A Digimon Frontier Fanfic
By Sakura Martinez
Author's Notes:
First up, a Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you guys have/had a wonderful celebration with your friends and family because I know I sure did. Lol
Anyways, as promised, here is the newest chapter of Rabbit on the Moon. Hope you guys like it!
End of Author's Notes
The Rabbit on the Moon
A Formidable Foe Stands in the Way
It had been two days since they began their way towards Harim. Ever since they left the island, both Takuya and Izumi had taken time to keep on training themselves aboard the Omni-Craft, making sure that none of Valthoria's teachings go to waste.
From time to time, Izumi would still find Takuya lost in deep thought, thinking about the choice he has to make and the death of Valthoria. And through those times, she would be by his side. She would not say anything, just sit with him to let him know that he was not alone.
Takuya could hardly express his gratitude towards her. Saying 'Thank You' to her was definitely not enough, and he made this known to Izumi, who just shook her head and told him that it was nothing. He loved her for that and she returned his feelings.
There are times, however, when it was the other way around. When Izumi would be the one lost in thought, wondering how her father was doing, if he was alright and doing well with the others. Despite being aboard an Organization's craft, there was no way they could contact them, something that Takuya had guessed was planned by the Leader and Izumi's father for their own safety.
During those times when worry for her father's sake drowned her, it would be Takuya's turn to hold her close and make her feel that everything would be alright. Despite how worried she would feel, she also know how strong her father was. Takuya assured her that her father would not fall so easily.
"He still has a promise to keep with both of us." Takuya would tell her. "He won't dare break his promise, especially since it has something to do with me."
Izumi could never understand what Takuya mean when he say those words. But Takuya just laugh and say that it was a promise her father made with him before they left.
Through the course of their journey towards Harim, Takuya and Izumi's relationship grew. With each passing day that they spend with each other, they become closer and closer. It felt right for them both.
Soon they found themselves in that all too familiar scenery and scent. Though they hardly remember all of their childhood memories, what with some things remaining blank, it would seem that their body had not.
When Takuya voiced this out, Izumi told him, "I guess this would have to be what they meant by 'Memories of the Body'."
"Memories of the Body?" Takuya asked as the Omni-Craft began to dock itself somewhere in the middle of Harim's forest grounds.
"'The mind may forget but the body does not.'" Chanted Izumi with her eyes closed, the wind blowing in her hair. "A fortune-teller once told me that when my father and I decided to go to a bazaar. I didn't understand her back then, but now I think I know what she means."
Takuya had been taken aback by Izumi's explanation and so he asked, "Wait, you went to seek advice from a fortune-teller?"
Izumi blushed as she grinned sheepishly, "Well, I didn't know what else to do to find the answer I was looking for."
"Answer?" Takuya asked yet again. "Answer to what?"
Izumi turned around and said, "To who that stupid boy I keep seeing on my dream was, of course. I wanted so badly to know who he was because I feel as though he was someone important. Now I wonder if he did anything to try and remember who I was back then."
Takuya laughed and hugged Izumi from behind, burying his head on her shoulder he replied, "I bet he was also wondering why he couldn't stop thinking of a reason why the name 'Orimoto' always made him think about his childhood. Of course, being in a place such as the Knight Academy, he couldn't do anything about it."
"So you say." Laughed Izumi.
Soon, the Omni-Craft landed safely on the ground with a soft 'thud'. Looking around for any hostile activities and finding none, Takuya helped Izumi down the said vehicle and the two of them made their way to the village.
It certainly wasn't the Harim that their childhood memories allowed them to remember nor was it the same Harim that they have both been to ever since the whole fiasco with King had happened. Thanks to the King's Knights ravaging the village and razing it to the ground, there were only a few hints of the beauty that once was Harim.
Even so, the people there remained jubilant. They were greeted with smiling and happy faces, no traces of what had occurred in their peaceful village was visible in them. Despite the havoc caused by the Knights, Harim had found itself back up again and was breaming with hope and laughter.
