Frontier 02: Rebirthing – Chapter 32: Ellie
madjack89: Howdy guys! Today I have a very special group joining me in the commentaries. They're villainous curs you sometimes enjoy putting curses upon in your reviews: the evil Frontier 02 gang! Say hi, guys!
Nina: What up, dogs?
Duskmon: Uh…yeah. Hi.
Impmon: Hey there! How ya doin'?
Hallucimon: That sounded really Brooklyny.
Impmon: Aw, shut up, you!
Wizardmon: This will not end well.
Ilsemon: That's why we're villains. We automatically screw everything up.
Wizardmon: *sigh*
Renamon: *not even paying attention*
madjack89: Oh, and since Sasori and Pein are villains too, I let them out of their cage today to join in the fun!
Pein: …Woohoo.
Sasori: Sadly, I've lost all motivation to even try to run away at this point. It would be a hopeless struggle.
madjack89: That's the spirit!
Sasori: *sigh*
Neji: Madjack, I'm not a villain. Why am I still here?
madjack89: Because you're Neji Hyuga!
Neji: …That doesn't make any sense.
Wizardmon: First rule of Frontier 02: Madjack rarely makes sense. You just have to roll with the punches.
Neji: They'd better not be literal punches.
Impmon: Well, Kira ain't here, so we should be fine.
Pein: Speaking of which, isn't she currently on that date with Kisame?
madjack89: Yup!
Sasori: Heh, I wonder how that's going.
madjack89: We'll talk about that next chapter. Right now, we're gonna concentrate on the winners of the popularity poll I did for you guys!
Duskmon: Well, that explains why we're here.
Ilsemon: What exactly does the winner of this poll receive, Madjack?
madjack89: A super-duper mystery prize that I'll give to the winner during the end commentary!
Ilsemon: In that case, I've already gotten the prize since nearly every villain here works for me!
Nina: Yeah right! Me and Dusky so totally pwn the rest of you noobs!
Duskmon: Nina, are you on crack today?
Nina: *giggle* Maybe…
Sasori: Oh look, it's time for reviews.
*break* (sorry, couldn't get the line to show up)
garnettfox: (Duskmon: Everyone's going to be hugging me now, aren't they?) Pretty much. Anyway, I hope you like the fight scene and yes, I'd love a description of Darkgramon, if you'd be so kind! Alright, thanks for reviewing!
fg1fg: (Kouichi: Madjack tortures us in her stories and toys with our emotions in order to escape the monotony of everyday life. In short, she's crazy.) *glares* Meanie. (Kouichi: Just giving the readers what they want.) Yeah…anyway, if you thought the last chapter was long, just look at THIS one! (lol) Thanks for reviewing!
TobiGB: Go away, Madara! No one wants you! (Nina: Actually…) Quiet, Nina! (Nina: Humph!) I'm glad you liked the chapter, and thanks for the review and the cake! Me wuffles Crispin!
Aldamonburst: Oh Kaito, you silly child! And stop beating Donald up, Sasuke! Thanks for the review, Burst!
13wolfsbane: (Hotaru: I'm alright, Yin. I've had worse.) Hotaru, go away! Villains only! (Hotaru: Okay, okay… *leaves*) I kinda hate to make Kouji seem like such a pussy, but he has been under a lot of stress lately, and his mind is sorta starting to unwind a little. (Heh!) Sure you can come, Yin! Join the party! (Sasori: No, she deceives! Don't come!) Shut up, Sasori! Anyway, thanks for reviewing, 13!
Shadowfox94: Well, Kouichi's pretty observant, so it was mostly his own observations, no Nina needed! Speaking of Nina, where do you think she gets her insanity from? (lol) (Duskmon: Me helping those brats? Not likely.) *sigh* We'll keep working on this one. I'll give Dai the cookies; you don't need to sneak them. As for Gatomon, she'll actually be back in the next arc. (Heh heh…) Thanks for reviewing!
61wisampa: I'm glad I cleared up your confusion when I first got this review, or you'd have been confused for awhile! (lol) Yeah, Witchmon's a mood breaker, but that's why I love her! I'm glad you liked the chapter despite the slight confusion! Thanks for reviewing!
Kirae-Remi: (Kouichi: *glares*) Put the D-Tector down, Kouichi. (Kouichi: *puts away grudgingly*) Wow, DemiDevimon-sh*t crazy? You are hyper! (lol) Thanks for the crazy review! (Renamon: *glances at addition and blushes slightly*)
beybladeingninjaprincess: (Duskmon: I don't cry out of every eye I have. The others are more…ornamental.) But you can see out of them. (Duskmon: Hey, shut up.) *sigh* Want to go to school, guys? (Kouichi: Not particularly.) (Nina: Yeah, sounds like fun!) Oh, don't worry, Kouji will be back to his little Kouji self soon enough, just wait! Taki did need to get punched, didn't he? Thanks for the review! Bye Itachi! (Itachi: -_-)
KeikoTakishita: (Kouichi: Yes, yes I am.) Shino thanks you for your concern and Hotaru thanks you for the compliments. Seiko/Kouji will probably stay pretty one-sided for awhile, but who knows? Thanks for reviewing!
GoldenDragon326: (Nina: Oh, thanks for the vote!) Let's see…Kouji says that about Kouichi in chapter 16 of F2HF, so it's quite ironic! Is that a reference to Sailor Moon? I was referencing a song. (lol) And yes, Madara is a character from Naruto. Thanks for reviewing!
silver fire wolf: Oh, cool new name! Anyway, I can kind of understand having a hatred of girls, Husky. Sometimes I hate us, too. (lol) Thanks for the review!
shadica: (Duskmon: *sigh* More hugging…) Oh, get over it, Dusky! Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
RandomPersonOfDoom: Indeed! (lol) Thanks!
twilight'sfury hexer: (Kouichi: As they say, it's always the nice ones.) Actually, the saying is it's always the quiet ones. (Kouichi: I know what I said.) *sigh* Anyway, I'm not ready to get rid of Shino, so he shall not die…yet! (Heh heh…) Wow, a disease-ridden school. That's sucks. (Especially since they sent you homework anyway!) Thanks for reviewing!
ArtGoddes9: Wow, these are cool! Thank you so much! And looks like Shino's got a fan! Yay! Thanks for the sweets for Dai and the bomber! (Heh heh heh…) And thanks for reviewing!
