Digimon Fan Fiction / Ragnarok Fan Fiction ❯ Where Fate Turns ❯ Chapter 14: Come, and Get it! ( Chapter 14 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

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Where Fate Turns
Chapter 14: Come, and Get it!
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Whoa! Fast update for me. *flails arms* Let's get the action wheel going.

I may rename all of the previous chapters during the final revision or earlier. I don't know why this idea suddenly occured to me, but I'm going to name them after the RO music tracks. Anybody who thinks this idea should be flushed down the toilet or gangbanged... feel free to express yourself. ^^;

Fair warning... Fear the power of Alternate Universe. XD

Substitute for Love/Pinneh: I love and worship Takouji, too. Of course, desu. *huggles* ^_^

Crystal Ketchum Darklight: Witch, lol. Thanks for the review. XD

Sora Ishida: Power to original online aliases! Hope you enjoy the... beginning of the fun.

Zoleth: !!! That was such an inspirational review. *_*; Thank you so much! You're so sweet~ *glomp* I'm going to go stalk your Takouji fanfic now... >D

FallingDeeper: Thanks! Hope you got to finish reading. ^^; I know it's hard for me to put down a long fic once I start reading it.

KimuraSato: Kyee! KKM needs your fics, you know it! Spam me your Yuuri/Wolfram pwnage! Spam me, I say! >D Thanks for the review!

Dragi: Thank you, dearie ^^

Rave~n: Glad you like what's happening. I work to please as many as possible while staying true to myself. ^_^;

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~Different company brings different discoverings, thus catapaulting evolution...~

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" Kouichi, could you stop going on about Zombies for a while? I think we've heard everything there is to know about them."

Kouji slew his way through another mob of miniature Goblins. Some of the people in this area were so blindly tense... Kouji couldn't do anything but frown under his mask as he continued.

Kouichi had attempted to send them to Geffen by warp, but when they ended up in Morroc, he realized he had replaced his warp locations. He had sweatdropped, mumbling about lousy three-location limits, then telling the two Assassins that the closest place he could send them was back in Prontera. They would have to walk from the center town to the north-west end of Midgard. It actually wasn't very far away... it was just tedious.

" All the way from here to Geffen is common training ground for guys who think they're hot stuff... but they're not," Kouichi had added before they departed for Geffen.

And now... Kouji could second that note. As they walked, he observed a PecoPeco Knight herding a mob of Goblins near a party of first classmen. The Knight let the PecoPeco remain still for a while, stalling to make sure the others had noticed his presence, before smacking them dead with a simple Bowling Bash.

Kouji's eyes dulled at the sight. What a strange world... these were the people they were to protect? Moonlight was right in saying that humans...

Takuya sent him a casual glance, which stopped his thoughts. ' No... no... that's not who I fight for. Only for Takuya. My trusted one... I wonder what would've happened if I hadn't ever run from him...'

" Strange people here... you were definitely right about that, Kouichi," Takuya commented.

" At least these Goblins aren't around the whole route to Geffen. They get annoying..." Suddenly, Kouichi's jaw dropped. " That Priestess over there has like... a dozen Goblins on her."

They reverted their attention to Kouichi's direction. The Priestess seemed to be completely complacent as the dozen Goblins battered her with toy weapons against her Buckler Shield.

" Whoa... how do you handle that?" Kouichi asked. As a Priest, he was interested in getting tips from the fellow classman.

The blue-haired Priestess smiled with a Romantic Leaf in her mouth. " Balance a bit of agility, vitality and intelligence with a Thara Frog card on a Buckler, then these guys are no problem," she said, casting a Heal spell on herself. With the hand unoccupied by her Buckler, she brought out a Black book and began beating back.

" But I'm bored of this," she said calmly as several Goblins fell under her book smacks. " You guys going to Geffen?"

" Yeah, but how do you know..." Takuya took a closer look. " You look a lot like an Assassin I know... Tsunade..."

" Hehe, I see you met one of my sisters. I'm Menchi," she slapped the sillies out of the last Goblin, then Healed herself with ease. " I'll warp you to Geffen if you promise me you'll seal Doppelganger before leaving the town."

