A Digimon Frontier Fanfic

By Sakura Martinez

Author's Notes:

I know it has been a while but, a lot of things have been going on over here that I simply did not have time to update and this particular chapter, albeit already finished a couple of months before, failed to make it to the net.

Thankfully though, we have a holiday today and I was able to update this fanfic without any hitch. I won't prolong the Author's Note any further as I know a lot of you guys have been faithfully awaiting an update are craving for a new chapter to read.

So, without any further ado, here is the newest chapter of Rabbit on the Moon. Enjoy!

End of Author's Notes

The Rabbit on the Moon

Stand

His face was serene and peaceful. Even after a millenia has passed, he has still retained his youth. His physique did not change, he still looked as if he was 17-years-old. His spiky, crimson-red hair was longer now, though, with the end tied in a small pony-tail.

This young man, wore a tattered cloak over a breastplate that is colored silver—as silvery as the color of the moon on a clear, dark, night sky. Underneath his breastplate was a beige-colored long-sleeved, button-up shirt. He also wore a leather belt and a leather strap around his shoulder where his sword hang, sheathed, and by the looks of it, he had not wielded the said sword in a very, very long time.

He just stood, with his eyes closed near the large tree in the middle of the hill in the small island, with the wind blowing. The tree was beyond huge. It's four times taller than the tallest tree and three times thicker than the thickest tree. It's leaves were so green that they sparkle as if basked in the morning dew. In the presence of this tree, one would feel its majesty and wonder what secrets it may hide.

The young man then opened his eyes, revealing a pair of heterochromia eyes—one sea blue while the other was golden yellow.

As he opened his eyes, his expression hard to read, the wind blew softly once more.

"The time has come, finally, for the Dragon Tome's final prophecy to be fulfilled." He said to himself. "It sure has taken quite a long time hasn't it, Milanai?"

As those words escaped his lips, another gust of wind blew as if to answer the young man.

Shinya sighed as he closed the door leading to Izumi's cabin. Things were certainly not doing well for them and somehow he felt it was his fault.

As the ship they were on gently rocked along with the waves of the ocean towards their destination, Shinya grimly walked towards the deck. He needed to think, and he knew that he would not be able to do that in his cabin.

Once he arrived at the deck, he took a deep breath.

They were on their way to the small island of Vior per instruction of the Queen who seem to believe that they will find help there. He knew of Vior, he had learned of it when he was still a child but what he knew of it was only from legends and myths.

Long ago, when the four great kingdoms still exist, Vior was once a small, peaceful town situated on the borderline between Fiammetta and Haizea. It was supposed to be the second home of one of the greatest heroes the world ever knew, and it was also supposed to have been destroyed back when the god of darkness, Chaos was unsealed and the World Tree withered—or so the story goes. In the end, all he knew about the said island were legends, fables, myths. Nothing really concrete.

He sighed.

It was because he was so deep in thought that he did not notice Katsuharu standing next to him until he spoke.

"You shouldn't beat yourself up with what happened, Shinya." Katsuharu said.

Shinya was, of course, surprised. But he showed that emotion for only a quick moment, turning towards the young man who spoke before gazing back at the ocean.

"Heh. It's easy to say that but, when you do look at it, it was my fault." Shinya stated, a sad smile on his face. "I was the one who proposed that we head over to the Valley of the Mist. If I had just kept my mouth shut about it, Takuya would not have..."

"You know that even if you did not speak to him about that, Chiaki would still have found him and Izumi out..." Katsuharu said as he followed Shinya's gaze. "Besides, beating yourself up over what has already happened will not change anything."

"It's kind of an irony that I am now helping the very people that I have tried to kill so many times before and the person they trusted most is now fighting against them." Shinya noted. "The fates seem to find it amusing to play us with a sick joke like this."

Katsuharu could not help but laugh a hearty laugh at Shinya's comment. When his laughter died down he said, "Well, I just hope the fates aren't playing a trick on us now. I don't understand why my mother believes we really could find the mythical island, and she even says that we're close but... no matter how you look at it, as far as the eye can see there are no islands around this place."