InstantLOCURA(DontOpenUntil12): Heh, I do like Naruto, so maybe that concept happened subconsciously! Well, Nina is pretty crazy, so I guess you're right! (Nina: Tee hee hee!) Oh geez, I've seen those Soul Eater characters before, and they look creepy! Run! Oh, and thanks for reviewing! *runs*
Zanzibar1: Kouichi's turning into Lowemon since Duskmon has his own body now! Thanks for reviewing!
Felicity Taylor: Oh no, the new reviewer discovered my secret plan! (lol) Hooray, another KouichixZoe lover! And wow, Taru's been getting really popular lately! At first no one cared about him at all! (lol) Thanks for giving me your opinion, and thanks for the review!
*break*
Sasori: Hey guys, I've got an idea. Let's play pin the tail on Neji.
Neji: What? Why?
Sasori: Because it would be fun.
Duskmon: You know, that does sound like fun.
Ilsemon: I've even got some needles we can use.
Pein: We should get him drunk too so he doesn't try any of that rotation crap.
Neji: Madjack, do something! I'm your favorite character in Naruto, right?
madjack89: That's true, you and Lee do share special places in my heart…how about this. You guys can use tape instead of needles to pin the tail on Neji!
Neji: *eyes wide with disbelief*
Pein: The rest of you hold him down while I pour the booze down his throat.
Wizardmon: Hey Kouichi, you've joined the dark side. Come on over here and party with us.
Kouichi: *reading book in corner* Um, no. Strangely, I have no desire to intoxicate a minor and then try to pin a tail on him.
Wizardmon: *shrugs* Your loss.
madjack89: Alright, I'll announce the poll winners during the end commentary! Enjoy chapter 32!
Nina: *singing and spinning in circles* You can't stop the beat!
Kouichi: What, did she get hopped up on hairspray?
Nina: *singing* Good morning, Baltimore!
Kouichi: That's a yes. *returns to reading book*
—
"Too slow!" Dragramon admonished, dodging JagerLowemon as he lunged for her. Masumon, Shino, Witchmon, and Zoe managed to dodge as well, Zoe with some prodding from Shino and Witchmon.
JagerLowemon quickly slid to a halt, whipping around to face Dragramon. "Go away now," he growled threateningly, eyes blazing.
"No can do, Chief," Dragramon replied, eyes softening slightly. "If I let you kill your brother, you'll never be able to forgive yourself and we'll lose you."
"I'd be better off lost then," JagerLowemon retorted.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't talking to Nina," Dragramon said, the hardness returning to her features. Tauntingly, she added, "Isn't it sad that you still have to bring all your companions down to your level?"
In response, JagerLowemon lunged again, once more flying past a slightly faster Dragramon. "Oh, so close!" she teased mockingly.
"Digital bitch," JagerLowemon cursed, clearly annoyed. A dark aura began to pulsate around him as he fixed his cold glare on the little dragon.
Turning her head away, Dragramon muttered, "You really sicken me, Nina. You took this nice, decent kid and tainted him with your…well, yuckiness. I've been watching these kids to make sure they're up to snuff, and I'm convinced that they're gonna save the world, both from you and Ilsemon. But as much as I believe that to be true…"
While Dragramon was making this speech, her body had begun to glow with data. JagerLowemon watched cautiously as the data cleared a moment later, revealing a dragon nearly three times the size of Dragramon, though it had similar features. The biggest difference between the two was the scar across this Digimon's muzzle.
Grinning toothily, Drakemon finished her earlier statement. "…these kids need a truckload of help!"
Staring up at the large dragon looming over him, JagerLowemon muttered, "No offense, Nina, but this plan is really beginning to suck."
"Dragon Strike-out!" Suddenly, Drakemon's massive tail became plated in silver as she swung it toward JagerLowemon. It hit its target and sent JagerLowemon flying into a collision with a large tree.
Rising shakily back to his feet, JagerLowemon growled furiously. Then he attacked back. "Ebony Blast!"
"Oh god!" Zoe cried, covering her eyes so as not to witness her boyfriend's drastic changes in behavior any longer. "Oh god, Kouichi!"
As shocked as Shino also was by Kouichi, Zoe's reaction captured his attention more. Seeing her so anguished made Shino long to wrap his arms comfortingly around her and take her pain away…but he knew he'd never be able to do anything like that again. He couldn't trust himself around Zoe. Not anymore.
Fortunately, Masumon was soon crouched next to Zoe, placing her hand soothingly on Zoe's shoulder. "Calm down, Zoe," she said gently. "Everything is going to be fine. You'll see."
"Everything will be fine?" Zoe repeated, smiling bitterly. "More like everything's gone to complete crap. I left him alone for two seconds and now…Kouichi's gone!"
With this, Zoe buried her face in her hands, unable to hold back her tears any longer.
Masumon waited a moment, allowing Zoe to rid herself of her initial grief. When she was slightly composed, Masumon continued, "Everything will be fine because I can help Kouichi. I know a way to bring him back."
Both Zoe's and Shino's eyes widened in astonishment. "You can bring Kouichi back?" Zoe asked tentatively.
Masumon nodded. "Yes."
"So if we'd just gone to you first instead of going to Kouji, you could easily have helped him then and there?" Zoe asked flatly.
"Um, most likely," Masumon replied, confused by Zoe's tone.
Zoe paused before saying, "I hate you, Madjack." (Don't hate me! Hate the irony!)
"Aw, don't get all upset over that," Witchmon suddenly said, popping up on Zoe's other side. "Masumon'll find a way to fix Kouichi right up. In the meantime, though, I should go help Dragra sedate his evil counterpart."
With that statement, Witchmon stood and produced an old wooden broomstick from beneath her cloak. "Haven't used this baby in awhile," she muttered, sitting herself sidesaddle on her broom. "Let's see how she flies!"
As Witchmon slowly lifted from the ground, Shino stated, "That's probably one of the most stereotypical things I've ever seen."
"At least my attacks don't involve projectile leaf boogers!" Witchmon retorted, zooming toward the scuffle taking place a few feet away.
Scowling, Shino tore his gaze away from the fight to see if the rest of the gang, whom he'd seen with Kouichi earlier, was alright. However, the surrounding area was vacant save one person sitting on his knees.
"Guys, I think something's wrong with Kouji," Shino informed the other two, noticing his friend's blank expression.