Takuya went ballistic. " That's too much for us right now! We're better off walking... Hey, wait, how do you know about me sealing MVPs?"

Menchi suddenly flustered, " Oh... uh... I've worked with Taichi before. You know him, right?"

" Yes..."

" I'll help... and you should get them sealed as soon as you can..."

" Why do YOU want the MVPs sealed? It means less MVP items for you," Kouji said.

Menchi smirked. " Even though we sisters have had pretty good luck with finding MVP items, we don't have any personal use for them. This is for Midgard, is it not?"

" Not my main reason, but I guess..." Kouji said truthfully.

" Well, do it for Midgard, at least."

" ..."

" Besides, if no one can hunt Dop anymore, the demand for his stuff will go off the charts!" she added gleefully, " Uh... Mrs. Gates' note."

" Riiight. Whatever you say. Let's just go. I'm tired of wasting time."

" WARP PORTAL!"

As soon as they arrived in Geffen, Menchi asked if she could browse the shops around the city. She left before really waiting for a reply, leaving the trio to stare at her retreating back.

" I thought you said you had no personal use for things..." Takuya said distantly, " Well... we might as well look around, too."

Geffen was, as usual, a very unoccupied town, mainly since the tower's presence warded most people from making permanent residence. The few groups that resided in the place were all there for business; Merchants sold battling supplies, Acolytes set up signs offering warps to other places for zeny, people offered to organize hunting parties...

As Kouichi took a closer look at some of the Merchant shops, Takuya asked to swap weapons with Kouji. Kouji obliged, remembering that at once point he had been an Assassin using a Damascus and a Buckler... extremely unusual for one of his class. But he had his old weapons switched for the custom Katars Moonlight had created for him... there were probably none others like his.

They were bulky weapons, however... much bulkier than the light counterpart Jurs. Takuya quickly handed them back after a feeble attempt at putting them on. " I'd have to have practice with those before I can use them properly... but maybe later when we have more time on our hands. For now... it's better if we stick with our specialties. "

Kouichi soon came back with a few new bottles in tow. " I bought a few empty bottles and filled them with Holy Water. When we go fight Doppelganger, using these on your weapons should have some incredible effects on the guy. Now if only Menchi was ready..."

They waited for a few minutes without conversation, but to no avail. The Romantic Leaf Priestess was no where in sight. Kouji finally sighed and suggested they wait back where they had warped-- some benches on the east side of the town.

" Wow... it feels so different... not having such a gap between events," Takuya said.

" We haven't had breaks since we left Morroc..."

" Not having any urgent business," Kouji gazed off to the distance while Kouji and Takuya remained fixed on each other.

Even now, they could sense more than one kind of gap...

" Our parents left for Geffen one day," Takuya said out of the blue. Kouichi blinked curiously before turning his attention to the brunette. " That was several years ago... They only said that they had to... to retrieve something important to us."

" Our parents have always been close friends," Kouji added, " One's problem became all of their problems."

Kouichi allowed a grand pause before he confided. " I only have my mother... she works as a Blacksmith in this town to repair the destruction made by the monsters. Before the monsters, she only built homes... now all she can do is repair. It's tiring her, but she can't stop, she's not allowed to stop. And I'm not fit to help..."

Any passerby could tell just by looking at the trio... such heavy pasts, such heavy present, all upon their shoulders...

" My ancestors were involved in sealing the MVPs 1,000 years ago," Takuya said as he leaned into Kouji's hold, " I don't know what I should have faith in..."

" Takuya..." Kouji leaned in closer to secure the brunette. " You're still here, at least."

" You, too... Kouji... you're back..."

Kouichi was carefully staring at the ground.

" Kouichi... come over here."

To Kouichi's slight surprise, Kouji wrapped an arm around his shoulder, and Takuya followed his example. They sat in welcomed silence, knowing everything they could say was already known. They had suffered a great deal together. For now, they were happy enough being in each other's presence.

