Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own When the World's Not Ending, by Smartalec121 or any of their associated works.
Off the Beaten Path
Chapter: 21/ Ashes to Ashes
"… After an endless dream, in this miserable world
That's right, maybe not using common sense isn't so bad after all
Even with these awkward wings, dyed with images that seem to stay
I'm sure we can fly, on my love!"
Rika's voice tapered off at the end of her singing. Smiling, she looked at her father, who proudly beamed at her. He looked tired, but his face was much brighter and more upbeat now.
"That was very nice, Rika," he said. "Where'd you hear that one?"
"Kayoko finally managed to drag me to a karaoke duel," she replied, getting back to her miso soup. "That one was on one of the playlists. It sounded good and you looked like you needed a bit of a lift."
"Thanks." Her father nodded to her with gratitude. Rika frowned slightly, hearing the exhaustion in his voice.
"Are you okay, Papa?" she asked worriedly. He hadn't been like this last night and seemed to have been in good spirits. She wondered if it had anything to do with her mother. The mood around her had been tense when she left for work.
"Just one of those nights," he said evasively. Rika's frown deepened.
Bingo. It is about Mom.
"What is she being fussy about this time?" she asked, not bothering to hide her annoyance.
"Rika…" her father began in a warning tone. She felt her face heat up with shame, but she didn't look away from his disapproving eyes.
"What? I'm not allowed to be mad when she makes a fuss over not getting her way?"
"She's your mother and she's worried about you."
Didn't stop her from leaving for another photoshoot, Rika thought, glaring into her soup. Picking at it with her chopsticks, she heaved a sigh.
"Sorry," she muttered irritably. "I'm still going to be mad though. I hate how she always has to get her way, even when she doesn't understand what's going on."
Her father gave a wry chuckle. "To be fair, it's hard to be understanding when you get a call from the school about your daughter having a twenty-foot-tall knight in shining armor drop her off. I mean, it is something she would have fantasized about at your age, but there's the whole digimon thing to be worried about." His eyes softened. "She's scared of losing you, Rika. Try to keep that in mind and don't hold it against her. No parent wants to bury their child." He glanced at his watch and sighed again. "Time for me to get going now. Think about it, okay?"
"Fine," Rika grumbled. She put on a smile as he took his dishes to the sink for rinsing. In spite of herself, she smiled. "Have a good day, Papa. I'll have a song for you when you get home."
"I look forward to it," he said with a grin. "Hey, later this weekend, do you want to hang out with your old man and watch some motorcross? I think I can swing some tickets."
Rika's heart suddenly leapt in excitement. "Are you kidding me?! I'd love…" Her lips faltered. Her father lifted an eyebrow, noticing.
"Already made plans?" he asked, throwing on the water.
"I…" Her shoulders sank. "Well, it depends on when it is. I promised Takato and Kenta I'd help them use their cards better. There's a lot of mechanics they still don't know. Kenta's still tripping up a little on combos and Takato's deck is a disorganized mess." She bit her lower lip and hastily added, "Since he and his partner can go Mega, he hasn't really needed to use the cards, but they're still important when you're in a tight fix."
Her father nodded while scrubbing out his bowl. Though he hadn't made it explicit, Rika had the sense that he approved of her helping the Tamers as long as doing so didn't endanger her. He didn't wholly understand the connection with the card game, but with her explanation he got the impression that becoming better at the card game meant improving as a guardian of the city. And his daughter was, indisputably, an expert when it came to the digimon card game.
"I'll check the dates and message you. We'll work something out." He looked thoughtful as he finished cleaning off his bowl. "It might not be a bad idea though to kill two birds with one stone."
"Huh?" Rika cocked her head to one side in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
"Just thinking out loud. I've never met the Tamers before and, well, this Takato kid seems to have your attention especially. Maybe it would be a good idea for me to meet him. See what kind of person he is."
"Oh." Rika frowned. She hadn't given much thought about introducing Takato – or any of the Tamers for that matter – to her parents or even her grandmother. Especially with her mother having a bad view of digimon and taming in general. "W-Well, Takato's a gogglehead if that helps."
Her father chuckled and put the dish in the strainer to dry.
"That sounds like a pet name if I ever heard one."
Rika blushed and hastily avoided her father's knowing eyes.
"I-It fits. He wears goggles. He says they're for digital fields and to let everyone know he's a Tamer."
Her father grinned at her playfully as he approached her. He gave her hair a ruffle.