The three quickly rushed to Kouji to discern what had happened. Upon inspection, Kouji seemed to be frozen in place, limbs stiff and rigid. His eyes were wide, yet unfocused and dull, staring at nothing.
Wasting no time, Zoe crouched down in front of Kouji and began to shake him gently by the shoulders. When this produced no response, she shook harder. "Kouji, snap out of it!"
"What's wrong with him?" Masumon asked, worried by the dead look in Kouji's eyes.
"Looks like he'd gone catatonic, kind of like Keiko from Yu Yu Hakusho," Shino explained ponderingly. "Maybe we should call him names. That worked for Yusuke."
"Wake up you pin-headed, pain-in-the-ass pretty boy!" Zoe shouted, but to no avail.
"Wow," Shino muttered, amazed. "You sure know how to insult people when you really try."
"Trust me, I've been biting my tongue around his kid for years," Zoe retorted, going back to shaking her friend. "Please Kouji, wake up!"
"Wait!" Masumon suddenly exclaimed, startling the other two. Lowering her voice, she continued, "Sorry, but I think I might know how to wake Kouji up. I saw someone do this on youtube the other day and it worked for them, but…"
"Then go for it!" Zoe interrupted, eyes pleading. "I don't want to lose Kouji, too."
Masumon's eyes lit up with determination, fueled by both Zoe's concern and her own. "Stand aside. I'll take care of this."
Zoe and Shino quickly stepped back, curious as to what Masumon would do. She began by crouching down directly in front of Kouji. Then she closed her eyes, took a deep, calming breath, and…
"Show some emotion!" She slapped Kouji across the face as hard as she could.
Zoe's, Shino's, and Kouji's eyes all widened in astonishment. "What the hell was that for?" Kouji exclaimed angrily, jumping to his feet. However, he was quickly diffused when he noticed Masumon sitting at his feet, head lowered.
"I'm sorry, but you were…" she mumbled apologetically.
"No no no!" Kouji quickly responded, waving his arms hastily and blushing. (KPBS: 1) "What is that?" (Koujipwned by Seiko!) "I'll kill you, Madjack!" (Yeah yeah yeah…)
"Wait," Kouji said, suddenly noticing Zoe's and Shino's anxious looks. "What's going on? And why are we out in the open like this?"
"We think you were out of it for a little bit," Shino explained slowly, stepping forward. "Do you remember anything that happened before now?"
"Not really," Kouji pondered, helping Masumon as she got to her feet (which puzzled Masumon since she thought he was still mad at her). "It's kind of fuzzy, but I think we were looking for you two because Kouichi said you ran off…we came out here…then Kouichi…"
The sudden realization hit Kouji like a bullet to the chest. His eyes filled with pain as he recalled what he'd been responsible for doing to his brother. "Where…?"
"Looks like nap time is over." Kouji, along with the others, turned to see JagerLowemon staring pensively at them or, more accurately, at Kouji.
Smirking, he continued, "I'm actually glad you snapped out of it. After all, what fun would it have been to kill you without giving you a fighting chance?"
"I won't fight you now," Kouji growled softly, glaring at what Kouichi had become. "You'd get too much satisfaction from it."
"Oh, you'll fight me," JagerLowemon assured tauntingly. "You'll want to kill me, in fact, because I'm your responsibility."
"Quit monologuing and fight!" Drakemon suddenly exclaimed, slamming into JagerLowemon from the side and bowling him over. While he lay on the ground, Witchmon dropped down from above, fist cocked back.
"Super-duper-Marcus-Damon-punch-of-death!" Witchmon exclaimed, extending her arm…and missing JagerLowemon as he rolled quickly out of the way.
"OWWWW!" The others flinched when Witchmon slammed into the ground and began to roll around, gripping her injured hand.
"You okay, Witchy?" Drakemon asked anxiously, bounding over to her friend's side.
In response, Witchmon raised her other arm, summoning her broom, which had been floating lazily in the air, and hopping onto it. "I've got another arm," she replied, zooming toward JagerLowemon with Drakemon in tow.
"He's right." The others attention was brought back to Kouji when he uttered this. They'd been so preoccupied with the ensuing fight that they hadn't noticed Kouji's reaction to Kouichi's comments. But they definitely did now.
Kouji was carefully shielding his eyes from view, but the rest of his features were visible, particularly his clenched jaw. His fists were also clenched and his trembling made it seem like he was holding back his emotions as best he could but was slowly losing the struggle.
"He's completely right," Kouji continued, voice shaking slightly. "He's my responsibility. I yelled at him for no good reason, then I betrayed his secret, stupidly thinking it would fix things. It didn't fix anything!"
"Kouji," Zoe began.
"And it was because I was envious of you, Zoe," Kouji muttered, ignoring her statement. "I just wanted Kouichi for myself. But that wasn't fair to either of you.
"And now all I want to do is make everything right, but it's too late because I killed Kouichi!" Kouji finished, taking a deep breath as tears rolled down his cheeks.
"You can make everything right, you know," Masumon suddenly stated, startling everyone.
After a moment, Kouji asked quietly, "W-what?"
Masumon smiled gently, moved by Kouji's wide-eyed, vulnerable look. A side of him that he doesn't like to show, she pondered. "Would you like to save your brother, Kouji?"
"Duh!" Kouji, Zoe, and Shino all answered at the same time.
Stifling a giggle, Masumon went on to explain her plan. "Okay, here's the deal. Nina has taken over and corrupted Kouichi with darkness. The opposite of darkness is light. So, it stands to reason that we'd be able to bring him back with light."
"So Kouji can bring him back?" Zoe asked anxiously.
"Sort of," Masumon replied, looking sheepish. "Normally in these situations, I could easily handle Nina's shenanigans. But from what I've seen of this fight, it won't have a swift conclusion despite Witchmon's and Dragramon's best efforts, though they are super fighters. I can't do anything until he's subdued since I'm not really built for combat. I'm a bit of a pacifist."
"So what do we do?" Zoe asked, growing impatient.
"I'm getting there," Masumon reassured gently. Turning to Kouji, she continued, "The quickest way to save Kouichi is for me to lend you some of my power. What you'll do with it will be explained afterwards."
"What do you mean by what I'll do with it?" Kouji asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously.
Masumon looked down guiltily. Then, partially to avoid Kouji's question, she said, "Do you trust me, Kouji?"