****

Menchi described her sure-kill method against Doppelganger as they made their way up Geffen Tower. Kouichi would provide full support, casting Safety Wall on all members, giving them status boosts and Healing them when needed. Menchi would cast the ultimate Priest offense, Magnus Exorcismus, and provide any additional backup. Kouji and Takuya would simply slaughter Doppelganger to its death.

" It takes the form of a regular male Swordsman, but he has a ghostly appearance... pay careful attention."

There were various bundles of people in the high floor of the tower, each person loaded with rare items galore. The boys had never seen so many fierce classmen in one area... a Crusader cast a massive Grand Cross to destroy a mob of Nightmare, an Alchemist had an onslaught of Flora plants attacking a Bathory witch... They couldn't tell which was scarier, the humans or the monsters...

A gaseous Nightmare galloped their way at top speed. It seemed to be heading straight towards Takuya...

" Physical attacts won't work on it!" Kouichi shouted, sending a ray of light into the Nightmare. The horse reared at the light's impact, but not a moment later, it charged again. " No choice... stand still, Takuya! Safety Wall!" He waved his hand again.

A beam of pink light surrounded the Assassin as he observed the Nightmare crash into it. He had a chance to attack... he pulled out two of his Elemental Damascus and slashed. The first Damascus scorched the beast; the second exploded with water pressure.

" Elementals... nice," Menchi said, " Saves us a few Holy Waters. Dop might be close by with all of these Nightmare around."

The Nightmare continued to slam against the Safety Wall, and Takuya had to grin a little sadistically at the fact that he could attack through the wall with ease. He really liked those Safety Walls... After taking down the nuisance of a purple house, Takuya felt something pull in his stomach. It was so sudden that he stepped back and stumbled.

" Takuya?" Kouji asked lightly.

" ...Dunno what that was about," he answered as he pulled himself back together, " Let's hurry up and get this guy so we can leave."

" We have to do it before another group takes the MVP, too," Menchi added, " It's rare to see a group take care of Dop on their own... they usually take shifts."

" Shifts?"

In answer to Takuya's question, they heard a battle cry nearby. Dozens of people were stationed in a large open area, and in the center... an almost blinding display... A Knight was fighting Doppelganger directly with a Priestess constantly Healing him. On the side lines, a Wizard slowly casted Storm Gust and yet another casted Jupitel Thunder. Farther down the sidelines, various parties rested and watched the show, waiting for their turn or recovering from one.

" Those Wizard spells are going to send Dop all over the place... including places where people don't want him," Menchi muttered, " It'll be over for them soon."

She was right... After a few Wizard spells, Doppelganger chased most of the resting parties out of the vicinity with his light-speed sword slashes. Soon, even the Knight and Priestess seemed to be running out of options.

" We'll take this from here," Menchi announced, making sure the remaining party heard her. They nodded and scrambled off, giving Doppelganger time to pause.

Doppelganger started to Heal himself.

" Urgh, don't do that," Menchi said. She pushed Kouji ahead, " You tank first... Switch with Takuya when you need to. We'll cover you."

Kouji couldn't stop himself from going forward into Doppelganger's view... Doppelganger appeared like a simple Swordsman... wasn't too intimidating. Except... a strange aura was growing all around it... the aura formed into individual shapes... Nightmare...

" I'll take care of the Nightmare mob. Kouichi, Safety Wall them!" Menchi commanded.

Kouichi didn't need any more instruction. After Safety Walls, Kouichi bestowed Holy Water power to the Assassins' weapons and gave them power boosts. Menchi's Magnus Exorcismus easily chopped through the demonic Nightmare, along with dealing heavy damage to the ever-wincing Doppelganger.

" Any last words?" Menchi said haughtily as she taunted the MVP with a Holy Light attack. To their surprise, Doppelganger stopped attacking and grinned.

" Ooh, this is all so very interesting..." he said dauntingly," How often you humans connect to each other..."

" Huh?" Takuya slashed him, " Don't talk nonsense."

" Oh... but you, inheritor of the chosen ones to seal the MVPs," Doppelganger continued, ignoring the pain that came from the Assassin's blow, " To think that you would befriend children of the MVPs..."

" ...What?" Suddenly, all of them stood still. Silence took over the dark tower. " ...Children of MVPs?"

