A Digimon Frontier Fanfic

By Sakura Martinez

Author's Notes:

Well, I know I am pretty much delayed in the updates department and I really apologize for that since it has really been busy over here and I am having extreme problems with my thesis (darn it!). However, despite the unstoppable flow of time and the incoming exams week, I finally managed to get this chapter done. I have to say that out of all the chapters that I have written for this particular fanfic, this chapter is perhaps the only chapter that has undergone several revisions to the setting and the flow. Although I revised this a couple of times, the main idea of the chapter did not change at all – which is a good thing!

Anyways, before I allow you all to continue reading, I would just remind everyone of our on-going poll (which can be found on my profile, so check it out afterwards), those who haven't voted yet, please do so as the poll would end on the last day of July.

Well, that's about it for the Pre-Chapter Author's Note. I'll add more information on the Post Author's Note. So, read on, everyone!

End of Author's Notes

The Rabbit on the Moon

Suddenly Everything Has Changed

All things in this world are impermanent. All things change because of time. They have the nature to rise and pass away. To be in harmony with this truth brings true happiness. However, it is not time which really changes things. Time is but a small driving force, what really changes things are human actions – what we do, what we do not do. To know what really causes change...how many people really know that?

Takuya sighed as he rubbed his sore cheek. He should have guessed that something like that would happen, but when the inevitable did occur, there was nothing he could do. He knew, the moment that he learned that Izumi's father was alright, that everything would change… and apparently, a change was coming.

He didn't know how he could tell – maybe it was his gut feeling or maybe he managed to analyze the recent events and concluded from there. But for whatever reason, his mind had began to give him warnings.

Another sigh escaped his lips as he remembered what took place on the Omni-Craft's deck.

The Omni-Craft flew in the horizon, speeding through the skies at first, thinking that someone might be after the passengers but after learning that no person with evil intent were following them, slowed down. Everyone on board felt the same thing or thought of it – they have had enough excitement for the evening.

Throughout the ride, Takuya held Izumi in his arms. Both finding comfort in the other. Their companions who were on the deck as they were, were simply not minding them or were too tired to mind what was going on. Most, if not all of them, were still out of breath after what had happened.

No one spoke for a while until someone called from behind the two youths. It was the voice that Izumi thought she would never hear again… a voice, which at that moment, sounded like music to her ears.

"Izumi?" Came an old and weary voice as the Commander emerged from the room from where he was placed.

At the sound of her father's voice, Izumi turned around. At the sight of her father, she broke her embrace with Takuya and limped to her father's arms. At that point, tears started streaming down her already dirty face. It was tears filled with relief and happiness.

Takuya, on the other hand, froze on the spot. Sweat started to form on his brow. He was sure that the Commander had seen his daughter hugging him, and for that, he was worried of what Izumi's father would think.

It took a while before Commander Orimoto let go of his daughter, and looked lovingly at her saying, "I was so worried when our captors started talking about how they have captured you and everyone else…"

Izumi smiled, tears of joy at the reunion still falling from her eyes. "I was more worried of you, father, than I was of my self. I had thought that I would never see you again. I missed you so much…"

Takuya, albeit worried and scared for his sake, could not help but smile at the reunion. Although he was happy for Izumi, a pang of jealousy erupted from deep within him. He was jealous of how much Izumi was loved by her father and he could not help but wish that he could also feel a parent's love – it was a wish that he knew was impossible now.

When Commander Orimoto's eyes started to trail around his surroundings, and when he caught sight of Takuya, the happy and loving gaze that he had was suddenly transformed to that filled with hatred and anger. Without warning, he dashed towards Takuya and seized him by the neck.

"Father!" Shouted Izumi as she, despite the pain that she was feeling on her wounded leg, limped towards him. "Stop!"

With a glare that could freeze the deepest parts of hell, the Commander spoke: "I will not stop!" His voice rising as he gripped Takuya's neck even tighter making it harder for the young Kanbara to breathe. "This man tortured General Kimura, ordered to lock me up, and what's more, boasted about having captured you!"

Junpei and Kouji, after getting past the surprise at their Commander's actions, then went towards Takuya and tried to help him and to break the death grip that their superior had on him. This surprised the Commander, who asked, "Sir Kouji, Sir Junpei, what do you think you two are both doing?"