"Guess we'll see how things shake out," he said. "Stay safe today, all right? You saw the digimon warning on the news…"
"Takato's friend Kenta told me to avoid Chuo Park yesterday too," Rika said with a nod. Reaching up, she gave her father a tight hug.
"That's good." He gave the top of her head a kiss and drew back. "I'll see you tonight. Take care."
"Have a good day, Papa."
"You too," he said. After giving her a final wave, he departed. Rika looked down at the remains of her miso soup.
Having Dad meet Takato and the others, huh? I wonder if I should include the digimon. Maybe it'd be a good way to test the waters.
Rika quickly finished up her meal and then took her dishes over to the sink. She wanted her family to meet the Tamers and their digimon, but doubt gnawed at her over the course of the week, leaving her unsure if it was actually a good idea. Her grandmother so far had responded to meeting Guilmon and Takato quite positively, but the elder matriarch was cut from a wholly different cloth compared to her parents. Especially her mother, who was quite against her having any sort of connection with the Tamers. Her father gave her some hope, but the issue of her mother remained. She flipped on the water to the faucet and then proceeded to start rinsing out her bowl.
If there's anyone I'm going to have to really work on, it'd be her.
Her ears pricked up at the sound of light footsteps approaching. Turning, she found her grandmother entering into the dining area of the room. The two smiled at one another.
"Why don't I take care of that?" Seiko said, approaching the sink. "You should be going to school."
Rika saw a questioning light in her grandmother's eyes at the mention of school. She sighed.
"You don't have to beat around the bush with me, you know," she said. Seiko's eyes softened. Reaching out, she placed a hand on Rika's arm, interrupting her scrubbing.
"Sorry," she said, and gently took the bowl from her granddaughter. "I wasn't quite sure what to say. I know you just want to help."
"But," Rika grunted, not even asking for clarification. Her grandmother had been at home when the call from school came not just about her late arrival with Gallantmon as her taxi, but also how she skipped shortly afterward. Seiko had, fortunately, left the latter part out when informing her parents.
"I don't think I need to tell you more," Seiko continued. "We've all told you. All that's left is what you choose."
"Takato's friend Kenta said to avoid Chuo Park." Rika frowned slightly at herself, feeling as though she were lying to her grandmother. "Takato and Suzie would probably say the same thing."
She looked at her grandmother. The Hata woman's eyes were sad, already knowing Rika's ultimate decision if she were given a little push to choose. Rika turned away regretfully.
"I'm sorry," she said, and genuinely meant it. Seiko's eyes began to dampen and her grip around Rika's arm tightened, as if she wanted to keep her from leaving. It was only for a moment, but the gesture communicated so much to the girl.
"Please be careful," she said in a hushed voice.
"I will," Rika replied. Wrapping her arms around her, Rika gave her a loving hug. "I promise."
Rika left the house a few minutes later, feeling horrible for leaving her grandmother with no other assurances beyond a promise that was questionable at best.
Other Me probably felt like this a hundred times. I wonder how she manages it.
No real answer came to her. Anxiously, she drew out her cellphone and checked for messages. Nothing new greeted her. Only the same digimon warning alert that she received earlier.
Still yellow, she noted, which to her was as good a sign as any. The warning system was like a stop light, going from green to yellow and finishing off at red. Red indicated extreme danger and was usually accompanied by a blaring alarm sound and instructions to head to the nearest designated shelter immediately.
She furrowed her brow slightly, remembering Kenta's words from yesterday.
"Before you go, I should probably tell you that you should avoid being around here tomorrow."
She wanted badly to message one of the Tamers and ask what was going on.
But I shouldn't, she thought. I can't just distract them because I'm worried and want to be involved.
Upon placing her cellphone back into her schoolbag, she forced herself to focus on the street in front of her. Approaching an intersection, the crosswalk light and the influx of vehicle traffic barred her path. She didn't mind delays at present. Her mind wasn't in the headspace for school.
Should I skip? she wondered. A part of her wanted to ignore school and run down to Chuo Park. She had to remind herself that she had done everything she could at present to help the Tamers. The best thing to do was to let them do their job without distractions.
Cars began to slow to a halt as traffic lights ticked up to stop. A few seconds later, the crosswalk light changed, signaling her turn. She crossed, just as she had hundreds of times before, prior to her visit to the Other World. She frowned, wondering what her alternate self would say about her going to school when the Tamers were potentially in danger.
"You'd only get in the way. Or worse, killed. Sit this one out."
