A Digimon Frontier Fanfic
By Sakura Martinez
Author's Notes:
Woot! Long chapter coming at you!!
Here is the first of the two chapter releases for RotM that I would be doing for this week. I was about to upload this at the same time that I uploaded the newest chapter of CoT: CW but, my mom stopped me from using the computer for a while and so... the update had been delayed. Gomenasai.
Anyways... please try to read the Post Author's Notes after you are done reading the chapter as there are some things I want to say over there... lol.
Happy reading!
End of Author's Notes
The Rabbit on the Moon
Wish and Sadness
Takuya stood dumbfounded, Izumi was with him with the same stupefied look on her face. Everything that has happened and that was now happening in that island since they first arrived created a big question mark over their heads. What was happening now made that question mark even bigger.
"What's the meaning of this, Valthoria?" Izumi asked, a typical question at their current predicament.
"You wish to get out of this place, do you not?" Valthoria asked. "If you wish to return to the normal world then allow me to test the strength that you humans possess."
"With real weapons?" Takuya asked looking incredulously at the very real and very sharp sword that Valthoria had thrown towards him. "I don't think I would like to fight you, Valthoria... much more defeat and hurt you."
Valthoria laughed, he was highly amused. "Surely you jest, Takuya. Or is your confidence in your ability that strong for you to believe that you can hurt and defeat me."
"What does this have to do with going back to the outside world?" Izumi asked. She did not understand the logic of the old man who was ready to fight them. "What good would this battle do?"
Without any kind of warning whatsoever, Valthoria launched his attack at them. Slashing the sword he has at their direction. It took them a while to realize that Valthoria truly meant business, luckily enough for them, they managed to jump out of the way seconds before the attack hit the couple.
"Is it out of fear that you say those words or perhaps you thought that as an old man I would be incapable of fighting at the same level as both of you?" Valthoria spoke, there was still amusement in the tone of his voice but the look on his face held nothing but seriousness.
"You're not going to let up until we do what you want, am I right?" Takuya said, seeing as he and Izumi had no choice. He then looked at Izumi who looked back at him and nodded. "Very well then, get ready Valthoria because we won't be holding back!"
Both Takuya and Izumi jumped back, and so did Valthoria who said, "That is precisely what I want. For both of you NOT to hold back!"
Commander Ishige Orimoto looked at himself at the mirror. It had been such a long time since he actually wore his battle suit which was not as ornate as his Knight's Suit. It was the only thing he could wear now to battle, after all, he was no longer a Knight despite the fact that his men and those who believed in their cause still thought of him as a Commander of Eastern Corps.
He marveled at how well the suit was preserved. The chest plate was still silver in color with the Orimoto Family Crest engraved in the middle and a single jewel embedded on top of it. He wore a crimson-colored cape on his back with golden linings and the mark of the Organization in it.
Underneath the silver armor he wore a black-colored mythril shirt. His arm was protected by an armguard, the same could be said for his knee while he wore mythril leggings.
He stared at himself at the mirror. Never had he imagined that he would be wearing the same thing as he did during his last journey with Hiroaki and Shinya.
"Perhaps this is a fitting garment. One that I have worn when it all began and one that I will wear as I finish and put an end to this deranged fighting."
He then looked at the direction of his bed where the full helmet was lying and he shook his head thinking that he would rather not wear it this time around. And with one final look at the mirror and around his room, Ishige Orimoto left.
Kouta Kimura sighed. He could not help but think of how fast time flies as he looked at the sleeping figure of his two grandsons. He could remember the day when they learned that both of them possessed the power of a Chosen One, something that he had believed to be impossible until he learned that Kouichi received his powers from his father while it was Kouji who earned his powers from him. He had remembered being angry at Kousei for not telling him to he had married another family with a Chosen's blood. Of course, Kousei and his wife apologized for that and in the end he could not help being angry at them for too long, after all, he had finally had grandsons.
So many things had happened since that day. Painful things. Regrettable things. But despite that, he, Kouta Kimura, believed that what he was doing was the right thing.
However, this time, he was uncertain if the path that he would be walking on would be the right one. He and Ishige had not told anyone of what they plan to do – not Yuriko nor Ishige's daughter nor his grandsons. He knew that they would have to explain their actions someday however, the question was that if such a day would come when they would be able to explain everything to them.
"I wonder," Kouta whispered softly making sure not to awaken Kouichi and Kouji. "will we be able to come back and tell you all everything..."
He wished that he and Ishige would be able to come back, however, deep inside his heart he could not help but feel that perhaps that is nothing more than a far-off wish.
With one final and loving look at the two, sleeping, young men, Kouta Kimura said his good-byes and exited the room.
"Are you sure you are willing to go through with this?" Kouta asked, hours after their departure.
"Isn't it a bit late to turn back now, Lord Kouta?" Ishige replied. "Besides, I cannot let you go through with this alone... perhaps, like you, the Dragon Gods may still have a mission for me yet... after all, they would have not allowed me to keep my ability as a Chosen One if my job as one is through."
"Is that the adventurous side of you talking?" Kouta could not help but laugh.
