Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Diaries ❯ Need for Speed ( Chapter 3 )

Surrounded. He could feel menace around, coming from different directions. Although he couldn't see anything, somehow he knew he was in a battle, fighting whoever was attacking him. But instead of fear or anger, his spirit felt an odd calm, touched with an almost thrill of exhilaration.

He felt his body moving, as the points of menace and darkness each seemed to just disappear, one at a time. It almost seemed too easy, as if they had never stood a chance. But he could not understand why something would fight someone they stood no chance of defeating.

When only a couple of the negative points remained to his senses, he felt something else assault him, from inside himself this time. An almost tangible feeling of pain ran through him, as anguish and rage shifted around, surrounding a loneliness that was similar to something he had felt before.

As the sensations washed over him, he felt something tugging at his mind, something small, but undeniable. Compassion, life, and hope pooled into a small pool at the edge of his mind, as if something was trying to show these emotions to him, to prove something aside the darkness could exist. His mind felt numb as the darkness around him suddenly smashed the lighter emotions.

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Erin gasped, blinking a few times to remember where he was. Looking around his dark room, he sighed in relief, closing his eyes in thought. The dream had seemed so real, almost like he had lived it himself. But that was impossible. His gaze turned to the small coin lying on the table next to the bed. Wasn't it?

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Dark Diaries

Chapter 3

"Need for Speed"

Author ~ Rocker Starlight

Permission from Lord Archive

Disclaimer ~ I don't own digimon or the Diaries storyline. I merely own my own characters I'm using, that's it. If you want to use any ideas created from my stories, please at least tell me, since I doubt I'll have any problems with it. ^_^

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Meals in the orphanage could always be a pain. With about six total children to feed, the three older children often were roped into helping cook and clean. The woman in charge, Ms. Klink, often woke the teens for the chores at the same they used to get up for school, to make sure everyone had time to eat and get ready for the day.

Erin hummed to himself softly, as he pored the bowls of cereal, having finished setting the table. Walking back into the kitchen, he slides past another of his peers, getting the orange juice from the refrigerator. Setting and filling a glass of orange juice at each seat, Erin sat down with a soft plop into his seat.

The younger children were running into dining room already, taking their assigned seats as they chattered on. Erin had learned to tune out of voices of other people, so he could ignore others when he wasn't in the mood to listen, so he was able to sit with a neutral expression on his face, trying not to feel any different then before a couple days ago.

As if on cue to the memory of the incident, a warm sensation began radiating from his left pocket, where the dark coin rested. After he had left the park, he had flown home, shifting back to being human, but the coin was still a part of him. When he had awoken the next morning, however, the coin was in his hand once again, as if nothing had happened. The news cast the next day had proven not only had it happened, but also that people thought he was as much a monster as the dinosaur that had rampaged into the park.

'Aren't I? I changed… I became the creature on the coin… Does that mean I'm still human….?' Erin's train of thought was interrupted, as he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Jill standing behind him, with a large pate of bacon and eggs sitting on it. She smiled sweetly at him, her blond hair hanging freely around her shoulders as she offered the plate for him to take his portion.

Erin blushed a little, only partially from not realizing the food was done, as he used his fork to pull a portion of the food onto his plate. He watched as the young girl walked around, giving a little of the food to rest of the household, before sitting with the remainder. Hanging her apron on the back of her chair, so she only had a pink shirt with the words "Princess" on the front, and a pair of blue jeans on. She made a small hand gesture to Ms. Klink, smiling sweetly, as she signed for her to pass her the salt.

Erin almost gave a soft smile, watching the mute girl take a bite, before digging into his food. His stomach felt like a bottomless pit, like he hadn't eaten in days, and he couldn't understand why. He hoped this wasn't something wrong with him, because of the transformation. While ignored the warm feeling again in his pocket, he blinked as he felt himself being watched suddenly. Glancing up with a gulp of the food in his mouth, he noticed everyone staring at him, looking like he had grown horns or something.

Squirming a little under the sudden attention, he looked at the various eyes on him. "What? Did I do something stupid?"

Brian, the oldest teen in the home, who was your typical brown haired, blue eyed jock, laughed softly. "Well besides eating more then me, and faster? You wake up with a demon in your stomach or something?"

As everyone around the table laughed at the joke, Erin's cheek flushed more, actually looking at his food. He had taken more then twice he normally had, but he also was almost finished eating after only a couple minutes. Normally, he had been picking a small amount of food, before eating a small bit and excusing himself. As the laughter died, he resumed eating, although barely noticing it, as he forced himself to eat at a normal pace for the remainder of the meal.

