Frontier 02: Rebirthing – Chapter 20: Pity
madjack89: Oh my god, chapter 20! Man, you guys do not even know how long this story is really gonna be!
Kouji: And I'm sure you have much more torture in store for all of us.
madjack89: Well…yeah!
Kouji: sigh
madjack89: By the way, Kouji, weren't you Bopping It? Why'd you stop?
Kouji: I stopped because, halfway through my little competition with Takuya, I realized you were sitting in a lawn chair eating popcorn and laughing at us, so I decided not to give you the satisfaction of watching me play that devil game.
madjack89: Aw…
Shino: Takuya, Kira, and JP are still doing a three-way tiebreaker.
madjack89: When did JP get roped into it?
Dai: He stepped in for Hotaru after he got the maximum amount of points the Bop It awards on his first try!
madjack89: …Dang it, Taru, you're good!
Hotaru: I just have okay reflexes, nothing special.
madjack89: Aw, you're so humble! Anyway, time to get to reviews, then we'll see who's number two at Bop It!
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apapa155: I'm glad! Thanks!
DigiBleach: Kira doesn't have the patience to deal with children, especially when they almost rip off her hand. (lol) Hey, Kouichi! Can DigiBleach have your hat when Duskmon completely murders you? (Kouichi: …) I'll take that as a yes! Okay, thanks for reviewing!
CHIBI-CRAZY: Wow, have you ever read my other story, Digital Clue, because then you'll see that I also enjoy picking on Matt! And I only pick on Kouichi so much because he makes it pretty darn easy! Anyway, don't worry too much, Zoe'll be fine! Thanks for reviewing!
Aldamonburst: Thanks Burst! And thank you very much, Haio! (Hee, he thinks I'm hawt!)
TobiGB: …Wow Kouichi, it looks like either Duskmon will kill you, or Itachi will finish the job for him…good luck with that! (Kouichi: -_-) Anyway, thanks for the kunai and shuriken! And thanks for reviewing! (And as always, thanks for the cookies!)
hazeleyedharmony: As you can see, I wanted to get to at least chapter 20 before school started for me, so that meant faster updates!
-Yeah Kouichi, like how when I'm watching a new series and randomly hear Crispin's voice, I instantly want that character to keep talking so I can hear his voice! (lol)
-It sure is…
-That's my Taru!
-Yeah, that's why I had to put all the funny, light-hearted stuff in the beginning to balance all that out.
-(Shino: At least someone does…) AW, Shino!
-Oh well, he'll get over it, because he's Dai!
-That's how good a couple they are! They don't even need to be together to be cute, it just happens!
-If you like drama, then I think you'll be quite pleased with what happens next! (Heh heh…)
-I don't know and I don't want to know…
-Well, it's not a big secret so I'll answer: yes, this will be a three-parter. But, like I said earlier, there's a lot more stuff I need to get through before we move on to the third part.
Alright, thanks for reviewing!
GoldenDragon326: Yay for Bop It! I should get them Bop It Extreme for twice the Bopping action! (lol) Oh well, we'll see. Thanks for reviewing!
Dawn of Glory: For once, I actually did hurry with the next chapter! (lol) Thanks!
ladyaura: Sorry about your internet problems. Been there, trust me. But anyway, take as much time as you need reading everything you missed! It's not going anywhere, after all! Kouji says thanks again for the weapons, and a big thank you from me for reviewing!
beybladeingninjaprincess: Aw, poor Shino! But I guess he deserved it (lol). Sure, we can go joint custody on Duskmon! Might I suggest Squishy as his name? (Duskmon: …) Heh heh…anyway, thanks for reviewing!
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madjack89: Alright, it looks like the Bop It number two champion is…Kira!
Shino: Do all Yankees have good reflexes?
Hotaru: The better ones typically do.
Dai: With reflexes like that, you could be like Neji Hyuga and go all Byakugan on anyone who crosses you!
Kouichi: What about Hinata?