"Perhaps." Ishige replied. "Or perhaps it is the side which hopes to be able to end this war now than allow my daughter to fight for us."
The two men had been traversing in the cold of night, making their way on where they have learned Hiroaki Kanbara was staying. And such idle chat was the only thing the two men could think of to keep themselves awake.
It had been five days since Ishige received a letter of challenge from the older Kanbara, who, just like him, wanted to end the war already, though their reasons for wanting the war end differ greatly. Ishige had then spoken with Lord Kouta to tell him of the challenge believing that Yuriko does not need to know of it or to deal with it. It was then that Kouta decided to go with Ishige, and it was also at that time that Kouji suddenly entered into the room and overheard their conversation. Which then led to Kouji being highly against it.
Both men thought that they were lucky enough that Kouji didn't get to hear when they would be living, or Kouji would have resorted in telling Yuriko about what they have decided and thus putting an end to what they were planning to do – something that Kouta believed was the only way to deal with things now that it had escalated into such great hieghts.
"Lord Kouta, do you think that perhaps we should have left word of our departure?" Ishige asked after a couple of minutes of silence.
"Do you regret not being able to talk with Izumi?" was Kouta's reply.
Ishige nodded and said, "Yes. And I also regret not being able to spend more time with her..."
"You speak like you're going to die, Ishige." Kouta said, slowing down his horse to match the speed of Ishige's.
Silence was Ishige's answer, and so, Kouta said. "You need not worry about anything, my friend. I will not allow you to perish under the hands of Hiroaki. I promise you that you will see your daughter again and perhaps even act kind towards Takuya. You may even apologize to him."
"Apologize to Hiroaki's son?" Ishige said not daring to believe what he had just heard.
Kouta continued to speak, however, "You also made a promise to him, correct? You should keep that promise."
Kouta's words made Ishige think. His old friend was right, he still had some promises left to fulfill. He could not help but think how much he was already giving up on life and accepting death when the battle against Hiroaki had yet to begin.
Shaking all his doubts and worries, Ishige decided to talk about lighter subjects, the change, of which, Kouta gladly welcomed.
Hiroaki Kanbara, wearing a black armor with the red-colored seal of the Kingdom looked at himself with pride and dignity as he waited for his guest to arrive. He could not contain the anticipation as he thought how long this feud had been going on.
Today, he would be able to finally end it. And he will end it with the death of the person who was responsible for his demise – Ishige Orimoto.
"You have called for me, father?" The clone asked as he entered Hiroaki's tent, bowing as he faced him.
"Where have you been, Shinya?" Hiroaki asked. It was the first time that he had called the 'clone' by its true name. "Our guest is coming soon."
Shinya, surprised as he may be for hearing his father call him by his name rather than calling him by his brother's replied, "His majesty called for me. He needs me for something."
"Is it more important than this reunion of ours?" Hiroaki droned.
Shinya looked at his father with little emotion, as if being with him bas boring him, but still he replied, "Yes. It is for the sake of crushing the rebel Organization once and for all, father."
Hiroaki sighed, although he would love to have Shinya in the room with him as he welcomes Ishige, he knew better than to go stopping his son from fulfilling a commitment to either the Emperor or his royal highness, the prince.
"Very well then." Hiroaki said dismissing the young man.
Shinya bowed yet again and with a flash of light, vanished from the tent leaving Hiroaki by himself yet again, thinking of ways how to make his 'old friend' atone for his sins.
Trees began falling with every missed shot that Izumi made with the use of her power as a Chosen One. Their crashing sounds thundered through the island sending birds flying all over the place.
"How can he be so fast?!" Izumi wondered out loud as Valthoria managed to dodged her attacks for the thousandth time. "I can't even manage to hit him!"
It was not only because of his speed why Valthoria had yet to receive any of Izumi's attacks but also because of the fact that, as soon as Izumi had began charging another wind attack, he would go to Takuya and square off with him, making Izumi unable to fire her attack for fear of hitting the young man. This had caused Izumi to become aggravated at the situation.
"Don't loose focus, Izumi!" She heard Takuya say while he continued his sword lock with Valthoria.
"Indeed." Valthoria said as he then raised his hand and sent an attack flying at Izumi's direction while she was still in a stupor.
"Izumi, watch out!" Takuya shouted.
Izumi managed to pull herself together just in the nick of time, creating a barrier surrounding herself and saving herself from the attack.
"That was close..." she muttered. And once again she composed herself, remembering what Haruko had told her during their training. With her training in mind, she closed herself and began to mutter an incantation that Haruko had taught her, "I soften my eyes. I relax my ears. I quiet my mind and allow the energy to permeate my very being... The spirits raise my skills to a higher plane and I awaken my true self."
Takuya grinned at how fast Izumi managed to call that barrier of hers. When she saw that she was once again concentrating on the battle, he knew that it was time he did so as well. Up to know he had been trying to figure out if there was another reason why Valthoria started this battle that he realized he wasn't paying much attention. He believed that Izumi was thinking of the battle as well. Well, now was the time to be serious, for real.