"But it was there!" Erin turned his head, as he heard Darien, a ten year old with black hair and green eyes, trying to convince Ms. Klink of something. "I went by the school, and I saw a big black bird land on top of it!"

"Yea, and Superman is replacement quarterback. Stop watching so many cartoons kid." Brian laughed, finishing his food and pushing his chair back.

"But it's true!" Darien yelled at the football player as he left. Pouting, he looked back to Ms. Klink, tugging on her sleeve. "Ya gotta believe me! It's really there!"

The caretaker of the children looked at her ward, ruffling the raven black hair on his head. "Of course I do. But I'm sure this bird just wants to be left alone. So don't go bothering it, alright?" She smiled in a motherly fashion down at the child, before resuming eating, considering the matter ended.

Darien didn't seem to like his answer, as he continued pouting through the entire meal, before putting his plate away and stomping off to his room. The rest of breakfast went rather quiet. The twins, Angela and Mary, both asked Ms. Klink if they could go to the park to watch some of the cleanup. Agreeing, as long as Jill and herself were present, the red headed twins cheered for joy, before quickly finishing their food, and taking off for their room to get ready.

Ms. Klink turned to Erin, as he took his final bite. "Will you look after Darien, Erin? I want to try and help at the park some, and since Jill will have her hands full watching the twins, I don't want Darien to come along as well."

Nodding, Erin took his plate, and started collecting the rest around the table. As he watched the two woman leave, his mind began racing as he mechanically cleaned the table off. A big black bird suddenly appearing yesterday, and staying on the school's roof. Erin couldn't seem to pass it off like his caretaker had, as he washed the dishes. Could it have been a monster, like that black T-Rex the other day? Or maybe just a big raven that had made its nest on the roof, like most birds.

Finishing the dishes, Erin nodded to himself, as he walked out of the kitchen. Even if it was just a normal bird, he couldn't live with himself if he didn't check. And that meant talking with Darien.

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Evening settled on the small town of Mt. Morris, as the red sunset shown brightly for it's remaining moments. Most people were eating dinner in their homes, enjoying the peaceful night since the incident at the park the other day. While the news had reported what had happened, it had caution people that either of the creatures may still be loose, since neither had been seen since. This resulted in deserted streets during the last couple nights, as people who hadn't seen wondered about what had truly happened.

The dead streets made it easier on the two boys as they walked towards the middle school of the small town. Erin walked about a half a foot behind Darien, who was almost skipping. Having spoken for a couple minutes, for Erin to find out what Darien had seen completely, he had reluctantly agreed to let the younger boy show him where he had seen it himself. It had made the boy's day, to find out someone believed him, although he couldn't seem to understand why the older boy had made him promise not to tell anyone where they were going.

Erin sighed, half listening to the boy go on about how he was going to prove to everyone he wasn't lying. He knew the boy had had trouble with lying before, getting Ms. Klink called to the school more then once for his tall tales. He wasn't sure why he suddenly thought the boy was telling the truth, but after the park incident, he couldn't simply dismiss it.

As they walked across the lawn of the school, Erin began watching the skies through the trees. He hoped he was wrong, and it was simply a innocent bird needing a place to make a nest. As he slide his hand into his pocket, feeling the coin once again radiating the warm sensation, he began to worry that much more.

His fears were released, as a loud screech echoed through the air, followed by a large black bird flying from the top of the school and into the sky. The avian had to easily be the size of a very small plane, flapping it's wings as it circled around the block the school was on.

Erin grabbed Darien, holding his hand over the ten-year-old's mouth, as he heard the muffled attempts to cheer in triumph. Hiding the boy and himself in the shadow of one of the trees, the teen waited until the bird was away for a moment, before he began talking in a softer voice then normal. "Darien, go back home." He heard a muffled protest, as the young boy struggled in Erin's grip, before he held tighter and whispered harshly over the protests. "Darien, I'm serious! That thing is dangerous! You need to go home, and tell Ms. Klink to get a hold of the police or something. I'm gonna stay, to make sure it stays here. Please, do this for me?"

Darien relaxed a little, as he listened, before nodding. As Erin took his hand away, the youth looked into the teen's eyes, smiling softly. "Only because you believed me. I'll hurry, so you don't have all the fun." Before Erin could react, he young boy bolted, taking off at a fast sprint for the orphanage.

Erin frowned to himself, as he stood up, gripping the coin in his hand tightly again. Although Darien was fast, he knew the orphanage was on the other side of the main street, a good ten minutes distance running. Looking at the coin, he watched the soft purple glow, giving an unearthly light to the darkening lawn.