Everywhere their eyes lingered, there were children being taught the same things that both Izumi and Takuya were taught when they were young. The young boys were taught how to fight while the girls were taught how to use magic – at least, those that hold great potential to do so were taught.
There were also traveling merchants who are busy selling their wares to the people who have lost most of their belongings. Izumi had overheard one merchant selling furniture for as low as 50 bits. A great bargain no less.
There are also farmers working to plow their fields, hoping to get the same amount of crops or even greater amount than before the village was burnt down. Although tired, these people managed to wave at them and shout a simple greeting when they saw them coming.
Gossiping women would also stop to greet them. Of course, there are those who would stop upon seeing Takuya and give him a wink or two before they catch a death glare from Izumi who obviously did not like what they were doing while Takuya just scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly.
Takuya and Izumi, however, did not make any stops as they walked through Harim. Instead, they made their way to the place that they figured would hold answers to Takuya's question concerning his mother – the house of the Village Chief of Harim.
It took a while, however, for the two of them to find the Chief's House having forgotten the possibility that the Chief would have had his house moved to a different location after the attack on Harim. It is the sensible thing to do, after all, no one would want to have their house rebuilt in the middle of a very large crater caused by the Knights' bombs which they set off as a warning to the whole village.
When they finally stepped into the Chief's house, they both did not need any introductions as the Village Chief, Anizer, quickly recognized the two.
"Ah, Takuya Kanbara and Izumi Orimoto, welcome!" Greeted Chief Anizer as soon as he caught sight of the two. "It has been a while since we last met. I hope you are both doing well."
"Yes, it has been a while, Chief." Grinned Takuya.
"It's always a pleasure to see you, Chief Anizer." Said Izumi with a smile.
"Ah, but the pleasure's all mine. After all, it's such a rare occasion to have two Chosen Ones visit us at the same time without bearing some bad news or causing havoc in our peaceful village." Chief Anizer said with a chuckle, then added, "You did come here not to warn us of impending danger, am I right?"
Takuya laughed. "There's no need to worry, Chief. We're here on a personal matter."
"Oho, personal matter... I see." Said the Chief, his eyes sparkling with happiness. "Then you're both getting married now and in Harim no less? Oho, I have always known you two would end up together, Ohoho."
To say that both Takuya and Izumi's faces are as red as a ripe Tomato is quite an understatement. There is perhaps no comparison worthy of note to compare how red their faces are upon hearing what their Village Chief had just said.
But the Chief did not stop there as he went on to say how everyone in the village practically expected them to get together sooner. How the young men of the Village have loathed Takuya for having captured Izumi's heart when they were still young and how the young women of the village envied Izumi whenever they see how much Takuya cares about the young maiden.
The Chief even went to say how the old ones in the village even made a bet on them. In the end, the Chief had to stop himself from talking too much less he should say something that he shouldn't.
"If you are both going to ask for the Village's blessing, we already gave that to you when you were both young." The Village Chief said then turned pale as he remembered something, "Oh wait, I shouldn't have said those things..."
It took a while for Takuya and Izumi to regain their composure and to regain the normal colors on their faces whilst those in the room snickered at how the Chief had made the two blush.
"A-actually, Chief... uh, we... didn't come here for that." Takuya said, a small blush still visible in his face.
"You didn't?" Chief Anizer said, he was definitely surprised.
"N-no." Izumi was the one who answered.
"Then why did you both come here? Together no less." Chief Anizer asked.
Takuya looked around the room to see the faces of those who were watching the very amusing exchange between the Village Chief and the two Chosen Ones who hailed from the village. When Chief Anizer saw what he was doing and understood why he was doing it, the Chief assured the young man that everyone in the room is trustworthy.
Takuya nodded and answered the Chief's query. "We came here... because I wanted to know everything there is to know about my mother."
"Your mother?" Chief Anizer asked raising an eyebrow. "Why are you asking me about your mother? You know all about her, don't you? You know how she lived and how she died and what kind of person she is."
"We know everything, Chief." Takuya said, his face was serious now. "At least, I know that the person I remember and know a lot about is not my real mother. She was a villager here whom my real mother and General Kouta Kimura asked to act as my real mother..."