Valthoria could sense it. He could sense it very well. They have finally put their thoughts aside. He never told them, but through their journey, as they were Chosen Ones, he was connected to them and as thus was able to see and somewhat experience the same things that they had experienced. Because of this, he had noted several of their weaknesses. One of which was their concentration and focus at the 'now'.
"Everytime that they enter a battle, they think." Valthoria thought to himself as he matched Takuya's attack blow for blow. "They keep on thinking of things that should not concern them, loosing focus on what is happening before them. They must learn to use their instincts in battle... They have so many thoughts clouding their minds all the time. They must learn to put them aside while in battle... I suppose that that lesson, has been learned."
Valthoria smiled inwardly, but managed to keep his face straight as if occupied in battle. After all, that was not the only thing he wanted to teach them.
One sword swipe from Takuya almost caught him off guard but Valthoria managed to jump out of the way. Just as he landed on the ground, another attack was sent towards him. It was too fast that he was unable to move out of the way and instead resulting in him using his weapon to block most of Izumi's attack.
"I hit him!" Izumi said as smoke enveloped the place where Valthoria was hit by her attack.
"Great job, Izumi!" Shouted Takuya who then added, "Don't let up yet. It's not yet over."
Izumi nodded. There was no way, after all, that Valthoria would be defeated so easily.
"Bravo." Valthoria said as the smoke cleared and he was revealed to the two Chosen Ones with bruises from the attack, but not so much as compared to Takuya and Izumi. "That was very well coordinated."
"There's more where that came from." Takuya said, feeling confident that he could make Valthoria be awed by what he and Izumi could accomplish together.
"I do hope so," Valthoria replied, dusting himself. "because that alone would not make you victorious in this battle." then Valthoria thought to himself and added, "...nor in the battles that would soon come."
And so, once again, the battle continued on...
"And so we meet again, my old friend." Hiroaki said he stood face to face with Ishige atop a cliff with the sun dawning over a new day.
Ishige replied him with nothing more than silence. His face held sadness as he looked at the friend he once knew. Hiroaki Kanbara had greatly changed in appearance ever since they last met at the Lone Island. Gone were any signs of resemblance of the Hiroaki that he knew. The man that stood before him, wearing a dark armor with spikes on the shoulder pad, did not even resemble his younger son whom many had noted greatly mirrors him. He was, as Ishige had thought, only a shadow of his former self... Even his voice had changed so much that he sounded like he was gurgling rather than talking.
"Too afraid to speak, I see..." Hiroaki gloated. "You can feel it too, can you not? The power that I received from his majesty."
"The power you received in exchange for your soul, Hiroaki? If that is what strength is, then I remain to wish weak in your eyes than turn into a monster who would care nothing for his friends or for his sons." Ishige said. "I had thought you better than to ultimately sell your soul to the devil... and even to allow the release of Luca and allow him to possess the King, Seraphim."
"Do not lecture me about friends or family, Ishige." Hiroaki bellowed, quite angry. "You know nothing about friendship and certainly nothing about families placing your daughter's life in jeopardy just so you can acquire the information you needed to turn the affairs of the kingdom into your favor."
"I admit that was poor judgment on my part, and I have apologized to my daughter for that." Ishige admitted, there was sadness in his voice as he conversed with his friend. "However, I do not forget that which is important, something that you have done just to gain power. Did you not say that you were doing all of this to bring Shinya back? You have managed to do just that, have you not?"
"How... did you know about Shinya's current condition?" Hiroaki demanded to know.
Ishige chose not to answer but instead of further opening up the subject, he just laughed – a laugh that was as icy as the look he was giving Ishige. And without any admonitions, he unsheathed his twin blades and immediately attacked.
With the same speed that could rival his old friend, Ishige drew his sword and blocked Hiroaki's attack.
Takuya panted as he was beginning to grow tired having been fighting against Valthoria for a long time. Through the course of the battle, Takuya acknowledged how precise Valthoria's fighting techniques were and how flawless he battled. It was as if every movement he and his opponent were going to do were already planned out by him. Takuya could not help but question if that was really the case – if Valthoria had already planned the whole battle out, from start to finish.
"That can't be right," Thought Takuya as he decided to try and attack Valthoria using his power as a Chosen One. "he hadn't seen us fight before. How can he even know what we're about to do?"
Takuya then hurled a large fireball at Valthoria's direction. Valthoria saw this coming and quickly disappeared leaving Takuya to wonder where he went.
Just then, Izumi called out, "Takuya, behind you!"
But it was already too late as he was thrown back by Valthoria, who attacked him. Valthoria then turned to face Izumi.
"That was surprising for you to see where I was heading." Valthoria said, though his voice held no surprise whatsoever.
"It's not so hard to read your movements now." Izumi replied as she remained cautious for any sudden attacks that Valthoria may throw at her.
"Apparently it still is for him." Valthoria said as he pointed towards the direction where Takuya was standing up. Then he told Takuya, "If you keep this up, you would certainly die."
"I don't understand..." Izumi wondered loud enough for Valthoria to hear. "He was much faster before back at the Lone Islands."
Valthoria, who obviously heard what Izumi had said, already knew the reason why in his past battles Takuya had proved to be much stronger than he is now. He knew that it was not because of his powers slowly leaving his body, but rather because of something else entirely.
