A Digimon Frontier Fanfic
By Sakura Martinez
Author's Notes:
Well, my thesis revisions are not yet finished but I still managed to update this fanfic. I just can't seem to force myself not to for some apparent reason, lol.
Anyways, thanks to all who reviewed the past chapter. I hope you guys also like the artwork that I've uploaded at DeviantArt concerning this fanfic. I'm working on a lot more (I've already done a picture of Takuya and uploaded it on that site under the name Sakura-Martinez, if you guys are interested) so keep a look out for that.
Well, no need to make you guys wait a little longer.
Hope you enjoy this new chapter.
End of Author's Notes
The Rabbit on the Moon
Cry of the Heart
"Twin…Brother?!" Kouichi gasped in disbelief. "You lie! The King said that my brother died seventeen years ago as a guinea pig to test the prototype of the machine used for extraction, thanks to my grandfather!"
"Then the King lies!" Shouted Kouji back. "I would not lie just so I can turn you back to the just path. Can you not feel it in your heart the truth that I speak?"
"No!" Shouted Kouichi as he lounged yet again towards Kouji, who immediately readied himself to defend. "I refuse to accept it! I cannot accept it!"
"Why do you fear it so much, Kouichi?" Kouji asked as he dodged and parried, but not once raising his sword to strike back. "I know you can feel the truth in my words just as I did when I learned of it."
"My brother is dead!" Shouted Kouichi as if to reassure himself more than anything. "He is dead because my grandfather chose to use him as a test subject in order to protect a band of traitors who refused to give the King what he desired for the betterment of the Kingdom."
"The King has twisted the truth to his own desire." Kouji spoke calmly as he jumped back careful not to slip. "It is true that General Kimura chose to protect some people, but the truth is that we, along with Lady Izumi and Lord Takuya, were the ones being protected. What our grandfather did, along with what Commander Orimoto and the now-General Kanbara did, by handing over Chiaki's brother to ensure our safety is what both Lady Izumi's father and our Grandfather are regretting up to this day."
Kouichi's brow furrowed. He cannot accept the truth that is being handed to him. He did not even want to think of the possibility that the person standing before him is really his twin brother – the brother he had sword to get revenge for, his younger twin.
"Do you want to know something else, Kouichi. Something that I believe the King and the General Kanbara failed to tell you."
At this, Kouichi wondered what else Kouji would reveal to him.
"Our father… Lord Kousei Minamoto… was killed by the King's men when he found out the plan of the King and tried to warn Grandfather and the others." Kouji spat. "Father tried to warn them, but they did not believe it to be possible… they only learned of the truth far too late and the cost was far too great. It added another to the list of regrets of what they did. Now do you see? The person you are serving is not worthy of your service. The King and General Kanbara are only using you and your power as a Chosen One. Surely, you can see it even if you do not wish to accept it."
"And how can I know that what you speak of is the truth? How can I, who you are warning against the lies of the King and his people, know that you and the Organization are not planning on using me just the same?" Kouichi bellowed, there was a hint of confusion and anger in his voice.
Kouji closed his eyes and a moment of silence followed before he replied, "I can't prove to you. I only stand by what I believe is true and what my heart is telling me to believe. You're the only person who can answer your own question, Kouichi. Can you no longer hear it? The cry of the heart that pleads to you to listen? Have your heart truly been hardened by the King? If that is so, then I pity you now more than ever – you who have closed your heart to the voice of truth."
It was as if Kouji has struck a nerve on Kouichi, for with those words, Kouichi became enraged and once again began attacking Kouichi, summoning demonic creatures and pelting him with dark energy attacks whilst fighting with the sword. Kouji certainly has his hands full now.
But just as the battle was about to turn to the enemy's favor. Something happened…
Ting
Suddenly, Kouichi froze midway. He could have sworn he heard something.
"What was that?" Kouichi wondered to himself.
Kouji looked at him wondering what was wrong after he had barely managed to dodged an attack from one of Kouichi's demonic creatures, which vanished afterwards. Despite the look of confusion in his twin's eyes, Kouji chose not to lower his guard should this be a trick that Kouichi was playing.