Dai: Okay, Hotaru can be Neji and Kira can be Hinata!
madjack89: I'm just gonna start the chapter before you guys get into a whole Naruto debate.
Kira: I am the Bop It queen!
Kouji: How did I almost get caught up in that…?
—
For awhile, Kouichi didn't think any of this could be real. It was just another one of those nightmares his subconscious would always drum up for him. It couldn't be true.
But the proof was right in front of him, clutched in his hand. Zoe's torn, pink, cat-eared hat. He'd always thought it was kind of cute, especially when Zoe wore it. Now, it was just a reminder of what had happened.
He hadn't been there to protect her. He had left her, even with all her fears and worries about his safety. His safety? It was her own safety she should have been worried about. Now, she was gone.
He wouldn't blame any of this on Kouji or Shino. Neither of them had known that Zoe would leave the tunnels after getting so mad at them. Besides, he could imagine why they'd snapped at Zoe in the first place. He was the one who hadn't been there to comfort her. If he had been there, Zoe wouldn't have gone to the surface, and she wouldn't be in Duskmon's clutches.
She might have been scared at that very moment. Zoe didn't really like to show when she was scared, but anyone would be frightened when held at sword-point by Duskmon. And it was because of him that Duskmon had captured her, and was perhaps torturing her this very moment.
In reality, everything was Kouichi's fault. And it wasn't just a nightmare; it was all too real.
—
"Just look at him," JP whispered, peering around the cloth at Kouichi, who sat alone in the cavern that had become the Digidestined's bedroom. "He looks so…depressed."
"Of course he's depressed," Takuya said, sighing. "How would you feel if Duskmon kidnapped Tomoyo?"
"I'd poke out his eyeballs one by one," JP replied curtly, letting the cloth fall back over the opening. "Still, we can't just leave him in there like that. Someone needs to go talk to him."
"Unless someone says something along the lines of 'Hey, no worries, Kouichi, we just found Duskmon, kicked the crap out of him, and brought Zoe back,' I doubt he'll want to listen to anything we say," Kira pointed out.
"Alright, we'll play rock, paper, scissors to see who'll go talk to Chief," JP said, holding out his hand.
The others quickly followed his example, making a small circle in the middle of the tunnel. "Rock, paper, Kouji!"
Everyone suddenly turned and pointed at Kouji instead of finishing the game, from the beginning having wanted him to go speak to his brother.
"But…" Kouji began, for once feeling hesitant about talking to Kouichi. "I'm the one that caused all this."
"Yeah right," Shino said bitterly. "If I hadn't snapped at her, she wouldn't have left in the first place."
"Guys, you can play the blame game later," Kira said firmly, stepping between the two. Then she turned to Kouji and continued, "Right now, your brother needs you. Go help him."
Kouji stared at Kira for a moment, then nodded, a determined expression on his face. He then made his way slowly over to the cavern entrance, lifted the flap, and stepped inside.
Kouichi didn't even acknowledge his presence. He was so out of it, Kouji doubted he would have noticed an earthquake at this point. He slowly walked toward his brother, getting more and more nervous with each step he took. What would he say to him? There was no way he could make him feel the slightest bit better about any of this. But he had to try.
When he stood right in front of Kouichi, he crouched down, getting to Kouichi's eye level. Kouichi still didn't notice a thing. Kouji saw that Kouichi's gaze was fixed firmly on the object he clutched in his hand. Zoe's hat.
"Kouichi," he said softly, trying to get his attention. Kouichi didn't react. "Kouichi," Kouji said, this time louder. Still no reaction. Realizing he would get nowhere with this, Kouji grabbed Kouichi by the shoulders and shook him roughly. "Kouichi!"
"What?" Kouichi said this so softly that Kouji was amazed he'd even heard it. Kouichi lifted his head slowly, meeting Kouji's gaze. Kouji noticed that Kouichi's eyes looked devoid of emotion, almost lifeless.
Kouji shook off his worry, concentrating on the task ahead of him. "Kouichi, you can't just sit here like this. Brooding isn't going to get Zoe back."