"Although the source of his strength is not bad, he must learn to draw out his strength naturally rather than waiting for something to happen to his beloved Izumi." Thought Valthoria. He then looked towards the sky, and although the sky at the island never changes to him, he could see that time was already running out. "I have to finish this before it's too late."
And so, even while Takuya was still not ready and composed to continue the battle, Valthoria decided to continue attacking him.
"If you cannot still draw out your full power naturally, then I will just have to beat you until you can." Was Valthoria's reason for his action.
Seeing that Takuya was in a pinch, Izumi was about to help out when she realized that she had been locked out of the battle. It was then that he heard Valthoria's voice in her head.
"I am afraid I cannot let you interfere for now, my dear." Valthoria said.
"Stop it. Please." She begged as she watched Takuya being pummeled by Valthoria's attacks which seemed to be coming from all sorts of directions. "Please, don't hurt him anymore."
"I am sorry, Izumi." Valthoria said. "But this has to be done. It is... for his own good."
"How so?" Izumi asked as she tried to get pass the barrier that Valthoria had created but failing to do so.
"Just trust this old man." Was all Valthoria said before his voice vanished in her head.
Takuya did not know what he was going to do. He could not read from where Valthoria was attacking nor how the old man was able to do it. After all, even if he is the Lord of the Dragon Gods, he is still inhabiting an old man's body. But one thing was for certain, he had to get out of his attack range.
Just then, Takuya saw an opening. His chance to get away from all the attacks that were simultaneously coming at him. Without thinking twice, he took the opportunity and managed to free himself from Valthoria's web of attacks.
"That was a bit too much, Valthoria!" Takuya managed to say when he finally got room to breathe and Valthoria momentarily stopped his attacks. "Are you trying to kill me or something."
Valthoria shrugged and said, "Who knows. I think it's you who wishes to be killed. I can hardly believe that you managed to survive your brother's fury onboard the ship to Shore with that. Either you got lucky or your brother isn't as strong as I have feared him to be."
Takuya gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. "Are you saying that I am weak?!"
"Isn't it obvious." Valthoria replied, "Perhaps my deduction was wrong and it was actually Flayhme who was making you strong. As for you, you do not have any power on your own."
"Valthoria, please. Can't we stop this now?" Izumi asked. Takuya apparently not yet noticing that Izumi could not help him in this battle.
"No." Valthoria replied sternly which surprised the two. Then catching himself, Valthoria switched back to his calm self. "There is no stopping now."
Izumi could not help but notice that there was something different about Valthoria while Takuya also could not help but notice how much Valthoria was giving in this battle.
"What's this really about, Valthoria?" Takuya finally asked. "It's hard to imagine that this is all just for the sake of showing you what we can do."
"That is something that you would only know when you manage to surpass my strength." Valthoria said. "Now come, Takuya. Prove me wrong. Prove that you indeed have a power that resides only in yourself."
Takuya, although confused as to what the battle was all about now, could only nod. He fully realized that Valthoria means what he says and the only way to learn what his real intentions are is for him to defeat the Lord of the Dragon Gods.
Ishige could not believe just how strong Hiroaki had gotten. So strong that he could barely keep up with him.
"But I have to," Ishige thought as he wiped the blood trickling down his lips from the powerful impact it had with Hiroaki's fist. "at least, until Lord Kouta is finished with his preparations."
"You really are naive, Ishige." Hiroaki said as he looked at his prey. Anticipation building. "To have come here when you fully know that what awaits you in this battle is death."
Ishige kept his quiet as he calmed himself down. He had always believed that fighting with a calm mind and a clear head is a sure fire way to win any battles. And this one was no exception. Hiroaki, however, saw his stance as a way to prolong the battle which he so wanted to end. And so, like before, he launched another quick attack at Ishige, however, to his surprise, Ishige was awaiting him this time around.
Raising his left hand to meet with the enemy, Ishige allowed Hiroaki to see a secret that he had kept for so long. In his palm materialized a compressed ball of wind, swirling about. It's aura was golden in color and it held such a powerful gust that when it hit Hiroaki it sent him almost toppling over the cliff.
"What...what was that?!" It came more than a demand for Ishige to explain rather than a dumbfounded question. "How can you still wield that power!? How did you manage to regain your power without making a pact with his highness, King Luca?"
"I don't need to make a pact with anyone in order to use this." Ishige said. It was time for him to counter-attack. "I never lost my power to begin with!"
And with that, Ishige conjured another ball of wind, this time much bigger and stronger than the last. With a battle cry he charged forward, sword in one hand and his elemental attack on the other.
"You won't fool me twice with that same attack!" Hiroaki bellowed as he too charged forward to meet Ishige head on.
However, it seems that Ishige was also anticipating this move for the moment that Hiroaki dashed to meet him, he pressed the ball of wind into his sword. The wind then formed a coating around the Commander of the East's weapon surrounding it with a golden aura of wind. After which, Ishige switched his footing so that Hiroaki ended up passing him and his attack missing him before Ishige countered with his own weapon and managing to wound his adversary.