Doppelganger laughed. " You couldn't figure it out? Why Moonlight was able to possess Kouichi and Kouji, why they were chosen out of all people existing in this world?"

" ... Our parents were MVPs? There's no possibility," Kouichi started.

" No harm for me to tell you," Doppelganger reassured, " You two carry high essence of Moonlight's being. You're aware that she has many human-like qualities, yes?"

Takuya nodded slowly, cautiously.

" She returned to Midgard long before Ragnarok was at stake again, reborn as a human girl. Just thinking of the horror... a human... Nonetheless, she still had the blood of an MVP. She once lived among the humans...pathetic Moonlight... not even fifteen years ago... She fell in love with a human. Of course, the humans did not approve of her relationship. She gave birth to a set of male twins, but she was forced to part with them... and she was confined to Payon Dungeon, where the Nine Tail nurtured her back into MVP status..."

" Twins..." Kouji uttered, " Do you mean..."

" Of course, you blockheaded human. You and Kouichi are twins, separated at birth."

" Oh my God..." Kouichi gaped, frozen.

" Why separated? The MVPs weren't fond of Moonlight's connection to you humans, either. News passes on quickly between us. Some MVPs even wanted to invade Midgard on their own to rid of her children. Moonlight sent you to the care of true humans to hide your identities to both humans and MVPs. When the age and time was ripe, Moonlight plucked you two for her ultimate plan to initiate Ragnarok."

" The MVPs are in an uproar now that she's sealed and her human children are still alive. Amazing... so ironic that they're fighting alongside with an MVP sealer. Then again... it shouldn't be surprising, seeing as you're all human."

" You're lying!" Kouji shouted all of a sudden, " If... if Moonlight really was our mother, she would have acknowledged us like one... we were only her servants... she treated us as such..."

" Fifteen years of confinement and brooding against humans does that," Doppelganger answered, " She probably hates humans the most of any of us. But even so, this explains why your memories are still intact. Deep down, she wanted you two to remember her, acknowledge her... something rather than pity or despise her. She wanted to be what the humans didn't allow her to be... your guardian."

" I... I can't believe it..." said Kouichi.

" There is nothing you can deny with proof. And all proof will lead you to the same place, anyway. Even your names... Kouichi meaning light one, and Kouji meaning light two. Light as in Moonlight... Moonlight had committed a taboo and our only option was to destroy you to rectify her mistake. I even slayed your "parents" thinking it would rid of you eventually. Kouji's and what I assumed to be the MVP sealer's parents, along with Kouichi's mother were here in this tower, arranging Kouichi's retrieval... somehow, they had discovered your true identities and they wanted you two to meet. Actually, at first I thought they were average humans, but once I heard them mention your names, I knew at once they had to be destroyed. Only Kouichi's mother escaped from me."

Silence. A split-second later, Doppelganger frowned.

" I suppose that was revenge, MVP sealer... magnificent... I've never seen such speed..."

He tumbled over. Doppelganger was dead.

Takuya rose, eyes flaring dangerously and weapons still poised.

" Takuya, what just happened?" Kouji asked pensively, sending him a strained look.

" He sealed Dop, that's what happened," Menchi said smoothly, " Dop left behind a sword... take it, Takuya."

The brunette did as he was told, head still lowered and Assassin mask in place. " Warp us out of here, Menchi. I don't like the smell of this place."

" It'll make a good sell," she commented idly as she opened a Warp Portal.

****

Takuya sold the sword for a hefty price and Menchi left before any of the boys got a chance to speak to her. Not like they knew what they wanted to say... expressing themselves was one of the many obstacles in front of them. They avoided each other's gaze... not in fear of each other, but in fear of jumping ahead into uncharted territory... What started as a simple training errand to Glast Heim had turned into something completely unforseen...

" I didn't expect to get these answers so soon, if at all..." Kouichi started. " I don't know if I WANTED to know..."

" It's too late for ignorance now," Kouji said solemnly.

" That BASTARD Doppelganger," Takuya remarked fiercily, " I can't believe these guys would do something... so low..."

" Low?" the twins said in sync.

