished into the darkness. It was then that Kouji and Tomoki were forced to walk to the throne room where Takuya was waiting for them.

"I've been planning this moment since I've learned that Izumi's father has been captured," Chiaki said, her voice held no warmth and kindness as it did before, "I knew full well what the Organization would think of doing. Of course, I only managed to report what I could gather from the Organization and had Takuya's Clone and Lord Kouichi plan everything else – the lack of capable guards was one of them, and so is this dark corridors and this moment. It was all to capture all of you."

"So, you're the spy…" Izumi said, her back was still turned as she knew that any sudden movements on her part would give Chiaki the reason to attack.

"Yes, I was the one who was always lurking about, listening in to your conversations with your friends. I was the one who gave the information on what Ship we were going to take and when, and I was the one who gave the enemy the information they needed to infiltrate Shore's defenses. I had the hardest time trying to act all friendly, and to act as though I was really for the Organization – I guess I must have acted pretty well if no one, not even you Teppei, could see through my disguise."

"I don't believe you, Chiaki!" Teppei said as Chiaki's men began to surround them. "How could you work with the same people who killed your family and tortured the one you care for the most?"

Chiaki looked at him and every single one of the people whom she had betrayed, she loved to see the look in their faces – that priceless look of disbelief, as she replied. "It was because they were also the one who brought us back."

It was a confusing statement from her. Teppei was about to ask her what she meant when Kouichi spoke.

"I am sure Takuya, the King and Lord Kanbara would be happy of your accomplishments, and so will 'he' be." Kouichi said. "Now, take them to the throne room, Takuya awaits."

And with that, he vanished.

As the three Chosen Ones were being forced to walk their way to the throne room, Junpei could not help but wonder what they have gotten themselves into.

"Is there any hope of escaping this place now?" He wondered.

To be continued…

Post Author's Notes:

Well, it wasn't long but it was enough for this chapter. A bit of a cliffhanger at the end and just to lift off any confusion as to who the traitor was, it was both Chiaki and Katsuharu. As for any other questions regarding that, well, the future chapters would serve to give the answers. There's more to their betrayal than meets the eye… that's for sure.

Now, I had a hard time trying to hide who the traitors were up to the last moment, and I am unsure if I did a good job of it. Also, I apologize for not being able to update sooner – I, as I have told time and time again, am very busy now-a-days especially with my vacation almost over and with all the jobs I found myself in.

I was planning on updating the night when the new American Idol, David Cook (yes!) was crowned, but, something came up that hindered me from doing so. Now, with this fanfic updated, I shall begin working on CoT: CW, and after updating that, will I return to this fanfic. Hopefully, before this week end, I might have another Rabbit on the Moon chapter for you guys.

Well, thanks for the review(s) I got from the previous chapter and for the hits as well. This is as far as I would type in this chapter, and so with that said, this is Sakura Martinez saying "PEACE" and signing out.

Take care everyone!