While Hiroaki was thunderstruck, Ishige took this opportunity to look and see if the General was finished with his preparations. And sure enough, the General had given him the signal. It was time to put their plan into action.
"How can it be possible." Hiroaki said as he staggered up. "We all lost our powers when we bore children to take over our work for us. How can it be that you still have yours?"
"There is no need for you to know, Hiroaki." Ishige replied. His face showed no hints of bitterness towards his friend for it appears that upon seeing the state that the Dragon God of Darkness and Luca had placed Hiroaki in, he could no longer hold any anger towards him. Instead his face was that filled with what he believed to be his duty. "You are right about one thing... this battle ends now."
And with that, Ishige once again conjured the golden ball of wind and merged it into his sword. Hiroaki then stood up. He will not allow Ishige to win this battle. However, instead of doing what he had expected Ishige to do, Ishige did no. Instead of rushing towards him, Ishige simply raised the sword up in the air then plunged it into the ground.
The moment that he did, golden patterns started appearing on the ground as if the sword was painting them. Looking at Ishige, Hiroaki saw that he was now backing down leaving the sword. It was then that he heard another voice, mumbling some sort of incantations. He tried to whirl around to see who it was but found that he could not do so.
"What do you think you're doing to me!?" bellowed Hiroaki. An invisible chain holding him in place.
"Doing what we should have done many years ago." Replied Ishige.
Izumi's mouth was agape, tears welling in her eyes. Her knees could no longer hold her up and ended up falling to the ground. Her mind swirling with all kinds of thoughts most of which was disbelief at the scene which was unfolding before her eyes.
There, several feet away from her, stood Takuya pierced by Valthoria's sword.
"W-wha-what....what is this?" Takuya manage to get the words out of his mouth as he looked at his hands and saw that there was blood – blood from the wound. He was bleedinng profusely.
Valthoria remained quiet his hand still holding the sword while it remained dug into Takuya's left chest. His face showing no emotions his eyes not hinting any thoughts.
"TAKUYA!!" Shouted Izumi as she pounded the invisible barrier. "Takuya!"
Takuya fell to the ground, shaking. "W-why...?"
Valthoria remained quiet though his eyes lingered on Takuya as if waiting for something to happen. For Takuya, the gaze seemed cold and distant.
"I suppose... this is all you are capable of." Valthoria said after a while. "Think of it this way. If you die here, then you would not need to worry about making a decision for the world's future."
The voice seemed cold and harsh. Izumi also noted that as well as Takuya. Takuya did not want to believe that Valthoria would do this to him... and to Izumi as well. But deep inside the recesses of his mind, he wondered if this was really all he was capable of.
He wondered if Valthoria was not holding back, and if he was then wouldn't that mean that he really would not stand a chance against his brother, his father as well as all the enemies that they may meet along the way.
"This can't be right..." Takuya muttered as breathing became a laborious task. "I can't fall here... and in-front of Izumi too..."
"You're still thinking of what others think of you even at such a state." Valthoria snorted. "You are gullible."
Takuya hated it. He hated the way that Valthoria was speaking to him now. He gritted his teeth both in anger and in the pain he was feeling. He didn't want to lose. He didn't want his promises to go unfulfilled. He didn't want this to be his end. All kinds of thoughts swirled in his head. But there was one thought that filled him up. One thought that occupied his mind more than the others. He didn't want to die.
"It won't take long now for you to die." Valthoria said, this time, his voice was louder as he took the sword out of Takuya's body. "So just lie there and die. This battle is over."
And with that, Valthoria turned around and began to walk away. Izumi glared at the old man, wanting to see the look on his face. However, there was no hint of satisfaction, no aura of murderous intent. There was simply, nothing there.
Valthoria had only taken a couple of steps away from Takuya when Izumi, who had turned her attention back at the young man gasped. Valthoria, although hearing the gasp did not turn around but continued on walking.
Izumi saw Takuya, forcing himself to stand up. His face hidden as his head was bent down. When Takuya had managed to pull himself up, holding the open wound with his right hand, he said, "This... battle... isn't... over...!"
Valthoria stopped on his tracks but did not turn around.
"Don't... look... down... on me." Takuya continued to say. "And don't... turn... your back... on your enemy... not before... the battle is truly... over! Do you hear me... Valthoria!"
Valthoria smiled while his back was still turned. Yes, this was what he was waiting for. However, the moment he turned around, his smile had vanished. Instead, he looked at Takuya with the intent of finishing the battle.
"No, Takuya. Please, stop. You don't have to do this any more." Izumi said, she was crying now. "I'll heal you as soon as this barrier is down. Just please, don't fight him any more. You can't risk it..."
"No!" Takuya said as he took his sword and gripped it with more conviction than before. His head was pounding and the wound was still bleeding. All he could do at the moment was just stand but even so...
"What do you think you can do?" Valthoria asked as if taunting the young man. "It is already a chore for you to breathe much less stand up. That's all you are capable of doing now. There is no way for you to turn this battle around. You are... as good as dead."
Takuya sticked his sword to the ground and used it to keep himself balanced. Taking a deep breath and wincing along the way he said, "I wont... I wont die!"
And with that, he looked Valthoria straight in the eye, took his sword out of the ground and let out a loud battle cry.