The question seemed so ridiculous to Kouji that his eyes widened in surprise. Remembering quickly that Masumon didn't recall the relationship they'd had, he turned his head to hide his pained expression and muttered, "Yes."
"Then trust that this will all work out!" Suddenly, Masumon's hand glowed with an intense white light. She thrust said hand toward Kouji before any questions could be asked, placing it over his heart. Kouji, eyes wide with confusion, stared at Masumon's hand as a warm, tingling sensation overtook him.
A moment later, he slumped over, suddenly losing consciousness. He was quickly caught by Masumon before he hit the ground, however.
"What just happened?" Zoe exclaimed, rushing forward to help Masumon support Kouji's weight.
"He'll be okay," Masumon said quickly, though it seemed as if she was trying to convince herself of this fact as much as Zoe, eyes shining with worry. "He can do this. Ellie will help him…"
While Masumon and Zoe dealt with Kouji, Shino's attention drifted back to the fight, which had begun to turn in JagerLowemon's favor.
"Gotcha!" JagerLowemon exclaimed, finally managing to catch one of his claws on Witchmon's cloak. Before she could tear herself free, JagerLowemon had her pinned to the ground, her broom hanging uselessly in midair.
"Witchy!" Drakemon cried, dashing forward to tackle Witchmon's captor.
"Come one step closer and I kill her," JagerLowemon threatened, raising his paw above Witchmon's face.
Drakemon quickly paused in her attack, shaking with frustration and anger. "You are so lucky I'm not blaming YOU for this, Chief!"
"Yeah right," JagerLowemon scoffed, turning back to his captive. "Now, what to do with a troublesome pest like you?"
Though she'd put on her usual flippant front, Witchmon truly was shaken by Kouichi's behavior. Up front it was worse, especially since she was staring straight into JagerLowemon's cold gaze.
"Kouichi," Witchmon muttered, shifting uncomfortably. "Snap out of it. This isn't you, despite your bullshitting about this being your nature."
Witchmon expected some sort of witty, badass retort. What she got was entirely different.
JagerLowemon's eyes actually widened in surprise, his cocky air slipped slightly, and, Witchmon noted, he looked like himself momentarily. "You heard me," he muttered.
"You mean what you said to the others earlier?" Witchmon asked, tilting her head. "Yeah, we did. We kind of bided our time…"
"She heard me," JagerLowemon said to himself, ignoring Witchmon. "I though if I didn't…yeah, I know it's different now, Nina! You can't blame a guy for trying…"
Is he talking about…Zee? Witchmon thought, perplexed. Surely he didn't still care about Zoe in this state…or did he?
Puzzled, Witchmon watched as JagerLowemon stole a glance over at Zoe, who he hadn't looked at yet, she realized. His eyes narrowed when he noticed Kouji's limp form in Masumon's and Zoe's arms. "For the love of god, what happened to him now?"
Suddenly, something leaped out of the trees and slammed into JagerLowemon while he was distracted, knocking him to the ground. In the next instance, Agunimon had Witchmon slung over his shoulder, preparing to jump into the air. "Now!"
Agunimon leaped and an onslaught of various attacks came from five different directions among the trees, all aiming for JagerLowemon. Everyone watched in awe as the attacks collided with their target, creating a mini-explosion.
Agunimon landed as the dust and data cleared, revealing an injured Kouichi crouched on his hands and knees in the middle of a small crater of broken earth.
"Yes, it worked! Take that, Kouji!" Witchmon fell unceremoniously to the ground as Agunimon performed a celebratory fist pump, forgetting she had still been draped over his shoulder. She glared at her rescuer as he turned to Kouichi and said, "Looks like I got the jump on you, Chief!"
"That…was a horrible pun," Kouichi managed to utter before collapsing, laying facedown in the dirt.
"Kouichi!" Zoe cried, rushing forward before Shino could stop her. Ranamon, however, did.
"Hold it, Zee," she said sternly, grabbing Zoe's arm. Before Zoe could argue, she added, "Just give us some time to uncrazify Chief, and then you can hug and kiss and whatnot. Okay?"
Zoe still wanted to go to Kouichi but knew Ranamon's logic was sound. "Fine," she muttered in defeat, stomping back to Kouji and Masumon.
"Good Zee," Ranamon said with a smile, turning back to the rest of the gang, all of whom had gathered around Kouichi.
"Well damn," Beetlemon muttered, staring incredulously at the defeated Kouichi. "I can't believe Takuya's original hare-brained scheme of attack all at once actually worked."
"I told you all it needed was minor tweaking!" Agunimon proclaimed.
"Yeah!" Kumamon agreed, slapping high-fives with Agunimon.
"Um, why did our attacks explode?" Mercurymon wondered aloud.
"Anime law #11: Everything explodes," Grumblemon explained. "Didn't you read the handbook, Taru?"
Damn…it… Kouichi thought weakly, fighting to stay at least semi-conscious. He couldn't quite hear the conversations around him clearly, but he knew that the others were sealing his fate. They really will…kill me.
~No they won't! No one's taking MY kitty away again!~ Kouichi smirked, glad that SOMEONE still cared about him. It made him wonder why he'd hated Nina in the first place. She wasn't evil, just misunderstood…
~Hang on, kitty!~ Even Nina's voice sounded far away now…
~I'll just have to unlock your power, then!~
Suddenly, a blast of dark energy emitted from Kouichi's D-Tector, causing the others to jump back and shield their eyes against its intensity. When they opened them again, everything was pitch black.
"Oh, c'mon!" Agunimon cried in exasperation. "Why do my plans always go wrong?"
"Aw, it's okay, Taki!" Ranamon yelled back. "I mean, Chief's still down for the count, right?"
"Wrong."
—
"This is so stupid," Duskmon mumbled, hanging his head. "How do you live like this?"
"We ignore it," Renamon replied, staring at her paws resting on her knees. "At least I do."
"Well it's stupid," Duskmon repeated, covering his face self-consciously. He was still embarrassed about his whole crying episode, especially since someone had been there to witness it. Strangely, though, he hadn't wanted Renamon to leave, and he still didn't. He'd barely ever talked to her before, but now he was practically baring his soul and it actually felt…good.
"It's odd," Renamon suddenly muttered, resting her head back against the wall. "To literally be without a conscience. I couldn't imagine that."