Kouichi just continued to stare at Kouji with those lifeless eyes. It was beginning to frighten Kouji until Kouichi finally closed his eyes and muttered, "I can't."
"Yes you can," Kouji said, relieved that he actually seemed to be getting somewhere. "Gotsumon's already forming a search party. We'll find her and bring her back, you'll see."
"It's my fault," Kouichi continued, acting like he hadn't even heard what Kouji had just said. "She's gone…all my fault…"
"You weren't even here when it happened!" Kouji retorted. "If anything, it was my fault! I'm the one that got mad at her because…" Kouji couldn't seem to confess that he'd been jealous of Zoe, and that was why he'd lashed out at her.
"No," Kouichi said, laughing in an almost hysterical way. Kouji was beginning to worry for Kouichi's sanity at this point. When he stopped laughing, Kouichi smiled at Kouji. "Really, do you honestly think you drove her away? Yeah, that's a good one!"
"Kouichi," was all that Kouji could utter, eyes wide with fright.
"Did you ever cover her in your own darkness, taint her?" Kouichi no longer seemed to be talking to anyone in particular. "Yes, I loved her so much, I dragged her to hell with me! A dark, swirling pit of death and cruelty, and of course bloodshed. Can't have hell without a little bloodshed."
"Kouichi, what are you talking about?" Kouji exclaimed, getting so scared that his hands were now shaking. "You're not making any sense!"
"I'm making perfect sense," Kouichi retorted. "You're just not listening well enough. I caused all of this, from the very beginning. When you brought me back with you, when you purified me, when I first saw Zoe, that's where it all began. She could have been happy with you, or Takuya, or JP, or whoever. Instead, she got stuck with me, and look where she is now!"
Kouji suddenly understood what Kouichi was trying to get at. "You think that you ruined Zoe's chance at happiness by being with her."
Kouichi chuckled. "Now he gets it."
"But…you've made her so happy," Kouji said weakly, feeling a little dazed. "How could you…"
"From the very beginning, all I've done is make her worry," Kouichi said, sighing. "I've tried to be strong, so she wouldn't have to be so worried all the time. I even tried not to love her, because I knew that would only cause her pain, because she didn't love me back.
"But then, she said that she did love me, and I was so happy. I didn't have to pretend. I could hold her in my arms, and feel her hair brushing against my cheek. I could just get lost in her eyes, and love every minute of it.
"Then I realized I couldn't. The worry didn't stop. If anything, it got worse. She kept muttering about remembering, and I didn't know what she meant. I tried to be strong, but all she saw was my weakness, no matter what I did! It ate away at her, and I knew it was slowly tearing her apart, but there was nothing I could do! What would I accomplish by breaking up with her? Then we'd both be miserable.
"And now she's gone!" Kouichi concluded his rant, as Kouji noticed life returning to his eyes. Then, suddenly, Kouichi launched himself at Kouji, wrapping his arms around his brother. Kouji regained his balance just as Kouichi began to cry into his shoulder, trembling as sobs racked his body.
Kouji quickly hugged his brother back. And, in the very back of his mind, Kouji realized that he was almost glad that Zoe had been kidnapped, just to have Kouichi back.
—
"Masumon will have to wait for now. Our main priority from this point forward must be the rescue of the Warrior of Wind," Gotsumon stated, looking around a cavern full of Digimon.
The gang stood at the very back of the crowd, along with Bokomon, Neemon, Witchmon, and Dragramon. Kouichi was also with them, looking a bit better than he had before, despite his now red-rimmed eyes. He'd cried on Kouji's shoulder for nearly thirty minutes straight.
"Man, he sure knows how to get a crowd going," JP muttered, watching as the group of Digimon cheered for Gotsumon.
"He's grown up," Kouji said, smirking slightly. "He used to be a little punk, and now look at him."
"How high up in the ranks is Gotsumon, anyway?" Kira asked, directing her question at Witchmon and Dragramon.