Ting
"There it goes again…" Muttered Kouichi, who had associated the sound to that of a bell being struck. A sound one could normally hear at a cathedral. He looked around, wondering where the sound was coming from – scanning the area for any sign of a cathedral, but alas, there was none of that in Shore.
Kouichi tried to shake the loud chimes that he was apparently hearing in his head. But no matter how hard he tried, it still would not go away. Eventually, Kouji finally noticed that something was indeed wrong with his apparent twin. With his guard still up, he began moving towards Kouichi. Soon he was within arm's reach, but Kouichi was too distracted to notice.
Twin brother or not, when Kouji saw the look in Kouichi's eyes, he saw that something was wrong. He could not express what that look was, but he thought that if the King was controlling Kouichi, then what is happening to the young man could quite possibly be Kouichi fighting in his sub consciousness against the dark grip that was holding him captive. But just as he was about to reach out and grab Kouichi by the shoulder, something flew by and crash-landed on where Kouji was standing at a few minutes ago.
"What was that?!" Exclaimed Kouji as he whirled around. Kouichi on the other hand, remained in his trance-like state.
He could not tell what it was that hit the ground with such force thanks to the smoke. But, when the smoke cleared, he saw Teppei wearing his Level 3 Earth-Armor, struggling to stand.
Kouji rushed towards Teppei's side and helped him stand.
"What happened to you? Where are the others?" Kouji barraged him with questions.
"Slow down. Ugh, don't worry about the others, I'm sure they have made it through to the ship. We should be worrying about ourselves as I see you have yet to take care of Kouichi…" Teppei replied, then turned to face the forest as trees began to fall and a howl could be heard. As if to answer Kouji's unspoken question, Teppei continued, "That's another problem we have to face, Lord Kouji. Chiaki's brother, Terrou Minami. So I suggest we finish things here with Kouichi and go deal with the older Minami."
"I don't think we'll have to worry about Kouichi for a while." Kouji replied. "He's entered into a trance and he's become too distracted to even fight. And I see that even a Level 3 Armor is not enough of a defense against our incoming enemy."
"Are you sure about that?" Teppei asked as he stole a glance towards Kouichi who had knelt down holding his head as if trying to block something.
Kouji merely nodded. "I hope we can handle this Terrou-guy with just your Level 3 and my Level 2 powers. I am guessing he, like his sister, Kouichi and the Clone, have been enhanced as well."
"He's the Wood's chosen, so he certainly has his advantage over me. But Wood is an element associated with the Dark, so, you'll be able to deal much damage to him compared to me." Teppei stated. "But, with his own Level 4 Armor, it's quite hard to make a dent."
"Then we'll just have to find a way." Kouji said with conviction in his voice.
"W-where am I?" Kouichi said as he stood shaking, the headache he felt from the sound of the bell was dissipating.
Looking around he found nothing but darkness that made him question if this darkness was where he truly belong and if Kouji's words meant anything at all – if what they hold were nothing less than the truth.
Just when he thought the sound of the bell had gone, he once again heard it. This time louder than before, as if with every irresolution it grows all the more stronger. With every uncertainty that he was feeling, the sound grew ten times louder – almost deafening.
"Argh!"
Kouichi fell once again to his knees, both hands trying to shut the sound. His head pounded. Sweat began to appear in his brow as the pain in his head and even in his heart began to become unbearable. Soon he found himself gasping, wanting air but being unable to breathe.
"A-am I…d-dying?" He thought to himself as he forced himself to breathe. "T-that… can't be possible!"
Soon, his thoughts were drowned by the deafening sound. He was no longer kneeling, but rather, he lay collapsed on the cold ground of that dark place, a place that Kouichi had labeled as an abyss.
But just before he passed out, he heard something besides the sound of the raging bell.
He heard a voice.
"Why do you grow uncertain?"
"Argh!" came the shout of Teppei as he was once again thrown by the powerful force known as 'Terrou' and once again crash-landing on a nearby building that soon collapsed thanks to the impact and the destruction of its support beams.