"We cannot allow you to pass judgment on the wrong person, Lord Orimoto." It was Kouji who spoke. "The person who did all of those things you mentioned, and this person whom you are assaulting are not one and the same."

"What did you say?" Commander Orimoto asked, confused.

"Father! Please! Let Takuya go!" Izumi pleaded. When her father saw the look she was giving him and the indignation of his subordinates on what he was doing, he let the young man in question go. Takuya wheezed and coughed as he tried to regain his breathing, stumbling back as he did so.

Izumi went to him with a worried look on her face, a look that did not disappear even when Takuya assured her that he would be alright.

"Commander, it may come as a surprise coming from me, but you have to understand everyone on board this vessel trusts Takuya with our lives, after all, it was because of him why we are all free right now." Junpei spoke as he stood between the Commander and the young Kanbara. "You may not trust him nor believe in what he would say because of that other Takuya who had done all that you have just said and also because he is the son of the person who had caused you a great deal of remorse, but please… for now, give him the benefit of the doubt. If you would not believe us or think that we are being manipulated by the person before you, then perhaps you would listen to the Leader of the Organization who had taken good care of us… and whom you had asked us to meet."

The Commander did not speak as he sized up the young Kanbara. Takuya could swear, as he continued to stabilize his breathing, that he could feel the intensity of the gaze that was being directed at him.

To break the silence and the tension that was building on deck, Izumi spoke: "Father, please… I trust Takuya. He saved my life many times already, and he saved everyone else's life including yours and the General, Kimura. If he hadn't come, who knows what would have become of us…"

"We do not wish to go against you, Commander." Kouji also spoke as he went in front of his superior, "but, we will stand by him if we have to."

Junpei nodded at what Kouji had said.

"Vice Commander Minamoto, Lord Shibayama… step aside." The Commander spoke in a tone that showed it was not a request but an order. When both men did not move, he repeated, "Vice Commander Minamoto, Lord Shibayama… step aside… NOW!" and he pushed them both aside. It was a bold move and a surprising one as well.

With the path cleared, the Commander moved closer. When he was near Takuya, it was Izumi's turn to step up, but Takuya stopped her even before she could fully do so saying that it was alright and also because he had seen how Izumi was finding it hard to move about.

Being face to face with the son of the person who had caused him so much pain and suffering, Izumi's father could not help but have all of his anger build up even more inside of him. Takuya did not 

know what to anticipate any longer, so he just stood there, staring back at the anger-filled eyes of the older Orimoto. It was because of that why he did not know how to react when Commander Orimoto's fist collided with his left cheek with so much force that it sent him stumbling back and landing on his bottom.

"That," the Commander spoke… or rather growled, "would not even come close to what would happen if you prove to be the person who I believe you are."

And with that, the Commander walked off, returning to his cabin.

Even with the ice-pack on his sore, left cheek, Takuya could still feel the swelling. It was such a surprise that for someone who was as hold as the Commander to have such a powerful punch still left in him.

"Well, I guess I can't really say that I'm fully surprised of his power." Takuya thought to himself as he lay on his bed with the ice-pack pressed on his cheek. "I had heard of stories about him… now I understand why, despite Izumi's beauty, she doesn't have that much suitors…"

He was cut off from his thoughts when a knock erupted from the door of his room. Wondering who could be visiting him in such an hour, Takuya rose up from his bed and went to answer the door. When he did open the wooden doors of his room, he was surprised to see Izumi on a pair of crutches standing outside of his room.

"I-Izumi!" Said the surprised Takuya. "What are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be in your room resting?"

"You can't really expect me to fall asleep that easily after everything that has happened, do you?" Izumi replied as she proceeded to enter Takuya's room after being invited in.

"I guess not…" Takuya muttered loud enough for both of them to hear as he closed the door. "I'm sorry, I should be the one visiting you, not the other way around… You're the one who's injured after all…"

"I should be apologizing as well for suddenly coming over without notice." Izumi said as she sat down by the chair near Takuya's bed, the same chair which she had sat on while watching over him when he was recuperating. "I just wanted someone to talk to and Kaizen is proving not to be of any help at the moment."