"Pretty darn high," Dragramon replied. "He's the last guy you go to before actually going to the leader of the Resistance himself, and he's, like, a million, billion years old."
"Kind of like you?" Takuya said sarcastically.
Dragramon glared at Takuya, annoyed. "He's older, you little goggle-headed jerk."
"Yeah, but Gotsumon pretty much runs everything, and he keeps it running smoothly," Witchmon said, staring up at Gotsumon with a small smile on her face. "I admire that about him."
The others gave Witchmon questioning looks. Witchmon quickly turned away from Gotsumon, a slight blush on her face. "Quit staring at me, would you!"
"Yeah, quit staring at Witchy!" Dragramon agreed. "It's not her fault that Gotsumon seems to show absolutely no romantic interest in her!"
"Dragra!" Witchmon exclaimed, grabbing Dragramon and dragging her away.
The others stared after the two for a moment, then concentrated back on Gotsumon.
"Remember that, if you find her, you must also be prepared to face one of the most cunning Digital swordsmen, Duskmon," Gotsumon said, cautioning the group. "If there is anyone that does not feel up to this task, please feel free to back out now. We won't hold it against you." No one budged.
"If only Zoe were here to see how willing everyone is to risk their lives for her," Shino muttered.
"She does know how to make a lasting impression," JP said, smiling slightly.
The others nodded, agreeing with JP's statement. That is, everyone but Kouichi. He just continued to stare at the floor, hands stuffed in his pockets. Kouji was about to say something to him, when Gotsumon continued his speech.
"Alright, then we'll organize some search parties and set out first thing tomorrow," Gotsumon said, concluding his speech. "Each party can take one of the Legendary Warriors along with them."
"Which party should take which Warrior?" one of the Digimon near the front asked.
"I don't know, pick your favorite," Gotsumon replied, shrugging. "Though I hear that the Warrior of Steel is pretty kickass."
As one, the entire group of Digimon turned and stared at Hotaru, hungry expressions on their faces. Hotaru lowered his head, feeling embarrassed by the attention he was getting.
"Well Hotaru, good luck with that," Takuya said, reaching up to pat Hotaru on the back.
"We'll probably be in high demand too, huh Kouichi?" Kouji remarked, turning to his brother.
However, Kouichi didn't seem to be paying attention to all the Digimon staring at him. In fact, it looked like he'd blocked out everything going on in the room completely, eyes wide. Then he muttered, "Tomorrow?"
—
Zoe slowly opened her eyes, seeing around her only darkness. Her head was pounding like a drum, and she neither knew nor cared at that moment where she was. She did realize that she wasn't lying on the ground, but was being held upright by something. She tried to move her arms, but found that she couldn't. Something was holding them back.
She glanced down and saw that she was bound by thick coils of rope, and that she was tied up against a large tree. Her feet dangled just above the ground.
Why am I tied up? she wondered, her memories fuzzy and disorganized.
"You're finally awake." That voice instantly snapped her head back into focus. She remembered how she'd left the tunnels…how she'd been crying…how she'd been kidnapped…Duskmon…
As if on cue, Duskmon stepped out of the trees, looking as dark and foreboding as the first time she'd ever seen him. And, stuck in the hole where his hand should have been, was Zoe's D-Tector.
Zoe began to struggle furiously against her bindings as Duskmon made his slow way across the clearing they were in, stopping just inches in front of her. He stared at her for several seconds before saying, "You shouldn't waste your energy like this. It won't help you to struggle."
"I'll struggle as much as I want to, you bastard!" Zoe cried angrily, glaring with unconcealed fury at Duskmon.
"I'm the bastard?" Duskmon asked, chuckling. "I just wanted to talk with Kouichi for a bit. He's the one that forces me to go to these extreme measures."
"Yeah right!" Zoe scoffed, not buying Duskmon's civil act. "You kidnapped me because you knew it would upset Kouichi. And I doubt talking is what you have in mind for him."
Duskmon smirked. "You must think you're so clever, don't you? You think that you have me all figured out."