The moment that he did so, the earth began to shake and a powerful force erupted from him that almost pushed Valthoria back. His eyes, both Valthoria and Izumi noted, were filled with burning determination – a determination that Izumi had not seen in a very, very long time.
His body was then filled by a red, glowing aura. Not only his body, but Takuya's hair was also seemingly changing color. Izumi could easily feel it, a feeling that she had not felt since the invasion of the monsters in Shore just before Flayhme vanished. She then turned to look at Valthoria wondering what the old Lord of the Dragon Gods was thinking, he did not seem to falter at all even with how Takuya was like now.
Takuya, himself, did not know that he was changing physically. He just felt that he has more power and that the pain of having been stabbed was ebbing away. With his new-found strength, Takuya felt that this time, it would truly be a fair fight.
"Now, let's see what this power of yours is capable of, Takuya Kanbara." Valthoria thought as he held his weapon in front of him, ready to battle it out once again.
"I will make you recognize my power!" Said Takuya before he rushed into battle. His wound left forgotten.
The moment that their swords clashed and sparks flew, Valthoria at once learned of how strong Takuya had become. It was taking a lot out of him just to keep his sword locked with his in battle.
"Amazing." Thought Valthoria, keeping himself composed despite the new found resistance in Takuya. "Though I have a vague idea of what made him stronger this time, I still can't believe the amount of power he can release. This is truly amazing since he is, after all, not a Chosen One."
At last Takuya managed to hold his footing and push Valthoria back. Hoping to get a good swipe at him, Takuya used his sword to slash down on the old man but despite having grown in power, he was still unable to hit him dead on as Valthoria managed to get away and only got a little scratch from the attack.
Valthoria was surprised at this, however, he did not show it in his face as he merely looked at the little woud inflicted by Takuya.
"That may just be a scratched, but now I know that I can defeat you. Even if it takes a million scratches, I won't give up!" Shouted Takuya, his voice had also changed thanks to the effects of the power surge in his body.
Upon hearing what Takuya had said, Valthoria could not help but laugh out loud. It wasn't the menacing, maniacal laugh that one would hear from crazed foes bent on world domination or destruction, but rather a laugh that held fondness and amusement at what he had just heard. At that point, the barrier that he had placed had began to lapse until finally it dissipated – something that surprised Izumi to the point that she almost fell down while trying to pound on the barrier.
"That is enough." Valthoria spoke, his voice cracking as he did so. "You can rest now, Takuya and you as well, Izumi. You have both done well."
It seems that those words came as a surprise to Takuya as he reverted back to his wounded state and fell down on the ground with a loud thud, exhausted from the battle and still bleeding. It was then that Izumi ran to him and began healing him straight away pouring all her concentration at the tasked at hand.
Valthoria then moved towards them, and placed a hand on Takuya's wound. Letting what remains of his power flow freely, he helped Izumi in healing the young man.
As they were doing so, Valthoria said. "I believed I have thought you both all that you need to know to survive what lies before you once you cross over to the other side of the barrier."
"What are you talking about?" Takuya asked in between breaths.
Izumi, however, seemed to have understood what that battle was all about and said, "So that's what this battle was all about... to teach us?"
"Yes, as well as to remind both of you of your weaknesses." Valthoria said. As he spoke, Izumi could note a hint of flagging in his voice. "Izumi, you are quick to lose your concentration in battle especially when you see your friends in danger. You should be careful of that and not let your thoughts wander of. It is alright to worry about them, however, if you worry too much about others you might forget about yourself."
Izumi nodded and Valthoria went on. "You also need to speed up your casting and to learn how to heal and fight at the same time. That skill will come in handy in battles to come as your enemies would not be as lenient as I was with you now. They will take every opportunity to fell their foes. As such, you may become their primary target, especially if they are after Takuya. For that, you must also learn to maintain a barrier around you and keep it surrounding you for as long as you can without depleting your energy far too much."
"Is that even possible, Lord Valthoria?" Izumi asked.
Valthoria nodded. "Haruko taught you how to utilize the natural energy surrounding you and the physical and spiritual energy within you, am I wrong? Use what you have learned from her and you will find a way to do that which I have advised you."
Another nod was Izumi's reply. Then Valthoria faced the young man lying before them, his breathing had stabilized and his wounds were already closing. He then said, "Takuya, you tend to rush at your enemy without thinking or without first conjuring up a plan or weighing down your options as you do. You think too much on your companions that you forget to view your surroundings and to watch your enemies closely so as to see what their next move would be. You also think too much on the reason why you are fighting, you should stop doing that as much as you can for it may cost you your life in the end."
Takuya nodded, he was too tired to talk for the moment, only allowing the healing energy to flow through him and heal him. Seeing Takuya's response, Valthoria went on. "You are also too quick to anger that you lose concentration on the battle at hand. You should learn not to lose your composure when an enemy taunts you. If you keep a cool and level-head, then you can turn his taunts against him and he will be the one frustrated enough to make a deadly mistake in battle. Learn to control your emotions."
"You didn't have to go that far to get Takuya to learn these things." Izumi said as Takuya's wound finally closed and the bleeding stopped.