"H-how... How did you know about that?" Anizer asked. He was shocked to learn what Takuya knew.
"We met with someone named 'Valthoria', Chief Anizer." Izumi explained. "He told us everything that had happened. From the moment my father, Takuya's father and his brother stepped foot on a forbidden island to the time when Takuya's mother asked Lord Kouta to erase our memories and to keep us safe."
Silence filled the Village Chief's house. It was the kind of silence that only a serious conversation could produce.
"Ah, I see." Chief Anizer said, his eyes closed and his arms crossed. "So, you've finally learned of the truth. Then I suppose you also know now that it is your brother who is the real Chosen One of the Flames."
Takuya nodded. "Valthoria also told us that. I still can't believe it all, but I accept the facts nevertheless."
Chief Anizer smiled, "You have grown, Takuya. And I am not saying this just because of how tall you are now but how matured you've become."
"So, can you tell us what you know about my real mother? Do you know if she's alive? Do you know where I can find her? What's her name? What does she look like? Have she been in contact with the village? Is she here?" Takuya gave Anizer a barrage of question, only taking time to breathe in between them.
Izumi was surprised at how fast Takuya blurted out all of his questions concerning his mother. At least, all the questions that came into his mind at that moment. Chief Anizer, however, was highly amused by it.
"Maybe you should write all of your questions in a piece of paper if you are afraid of forgetting any of them." Chief Anizer joked.
"This is no time to joke about this, Chief." Takuya said, it was obvious how anxious he was to learn all that he could about his mother. The way he was acting made Izumi giggle. "I'm being serious!"
"Yes, yes, of course. I understand how serious the matter is for you and how anxious you are to learn all the answers to these questions, Takuya." Chief Anizer said as he moved from where he was standing towards where Izumi and Takuya were standing. "Which should I answer first then?"
"Uh, just... tell me all you know about my mother." Takuya replied.
"Then sit down, this may take a while." The Chief said as he led the two to the sofa.
Night soon fell on Harim.
As soon as the wonderful village lights lit up, both Takuya and Izumi were awed. They have forgotten how wonderful and how lively the village could be at night.
It had taken them quite a while to learn all that the Village Chief, Anizer, had to say about Takuya's mother. What they got from him was hardly enough, but it was a lot more than Takuya had actually expected.
They were on their way to the inn where the Village Chief had already prepared their room when the village lights went on, and so, they decided to stay outside and look around for a while longer. It has been quite a long time after all.
Night time in Harim always felt like a festival. There were countless stalls open, some selling food like Octopus balls, cotton candies, and other festival foods while others held games and the remaining others were selling all sorts of merchandise.
In his mind, Takuya was thankful for the village for not forgetting such a nightly tradition. Seeing Izumi's happy face and seeing her enjoying the night made it all the more worthwhile. Of course, Takuya did not protest whenever Izumi dragged him from booth to booth; stall to stall.
Through it all, Takuya gazed at Izumi. He always have viewed her as a goddess, but now, with the village lights, she was beyond goddess-like. Her beauty, to his eyes, were unparalleled and incomparable.
At one point, Izumi caught him looking at her.
"What? Is there something on my face?" Izumi asked.
Takuya shook his head. "No. I just can't help myself be mesmerized by your beauty."
And at that, Izumi blushed and had to hide her face from Takuya at which Takuya became worried at having said something he shouldn't have.
"H-hey! D-did I say s-something wrong?" Takuya asked.
It was Izumi's turn to shake her head. "I hope you're not just saying that to start a conversation, Takuya."
"Of course not!" Takuya said. He then tried to look at something less interesting and said, "I meant what I said. I wouldn't use that to start a conversation. Besides, there's plenty of things that we can talk about, you know that."
Izumi laughed then turn towards Takuya and said, "I know."
Like always, the nightly festivities ended with fireworks. Being a village that specializes with such, it was no wonder that the fireworks display was amazing. Any travelers who manage to wind up Harim would say nothing short of that.