"Not quite," Zoe admitted, still glaring at Duskmon. "There's one thing I haven't figured out. Did Ilsemon send you to do this, or are you on your own?"
Duskmon stared coolly at Zoe before replying, "Neither."
This actually managed to throw Zoe. "What?" she said, giving Duskmon a quizzical look. "What do you mean, neither?"
"I mean that I'm following orders, but not Ilsemon's," Duskmon said simply, examining Zoe's D-Tector curiously. "These devices are quite amazing. Able to not only store data, but restore data to its original state. And giving humans the ability to turn into Digimon…"
"What are you talking about?" Zoe asked, not referring to Duskmon's D-Tector ponderings. "If you aren't following Ilsemon's orders, then whose orders are you following?"
Duskmon continued to stare at the D-Tector, a thoughtful gleam in his eyes (just the two on his face, the others are just sitting there). "What do you think she'd do if I told her?"
Zoe assumed that Duskmon was just thinking out loud until he said a moment later, "Yes, she'd probably try. But she'd never be able to stop you. You know that."
Is Duskmon having a conversation with himself? Zoe wondered, perplexed by Duskmon's odd behavior. Oh crap…has he gone crazy?
"Uh…are you alright?" Zoe asked Duskmon slowly. It felt a little odd, saying that of all things to this monster. She'd rather he just collapse on the spot, but since that didn't seem likely, she'd just have to keep him occupied until…someone found her. Hopefully someone with backup. Backup that wasn't Kouichi.
Duskmon stared at Zoe for a moment, looking just as confused by Zoe's question as she was at having asked it. "You don't honestly care, do you?" Duskmon said, scoffing. "You're just afraid because you think I'm crazy. It looked like I was talking to myself, didn't it?"
Zoe didn't answer, so Duskmon continued, "Of course, your first thought would go to your own survival in this case, but what if Kouichi were here? You'd do everything you could to provoke me so that I would leave your beloved alone, wouldn't you? That's your nature."
"You don't know me," Zoe growled, glaring with malice at her captor.
"Don't I?" Duskmon retorted, turning away from Zoe and stalking slowly around the clearing. "Zoe Orimoto: Warrior of Wind. Pretty by human standards, especially with that hair. From what I hear, you can get it in a bottle in your world."
"I'm not a bottle blonde," Zoe stated firmly. "My hair's naturally this way."
"And you wish it wasn't." This comment of Duskmon's managed to catch Zoe a little off guard. Seeing this, Duskmon dug deeper. "I can read you like a book, little girl. From the moment you were born, you've hated that hair. It made you stick out; it made you different from other girls where you lived. But that was the last thing you wanted. Deep down, all you wanted was to fit in and be accepted. You tried to be like everyone else for awhile, but found that to be too tiring and decided to just 'be yourself.' You thought that if everyone liked the fake you, everyone would like the real you.
"But then you found that wasn't the case. No one liked the real you. You were just too different. So you were picked on and ridiculed by your peers. You tried to ignore it, but it weighed on your mind. In your own words: 'Girls always pick on me because I'm different. But that's made me distrustful of people who actually want to befriend me. I find something wrong with them and get mad, and they leave. I hate that I'm like that.'"
Zoe literally gasped when Duskmon said this. That really HAD been in her own words. That was exactly what she'd said to Kouichi back on their first adventures in the Digital World, when she'd tried to cheer him up right after they'd all first met him. "How…?"
"How did I know about something you said after I was already dead?" Duskmon finished Zoe's question for her. "I watched your conversation with Kouichi as it took place."
"What do you mean?" Zoe asked softly, still feeling shell-shocked.
"I'm not quite sure what happened myself," Duskmon replied, beginning to get a far-off look in his eye. "I was killed. I know I was. I felt the pain, the agony as my being was ripped from Kouichi's. I lost consciousness quickly as I felt myself being pulled toward one of these D-Tector devices. I expected to awaken in some sort of mechanized limbo, if I was to wake up at all. Instead, I was in some sort of dark, abysmal area of the Digital World, which I believe you refer to as the Dark Area."