"Ah, but you see, that is another thing that I have to let Takuya know about." Valthoria replied. Upon hearing this, Takuya opened his eyes and looked at the old man.
"What are you talking about?" He asked.
"I have watched you and your friends through most of your journey as Chosen Ones. For that, I know how you fight and how strong you can be." Valthoria explained himself as he allowed himself to sit down, his eyes were closed showing that he was indeed tired. "The way you fought earlier in the battle was not half the strength you show whenever you find yourself or your friends in a pinch. It seems that your strength is drawn out whenever they are in trouble or whenever you, yourself are in trouble. To change that, you must enter a, shall we say, state of shock. And what better way to enter that phase than to experience what it is to be dying."
"I don't understand... how can that help?" Takuya asked.
"Did you not feel anything when the thought of death came rushing at you? When you felt that you have lost and are facing death's door?" Valthoria asked. He allowed Takuya to think for a while, and after a short pause Takuya looked at Valthoria. He had seemingly found the answer to his question.
And so, he relayed what he was feeling and his thoughts of that time to them.
"I felt... scared of dying." Takuya said, feeling quite ashamed of admitting that something scares him, especially in front of the girl that he loves. "All I could think about when you kept telling me that I will die was that I didn't want to die. I didn't want to end up dead here... or end up dead anytime soon. I have so many things I want to do, so many promises that I want to fulfill. All I could think about was how much I have taken my everyday life for granted and how much I became too over confident in my abilities. All I could think about at that moment was that... I want to live."
"There is nothing to be ashamed of in admitting that you fear death." Valthoria said, a smile was plastered on his face. It was the kind of smile that one would find in a face of a father who had seen his son doing something that he could be proud of. "Only a fool would hide that he fears death. Your desire to live is what allowed you to use your untapped potential. In the past, you are only able to do so whenever Izumi or your friends are in trouble. I had to make you see that you can use it whenever you want. You actually need not to go through being beaten to a pulp to awaken it."
Takuya and Izumi both listened carefully to what Valthoria was saying as his voice began to sound weaker and weaker with each passing phrase.
"Hold that feeling of wanting to live close in your heart and remember that feeling whenever you want to use your own power." Valthoria said, he was now beginning to turn pale and Izumi and Takuya quickly noticed it and began to grow worried.
"Valthoria? Are you alright? You don't look so good." Takuya said at which Izumi also observed.
"This is only natural. After all, my time is almost up." Valthoria said.
"What are you saying? What do you mean your time is almost up?" Izumi asked, dread was creeping in her heart. She feared what Valthoria had to say.
"I am old and weary." Was all Valthoria could say, his words now coming out as whispers. "This is what you get for forcing yourself to live for so long... a mortal's body truly is troublesome."
"Mortal's body?" Takuya asked and it was then that he realized... "You... you also gave up your powers then?"
Valthoria nodded.
"Then you lied to us. You told us that only the other Dragon Gods gave up their immortality and you remained as an immortal." Takuya said.
"I did not lie. You merely assumed it because of how I said it." Valthoria said, still with a smile on his face as he began to fade.
"You can't die on us, Valthoria." Izumi said, she was now trying to hold back tears. Even if they have only just met the old man, it felt as if they have known him for a much longer time. "How are we supposed to know what we should do? How are we supposed to triumph against the Dragon God of Darkness and the King, Luca?"
"You don't need me for that, my dear." Valthoria said. "You and your friends have gone this far without my knowledge, and now that I have imparted my knowledge to you, be confident that you can make a difference now.... no matter how small that difference may turn out to be. Besides, we Dragon Gods, despite choosing to become mortals will still return to Avalon when we go from this world. It will not be so bad..."
"But--!" Izumi was about to argue but Takuya stopped her.
"Be happy for me, my dear friends." Valthoria said, he was now practically transparent. "I will finally be with my kin where I truly belong. Those long years of waiting has finally come to an end. Finally, the time that has stopped will begin to move. The path has now been opened, now you must choose how you will travel through it."
"Valthoria..."
Before Valthoria vanished completely, he smiled at the two and said his last words: "Remember, you humans are capable of so much when you do not take life for granted. Even when the odds are stacked against you, as long as you believe that there is a chance, you have to pursue it... Remember..."
And with a blink of an eye Valthoria was gone and all that Takuya and Izumi could do was shed a tear for the fallen Dragon Lord...
"Aarghhh!"
Hiroaki's voice echoed through the cliff. The seal was eating away the power that was given to him by the Dragon God of Darkness as Ishige and Kouta continued on their ritual of purifying Hiroaki's body and separating it from the hold of the evil dragon and the king.
"Just a little bit more, Ishige." Kouta called out and Ishige nodded.
"I... won't..." Hiroaki growled, fighting with all that he has to free himself from their hold. "I.. won't... surrender....!"
Sweat trickled down Kouta's face as he continued his best to keep his concentration – a must when doing the ritual. It was his power, after all, that was being used while Ishige was merely channeling it and transferring it to Hiroaki with the use of his sword and the patterns that were made while he was fighting against Hiroaki.
He, Kouta Kimura, was almost at the end of his limit.