"Coin Fusion." Talking quietly, he felt the coin merge with his body again, giving a soft sigh as he felt the energy beginning to course through him again. Glancing up at the sky again, and then around the area, he cross his arms in an X over his chest, sure no one was around.

"Digital Assimilation!" A surge of power ran through him as the dark light covered his body, before dissipating into the form of the armored version of himself he had turned into before. Taking a moment, he ran his fingers along the metal of the held on his head, a little surprised at the odd feeling it gave. He could feel his hand touching the metal, although as he had learned in the last fight, it was more of a sense of something touching, rather then actually feeling it. His mind simply knew it a part of the armor was being touched.

Shaking off the curious thoughts, he turned his gaze to the sky again. The curiosity was only making him more certain he was no longer human, and that was not what he needed to be worrying about now. Flying into the air, he began his search for the bird once he cleared the treetops.

The roof showed signs of the bird having been there, with parts of it damaged from the creature's obvious strength. Landing on the concrete of the roof, Erin examined one of the ventilation tubes, seeing a thin, but deep dent into it. As he wondered if the monster's wing could have done it, that familiar screech echoed behind, showing he wouldn't need to search anymore.

Turning, he got a better look at his opponent, who was hovering next to the building. His guess at the size had been a little off, although not by much. He thought it may be the size of a large glider, with it's wings flapping at it's sides to keep it afloat. The head reminded him of a raven from a cartoon he had seen, with it's beak long, but thinner then normal. It seemed to be eyeing him in return, as he stood his ground, waiting it out.

"Why are you here?" Erin's eyes widened in shock, as he heard the creature speak. "This is my new home, and intruders aren't welcome!"

Erin took a moment, before he let his arms lower slightly. "New home?" the duel voices spoke, still a bit surprised. "This is a school. Who are you?"

The bird eyed him a moment, before perching itself on the ledge of the roof. "I am Sabirdramon. And I care not what these humans think this place is. This place is mine now, and I will not let anyone else take it from me!" Giving a defiant flap of his wings Erin, Sabirdramon stared at him closely.

'Sabirdramon? Weird name….' Erin thought, as he braced his feet to avoid being pushed back by the wind made by the wings. "Why are you here then? Everyone will think you're a monster if you stay, and they won't leave you in peace."

The large bird laughed, the tone giving an uneasy shiver up Erin's spine. "Peace? I said, I don't care what these stupid humans think! I can destroy them at my leisure, and should they try to disobey me, I'll do so. This is where I shall rule!"

Erin listened to the grand standing, as he frowned slightly. "I can't let you do that." Although it was intelligent, it also seemed to have quite the ego trip. "This city is my home, and I won't let you hurt the people here." Pointing one of his claws at the bird, he stared back. "Leave now. I don't want to hurt you."

Sabirdramon laughed again, although darker then before. "You? You smell of human and digimon both. Perhaps you're the bastard child of a digidestined and their partner? No matter, I'll destroy you, regardless!" Taking to the air, the midnight bird began circling the building, like a vulture.

Erin leapt, floating in the air as he watching the circling monster. "I don't know what the hell your talking about, but it ends here!" Moving quickly, he put himself in the bird's path, before lunging forward with his claws.

"Mach Shadow!" Erin blinked, watching at the bird suddenly blurred towards him, feeling one of it's wings cutting his arm between the armor pieces as he narrowly dodged. Turning his head, he saw Sabirdramon floating above him, almost sneering. "Is that the best you can do? If normal Digidestined are as easy as you, I'll rule in no time! Black Saber!"

Erin pushed himself backward in the air, crashing into the side of the school, as he felt the blast of black energy firing from Sabirdramon's mouth towards him. As he looked back to the bird, he cursed softly, finding his opponent gone.

Floating upwards, Erin kept looking around himself, very aware the monster had not left. His mind was racing again, as it played over what Sabirdramon had told him, before the battle had begun. 'Digimon? What's a digimon, or a digidestined for that matter? But he said I smelled like a human and…' Erin narrowly dodged as his thought was interrupted from another blast of energy from above.

Looking towards the source, Erin barely saw the large bird before he heard it yell, "Mach Shadow!", again, dodging with nick on the side of his chest armor this time. Trying to follow Sabirdramon's movements with his eyes, he watched the black blur turn and come back, catching his shoulder piece and sending him spinning.