" The MVPs, and humans for that matter... playing with people's feelings, sensing no remorse for unjustified actions... I'll do whatever I can to stop it."

Kouji looked at him pensively. He remembered Takuya with a similar tone as he had used the first time they were in Geffen when the brunette had declared to show he was stronger than the Knight Sefirot. Only, this time, it had much more meaning to all of them...

" Call me selfish, but if sealing every MVP in existence will end the injustice done upon us, then nothing will stop me from doing so. I can't let them ruin us any more than they have already..."

Yet, behind such encouraging words, Kouji could feel the brunette crumbling with each breath. He didn't want to lose his precious ones ever again... not his parents, not his unchanced past, not Takuya...

He didn't care who was looking at them. He wrapped his arms around Takuya's shoulders and held on for his dear life. The brunette was shocked at first, having just made an outburst, but he had nothing against Kouji's comfort. As he returned the embrace, he remembered their struggles in Morroc when they realized that their parents would never come home... Even then, they had hugged like this...

And it still felt wonderful, if not better.

Kouichi stared off into the distance again. He knew he had to get used to this isolation... but this new revelation that Kouji was his twin brother... it made sense. He had always felt a strong connection between them, even back when they first met at Prontera...

" So what next?" he found himself saying.

Takuya slowly broke off, determination still with him. " These MVPs won't allow us to have our break. We'll start with the easiest ones and work our way up. I'm getting sick of them already."

Kouji glanced at the Katars at his side. " No time to waste. We should get going as soon as we can."

" I heard Golden Thief Bug is pretty easy... and it has a really useful card, too," Kouichi suggested, " It's back at Prontera, though... I don't want to overwrite my warp destinations since we might have to travel to Morroc and Payon again, but I won't be able to bring us back to Geffen."

" I'm sure we can find someone with a warp to Geffen in town... or we could walk again. Whichever does it faster," Takuya concluded. " Prontera sounds good. We'll go tomorrow. It's getting dark."

" You sure? Might lose your motivation overnight..."

" I wouldn't, Kouji," Takuya replied, smirking confidently. " Not with you around to remind me."

Kouji shook his head and closed his eyes as if to give his disapproval, but he smiled as he did so. Such a beautiful smile... " Let's find an inn."

They were more than grateful to find a good accomadation in a middle-class inn by nightfall. They were given a king-sized bed that could easily fit three people. Katars, Damascus, scarves and other heavy materials instantly came off as they entered the room.

" I'm pooped. I'm ready to go straight to sleep," Takuya said in one exhale, collapsing onto the sheets on the claimed side closest to the door and farthest from the window. Kouji tentatively took the center and Kouichi layed on the remaining side.

" Takuya falls asleep so quickly... I'm envious," Kouji said after a few minutes in the dark room, illuminated by the moon.

" Hard for you to sleep, too?" Kouichi said calmly.

" Especially with so many things on my mind."

" Yeah..."

Kouichi heard something shifting. He turned to see Kouji staring at his face. The moon's light struck Kouji's eyes and skin so faintly that it gave him a mysterious glow. Kouichi knew why he was staring...

" Hairstyle really DOES make a difference," the Assassin observed. " I can't see the similarities between our faces until I get used to seeing them up close."

As a second surprise, Kouichi felt a hand on his cheek. Kouji traced the contours of the skin on his face, taking special notice of the jaw-line and hair-line. Kouichi winced for a split-moment at the light touches. For some reason, he remembered what he had done to Kouji when they first encountered in Payon Dungeon.

" Kouichi, do you know why you kissed me in Payon Dungeon? I know you were in Moonlight's possession, but..."

The Priest remained calm on the exterior, but he was cursing on the interior. Too many.... too many things blocking what he wanted to say... what he truly wanted to say... even more after the revelations today...

" You know that's a difficult question for me, Kouji."

Kouji continued to gaze at his face, making light touches on the forehead and cheek. He didn't say anything else.

" Sorry, Kouji," he said, closing the subject, " We should sleep."

" ... Yeah. Good night."