Duskmon chuckled bitterly. "I've been that way ever since my creation. After all, I was meant to be a heartless killing machine. Now…" Duskmon shuddered. "I don't even want to think of the things I've done."
"A heartless killing machine," Renamon repeated to herself, closing her eyes. "I suppose that's what I'm meant to be as well."
"What do you mean?" Duskmon asked, cocking his head in confusion. It wasn't as if Renamon had the highest body count of Ilsemon's subordinates or anything. In fact, Duskmon had never actually seen Renamon kill anything before. He usually ended up being Ilsemon's hit man.
Renamon took a moment to answer, eyes still closed. "I was raised by Ilsemon from the time I was an In-Training Digimon. She came to the school I was attending, looking for a Digimon she'd heard of with my special abilities. When my teacher wouldn't give me up, Ilsemon killed her in front of us.
"Scared out of their wits, my classmates gave me up to her, so on a whim, she let them live. Ilsemon quickly began molding my mind, filling me with contempt for my unfaithful classmates.
"Finally, filled with hate and the ability to evolve to my Rookie level, I returned to my school and murdered every Digimon there, then demolished the school. I realize now that getting me to do this was Ilsemon's plan all along, just to make sure I stained my paws with blood. It worked, and now I belong to her.
"After that, I became frozen," Renamon concluded, voice remaining expressionless. "I closed off my emotions and followed Ilsemon's orders explicitly, waiting for the day when she will finally use my abilities for her ultimate goals."
"What makes you think she has a plan for you?" Duskmon asked, slightly shocked by Renamon's story. He hadn't thought her life had been so hard. He'd just assumed she was silent and broody by nature.
Renamon opened an eye and glanced at Duskmon. "Ilsemon always has a plan for everything…and everyone."
"Then why bother with me?" Duskmon wondered aloud. "I don't have any special abilities, so why keep me around? What purpose could that bitch possibly have for me?"
"She probably just wants to torment you and drive you insane," Renamon replied truthfully, shutting her eye again. "Insanity's always been an object of fascination for her."
"So that's it then," Duskmon muttering, resignation creeping into his tone. "I'll be driven to madness, I'll suffer a slow, painful death, and no one will care. Actually, everyone will probably celebrate it. It's a fitting end, I suppose, for a creature that wasn't even meant to exist."
Renamon's head suddenly snapped toward Duskmon, determination lighting her eyes. "You won't die like that. I won't let that happen, even if I have to conceal you from Ilsemon. I promise."
Duskmon's eyes widened in astonishment as he felt something surge in his chest, another unfamiliar emotion. Hope. "Uh…thank you."
"Yes," Renamon said, smiling slightly in a way she'd never smiled before. "Anything for a friend."
—
Kouji's eyes shot open and instantly closed again when he was nearly blinded by the intense white light (Blinded by the light!) surrounding him on all sides. He realized that he was lying on his back but didn't dare try to look around again, as he still saw extremely bright light shining through his eyelids.
"Oh gosh, that's too bright, isn't it? Hang on, I'll dim it a little!"
Kouji tentatively opened his eyes a second time, finding that the light was bearable now. Sitting up, he realized that he was floating in a vast white space.
"Is that better?" Kouji turned, hearing the same high-pitched, girly voice he'd heard earlier.
Behind him stood a girl that looked, but definitely wasn't, his age. Her short hair was snow white and pulled into two pigtails. She had a very graceful build with slender legs that could be seen thanks to her short yellow dress covered in flower patterns. To go with the light summer dress, she wore tan flip-flops with a yellow flower on each toe strap.
Kouji didn't notice any of this. He was too preoccupied with the girl's large, light blue eyes. They were like staring up at a perfect blue sky, only a thousand times more dazzling. Her eyes were what made Kouji realize that the girl was much older, wiser, and more powerful than she looked. Kouji tried to look away but couldn't and soon found he didn't want to. He'd rather lose himself in these eyes…
"Kouji, wake up!" Kouji quickly snapped out of his trance, feeling a bit light-headed. (Pun!)
The girl helped him slowly to his feet, looking sheepish. "Sorry about that," she apologized. "My eyes sometimes have that effect, whether I want them to or not. Are you alright?"
Kouji nodded, glancing curiously at the strange girl. "Who are you?"
"Well, my name's Ellie," the girl said. "You've sort of met my sister, Nina."
"Nina?" Kouji automatically stiffened at the mention of that name. "Wait. If she's your sister, then you must be…"
"Yup!" Ellie said, smiling brightly. "I'm Light, and you are indirectly my warrior. Nice to meet you!"
"Um, yeah," Kouji mumbled, feeling a little unnerved by Ellie's cheeriness. "Uh, I guess that—"
"Masumon sent you here," Ellie finished, expression suddenly hardening. "You want my help in saving your brother from my sister, right?"
"Yes, please!" Kouji begged, bowing his head. "I know he's the Warrior of Darkness and probably not your favorite person right now, but he's my brother. If there is anything that you can do to help him, I'm begging you to do it because without Kouichi, I'll…I'll…"
Ellie suddenly placed a finger to Kouji's lips, interrupting him. Giggling, she said, "Of course I'll help him, silly! I like Kouichi. He's a sweetie!"
Kouji's expression lit up with hope. He was so filled with gratitude that, against the norm, he wrapped Ellie in a tight hug. "Thank you."
Ellie smirked, patting Kouji's head like a puppy. "It's the least I can do to make up for my sister's actions.
"And don't go saying that what she does isn't my fault," Ellie continued, guiltily pushing away from Kouji, "because it is."
Instead of denying her statement, Kouji asked, "Why?"
"I'm not sure," Ellie replied, mood plummeting. "We used to get along really well, but then she got mad at me. I tried to ask her what I did, but she wouldn't tell me. Then she started that silly-billy war."
The war that nearly caused the destruction of the Digital World is 'silly-billy?' Kouji thought, perplexed by Ellie's childish phrasing. Then he realized what she was saying. "Wait, you mean that all this trouble with Lucemon, from the very beginning, was caused by Nina?"
Ellie nodded. "And me to an extent. I just wish I could fix thing between us, but I don't know how."
Kouji sighed, thinking of his own sibling. "I know the feeling."
"Oh, that's right!" Ellie cried, hitting her hand with her fist as if she'd forgotten something. "We have to help Kouichi!"