I don't want to sit this out, she thought fiercely. Her grip squeezed her bag's strap until her knuckles went white, causing her hand to shake. And I know you wouldn't, with or without a partner!
Her imagined Alt-Rika said nothing in response. Rika couldn't imagine what she would say because, despite the similarities in their thinking, she knew next to nothing about her experiences. As far as she knew, her counterpart never dealt with loss and never been in a situation where she never had her partner by her side.
There then came a distant thump, like an explosion. There followed a chorus of alarmed murmurs from passersby. Someone yelled. Turning, she saw a black cloud of smoke rising into the air from the direction of Chuo Park. The sound of numerous cellphone alarms going off quickly followed as Rika watched, processing the angry, violent cloud. It had an ill look to it, like a screaming face.
Before she knew it, she was already running in its direction. All thoughts of regret were left far behind her.
###
Gallantmon gasped. Consciousness suddenly flooded both digimon and human, and with it came a horrible, choking smell. Alarmed, the knight sat up with a groan and discovered they were in hell. All around, fires burned, and an acrid smoke billowed high into the air. Fog roiled and snaked about, and for half a second, the knight thought he saw snarling faces within them, rejoicing in the destruction around them.
"W-What happened?" Gallantmon began before remembering. Titamon swung his sword at the J-Reaper and threatened to destroy Lopmon as well. He biomerged in response. There was an explosion and he was flung back from the force of the blast. With growing alarm, he pushed himself to his feet.
"Suzie!" he shouted. "Yamaki! Kenta!"
No one called back. No one answered. Smoke, fire, fog and shattered trees lay all around him. Summoning his lance, he swept it back and forth in an attempt to clear the air even a little bit. It didn't help. Shaking his head, he started forward, hoping to find a better location. Some place where the smoke wasn't as bad. There came a clang as his foot struck something. He looked down. Black clouds swirled about before parting. A chunk of familiar concrete revealed itself.
"My home…" Takato felt a great swell of sorrow from the darkness surrounding his data sphere. "It's gone. All gone."
"It'll be fine, boy! Yamaki will rebuild it. Right now, we need to find the others."
Takato's thoughts trembled at the prospect. He had obviously been thrown a fair distance from Guilmon's old home. Exactly how far, he couldn't be sure at the moment, but enough that he feared for his friends. Kenta, Suzie, and Yamaki especially, as they lacked the ability to biomerge into anything sturdier. He didn't want to think about it. He tried not to think about it. His imagination, curse as it was, remained keen on doing the exact opposite, and he felt his thoughts begin to unravel in rising panic.
"Takato!" Guilmon's firm voice penetrated the darkness and the boy jolted to attention. "We don't know anything yet! You said we need to find them, so let's focus on doing that!"
"Right. Sorry boy. Uh, do you smell anything?"
Gallantmon's head tipped up in response, testing the air with a few sniffs.
"There's a lot of smoke, but I think I can find Suzie and Lopmon! And…" Another sniff. "Kuzuhamon!" He thrust their lance to the right. "That way!"
With no further debate, Gallantmon leapt up into the air and cleared the smoke just enough to get a better view of the park. The area where Guilmon's home had been was a smoldering crater with debris lying everywhere. He could see Titamon swimming through the smoke, sweeping his sword about in an effort to reveal his footpath. A thick, red, viscous liquid dripped from its edges. Takato felt his stomach clench with horror at the implication.
Suzie first. Find Suzie before this guy does.
He dropped back down into the smoke before Titamon's eyes could spot him. It blew back upon his landing, and he found Kuzuhamon carrying an unconscious Suzie in her arms, Lopmon standing atop one of the shaman's shoulder guards. They were surrounded by a barrier. Kuzuhamon and Lopmon both looked very much alarmed. Upon closer inspection, he saw bright blood streaming down Suzie's face from her forehead.
"No… No!" he shouted. Kuzuhamon and Lopmon both snapped up at his voice.
"Gallantmon!" Lopmon called. With a low growl, the knight stomped toward them, lightning sparking at the tip in menace.
"Get away from them, Kuzuhamon!" Gallantmon snarled. A red light gleamed in his eyes and the white of his armor dimmed a little.
"Gallantmon! She's trying to help!" Lopmon said, waving her ears in an attempt to draw his attention. "She caught Suzie and threw up a barrier. She's still alive but she's hurt!"
"S-Still…alive?" Gallantmon blinked, and the red light faded from his eyes. He frowned at Lopmon. His thoughts felt…odd. Hazy and full of fire. It was hard to think. But it was clearing now. He shifted his attention back to Kuzuhamon. "What's going on? I thought he was supposed to be on our side!"