Takuya could not help but laugh at what Izumi had just said concerning her Spirit Guardian. But his laughter was only short lived as the he sat down beside her and asked, "What is it you want to talk about then?"

"It's about my father and what happened on deck." Izumi answered. "I'm sorry about that. I should have known that he would act the way he did…"

"Well, that's pretty much expected of him." Takuya replied shrugging what had happened off, even though deep inside he was still worried. "Anyway, speaking of your father, does he know that you're with me right now?"

Izumi could only laugh nervously at his question which earned her a sigh from him.

"You may act tough about all of this, but you are afraid of him now, aren't you, Takuya?" Izumi said. "You don't have to worry about tonight… when that woman talks with him, he will come to understand that you are not the same person as the one who took him."

Takuya smiled, then to lighten up the mood, he voiced out his thoughts of earlier on. "Now I understand why I haven't heard of any of your suitors… they must be quite scared of your father."

"If you think that what had happened earlier today was scary, then you surely have not heard about the other things of which he is quite famous of." Izumi said of which Takuya replied, "I would think that it is better not to know of those things… you're not trying to scare me away by using your father now, are you?"

Laughter once again erupted from between the two. However, despite the sound of their laughter, Takuya was at a lost on whether to ask her about the kiss or not. He wondered if doing so would be such big a risk at the moment.

He was snapped from his thoughts when he heard Izumi sigh. He looked up at her and saw that her head was bent low and so he asked, "Izumi, is there something wrong?"

"Not really." Izumi replied which earned him a look from Takuya that says he wasn't buying it. She then added, "It's just that, somehow, I feel that all that hard work and training that I did was just a waste of time. In the end I couldn't even defend myself… especially during that fight with Chiaki."

"You shouldn't think like that, Izumi." Takuya said as he looked up at the ceiling. "You were just shaken by what had happened so far. Besides, even I had a hard time dealing with her in that psychopathic rage that she had."

"Yeah, something she has because of her intense feelings for you." Izumi added with a playful note on her voice.

Takuya could only shudder at what Izumi had said. "It's not like I didn't made it clear of whom I have feelings for with her. I was always going on and on about you, you know. Besides, that's not even the point of this conversation, is it? What I was trying to say to you was that if you managed to stand your ground against her in that condition, then I'd say your training did pay off."

"Then I guess the reason why I managed to get this stupid injury is because of my clumsiness then."

Takuya thought for a couple of seconds before nodding and said, "Well, you were always a klutz even when we were young."

"Takuya!" Izumi pouted before both started laughing once again. When the laughter subsided, Izumi added, "Do you think they found anything back at that place?"

Her question made Takuya remember of what had happened earlier on when they finally landed on the vicinity of the Organization's mansion.

Throughout the whole journey back, after what had happened with Takuya and Izumi's father, Takuya had made sure to stay our of the Commander's way. He was not up to having to spar with the older Orimoto for he knew what the outcome of that would be.

It took a few more hours before the Omni-Craft finally landed on Shore. Takuya could see from where he was standing on the deck how the remaining members of the Organization were scrambling about, probably making preparations for their return and probably looking for the Leader to report on their return at the same time.

At the thought of the Leader, Takuya still could not fathom the reason why she helped him during his escape and even ensured that he had everything he needed inside the Omni-Craft. He made a mental note to ask her of this as soon as he finds the opportunity to do so.

A few more minutes after the Commander and General were shown to their rooms, Takuya and the others with him found themselves facing the Leader, with the exception of Izumi who had been brought to the medical facility where her injuries were being taken care of.

"You all had me worried so much." The Leader spoke, her eyes and the tone of her voice were all filled with weary. "Especially when I heard about Chiaki and Katsuharu."

At the mention of the two traitors, everyone stiffened.

"This is not the time to talk about them or their background, however." The Leader went on, her facial expression reverting to the serious one that they all know so well. "Report."

It was Teppei who nodded and who spoke recounting all the events that took place up to the point that they were captured and of the extraction process that they all underwent. He didn't went to the specific details of the process, for Teppei knew each of them experienced different things and heard of different things under the watchful gaze of their captors.

At the mention of the extraction process, the Leader seemed to have expected it for she showed no sign of surprise.