"I have to end this soon." Kouta thought. "Otherwise, all my spiritual energy will be depleted and I may need to result into allowing the technique to eat through my physical energy... if that would be the case the I..."
"Aaarghh!!!"
Just then, the ground began to shake, and the sky darkened. This alarmed both the General and Commander Orimoto. Just when they both looked at Hiroaki, they saw his eyes glow crimson in color and what's more, they noticed that he was slowly being able to move.
"Lord Kouta, what's going on?" Ishige asked. "How can he move? The seal should be preventing him from doing any kind of movement!"
Lord Kouta could very well see what Ishige meant. And what was happening now could only mean one thing – Hiroaki Kanbara was no more.
"I am afraid that we have failed miserably, Ishige." Kouta said in between breaths for he was still forcing the seal on Hiroaki who had completely lost himself to the darkness.
"What do you mean?" Ishige asked.
"Hiroaki is no more." Kouta replied, then began to explain as briefly as he could. "It would appear that he had finally sold every bit of his being to the Dragon God of Darkness. We have failed."
"That can't be..." whispered Ishige.
Just then Hiroaki spoke but his voice was no longer a gurgle nor was it similar to his voice of long ago. It was more menacing, deep and dark. "Oh yes..."
"Hiroaki..." Ishige trailed. True enough it was no longer Hiroaki whom they were facing. "I am sorry..." Then he faced Lord Kouta and said, "Lord Kouta, we have to flee now while the seal is still holding him down."
Lord Kouta Kimura was now sweating profusely. "I am afraid, that I can not flee with you."
"What are you saying?"
"If I leave this place, he will be free and neither of us will be able to escape his wrath. This is no longer Hiroaki but the Dragon God of Darkness himself. Both you and I will not be any match against it." Kouta spoke, knowing full well what would happen when their foe managed to escape its temporary prison. "YOU must flee now, Ishige. Tell the others and prepare for the battle that is to come."
"No!" Ishige refused. "I cannot abandon you here. I don't think I can forgive myself should another one of my friends fall while I remain alive."
Kouta smiled, but only for a short while as he still continued to battle it out with the Dragon God's will. "You have always been a kind, young man, Ishige. You need not worry about me. I have lived a fulfilled life. This is the only way I can atone for my sins of the past. I have done everything I can."
"Lord Kouta..."
"You still have a long life ahead of you to live. You have your daughter as well." Kouta went on. "You are not living me behind, Ishige if you go, rather you will be granting my final wish. Allow me to at least risk my life for a friend and for a worthy cause."
"Master Kouta..." Ishige said, his heart was breaking. Thoughts of the past raced through his head. "If that is what you truly wish then..."
Kouta nodded and whispered a word of gratitude to the man whom he had seen grow. The man whom he had trained, led and befriended. The man whom Kousei has thought of as a brother and whom he had thought of as his own son.
With watery eyes and with one final look at his old friend and mentor, Ishige used his power to flee the place as fast as he could and as far away as he could.
"That was a foolish move, old man." Growled the man that was once Hiroaki Kanbara.
"I believe it not to be foolish." Kouta said. And then he whispered his thoughts to Ishige knowing that the Commander of the East will be able to hear it. "Ishige, I now entrust everything to you. Farewell, my old friend."
Tears welled up in his eyes as he flew with such a speed that he never knew he could muster away from the place. Seconds after he left, a powerful explosion occurred at the spot where the Dragon God of Darkness and Kouta was, and at once, Ishige knew that his master was no more.
"I promise, Master..." Ishige thought trying to fight the urge to cry. "I will not give up. I will help bring about the world that you had envisioned with his majesty, Lord Seraphim, long, long ago..."
To be continued...
Post Author's Notes:
This is perhaps, one of the saddest chapters that I have written for RotM. It was really hard writing this chapter since I really wanted to keep both characters alive. However, the story needs them to end up in the way that they ended up in this chapter (hey, does that sentence make sense to you guys? Lol).
Anyways, like I've said I will be updating both fanfics weekly. One update per week, every friday at around 8 in the evening (though there will be times when I will be late in updating since I have school and a part-time job). However, for this week, we have two chapter updates this being the first one and the other one would be released on Friday at the above time.
Now, to those who want to join the forum just type h**.cc. There's no triple w there. Just the hypertext transfer protocol followed by vanguardstudios dot co dot cc. Feel free to register. My blog, where I post news and updates about the projects and the fanfics that I am working on however, can be found in sakuramartineznoyuutsu dot co dot cc. No triple w as well with that address.
Also, I would like to take this opportunity to thank burgekev000, Sightbent, Gehktus Yht Kq Yht Tekesuh, and Gold Dragon34 for reviewing the last chapter as well as everyone else who has been supporting this fanfic. Please keep on reviewing as I want to know your opinion and views on the story and also to know who are actually enjoying reading what I am writing plus whatever you guys have to say. It's always fun to hear from friends, after all.
Anyways, hope you guys keep on reading this fanfic and send your reviews as well, okay?
Until next time, this is Sakura Martinez saying "PEACE" and signing out. Take care, everyone! Ja ne!
End of Post Author's Notes