"I had hoped he would be," Kuzuhamon replied with considerable regret in her voice. "I had explained to the Sovereign that the Deva lacked the ability to travel to other worlds and so was of no concern to us. It would appear that the Sovereign fears her potential to overcome her deficiency, especially after the Chaos was alerted to the existence of our world." She shook her head. "I don't understand why I wasn't informed of this decision."
"Because you would have warned them. Just as you warned them before."
Titamon's voice thundered about them and both Megas whirled about to find his muscular figure emerge from the thick smoke. His red eyes stared daggers at the priestess and he hefted his sword. His posture said all it needed to. If he had to delete Kuzuhamon to get at Lopmon, he would do that.
"You have always been one to question and to doubt," he said. "The Sovereign has been monitoring you since you arrived here, and he saw your curiosity about the humans. The seeds of betrayal that lay in the Deva are in you as well. His concern was well founded, it seemed, for you shielded her against my attack." He pointed his sword at Kuzuhamon. "If you delete the Deva now, all will be forgiven. Of that, you have the Sovereign's word."
Kuzuhamon's lips twisted angrily. "The Sovereign swore to ally with the humans against the common threat of the Chaos! You used this alliance just to get here without interference!"
"The danger from the Deva is too great to ignore," Titamon replied. "Another world drew the attention of a Chaos to this one. What else would she be able to draw, given enough time?"
"That's enough!" Gallantmon shouted, summoning his shield now. "I don't care about what Zhuqiaomon says! I'm not letting you hurt Lopmon! Is that clear?"
"You have no choice," Titamon said, turning to him. "If you oppose me, you will die."
Gallantmon raised his shield and lance. "Then I guess we die. But not before we take you out first!"
"Very well then," Titamon nodded. "Since you were instrumental in defeating our world's Chaos, I will grant you the gift of a swift death."
The fog began to rise from the ground, and Gallantmon fancied that he saw Titamon's form vanish into it. A second later, his instincts screamed in alarm. His shield – Aegis – spun to the side reflexively and agonizing pain exploded through his arm as Titamon's sword struck with full force. Parrying with Aegis, Gallantmon pivoted and thrust his lance straight at Titamon's unprotected chest. The God of Destruction's free hand caught the weapon with almost casual ease and wrenched it to the side.
"You're only delaying the inevitable," Titamon murmured, sounding oddly sad. His sword rose up again and this time he brought it down on Gallantmon's lance. The blade sheared clean through the chrome digizoid metal. Gallantmon's eyes went wide with shock as Titamon took the cut off piece of the knight's weapon and swung fast and hard, bringing it crashing down upon Gallantmon's helm. Sparks flew and metal bent inward. Pain burst within the knight's skull and all vision went black. Going on pure instinct, his body continued to move, twisting to get out of the way. He felt something heavy crash into his side and a burning agony seared across Takato's ribs.
Both boy and digimon screamed, loud and long. It went on, and on and no attempt to reign it in could stop it. Fire washed over them, growing with even greater intensity. Gallantmon lashed out and he felt the ground shatter beneath his fists. Sight abruptly returned to them. They were flat on their back, and his chest armor was a broken wreck. A suspicious red fluid seeped out from the cracks and stained the ground. His hand, lying amidst the crimson liquid, dabbed at it curiously.
Blood? Or is it Jeri? he wondered deliriously, half-remembering the gore on Titamon's blade. Something was off with his thinking. His mind felt foggy and thoughts were easily lost.
What was happening again?
He shakily took a breath to clear his head, only to instantly regret it as pain lanced along his side.
Titamon made it worse by slamming a foot on top of his chest and crushing down with it. Torn metal bent inwards, biting into vulnerable flesh beneath. Suddenly, his thoughts reorganized himself and he remembered Titamon was trying to kill Lopmon. For all the good it did him now that he was helpless.
We've got to get moving, Takato and Guilmon both thought as one. Move. Move. Move!
His fingers twitched sluggishly. His body hadn't yet caught up with his mind. Or worse, was unable to do so.
"So ends your suffering," Titamon said, lifting his sword for the final blow.
"Taizoukal Mandala!"
Titamon turned at the sound of the attack, and saw a glowing circle traced with an intricate design of spires arranged like a wheel, surging toward him. He swung at it, shattering the mandala upon impact. He stood there, crimson eyes gazing at Kuzuhamon, who stood with her silver staff held out before her, panting heavily. Suzie was pressed against her and Lopmon stood atop her shoulder guard, using her ears to steady her.