"The Dark Area?" Zoe said, confused. "But your Spirits were in Kouji's D-Tector."
"The Warrior of Darkness's Spirits were in that D-Tector," Duskmon said, sounding almost bitter. "I am not the Warrior of Darkness. I am a fraud, a fake, a demented copy. I was never meant to exist. I simply embody every evil quality inside Lowemon…and Kouichi. I was supposed to fade away when Lowemon's Spirits were purified.
"But for some reason, I wasn't. Someone had saved me at the last possible second and brought me to the Dark Area. I should have felt relief, but I didn't. I had no purpose in this world, or any other world. I wasn't even real. I should have just faded away and been forgotten. That's what you all wanted, and I was ready to oblige."
Duskmon said this, but from the bitter tone his voice had taken on, Zoe could tell that Duskmon resented being just a figment. He wished he could be as real as the being that had unintentionally created him. Someone had apparently granted that wish.
"Then I saw you," Duskmon continued. "Images flashed before me of you and the rest of your group, along with Kouichi. You were headed toward the Rose Morning Star in order to defeat Cherubimon and rescue Ophanimon. I couldn't pick out any of the conversations going on at first, but yours and Kouichi's suddenly blasted through all the white noise and clamor the others had created. Quite frankly, it was mostly uninteresting."
Zoe frowned, looking slightly insulted. "Gee, thanks," she said sarcastically.
"You're welcome," Duskmon replied, smirking. (I didn't know you had a sense of humor, Dusky!) "Shut up, Madjack." (Okay, okay…) "Anyway, I suddenly heard a different voice giggling behind me, right after I watched you leave the train car. I turned and saw her: a slender, human girl, about your height and looking about your age. But she looked so much wiser than any of you, as if she were a higher being. Her hair was black, and her skin was white. But I wasn't concentrating on any of that.
"What I saw was her big, piercing violet eyes. The more I stared at them, the more I found that I couldn't look away. They seemed to peer straight through my being. I took a step toward the girl, and she smiled. Then she said, 'Would you like to have purpose, Duskmon?' I nodded without even thinking. Her smile widened as she said, 'Then take my hand.' Once again, without thinking, I reached out my arm and let her hand touch me.
"I don't remember much of what happened next. The pain was so intense, I thought that I had somehow managed to die twice." (Like Buffy!) "For the love of god, Madjack!" (Sorry, please continue!) "Urgh…anyway, when the pain dimmed, I opened my eyes and found myself lying here, in the Dark Continent. I took a breath, then another. That simple act told me everything; I was alive, and not just as a shadow of someone else's being. I was truly alive. For the first time…I was real. Then I heard the girl's voice again, only it was just in my mind. She said, 'I have a job for you, Duskmon.' Now, about two years later, here we are. I'm about to finish my job."
Zoe knew she shouldn't. Duskmon was twisted, demonic, a menace. He had personified the meaning of a true villain to her for so long that childhood monsters like the Boogie Man were dull in comparison. And yet…she pitied him. He'd been used ever since he'd come into being, and it seemed as if he was still being used. It didn't seem to her that he truly was evil. He'd been made for evil purposes, but, Zoe realized, that didn't necessarily make him evil. He did the things he did because they gave him a purpose to his entire existence.
But all he'd ever wanted was to be real.
—
Kouichi lifted up the cloth, quietly stepping out of the cavern entrance. He glanced back at his sleeping friends, resting up for the search for Zoe…
…that happens tomorrow, Kouichi thought, determination welling up inside of him. We can't afford to wait until tomorrow. There's no telling what Duskmon could do to her by then. And if I just sit here and wait, and something DOES happen…I won't be able to forgive myself. I have to go now.
Gripping his D-Tector tightly in his hand, Kouichi made his way down the tunnels, trying to remember the way to the tunnel exit. Finally, he came to a ladder that led up into darkness.
He was about to step onto the first rung of the ladder when he heard, "Where are you going, Kouichi?"