As soon as the fireworks were done, Takuya and Izumi made their way to the inn. Once there, the innkeeper gladly welcomed them and went on to say how much they have grown.
"My, You look just like your mother, Izumi." the innkeeper said, a big smile plastered on her face. "And you, Takuya, you look so much like your father."
"Y-yeah, I get that a lot... though I'm not very happy with it what with everything that's been going on with the Kingdom...er... Empire." Takuya said, returning the old lady's smile.
"Oh, dear. I know. I was surprised to hear how Hiroaki was acting." the innkeeper said. "He was such a nice boy. He and Ishige always did play pranks on other people, but that's the worst they did."
"My dad did what?" Izumi was surprised, this was something new to her.
"Oh yes, Ishige and Hiroaki would always cause such a ruckus. Of course, Yuriko would always stand up for them saying they were just coaxed by the other children." the innkeeper reminisced. "Of course, Chief Yuzu, the Village Chief back then would just laugh whatever they did off."
"Yuriko... that's my mother's name." Takuya muttered more to himself than anyone else as he remembered the name that was given to him by Chief Anizer.
"I heard from the Chief that you've learned about the truth." the innkeeper said. "I'm sorry that we have to keep all of these a secret, dear."
Takuya shook his head. "There's no need to apologize, ma'am. You and the other villagers did what you all thought was the best. I appreciate that... and even now that I know the truth, you did not hide it from me. If anything else, I should be apologizing for all the troubles my family has brought into Harim."
"Takuya really is becoming more matured." Izumi thought as she merely listened to the conversation. A smile was on her face. She was proud at how Takuya had grown through their journey. "He's so different from back when we first met..."
After talking with the innkeeper and having obtained their room's key, the two of them went up the wooden staircase and into the second door on the right which had a wooden sign that said 'Reserved'.
Once inside, Takuya allowed himself to fell face-forward on his bed. It was warm and soft. Something that was quite new to him after all the times of not being able to sleep on one. Izumi, on the other hand, looked around their room for a bit before she let herself plopped on her own bed.
The room that they were given was fairly decorated, as could be expected after what Harim had been through. There were white colored curtains hanging on the two windows on the northern end of the room where you can view Harim's forest grounds.
There were also a couple of bookshelves, one of them was only half-filled with books all made a poor wooden material. Apart from their two cozy beds, there was also four chairs and a table to go with them.
The flooring, however, was well furnished with a wool carpet that matched the color of the room which was peach in color.
"I am so tired." Izumi yawned, stretching her arms up while still lying on her bed.
"Yeah, me too." Takuya said while his face was still buried on the bed.
"What are we suppose to do now, Takuya?" Izumi asked. "We learned all we can about your mother here."
Takuya rolled over so that he was now looking up at the ceiling and said, "The Chief said that my mom soon went to live in a temple, right?"
"So, we're going to go there? To Aria's Temple?" Izumi asked.
Takuya nodded, although he was sleepy, Izumi could still feel his burning determination to find his mother.
"You know, Takuya, I sure do envy you." Izumi said out of the blue. "From what Chief Anizer and what Valthoria said, you're mother is still alive... you still have a chance to see her and talk to her, where as I..."
Takuya looked over at Izumi, sadness evident in her face. He hated seeing her like that and he hated that what was making her upset was something he could do nothing about.
He didn't even know what to tell her. He could find no words to say, and so, he simply remained silent.
"I'm sorry." Izumi finally said after a while. "Now I'm just being selfish..."
"No, you're not." Takuya assured her. "You may no longer have your mother with you physically, but you know that she'll always be watching over you, right? As long as you keep her in your memory... she will always be alive within you and through you... Besides, you have a wonderful father. And although I still have mine, he isn't exactly the same person as everyone remembers him to be... and I don't even know if I can bring him back."
"I guess, in the end of all this... we still won't be able to live in a happy, complete family." Izumi said and Takuya nodded.
"Jeez, this talk is getting depressing." Takuya said, wanting to change the subject and throwing his hands up in the air in the process.
"Sorry for bringing that up." Izumi apologized yet again.