"So, you would truly and fully betray your oaths?" he asked with disappointment.
Kuzuhamon adjusted Suzie in her arm and glared angrily at Titamon.
"You and the Sovereign betrayed a trust," she snarled. "And now you would kill a valiant warrior who honored his. What are my oaths worth to a master who doesn't value his own?!"
Titamon's response was to casually swing his sword, sending a wave of energy rushing at the shaman priestess. Kuzuhamon barely had enough time to raise her barrier again. The wave struck her shield and both exploded. Kuzuhamon and Lopmon both flew back with a cry and struck the ground. Lopmon crashed into the brush and disappeared while, miraculously, Kuzuhamon continued clutching Suzie tightly to her, shielding her limp body from the worst of the impact.
"The Sovereign's oath is to the protect the digital world," Titamon said. "All other concerns are irrelevant beyond that. We are the Gods of Destruction. We live as his swords. We destroy what we are ordered to destroy. We die at his command. That is all that is needed."
Gallantmon's hand suddenly clutched around Titamon's ankle and squeezed hard. Blinking, the Mega glanced down, confused as to why the knight would continue to fight considering the severity of his injuries.
"Your sovereign sucks," Gallantmon wheezed. With a powerful yank, he pulled Titamon off his feet and sent him tumbling to the ground. With renewed vigor, he rolled up and dismissed his shield. His other hand, now free, grabbed hold of Titamon's throat. Chrome digizoid fingers bit into his emerald flesh and sank in to the wet muscle beneath. Gallantmon ignored the blood that flowed out of the Mega's neck and lifted his free arm again to reform his lance. It was kill or be killed now.
Titamon, however, wasn't done. With a choking grunt, he again swung his blade up and slammed the edge into Gallantmon's injured side. Here, the sword's black haze swirled and viciously seeped into wherever it could find an open wound. The knight gasped in shock, and his grip loosened just enough for Titamon to fling him off.
"You had your chance at a quick end," he said. Climbing to his feet, he looked down at the fallen knight as he clawed at his side. Gallantmon's eyes were wide, gazing in horror at something only they could see. Titamon again looked regretful. "Now, you will just have to suffer a while longer."
"Reverse Inuza!"
A white stream of fire shaped like a fox wrapped itself around Titamon. The Mega merely flexed and Kuzuhamon's kuda-gistune servant evaporated into sparkling light. Tsking, Kuzuhamon placed the unconscious Suzie on the ground. Then, stepping forward, she twirled her staff and fell into a fighting stance.
"Useless," he said and sent another wave of energy at the priestess. Again, Kuzuhamon summoned a barrier. This time, when Titamon's attack crashed into it, there was no immediate explosion. Instead, wave and barrier strained against one another, energy crackling and twisting like fighting serpents. Kuzuhamon dug her heels into the dirt and gritted her teeth, pouring as much of her strength as she could into the shield. Her mask and armor cracked and then dissolved. Their sparkling data flowed into her silver staff, causing it to glow. With a final cry, she swept her staff up, spun it above her head, and then slammed it to the ground.
"Taizoukal Mandala!"
With that shout, her shield vanished and her attack shot forth, smashing through Titamon's wave and cleaving it in two. The mandala rocketed on, great rings of power following in its wake before all slammed home against Titamon's sword. The emerald warrior grunted as he found himself pushed back. His feet dug deep trenches into the earth and wind whipped violently around him on all sides. Lightning arced all about and the mandala exploded, sending fire and smoke in all directions. Breathing heavily, Kuzuhamon collapsed, her staff evaporating into nothing. A soft glow enveloped her body and she began to shrink and change shape. Her black bodysuit vanished, replaced by gold and white fur and her face elongated, becoming more foxlike in shape. Fingers became claws and a tail emerged behind her.
When the light faded, Kuzuhamon was no more. Only Renamon, bruised and gasping for air, remained.
"It is truly pitiful seeing what you've reduced yourself to in order to protect a traitor," Titamon said, waving away the smoke with his sword. "Die now and pray that your data will be loaded."
He swung down at the Rookie, only for a pair of sharply curved blades to catch his sword. Shock blitzed across Titamon's face upon finding Gaiomon's eyes laughing merrily up at him. The dragon warrior rose from the mist, pushing Titamon back from Renamon.
"Sorry I'm late," he chuckled apologetically. "I forgot how hard he can hit."
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