"Teppei!" Shouted Kouichi as he looked to where his comrade had landed and at the failing building. But this proved to be a mistake for the moment he loosened his guard did Terrou attack him and sent him flying an equal distance to another building that also followed the fate of the first.
"Is… that… all…?" Came a growl from Terrou, a smirk was visible in his face which was covered with vine-like objects thanks to his armor. "How… pathetic!"
A powerful explosion sent the debris that had fallen on Teppei flying in all directions, hitting Terrou but only managing to scratch him just a little. The explosion revealed a very angry Chosen One of the Earth. On the other building, Kouji also emerged, bruised but not so much to make him unable to fight.
"Damn it!" Teppei said, blood trickling down his left arm which was badly wounded making him drop one of his axes. "This is getting us nowhere."
"I expected him to be strong, but he is monstrous." Kouji muttered to himself. "I know I've managed to wound him before, but… it would appear that his wounds vanish…"
"So… you pipsqueaks… want… more eh?" Bellowed Terrou. "Then… I shall… oblige."
And with that the one-sided battle resumed.
It seemed like forever. He wondered how long he had been knocked unconscious and he feared once again getting to his feet thinking that it would cause the bells to sound off once again. The thought that such little thing was enough to bring him down to his knees annoyed Kouichi very much, especially since he had believed himself to have grown stronger ever since he had began to work as one of the King's henchmen.
Suddenly, he heard someone speak. It was the same voice that he had heard earlier.
"Are you trying to hide the fact that you have reawaken?"
The sudden question and that had been asked and the fact that he was now hearing voices, surprised Kouichi enough to make him stand to his feet and try to draw his weapon, which he found that he was not carrying.
"Silly human." Said the voice. "Weapons have no place in a world where there is no physical form… or should I say, physical form is not of importance."
"Who are you?" Demanded Kouichi. "Show yourself!"
"Honestly, even if I wanted to, I would be unable to materialize in front of he who chooses to fear what he had been given." Came the reply. "Why do you hesitate? Why do you run?"
"What are you talking about?" Kouichi asked. "I do not run from anything. I have been branded by the King himself as his executioner – there is nothing that I fear, nothing that the Knight of Darkness fears!"
"Is that the lie that you keep on telling yourself, human child?" retorted the voice that Kouichi could not find where it was coming from. "A 'Knight of Darkness' you say? Hah! Foolish words when you do not even know much about your power – the power which you have branded as something evil without fully understanding it. And to believe in the King rather than yourself… I pity myself for having chosen you."
"Chosen… me? What are you talking about? Who are you?!"
"How you know not even my name. How do you expect to appreciate that which you have been given? Should Light need be near for you to hear my voice?"
"This is crazy…" muttered Kouichi to himself.
"Crazy, indeed." Said the voice. "You block which you do not wish to hear and you rely on yourself and on the words of humans who easily bend when to know the truth you need only to listen to the voice of your heart. Did you not hear it, Kouichi? The sound? The cry of your heart seeking for you to notice it after being left in the pits of hatred and despair for far too long whilst believing in a lie?"
"Are you something conjured by Kouji to make me believe in his words?" Kouichi asked. "If that is so, then this is nothing but an illusion set to catch me off guard."
"This is no illusion boy, not even the Chosen One of Light can ask this of me." Replied the mysterious voice. "The ray of light only creates a way for me to converse with you, nothing more, nothing less. To allow you to see the deepest recesses of your heart and let you hear the cries that it is making as you allow yourself to be used for the purpose that you were not destined for… that is why you have been brought here. Your pride hinders you in the outside world – in the physical world – to hear my voice clearly nor to hear your own heart beating, thus, you were sent here."
Silence filled the air. Kouichi knew not what to say nor what to believe.
"How many times have you turned away from our voice? Too many to count because of your pride. You do not wish to see that your choice was wrong. You do not wish to accept it, that is why you have been tainted by darkness."