Shinya nodded. True enough, they were surrounded by nothing but the ocean. There were no islands as far as the eye can see and there were no hints that an island was indeed near.

"What do you suppose we are going to find in Vior, should we truly find the place?" Shinya asked, his eyes gazing at the ocean. "You don't suppose mythical beings reside there as well, do you?"

"You mean like the ones in the legends? The Guardians of Endlessia or the Dragon Gods?" Katsuharu asked. "Well, if the legends are true I doubt they are still around... Isn't Valthoria the last remnant from that ancient world?"

If Shinya was in a better mood before, upon hearing Valthoria's name his brows furrowed and anger began to rise within him.

"Valthoria..." He said, gritting his teeth.

Katsuharu took notice of this. He could not help but note how much Shinya really hated the man who many have regarded in the ancient world as the Grand Council Master...no, maybe it wasn't the old man in the legends whom he had found hatred for but maybe Shinya hated himself for being drawn to a promise made by a puppet-king.

"You know, I think it's okay to stop hating and regretting things from your past now, Shinya." Katsuharu spoke, and his words surprised Shinya making Shinya turn to his direction, his face confused. Katsuharu did not allow Shinya to speak, however, as he continued on, "I know I may not have a right to say this as I have not gone through what you went through but... you learned a lot because of the mistakes you made in the past and you're trying to correct those mistakes now, right?"

Katsuharu stopped for a while, trying to assess what Shinya must be thinking. When Shinya didn't speak, he went on.

"You started this journey with revenge in your mind but, I think right now, your journey is a journey for redemption. To try to set things right – that's what you're really aiming for and I believe that whatever happens, everything will turn out fine in the end."

"How can you sound so sure about that, Katsuharu? I have killed so many in the name of violence and have allowed anger to get the best of me one too many times. And yet, you sound as if it's okay."

"Well, it is now. Like I've said, you're trying your best to set things right. To undo the mistake that you made...I think that's what's most important, don't you?"

"I...don't know." Shinya answered honestly, his eyes were downcast.

Katsuharu laughed, "Well, looking at you now, I think that it's okay to believe that."

"What?"

With a smile still plastered on his face, Katsuharu replied, "Well, I just think that, Takuya's personality has really rubbed on you. If I didn't know any better, and if your eyes weren't a dead give away, I would have thought you were Takuya."

"D-Don't say that!" Shinya said, stuttering as he did so. "I am nothing like that idiot."

Laughter was all Katsuharu answered him before he turned around and walked away, leaving Shinya by himself.

As Shinya watched his friend walk balk inside the ship, he could not help but smile a little. In his mind, despite the doubts that are lingering in his mind about the island and about himself, Shinya could not help but think that perhaps it wouldn't hurt to believe even just a little.

The cloaked, crimson-haired, young-looking man continued to watch the scenery before him. He could feel the anticipation burning within him. He could feel that they are close.

He looked over at the large tree and asks, "It is time, don't you think so?"

A warm and gentle breeze blew, answering his question. The young-looking man smiled. That answer was enough. Slowly, he began his decent from the small hill where he was standing and towards the shoreline of the small island.

Izumi sat curled like a ball. She was still in shock. Too many unanswered questions about their previous run-in with Chiaki and the betrayal brought by Takuya's defection left her in a state of disarray.

She could barely remember what they were talking about hours before or what they were doing, where they were going and things like that but she felt that it was supposed to be important.

She wanted to talk to Kaizen but, no matter what she does, she could no longer hear her voice nor could she feel her presence. She was gone and Izumi does not know if she could retrieve her still...

She forced herself not to cry, remembering all the things that has happened thus far. She needs to be strong in order to bring Takuya back to his senses.

"I merely chose a side." Izumi remembered Takuya say, "I thought, what's the point in sticking with the losing side?"

"Were those words really Takuya's words or is someone telling him what to do and say?" Izumi wondered to herself as she buried her head on her arms. "I-I don't know anymore..."