"You forgot?" Kouji asked incredulously.
"No, it just slipped my mind for a second!" Ellie explained cheerfully, causing Kouji's eyes to twitch. "Now, do you know what you have to do once you get back?"
"Uh, no," Kouji replied, confused. "Should I?"
"Not if Masumon neglected to tell you," Ellie said, sighing. "Well, there's no easy way to say this, so here goes; Kouji, to help your brother, you basically have to kill him."
Kouji's expression instantly darkened. "That's not what I came to you for. That's no solution to anything!"
"Let me explain," Ellie said patiently. "You won't be killing Kouichi, you just have to aim to kill."
"Why?" Kouji asked tersely, still feeling apprehensive.
Ellie gave Kouji a wide-eyed, teary look. "You're treating me like the bad guy, but I just want to help!"
Kouji flinched as tears began to stream down Ellie's cheeks. "W-wait, don't cry!" he stuttered.
"But you don't trust me!" Ellie cried accusingly. "Even though Nina did the exact same thing to Kouichi and he lived!"
"What?" Kouji said, perplexed.
"When Duskmon stabbed Kouichi, his sword was acting like a kind of gateway for Nina," Ellie explained, sniffling. "It doesn't have to be done this way, but situations like this call for it."
"So I have to stab Kouichi," Kouji stated numbly.
"With you Light Saber, preferably," Ellie said, drying her eyes. "It's easier to manifest myself into it. Plus, I love Star Wars!"
"I have to stab him," Kouji muttered, ignoring the blatant Star Wars references. He placed his hand on his chest, remembering all too well the pain he'd felt before when Kouichi…
"Kouji," Ellie said gently. "I promise that I can save Kouichi without any further harm coming to him, but for that to happen, I need your help. You have to trust me. Please."
Kouji closed his eyes, sighing heavily. Then, resignation evident in his tone, he said, "Okay, I'll kill him to save him. It wouldn't be the first time, anyway."
Ellie smiled sympathetically, extending her hand to Kouji. "I wish you luck, my little warrior."
Kouji nodded, face expressionless. Then he grabbed Ellie's hand.
—
"AHHHHHH!"
"Guys!" Shino cried, straining his eyes while trying to see through the dark cloud that had suddenly enveloped the battle. "Damn it!"
"Wait, look!" Zoe said, noticing the darkness dissipating. Within moments, everything was visible again. What the gang saw made them wish it wasn't.
Kira had returned to human form, her limp, unconscious body held up by a new Digimon. To the others dismay, it looked like a cross between Lowemon and JagerLowemon, though it sported a pair of golden wings.
"Don't tell me…" Shino muttered, staring with wide eyes at the very tough-looking Digimon.
"Yes," Zoe said, despair slowly crashing over her like a wave. "It's Kouichi."
"Nina must have given him the power to Fusion Evolve," Masumon said to herself, glancing at the still-unconscious Kouji draped in her arms. "Please hurry, Ellie."
Meanwhile, the new Digimon, Raihimon, was observing Kira, smiling darkly. (You can't see his face, but you can tell he's smiling. I promise.) "Looks like I finally shut that smart-ass mouth of yours."
"Let her go!" Agunimon suddenly exclaimed, glaring furiously at Raihimon. "I swear to god, Chief, if you don't put Kira down now, I will kick your freaking ass!"
Raihimon smirked, tossing Kira to the side. "Bring it on, buddy."
Agunimon watched Kira fly through the air and into Beetlemon's waiting arms. Then he Fusion Evolved himself and lunged forward, fist cocked. "Damn it, Kouichi!"
Anticipating this move, Raihimon leaped into the air, his lance suddenly appearing at his side. Aldamon, unable to stop his forward momentum, provided a perfect target as Raihimon descended, pointing his lance straight down at the ground, right over Aldamon's head.
Seconds before Raihimon hit his mark, Mercurymon shoved Aldamon out of the way, holding his mirrored arm up as a shield. Raihimon managed to avoid dropping onto Mercurymon by thrusting his weight to the left. However, his lance was still absorbed by Mercurymon's mirror.
"Damn it!" Raihimon cursed, glaring a Mercurymon. "You ate my freakin' lance!"
"Here, have it back!" Mercurymon retorted, mirror glowing as he pointed it toward Raihimon. The missing lance was launched a moment later, shot from Mercurymon's mirrored arm. (Hotaru just makes Mercurymon seem a whole lot cooler, doesn't he?)
However, less than a second before the lance hit its target, the others realized that the target was no longer Raihimon.
"DAI!" Mercurymon cried, watching helplessly as the lance collided with Grumblemon, who looked as if he'd been shoved into the lance's path from behind. The weapon pierced straight through Grumblemon, unraveling his data. Soon Dai lay injured on the ground, the lance stuck in a tree behind him.
Beetlemon, Kumamon, and Witchmon quickly rushed over to help Dai, leaving Kira with Shino and the others. Aldamon and Drakemon began to scan the forest for Raihimon, though it didn't take them long to find him.
"Isn't this speed just unreal?" Raihimon stated cockily, suddenly appearing behind Mercurymon, who hadn't yet moved. "But man it, takes a lot out of you. Still, I'd say going a step further and getting Dai to take the bullet in my place was pretty inspired, huh Hotaru?"
Mercurymon didn't reply, still too shocked to respond to his surroundings. He just kept standing rigidly in place, gaze locked on Dai's unmoving form.
Raihimon smirked. "Looks like you hurt him again," he muttered just loud enough for Mercurymon to hear. "You can never have anything good in your life, can you? Everything you touch turns to ash. Of course, if Dai were to die, that could be taken literally."
Mercurymon, roused by this statement, turned to Raihimon, expression slowly hardening. "You son of a bitch."
"Hotaru, look out!" Aldamon dashed toward his friend, but it was too late. Raihimon had already impaled Mercurymon with his lance, which he'd already retrieved from the tree. Mercurymon fell to his knees, data surrounding him as Raihimon removed the weapon from his body. A moment later, Hotaru fell to the ground, stunned but still slightly conscious.
"And suddenly they drop like flies," Raihimon muttered, smirking. "You never told us how awesome Fusion Evolutions really are, Takuya."
"How could you do this?" Aldamon asked quietly, shaking with rage. His voice, however, was filled with genuine confusion. "We're your friends, Kouichi. How could you do this to us?"