Kouichi sighed. "I didn't notice you following me, Kouji."
"You've tended not to notice me a lot lately," Kouji muttered.
"What?" Kouichi turned, confused by Kouji's last statement.
"Forget it," Kouji said quickly, walking up to Kouichi until he was right in front of him, giving him a hard stare. "Now answer my question: where are you going?"
Kouichi looked down, feeling a little uncomfortable under Kouji's gaze. "I think you already know the answer to that."
There was complete silence for a moment. Then Kouji said, "Take me with you."
"What?" Once again, Kouichi was confused by Kouji's statement.
"You can't wait until tomorrow," Kouji said, ignoring Kouichi's question. "You think that something bad will happen to Zoe if you wait. So you're going out now to try to rescue her yourself. Fine. Take me with you."
"Kouji," Kouichi began, sounding like he was about to lecture a younger brother…oh wait, he is! Ha! "I can't risk you getting hurt."
"But you can risk yourself getting hurt?" Kouji retorted. "Kouichi, face it. Together, we're a much more powerful force than we are alone. We might even be able to end it with Duskmon, once and for all. Please, just take me with you."
Kouichi stared at Kouji, meeting his gaze. Then, Kouichi sighed…and punched Kouji square in the face.
Kouji barely reacted, it had happened so suddenly. He finally realized what was happening just as his head smacked against the hard floor. You'd think a dirt floor wouldn't be this hard, Kouji thought, slipping quickly from consciousness.
Kouichi watched his brother fall, trying desperately not to yell for help. That would only get everyone on his trail sooner, which was the last thing he needed. But he couldn't just leave Kouji like this.
He knew that it wouldn't help his chances of not being found out quickly, but he slipped off his jacket and laid it under Kouji's head, which he noticed had started to bleed.
I hate blood, he thought, shakily stepping onto the first rung of the ladder without looking back. Blood is always a sign of something bad.
—
"He's here," Duskmon suddenly said, turning around. "That didn't take long at all, did it?"
Zoe flinched, knowing what Duskmon must mean. He had just finished telling her the tale of his rebirth (nudge nudge) and for a moment she had pitied him. Now that pity was quickly replaced by terror when she saw who stood on the other side of the clearing, completely alone and, she noticed, without his jacket.
"Kouichi," she muttered quietly, eyes wide in fright. "No."
Kouichi glanced at Zoe quickly, ascertaining that she was, for the most part, unharmed. Then he turned his gaze on Duskmon, glaring at him. No, it was worse than a glare. He completely despised Duskmon, hating him more than, as far as Zoe knew, he'd ever hated anyone in his life. Maybe Duskmon was the only one he'd ever hated.
Kouichi raised his D-Tector, hand glowing with data. "Let's end this, Duskmon. Now!"
—
madjack89: Uh oh, this can't be good!
Kira: Damn straight! Chief, why are you so stupid sometimes?
Kouichi: But…I just didn't want anyone else getting hurt…
Zoe: Stop picking on him, Kira!
Kira: Fine, whatever. But if he gets his ass killed, then I'll have to say I told you so.
madjack89: If Kouichi died, you'd be all depressed and upset, not going around saying I told you so.
Kira: …Don't ruin my moment.
madjack89: Sorry.
JP: Wow with that Duskmon part. I even feel a little sorry for him!
Dai: Poor Dusky!
Takuya: He's still an eyeball bastard, if you ask me.
madjack89: Is it just me, or do you guys have dirtier mouths than usual today?
Kouji: What the hell is she talking about?
Takuya: I don't freaking know.
Kouichi: My hand hurts like hell from hitting Kouji like that.
Kira: Wait, no one mentioned that I'm the Bop It queen! Did you all forget already? Damn you all!
madjack89: Geez, I'm gonna have to start censoring you guys.
JP: What the *BEEP* do you mean? …What the *BEEP*?!
madjack89: That's better! Alright, I bet you can guess what's gonna be in the next chapter. Til then, see ya!