Just then, a knock erupted on the door, followed by Katsuharu's voice saying, "Izumi, can I come in?"

Izumi did not bother to answer. She really did not want to talk with anyone right now, not even Katsuharu or the Queen, and most especially not Shinya.

"Well, if you're not going to let me come in, I might as well say what I came here to say out here." Katsuharu says, his voice slightly muffled by the door. "Move forward."

Izumi was surprised and, at the same time, confused as to what Katsuharu said.

"Move...forward?" She wondered to herself. "What does he mean by that?"

"That's all we can do right now and... I think that's what Takuya would be doing if he were in our shoes as well." Katsuharu continued to talk behind the door. "We're in a slump right now. All of us. And I know you are taking this harder than the rest of us but, that's just all the more reason why you must stand up with your own two legs now and take a step forward."

Silence.

"I know it must not sound like much coming from me but... even Shinya is doing his best moving forward... You should too. Besides, it's not the end. We can still get Takuya back... at least, I think we can."

More silence.

"Ah, well, that's all I could say right now." Katsuharu said before he left to retire in his own cabin. "I'm not really good when it comes to pep talks."

Izumi did not know what to say. He was right, of course but... but then, what? What should she really be doing? She no longer has her Guardian Spirit, much less the power of a Chosen One. She was just a normal, ordinary human being now.

Suddenly, she remembers the words Haruko said: "A Chosen One's power does not rely solely on her Guardian Spirit."

"A Chosen One's power...I still don't have an answer to that, Master Haruko..." Izumi found herself muttering. "But... Katsuharu's right. If Takuya were in my shoes, he will not be sulking like this..."

Izumi then looks up. The hollowed-look in her eyes was gone. Instead, there was a new-found determination in them. Her fists were balled as she stood up.

"Master Haruko, I'm still finding my way in search for an answer to where a Chosen One's power relies. I know I'm not there yet but... I think I can get there by taking one step forward just like what Katsuharu said." Izumi silently conveyed whilst looking over the porthole and into the blue ocean. "Hang in there, Takuya. I will take you back."

His sea-blue and golden-yellow eyes looked over at the ocean, his brows were furrowed and his mind focused on the task at hand. After all, releasing the barrier and materializing an island into view was no easy feat. It takes a lot of concentration and a lot of power.

Sweat was trickling down his forehead. It has been a long, long time since he had done something like this.

Seconds later, the ground began to shake and a powerful gust of wind blew around the island. He mutters an incantation and the wind blew even stronger, the wind seemingly being emitted from him.

After that, six words escaped his mouth: "Come. The path has been opened."

The waves crashed on the ship, rocking it furiously. The waves were bigger now, and getting bigger still.

That, along with the powerful wind blowing in the area and the lightning flashing across the sky made it seem like a storm was coming straight towards the ship.

Shinya had to grip the rails on the ship tighter just so he would not be thrown overboard.

"What the heck's happening?" Asked a bewildered Shinya. One moment it was bright and sunny, now it was stormy.

It would appear that the violent rocking of the ship was enough to draw Katsuharu, the Queen, and Izumi out of their cabin and unto the deck. What awaited them there was something that they will forever remember.

There, a couple of kilometers away from them was a small island with a very, very large tree materializing before them.

It is the mythical island of Vior.

"We've finally arrived..." the Queen said in awe.

Shinya nodded. "So, it is true... this island, I hope we can find our answers here."

To Be Continued...

Post Author's Notes:

Finally, an update. I am as ecstatic as you guys about this update since we are nearing the end of this fanfic (although, the ending is still a ways off, XD).

Anyways, I'm not sure when the next update will be but I will try to update this within the week. Well, that's about all for today. It's pretty late already so I'll cut this post author's note short.

I do hope you guys will review and let me know if you guys are still interested in this fanfic. Having said that, if you guys ever need news or updates regarding my projects, fanifcs or anything like that, you can find those on my blog (check my profile, XD).

Having said that, this is Sakura Martinez saying "PEACE" and signing out. Until next time!

End of Post Author's Notes