"Darkness… I've embraced it because that IS my power. I AM the Chosen One of Darkness." Kouichi said, his head bent low. "To call upon creatures of the abyss – that is my power. To hurt and to destroy, all that have been Chosen Ones of Darkness follow that path. What makes you believe that my path differs from my predecessors?"
"You can summon vile creatures because you hate your power, because you detest it and because you have already been forged to believe that that is what you are only capable of doing. The King had made sure of that." Explained the voice. "To hurt and to destroy, you chose that but that doesn't mean that that is all you are capable of doing. To say that darkness was borne to oppose light is not true. Darkness was born because of Light, with Light there is Darkness where Light symbolizes all that is good, Darkness too can symbolize that which is just. Not all who have travelled the path of a Chosen One of Darkness chose to use their power for evil just because they have associated darkness for all that evil in the world. When the Elemental Dragons descended upon the Heavens, they gave ten orbs of power to the founder of Frontiria, one for each element of the world, each symbolizing an element in human virtue. Fire was given as a symbol and reminder for Courage; Earth was given as a reminder for Knowledge; Water was given as a reminder for Life; Wind was given as a reminder for Hope; Wood was given as a reminder of Peace; Ice was given as a reminder for Resolution; Metal was given for Prosperity; Thunder was given as a symbol for Honor; Light was given as the symbol for Truth as Darkness was given for Justice."
"H-how do you know all of this? Who are you?"
"You of all people should know who I am, Kouichi." The Voice said, this time with gentleness and kindness in his voice. "I have always been with you, in you, watching over you."
Silence filled the air as realization dawned to Kouichi. A small smile crept on his face as he said, "I see… now I understand."
"Unless you can accept who you are, my name will always elude you. But for now, listen to the cry of your heart, listen to the voice of truth… the voice of light."
"Will I be able to meet with you someday?" Kouichi asked as everything began to fade away.
"Maybe… that depends entirely on you. However, you must not force yourself to remember my name. That will come when it comes, and when it does then we will surely meet." The voice replied. "But for now, there are people in need of your help. Arise, Kouichi – the Chosen One of Darkness. Run forth towards your true destiny."
And with that the voice vanished, only to be replaced by a gentle sound that calmed Kouichi. From there he heard it – the sound of bells, but this time gently chimes and not thunderous. It made him feel safe, it made him feel that he belong. And that was when he truly understood, what he was doing all these time was not the path he was made to thread.
Everything became clear.
Everything became full of certainty.
And with that, Kouichi opened his eyes. Eyes that were no longer filled with hatred and confusion; with anger and fear; with resentment and regret; with sadness and betrayal… No, his eyes were now filled with a new found conviction, a new found purpose.
"I'm back…" He whispered.
What greeted Kouichi as he opened his eyes, renewed, was Teppei and Kouji struggling to get free from Terrou's vines which were choking them, holding them high above the ground. At once he knew that he had no time to think, he had to act.
Taking his weapon by the hand, he dashed forward with a speed that would rival that of Takuya when he went pass them to save Izumi from Chiaki's vicious grasp. Within seconds, Kouji and Teppei found themselves panting on the ground, trying to catch their lost breath. Both confused as to what had happened. When they saw who it was that stood between them and Terrou, they were even more baffled… but not as baffled as their enemy.
"What… do you think… you're doing?" Asked Terrou.
"I'm simply doing what I should have done quite a long while ago." Kouichi replied as he readied himself to battle. He was not just going to try and win against Terrou, he was going to win. That was how strong his convictions have become. "There is no way that I could allow my little brother to be killed just when we have been reunited. I've become a pawn to the King far too long, it's time to sever the bonds between Master and Servant."
The words that escaped Kouichi's mouth surprised his younger twin brother that all he could mutter was Kouichi's name.
"If that is what… you have… decided… then…you are…. Now branded as… a traitor to… the Kingdom of Frontiria… All traitors… must.. DIE!!"
"You can try, but I doubt you'll succeed." Retorted Kouichi.
"K-kouichi…" said Kouji as he wobbled while standing up. "I can't… allow you to take this battle on your own…"
"Kouji…?" Kouichi said as he glanced at his brother.