When Teppei had finished his part of the story, it was Takuya who stepped up and added what he had seen, heard and experienced during his solo rescue mission. When everything was said and reported, silence filled the room for a short while as the Leader thought of the necessary actions to be implemented.

"Then I take it, base from what you have told me, that the collapse and the destruction of their fortress was not planned in any way and that there is no way they could have evacuated everyone and everything in time?" The Leader asked.

"Yes." Teppei replied.

The Leader turned around and spoke, "There is nothing we can do about what had happened with the extraction and all. We can be certain that the King and his scientists would probably have started making clones of each one of you as he had done so with Takuya. We can only prepare for what is to come and, if what you say is true about the suddenness of the destruction of their fortress then we could hope to find evidences of what they could be planning back there."

"So, we're going back then?" Takuya asked. His voice suggested that, like always, he was against the idea.

"I would not be sending any of you back there or in any missions for the time being, Takuya." The Leader answered, it was something that Takuya had not expected. "I would send a different group in. You all have undergone so much in the past twenty-four hours, you all deserve some rest."

Everyone nodded at this, and soon after, the Leader dismissed them. Everyone then began to pack out of the room except for Takuya who remained.

"Is there anything else you want to say, Takuya?" The Leader asked, the weariness of her voice creeping back.

"Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you." Takuya replied. The Leader looked at him which was a sign that she was listening, and so he went on, "I understand that you were as worried 

about them as I was but, I couldn't help wondering why, after locking me up and all of that, you would just allow me to rescue them."

"Would you have stopped and reconsidered your actions if I had stopped you?" The Leader returned the question and Takuya stated his obvious answer. The Leader then continued, "Then I would say it was quite pointless to stand in your way… I had figured you managed to regain some of your powers – enough to help you escape, and so I knew that even if I called for all of my men to stop you it we would not be able to do so. You are stubborn, something that I know you got from your father."

"Why do you know so much about my father?" Takuya asked remembering the letter that the Leader had written for him. "Were you an acquaintance of his?"

The Leader turned her back on him again and replied, "You can say that… but, I only know so much about the person he was than the person he is now."

"How did you come to know him then?" Takuya's questions came one after the other.

The Leader merely laughed at the barrage of questions she was receiving but, instead of answering his query, she said, "That's enough of the questions for now, Lord Takuya… you are as shaken as the rest of them, I suggest you rest both your mind and your body. There's a lot to be done after you all have regained enough of your stamina."

And with that came the end of the conversation. Takuya did not bother to press anything on further and so he went out of the Leader's Study and made his way to the Medical Facility where Izumi was.

Once he was there, he saw Izumi sitting comfortably on the bed, her wounded leg all bandaged up and a pair of crutches lay near her bed.

She smiled when she saw him and asked, "So, how did it go?"

Takuya shrugged, "Well, the Leader wasn't a bit surprised about all of you having to undergo that extraction process… she did, however, say that she was going to send a team over to the wreckage in hopes of finding any clues about what the King may be planning. Anyway, how are you doing?"

"Apart from the itching and the fact that it's a pain to walk around, I would say I'm doing good." Izumi replied. "I could have easily healed this injury if I hadn't depleted my energy."

"Sorry," Takuya found himself apologizing for the umpth time. "you didn't need to have drained yourself like that in saving me from that fall."

"I know." Izumi replied. "But I did anyway… so now, we're even."

"Who knows." Takuya finally gave his answer. "Even if they do find something, it would still be a question of whether that something holds valuable information or not."

"I'm worried." Izumi voiced out. "Now that they can clone each one of us, they would probably go after our powers next… much like how your clone went after you and took your eye. It's the only thing that they would need now for the King's plan to come into fruition."

Takuya still hated the memory and even the mention of it. "Then we'll have to make sure that they don't get what it is they need."

Izumi sighed as she wondered and asked, "I have no idea what the basis for your confidence is."

Takuya could only grin at her before silence once again settled in the room.

It was already getting late and Takuya knew that if he was going to ask her that nagging question in the back of his head, he would have to do so now for he does not know when another opportunity will arise.

"Izumi?" Takuya finally broke the silence. "You remember what I always told you in that place, right? About how I don't mind waiting for your answer…"

Izumi nodded, she could feel where this conversation was heading.