Raihimon was silent for several moments. Then he replied coldly, "Haven't I suffered enough being your friend? Honestly, I could really go without saving your asses constantly."
"Don't listen to him, Takuya," Drakemon said calmly. "He's trying to mess with you."
This advice, however, came a bit too late. Aldamon's eyes were already wide and filled with regret. "I wanted to save you," he muttered, flashing back to the original fight with Lucemon. "I tried to move, but I couldn't. And then you were gone…"
Raihimon gazed pensively at Aldamon smiling slowly. "I believe I just struck a raw nerve. I didn't know you felt that bad about leaving me to die."
"Okay, that just about does it!" Beetlemon suddenly exclaimed, marching up until he was face to face with Raihimon. "I don't care how much this Nina whoever screwed you up, Kouichi. You are being a bastard, and if you don't stop soon, I will personally make you regret all the bullshit you've been saying. Got it?"
Raihimon rolled his eyes, looking bored. "And you could do that without the ability to Fusion Evolve? Yeah right, cheerleader character."
"Thunder Fist!" Beetlemon, filled with rage, struck out with his fist only to hit something hared that had suddenly materialized in Raihimon's hand.
Raihimon smirked at the object, then at Beetlemon. "F.Y.I., I have a shield."
"You…you…" Beetlemon growled, unable to express his anger in words.
"Now that you're feeling so articulate," Raihimon said, stepping around Beetlemon, "I think I'm ready to finish this and move on to my main target. Unless, of course, Tommy and Witchmon feel left out and want me to pick on them?"
"No, I think we're good," Witchmon replied. Kumamon just glared, angered by Raihimon's comments to the others.
"If you're sure," Raihimon muttered, extending his metallic wings. "Before I use this attack, Madjack's requiring me to say this: the attack 'God of Darkness' is owned by TobiGB. Madjack is using it because if she tried to make up an attack on her own, it would suck." (Good boy!) "Yeah, whatever."
With this, Raihimon leaped into the air, using his wings to take him higher.
"Hang on, I'll get him!" Drakemon said assuredly, extending her own wings and launching herself after Raihimon before the others could react.
"Dragra!" Witchmon exclaimed, concern evident in her voice.
"I'm fine, Witchy!" Drakemon yelled back, rising above the treetops to face Raihimon.
Glancing at his pursuer, Raihimon groaned. "What'll it take to make you get off my case?"
"I won't leave you like this," Drakemon said with conviction. "I'll save you from her, Kouichi. I promise."
What is her problem with you, Nina? Raihimon thought, consulting Nina.
~I'll explain later,~ Nina replied cryptically. ~Right now, I think I know how to incapacitate her.~
How? Raihimon wondered.
While Nina explained her plan, Drakemon studied Raihimon closely, already having guessed that he and Nina were planning something in the prolonged silence. Forming her own plan, Drakemon suddenly launched herself at Raihimon, trying to catch him by surprise.
Just as suddenly, Raihimon turned and grabbed Drakemon's jaws in his hands, quickly clamping her mouth shut and halting her attack. "Le' go o' me!" she mumbled through her barely parted lips, struggling furiously.
"Not yet," Raihimon muttered, barely managing to keep her in his grip as his hands began to glow with dark energy. "Say hi to an old friend first."
~Hi, Dragra!~ Drakemon's breath caught in her throat when a cheery female voice suddenly greeted her in her mind. Nina…
"ARGH!" Drakemon screamed as a sudden mind-shattering pain coursed through her skull, slowly moving to every inch of her body until she was racked with unbearable agony. Raihimon released her as she ceased to keep herself aloft, letting her fall to the ground.
"Dragra!" Witchmon quickly lunged underneath the de-Digivolved Dragramon, catching her before she hit the ground. "Dragra? Can you hear me?" Witchmon asked frantically, staring wide-eyed at her friend.
Dragramon didn't reply, face set in a grimace as she continued to writhe with pain.
Witchmon looked up, glaring at Raihimon. "Damn you, Chief!"
Raihimon didn't react to Witchmon's outburst, instead staring curiously at Dragramon. "Geez, Nina, what'd you do to her?" he asked incredulously.
"It's a secret," Nina replied, smiling and winking.
"You know, sometimes you freak me the hell out, Nina," Raihimon muttered, sweatdropping. "Anyway, let's finish this."
With this statement, dark energy began to surround Raihimon's body, enlarging itself until a shadow fell over the rest of the gang. At this point the energy had taken shape, forming a giant sphinx-headed being with an equally giant sword that just happened to be pointing at the gang.
"Oh shit," Aldamon and Beetlemon said in unison as the dark figure plunged down from the sky, aiming for them.
"That thing's too big to avoid!" Kumamon cried exasperatedly, glancing at Dai. "After sustaining that other attack, Dai wouldn't be able to take this one too, especially in human form. And then there's Kira and Dragramon and Hotaru and…"
"We're not gonna survive this," Shino muttered, coming to the same conclusion as Kumamon. "He's gonna kill us!"
"No he's not!" Masumon said determinedly, thrusting Kouji into Zoe's arms. Then she marched past Shino, stood resolutely a few feet in front of him, and held up her hands, which had begun to glow bright white. "Everyone get behind me!" she commanded as the white light began to extend to her right and left. "I can't keep my shield up over a very wide range, so you have to get behind me!"
"You have a shield?" Shino asked incredulously.
Masumon nodded slightly, keeping her concentration fixed on the slowly growing light in front of her. "Like I said, I'm not much of a fighter, so when I'm stuck in a battle, I have to compensate for that with defense. I can use light a shield, kind of like how Kouji manifests light into a weapon." (Light Saber!) "Yes, Madjack, Light Saber." (Hee hee!)
Leaping at Masumon's command, Kumamon had grabbed Dai and begun running toward the opposite end of the clearing with Witchmon and the still-twitching Dragramon close behind. Beetlemon quickly crouched down next to Hotaru, noticing that his friend was beginning to gain full consciousness again. "Talk to me, Taru. How're you feeling?"
Hotaru took a shaky breath, trying unsuccessfully to push himself to his feet. Then he muttered, "In all honesty, I feel like crap."
"Well, at least you're not dead," Beetlemon replied, grabbing Hotaru and hoisting him over his shoulder. "Now let's keep that trend up. Taki, c'mon, that attack's coming fast!"