"I have to agree with the Vice-Commander here…" Teppei nodded as he too stood up yet again, ready for more. "I don't leave things unfinished. What I've started, I have to finish… and the same goes for this fight."
Kouichi smiled and nodded. "Very well. If that is your wish."
"Any heads up on this?" Teppei asked as the rain continued to wash on them carrying blood and sweat down to the ground. "No matter how many times we attack and wound him, he always regenerates."
"That's because of the rain. He and his sister work well together because the rain allows him to regenerate, much like how water helps a plant to survive." Kouichi explained. "To defeat him, we either have to stop the rain or bring him some place where water would not reach him. I suggest doing the latter for it is more possible."
"That explains it." Said Kouji. "But how do we do that? Surely he knows his own weakness."
"Leave that to me." Teppei said with a smirk on his face. "If we can't lure him from the rain then we'll just have to make the rain above him stop. Just be sure to be ready to make an explosive attack on him… I'm sure you can both manage that together."
And even before Kouji or Kouichi could ask him what he meant, the reckless Chosen One of Earth had already ran forward and made his move.
"Is he always like that?" Kouichi asked.
"Only when he's excited about something, or wants to show off." Replied the twin. "But I wonder what he has on his mind for this."
"We'll see that soon enough, for now, let us make an energy enough to finish this battle."
Kouji nodded, and together they both extended their arms, ready to conjure a combined energy attack.
"Everything's ready over on this side." Commander Orimoto said as he took his seat on the Leader's aircraft.
"Same goes over here, Commander." Tomoki said. "We're ready for take off."
"Good." The Leader said. "Then let her fly."
"Affirmative!" Tomoki and the Commander said in unison.
"Do it now!" Teppei shouted as he had finished creating a cocoon-like cage made of earth around Terrou.
Both Kouji and Kouichi nodded, and together they let go of the energy ball that was made of the powers of Light and Darkness.
The golden ball of energy traversed with such a speed like a homing missile towards it's target. With enough time to take cover, the trio were saved from the powerful impact of the attack with Terrou. The impact was enough to cut the earth open and was enough to leave no sign of the enemy behind.
When the smoke has cleared and the rubble from the explosion had stopped falling about, the trio emerged from their hiding place to find the destruction caused by the reckless plan that caused them to win the battle.
"Well, that's that." Teppei said with a grin.
"That was reckless." Kouji said.
"Are you kidding me, that attack was perfect." Teppei said not wanting to hear anything negative about his plan. "Especially that combined energy ball."
Kouichi turned around to face the direction where he knew the aircraft that they have used to get to Shore was waiting – where she was waiting for her brother's return, a wait that Kouichi thought would be in vane.
"We better get out of here before Chiaki finds out." Kouichi said imagining the wrath that would befall anyone who was near Chiaki when the time comes that she would learn of her brother's defeat. "Make sure that neither Takuya nor Izumi is not anywhere near her."
"We don't have to worry about that." Kouji said. "They're probably a long ways from here. I'm glad to finally have you back, brother."
Kouichi nodded not bothering to say anything.
"You two need to explain this to us later. But right now, our ride has arrived." Teppei said as he caught sight of the Leader's aircraft beginning to descend, ready to pick them up.
To be continued…
Post Author's Notes:
Whew, this is quite longer than the previous one, that I am sure of.
So… what do you guys think? Kouichi's back to the good guys and Terrou's defeated… now what woud become of his sister? What fight lies ahead? This chapter concludes the Shore Arc. Next up would be a chapter concerning Takuya and Izumi. What happened to those two? Where would they be heading? Has Izumi awakened from here deep slumber yet?
Well… we'll see. Lol
Should I finish the revisions for our thesis before Friday, then you guys can expect an update on or before Sunday, otherwise, the update would be sometime around Tuesday.
Anyways, that's about all the writing I'll be doing tonight. I'm going to draw Izumi now so, until next time… This is Sakura Martinez reminding everyone to review (go on, click the review button, onegai!) and saying "PEACE".
Take care, everyone!
Ja ne!
End of Post Author's Notes