"I just thought, that time, when I was about to make that jump and even when I was falling… I thought 'what if this would be the end for me?'. Even though I may not have showed it, I was really scared." Takuya admitted. "It may sound like I'm forcing you, Izumi… but I just don't want to feel regret over this… over us… that's why…"

Izumi gave him a small smile and replied, "I understand, Takuya. You don't have to say anything more."

It took a while before what Izumi said registered to his mind and he did not bother to hide his surprise when he asked, "You do?"

Izumi nodded. "After what had almost happened, I feel like I understand things a bit clearly now. All of us are guilty of thinking that we have all the time in the world, and just when we're about to live life, before we know it, there is no time left for us. You're right, Takuya."

Takuya did not say anything, he was waiting for the answer that Izumi would be giving him. He just looked at her quietly as she contemplated on what to say.

It seemed like forever for Takuya before Izumi spoke, even though only minutes have passed since she last said anything. But when Takuya heard her answer, he felt that it was worth the wait.

It was almost midnight, but even so, the Leader of the Organization was still in her study awaiting for any word concerning the investigation on the Lone Islands. It didn't matter for her what the team she had sent would find as long as they find something – any clue at all, or even maybe the wreckage of the machine that was used for the extraction process. However, the latter, despite trying to think positively, seems impossible for them to find.

She knew what time it was already, that is why she was surprised when a knock suddenly erupted from the door to her office. Even though she was not in any mood for a talk, she knew that communicating and answering to whomever was calling was part of her responsibilities as the leader of the renegade organization and so she said, "Come in."

She had expected that it would be one of her men who were asking for a raise or giving word on what was going on with the investigation. That was why, one could imagine the look of surprise on her face when she saw Commander Orimoto enter.

"Commander Orimoto, it's a surprise to see you visiting at such a late hour." The Leader spoke. "What brings you here?"

"There is no need for formalities between old friends, Yuriko." The Commander said.

"I see that you still think of me as a friend, Ishige… even though…"

"It is not you who had done us wrong." The Commander cut her midway. "Still, I should have figured out the reason why he is being protected by your people."

"By 'he', you mean Takuya?" The Leader, Yuriko said.

Commander Orimoto nodded. "Even my subordinates and my daughter went to lengths in stopping me earlier on today while the ship made its way here."

"Do not tell me that you fought with him." The Leader was now looking at the other man in disbelief.

"I did not fight with him, but I did end up punching him in the face." Ishige Orimoto admitted. "You should have told me about his clone or even about the fact that he is still alive."

"Would it have changed anything?" Came the question.

"You have a point there." Was his reply. "He holds so much similarities with his father, that even though I know of all the things he had done for my daughter and of the things I know about him since he was young, I could not help but hate him and not accept him."

"Yes, he does hold great resemblance with Hiroaki." She agreed. "However, their resemblance right now could only go as far as how they look and in terms of their stubbornness…"

"Are you sure that that is all they have in common?" Ishige asked. It was as if he knew that there was something more and he did not bother to hide it. "I know you can see past that, Yuriko. And I can sense that you are also trying to not take notice of even greater similarities between the two but unlike you, I intend to take notice of them."

"Are you going to go against your daughter's happiness then?" She asks. "Are you going to break them both apart? If you think that by breaking your daughter's heart you are protecting her, then you are gravely mistaken. Do you not think that you have done a fair amount of mistakes already – mistakes that your daughter and her friends are already paying for?"

"You say that because you are…"

"It is not about who I am, Ishige." The Leader said sternly. "That does not matter. Do not think for one moment that I am biased on this matter. Right now, I am the Leader of the Organization, and nothing more."

The Commander looked back at her stern face and sighed. "Even through the years, you perhaps are the one who didn't change."

"Just because everything's changing doesn't mean that it has not always been this way before." Was the answer the Leader gave to the Commander.

"I tell you this, Yuriko, I still do not trust him." Commander Orimoto said as he stood up from where he was seated and began to make his way to the door. "Even if it is his clone who did all of those things we are still not certain that he would not make the same mistake as his father before him."

"That is why we must ensure not to push him into that predicament, and why you should not act as you are doing now around him."