At her apology, Takuya stood up from his bed and walked to where Izumi lay. Izumi then sat up, wondering what Takuya was about to do. He then faced her, their eyes leveled.
The way Takuya looked at her made Izumi turn crimson.
Takuya then raised his hand and poked a finger on her forehead. It was a surprising gesture coming from Takuya.
"Wha-what was that for?" Izumi said holding her forehead with her right hand.
"Stop apologizing." Takuya merely stated, still staring at her eyes. "Unnecessary apologies are, well, unnecessary."
"But, that wasn't an unnecessary apology." Izumi said while still rubbing her forehead.
Takuya stood up and went back to his bed, as he did so he replied, "One apology is enough for it, you know."
"Here we are." Shinya said as he as well as his two other companions suddenly appeared.
"Are you sure we're safe here?" Their female companion asked.
Shinya nodded. "My...father... and the Emperor had abandoned this village since he could not get any information from the people here. Of course, he and King did not know that the villagers survived the onslaught.."
"So, they have attacked this place as well..." She muttered more to herself. "Things have certainly gone out of hand."
"His Majesty, the Emperor, had done a lot of horrible things while you were locked up in that tower, mother." Katsuharu said as they began to walk towards the Village.
With only Harim's night lights to guide them, the three made their way to the Village Chief's house. It took quite a while after they have arrived there to finally get someone to open the door for them.
"Oh, it's you, Takuya" Said the person who opened the door, holding back a yawn that was trying to escape his lips. "W-what are you doing here?"
"I came to speak with Anizer." Shinya said, holding the door open just in case the man decides to close the door on their faces.
"The Chief? Did you forget something?" the man asked, still oblivious that the person he was talking to was not Takuya.
"Does that mean that Takuya is in this village as well?" Katsuharu stepped in. "Well, isn't that a lucky coincidence."
"Y-you're... the Emperor's son... Prince Katsuharu!" the man said upon seeing Katsuharu's face, it was also then that he noticed the third member of the party. "A-ah... Queen Ophania."
"What are you doing with these people, Takuya? Why did you bring them here?" The man asked. He then faced the two nobles and said, "The village has suffered enough already. We don't know anything more about the Chosen Ones than what we have told you."
"I'm afraid you're mistaking Shinya for his younger brother." Katsuharu spoke. "Well, it's not a surprise seeing as how he looks like right now."
"S-Shinya!? Shinya Kanabara?" the man said, falling back allowing the trio to enter the house. "W-wha--!"
"Please calm down and allow us to speak with your Chieftain." Queen Ophania said, her voice was very soothing and it seemed to have the effect of calming down the man.
"You...look so much like Takuya..." The man said in awe as well as in fright. "Like you're identical twins or something..."
Shinya just 'hmped' while Katsuharu responded, "Yes, he gets that a lot. Moving along, we really need to talk with your Chieftain."
It would seem that the commotion caused by them was enough to rouse Anizer as he came out of his room asking, "What's all that ruckus?"
The moment that Anizer saw the people inside of his house, his jaw dropped. "Prince Katsuharu... and Queen Ophania... Takuya, what's the meaning of this?"
"How many times do we have to say that I'm not my brother." Shinya replied, he was really annoyed.
"Wait, Shinya?" Anizer said, he was just as surprised as the man who opened the door was. "Y-you look just like Takuya."
"Enough about that, Anizer." Shinya said. "We came here to ask for your help."
"I don't think that's a great way to start this conversation up, Shinya." Katsuharu said laughing nervously.
"Help? That's a surprise. What makes you think we'd be helping the empire after what you've done to us and our village?" Anizer replied.
"Because by not helping us you're helping the empire." Shinya replied.
"I don't understand what you're saying." Anizer said, standing his ground.
"We need a place where we could hide my mother." Katsuharu was the one who explained. "The Emperor... my father, had been keeping her locked up in one of the towers in the Felisian Fortress."
"It seems Seraphim... needs me for something once all of the Chosen Ones' powers have been gathered that's why he was keeping me locked up and was forcing Katsuharu to do his bidding." Queen Ophania finished.