" Night..." Kouichi turned his eyes to the ceiling and let his eyelids overlap them. He didn't know what to think anymore... All he knew was that Kouji was his twin brother, and although he had never had so much of a connection to others, he had never felt so lonely at the same time.

****

As soon as they re-entered Prontera, a bustle of gossip swept them. Classmen complained of the absence of certain MVPs from Midgard...

" And they had just come back at the right time! I was about to get a Drake card..."

" Peh, Drake? I went against Pharaoh for ages to gets its card... and yesterday, he was no more!"

" I spent so long hunting Turtle General..."

" Osiris is gone! How am I going to improve my skills now?"

" What's going on? The MVPs show up all at once, and now they're slowly disappearing?"

" Yeah, the only ones I know that are still around are Dark Lord and Baphomet, but you know how difficult they are... they're pretty much the hardest ones..."

" Man, I should have joined the Baphomet-killing guild when I had the chance! They must be getting a lot of people asking to join..."

" What am I going to do noW? Only piddly everyday monsters left..."

" I want to know why this is happening! What's causing the MVPs to disappear?"

" Beats me..."

Kouichi and Kouji looked at each other knowingly.

" Takuya, you're aware that there were four people who sealed the MVPs 1,000 years ago, right?" Kouji said discreetly. Takuya nodded.

" Moonlight showed us who they were... you, Taichi, and two other males about the same age. They must have swept them over the past few days. The others were an Assassin and a Crusader."

" Amazing... to take out so many MVPs..." an awed Takuya announced.

" Most likely, they had strong parties and fast transpotation. These MVPs aren't all close to each other..."

" Where would they find a strong party with such a pure intention to seal the MVPs? Everybody else seems to enjoy the MVPs presence because of the profit. I'd think they would all refuse their sealing..."

A female Rogue accompanied by two Dancers approached them. " You guys know anything? Or looking for some info?"

" No, we're just as lost as everyone else," Kouji lied quickly, turning away to walk to a less crowded area.

They were glad that she didn't follow them.

" This really changes everything," Takuya said, gripping his goggles. " Still don't see how all those MVPs could..."

Kouichi also raised a hand to his scalp area. " I feel like I'm missing a very important detail. I just can't seem to remember..."

" Well, what's most important is that there are only two MVPs left, and they're both extremely difficult," Kouji stated, " We need to find a way to defeat them."

Takuya raised his hand. " Why don't we find the other people sealing the MVPs? It'd be a lot better if we all join forces. Plus, you know what they look like, so we have some kind of headstart."

" No disagreements here," Kouichi immediately stated. " It's pretty much our only choice."

" Can you describe them for me?" Takuya asked.

" Um... the Assassin wears Fashion Glasses, and the Crusader wears a Jack a Dandy. Basically, they also have goggles like you do and similar hair color."

" Everything else would be pretty fruitless. All right," Kouji finished. " Taichi still might be in Prontera."

" Let's split up and ask around. Meet back here when the sun is directly above us," Takuya said in his leadership tone.

They observed their current position... a woman nearby was selling flowers.

" Noon, then," Kouichi confirmed. They divided the city among themselves and set out.

****

When noon arrived, the boys found that they had wasted three good hours wandering the city with no profit.

" Great. Just great," Takuya said sarcastically. " If Taichi left Prontera, then this'll be a lot harder..."

" You don't suppose he and Yamato might have heard the news and gone to get Baphomet and Dark Lord?" Kouichi wondered.

" They're only Archers," Kouji said.

" They sealed Moonlight." No more was needed for argument.

" Ugh... if there was only some way to find out where they are..." Takuya said in frustration.

" I see them..."

" Not a good time to get funny, Kouji."

" No, really! Down there, with that group of Hunters..."

Indeed, he was seeing correctly. However, the spectacle didn't look as pleasant as it sounded. Yamato didn't have the happiest expression on his face...

Takuya was about to wave his arms and greet them, when one of the Hunters drew his bow and pointed it at Taichi...

****

Plot-driven. Yeah.... ^-^; Plot is unbelievably so much easier to write than shounen-ai/yaoi material. But the latter is so much sexier... XD; Need to balance! Or may I curiously ask your preference? ^_^

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