"I cannot make any promises on that." The Commander said. "But I do swear, that if he dare hurt my daughter…"

"He won't." The Leader assured him as she remembered as to what lengths the young Kanbara would go to ensure the younger Orimoto's happiness. "And another thing, Ishige… when we are around them, do not call me by my name."

Commander Orimoto nodded. "Still not ready to tell the truth, then?"

"There is a time for everything, and right now, that is not the time for it."

The team that the Leader had sent scavenged through the area where the fortress once stood. Everyone picked a spot and was busily and hastily looking for anything that would prove useful. Half of the team, however, had already found the remains of a large machine – a machine that they believe was the one used for the extraction process.

"I bet the Leader would be happy about this." Said one of the people on the ground.

"Yeah." Nodded another one. "I know she asked us to try and find this thing, but I bet she didn't actually thought we'd find it."

The conversation between the two members of the team was cut short however, when a third member came running towards them a glowing sphere on his hands.

"Everyone, look at this!" The man shouted as he continued to run towards his companions. "I found this over there. I think it's pretty important, don't you?"

In his hands was a purplish glowing orb. The person who was carrying it, although he doesn't know how to explain it, can feel a surge of power coming from the said orb. When the others saw what he was holding, they knew that he did found something valuable.

"You better go back ahead of time." The leader of the team said when he also saw what his subordinate was holding. "Take some of the men with you, we'll follow you as soon as we're done excavating that contraption."

"Why are you sending me back, Captain?" the man holding the orb asked.

"Because I have a strange feeling that that thing, whatever that is, is something that the leader has to take a look at, at once." Was the Captain's reply.

The man could only scratch his head and follow the orders that was given to him. Boarding the Omni-Craft along with half of the team, they zoomed out of the horizon and towards Shore.

To be Continued…

Post Author's Notes:

I know it's not pretty long compared to the previous chapters but, it's still pretty well done if you ask me… of course, that is a biased opinion, lol.

Anyways, thanks to all those who posted a review on the previous chapter. Now, first thing's first…

If you have voted on the poll, then you might have some questions (or maybe a lot of questions) regarding that so here are some answers to those questions.

Q: Will you be releasing the game for the public?

A: As much as I would like to say yes to this, it is still very much dependent on how many are willing to play the game. After all, I do not want to waste precious bandwidth on something that only a small amount of people (less than 10) would find interesting. That is, first and foremost, the reason for the poll.

Q: If you're not going to release it, then is there no way we can play it?

A: Well, that would be pretty stupid wouldn't it, to make a game and have no one to play it. I would be releasing a demo for the general public no matter what the outcome of the poll would be. However, like I've stated above, I would not release the full version of the game on the net if the poll isn't on favor of it.

Q: Is there any way we can help in the production of the game?

A: There is actually. I need quite a number of 'talented' or 'skilled' people in various departments. Although I am quite capable of multi-tasking, it would be far easier to work with a team. For this, people who know how to sprite, draw, create music, write a game script, and even voice act is highly welcome. 

Of course, those who do want to be a part of this project must agree not to let any part of the development process out on the public, in other words, not to spoil any part of the game to the public. Although it is a game based of The Rabbit on the Moon fanfic, there would be special parts of the game that you will not read about here. For that, those who like to spoil other people are discouraged from joining. If you want to help, drop me a line and we'll see.

Q: Is there a requirement for joining the team?

A: The only requirement is that you have reviewed at least once in this fanfic and that you must have read it of course. It would be pretty annoying to have to be asked what the story is about during the development process especially when the story is already very much out in the open. Of course, before you join, just make sure that you really can contribute to the project, we wouldn't want "ghost workers" on the team now, do we?

Now, if you have any other questions, just ask, alright?

So, for those who have yet to vote please do so. The poll's still open until the end of July.

Now, going back to the fanfic…

What do you guys think about this chapter? I'm not really sure when I can update this since I am very busy with school, but one thing is for sure. .. I will update this fanfic as soon as I have updated CoT:CW.

Well, that's about all the time I have for today. Don't forget to review and to vote, okay? With that said, this is Sakura Martinez saying "PEACE" and signing out! Take Care, everyone! Until Next Time!

End of Post Author's Notes