Aldamon didn't acknowledge Beetlemon's statement, staring up at the shadow sword as it loomed closer. "Takuya!" Beetlemon yelled again, trying to get his attention.
"Guys, hurry up!" Kumamon shouted, already safely behind Masumon's barrier.
"Takuya, we don't have time for you to space out!" Beetlemon exclaimed, glancing fearfully at the sky. "We're gonna get struck by that if we don't hurry!"
"You go ahead," Aldamon murmured just loud enough for Beetlemon to catch. "I'll stay here."
"Takuya, that's ridiculous!" Beetlemon cried angrily. "Goggle heads aren't meant to be 'randomly commit suicide for no reason' characters! That's why we have the twins!"
"In case you haven't noticed, JP, we don't have the twins!" Aldamon shouted back, glaring at Beetlemon. "Kouichi's gone, and soon Kouji will be too! They can't live without each other! We've lost them, JP, and no one but me has fully grasped that yet!"
Beetlemon flinched, realizing that Takuya was right. With Kouichi in this state, the twins were as good as dead. In Beetlemon's shocked silence, Aldamon continued, "Well, if the twins really are gone and there's nothing I can do about it, then I'm gonna use my ability to Fusion Evolve to protect the rest of you, no matter what happens to me. I'll meet Kouichi's attack with my own, so I suggest you and Hotaru get behind that shield of Masumon's before I make you get behind it!"
Despite his concern for Aldamon, Beetlemon nodded, extending his wings and flying quickly toward the shield with Hotaru in tow.
Aldamon watched him go momentarily, than turned his attention back toward Raihimon's attack. "I loved you like a brother, Kouichi," he muttered to himself, fighting back tears. "Solar Wind Destroyer!"
The others watched, horrified, as Aldamon's giant fireball collided with Raihimon's giant shadow creature, creating an explosion that wasn't the least bit mini. "Darn it!" Masumon cried in frustration, feeling her shield weakening as the blast slammed into it. "I don't have enough power to keep the shield up!"
"I'll shield you guys when it breaks then," Beetlemon said determinedly. "It's the least I can do for having left Taki out there alone…"
"Stop trying to play the damn hero, JP." Beetlemon and Masumon both jumped at the sound of Kouji's voice. Turning, they found him standing behind them, looking a bit shocked by the explosion of attacks in front of them but otherwise okay.
"Um, Kouji's awake," Zoe muttered, surprised by Kouji's sudden recovery from whatever Masumon had done to him.
Ignoring the rest of the gang's looks of curiosity, Kouji's gaze fell on Masumon. "Think Ellie would be able to spare some energy for your shield?" he asked, placing his hand tentatively on her shoulder.
"Considering we need to survive in order to save Kouichi, yes I do," Masumon replied as her shield began to glow more intensely than before. Smiling at Kouji, she added, "You've come to my rescue again."
Kouji glanced down, blushing slightly. "I guess…" he mumbled. (KPBS: 2) "Screw you, Madjack." (I calls 'em as I sees 'em.)
After the explosive force finally diminished, Masumon lowered her arms, letting her shield collapse. "I did it…" she muttered breathlessly, stumbling.
Kouji quickly caught her arm before she fell over, looking slightly concerned. "Good job. Now rest and let me handle Kouichi."
"What do you mean 'handle Kouichi'?" Beetlemon wondered. "Are you seriously going to…?"
"I'm not going to kill him," Kouji growled forcefully, guessing what Beetlemon was getting at. "I'm bringing him back."
"Seriously?" Beetlemon and Hotaru were both shocked and relieved to hear this. However, the haunted look in Kouji's eyes was a bit unsettling.
"Takuya!" Kumamon's sudden shout brought everyone's attention back to the newly formed crater in front of them, in the middle of which lay Takuya's unmoving form. Kouichi stood above him, breathing a bit heavily but looking better than Takuya.
Smiling slightly, Kouichi muttered to himself, "I guess I've bested you in terms of Fusion Evolution, though I don't think it would be smart to use that attack very often."
"Kouichi!" Kouichi jumped, then smirked when he realized who had called his name.
Chuckling, he turned to face his brother. "Finally ready to fight, little brother?"
In answer, Kouji took his D-Tector from his pocket, glancing back at the rest of the gang. Seeing all the pain and anguish Kouichi had caused them, not to mention Takuya lying unconscious at Kouichi's feet, gave him the resolve he needed.
"Spirit Evolution!"
—
madjack89: I finally got it done! Any comments, guys?
Wizardmon: None of us really give a crap about this stupid thing with Kouichi, except maybe Mr. Softy over there.
Duskmon: I'll show you Mr. Softy…
Kouichi: Stupid thing?
Nina: *singing* Why can't we be friends?
madjack89: …Yeah, I'm just gonna give the poll results now. Neji, would you like to assist me?
Neji: *lying on the couch, sick with a hangover and covered with tails* Screw you.
madjack89: Alright then…how about you, Pein?
Pein: Fine. *takes cue cards from Madjack* In first place is Duskmon with 38 percent.
Duskmon: Yippee.
Pein: In second place we have Nina with 21 percent.
Nina: Take that, suckers!
Pein: Impmon came in third with 12 percent.
Impmon: Thanks, voters!
Hallucimon: See, this is why you're not a good villain. You're too nice.
Impmon: Shut up!
Pein: In fourth place with 10 percent is Wizardmon.
Wizardmon: Hooray for me.
Pein: In fifth place is Ilsemon with 8 percent.
Ilsemon: Only 8 percent?
Pein: Yes. Anyway, Renamon and Hallucimon tied for sixth place, both getting 4 percent.
Renamon: *shrugs listlessly*
Hallucimon: That's understandable, I guess. I almost ruined Takira, after all.
Sasori: What's a Takira?
Hallucimon: TakuyaxKira.
Sasori: Ah.
madjack89: Ready for your first place prize, Dusky?
Duskmon: Sure, whatever.
madjack89: Alright, here you go! *hands Duskmon a five dollar bill*
Duskmon: *stares at money* What the hell is this?
madjack89: It's five dollars, silly! Go get yourself something nice with it!
Duskmon: …This is human money, and I'm a Digimon. Cool Madjack. Cool.
madjack89: You're welcome! Alright guys, see you next chapter where we'll hopefully get nice Kouichi back, because evil Kouichi's beginning to tick me off!
Kouichi: Heh…