"This is the safest place I know of, after all, Katsuharu had made it possible for the Knights not to come back here after sending word that all the villagers have been dealt with." Shinya informed the Chief.
"What?" Chief Anizer was surprised at the revelation.
"I've been planning to rescue my mother for a while now. That's was why..." Katsuharu trailed off.
The Village Chief closed his eyes to think for a while. It was such a big decision to make – harboring the Queen. It would most definitely make the Emperor angry when he learns that she is no longer in the tower. When that time comes, it is also a given that he would do anything in his power to find her. How long then will it take before he realizes she could be in Harim? How long then would the peace that Harim has regained last?
"How long are we going to stay here?" Izumi asked the next morning.
"I don't know. We could stay here a bit longer if you want." Takuya replied.
"That would be good." Izumi smiled. "I've missed this place... hey, do you think we can go to the forest later?"
"The forest? We hid the Omni-Craft there, remember?" Takuya replied.
"I meant the place where we used to go to when we were kids. You know, the place we molded our dream world to look like." Izumi said.
They had not left their room since eating breakfast down at the pub. It had been strange that morning – the looks that Takuya were receiving were far different from the looks he received the day before. It was as if they were afraid of him or something.
"That was strange." Takuya suddenly said as he remembered how the Villagers in the pub were looking at him and were whispering with whomever they were with as if they have heard some juicy rumor.
Izumi looked at the young man sitting beside her and asked, "What was?"
"Those looks the villagers were giving me down at the pub." Takuya said, he was staring at the ceiling, his arm wrapped around Izumi's shoulders. "Call me paranoid but it felt like they were wary of me."
"I didn't notice that." Izumi replied thinking back. "Maybe it's just your imagination."
"Maybe. But I have this strange feeling. I can't explain what it is but it's making me restless for some reason."
Izumi stood up and then faced Takuya smiling, "Let's go out for a walk then. Maybe it will help you calm yourself down."
And that was how Takuya ended up walking once again around Harim. It was a perfect day for a walk, so Takuya could not complain. The sun was shinning high above the cerulean sky and the wind's gentle breeze made walking easy.
An hour has passed since they decided to walk around when someone spoke from behind.
"Well, well... I guess the rumors of you two staying here were true." He said.
The moment they heard his voice, Takuya turned around and quickly stood in front of Izumi. Izumi gasped as she saw who it was that spoke.
"Katsuharu..." Takuya said, his hand was already resting at the hilt of his sword, ready to unsheathe it should Katsuharu try to take Izumi away from him. "What are you doing here!?"
"Is that a way to greet an old friend, Takuya?" Katsuharu said, unfazed.
"You're no friend of mine! You're a traitor to the Organization." Takuya retorted.
"That's no way to talk to a Prince, little brother." Came Shinya's voice as he appeared behind Katsuharu.
If Takuya and Izumi had been surprised to see Katsuharu, they were even more surprised to come across Shinya at such a place as Harim.
"It's been a while Takuya.... and Izumi." Shinya greeted them.
"Shinya..."
To be continued...
Post Author's Notes:
Well, that's it for this week's update. It was pretty longer than I had expected, lol.
Anyways, how did your christmas celebration go? I've had a so-so Christmas, of course, the holiday season is not yet over. The New Year is coming, which also means that my birthday is nearing as well, lol. I'm quite excited about what kind of gifts I'll be getting for my birthday.
Anyhow, that's besides the point. How did you guys like this chapter? I hope it is enough to satisfy your cravings, lol... at least until next week comes.
Well, I'm pretty beat from finishing this and not being able to sleep early last night so I'll leave this chapter here. Don't forget to review and send me your thoughts, okay? Oh, and have you guys checked out the VIS Forums yet?
Well, check it out if you haven't.... It just started so, like I've said, don't expect too much. Although my blog is more informative than the forums...still. Anyways, this is Sakura Martinez saying "PEACE" and wishing you all a Merry Christmas (or whatever you call this holiday) and a Happy New Year! Take care now. Ja ne!
End of Post Author's Notes