Erin growled as he steadied himself, finding his opponent gone again. 'He's too fast! I can barely dodge, let alone hit him.' Erin blinked, as a sudden realization caused him to grin slightly. 'Then I won't dodge….'

Erin floated in the night air, keeping his arms wide at his sides as he waited for his opponent to attack. The noise of the rush of air was his only warning, as he saw the blurred monster flying at him, dead on target. Shifting his body slightly, Erin took the hit dead on, groaning a little as his chest felt the impact. Before Sabirdramon could pull back, two clawed arms grabbed underneath it's wings, as Erin held the bird's head under his arm, using his strength to hold him there.

"Release me! You'll regret defying my master!" The bird struggled, unable to break the assimilated fighter's grip.

Erin grinned again. "Regret it? Actually, I'm enjoying it." Pulling Sabirdramon with him, Erin fell backwards into a free fall, crashing himself into the concrete of the playground behind the school, with the bird's head striking first.

Releasing the stunned creature, Erin floated quickly flew a foot above, watching it struggle to clear it's head of the pain. "You're days where numbered the minute you threatened my home. You should have left when I offered it." Floating back another couple feet, Erin held his hands in front of him, collecting a ball of energy between them, before bringing his arms above his head, while enlarging the ball immensely. "Terra Destroyer!" He threw the large ball of energy, watching it crash into the stunned bird and exploding.

Erin waited, watching as the smoke and black flecks dissipated to reveal a small crater, formed from the killing attack. Looking around to make sure no one else was around, Erin heading back for home, using the clouds in the sky for cover.

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Erin stood outside the orphanage, touching the cut under her shirtsleeve, as he watched the building nervously. He wasn't sure what Ms. Klink would say, when he walked in, after what he told Darien to say. Taking a deep breath, her gripped his coin in his hand, having figured out how to defuse himself from it, and slowly walked in the door.

The sight he saw when he entered was not what he expected. All the children were still up, as Darien went on, telling about the battle Erin had just fought in. As Erin walked into the living room doorway, everyone's eyes went to him, with a variety of expressions. Ms. Klink was frowning slightly, while the twins were giggling and huddled together on the couch. Jill had a worried expression, and Brian, who was sitting on the floor, simply smirked at him.

"What?" Erin asked, hoping the second transformation hadn't left some sort of sign of what was happening to him.

Brian stood up, and walked up to Erin, patting him on his shoulder. "Oh nothing, Darien was just telling us what a wimp you are." Pushing Erin out of the way, the jock walked past him, heading upstairs.

Erin blinked, before looking back to the rest of the group, then focusing on Darien. The little boy squirmed a little, before he began speaking. "Well… I started to come home… but I thought you might be in trouble by yourself, and came back. When I got there though, you were gone, and I watched the big bird fight with this cool looking dragon guy in armor! Did you see it Erin? Did ya?! Tell them it's true, come on!"

Erin grinned sheepishly, as he took the boy's shoulder in his hand. "Ms. K, I'm gonna put Darien to bed, alright?" As the sharp nod, the teen rushed his younger friend out of the room and upstairs, not wanting to deal with his caretaker just yet. As they walked into Darien's room, Erin listened at the door, to make sure no one had followed them up.

"Erin, why didn't you tell them?! If you say you saw it, they'd believe you!" Darien whined at the elder as he flopped onto his bed, pouting once again with his arms across his chest.

Laughing softly, Erin looked at the pouting boy, shaking his head. "Darien, they would probably say I'm just making it up too, right now." Walking over as the young boy shook his head in disagreement, Erin took a seat next to him. "Hey, we know what you saw, right? Honestly… I didn't see the bird fighting anything. I went to try and find help, and when I came back, it was gone." Erin hated lying, even if it was only a half-truth, as long as he worded it right. But he knew he couldn't tell the boy the truth.

Darien looked at him in shock, before lowering his head. "But they all think I'm making it up…"

Erin patted his shoulder softly. "That's only because they feel you've lied to them before. Look, just don't worry about the bird, and just be yourself for awhile, instead of finding things to impress people with, ya know? Maybe they'll start believing you again."

Darien gave a small nod, before he looked up at the older teen. "But the bird was there, right? I didn't make that up."

Erin smiled softly and nodded. "Yea. It was there. I'll bring it up with Ms. K, but you leave it alone, alright?" As the boy nodded, Erin stood up again, walking for the door. "Now get ready for bed. It's way past your bedtime, and I need to talk to Ms. K now." Shutting the door behind him, he could hear the boy getting dressed into his pajamas, talking to himself about what happened.

Erin watched the door for a minute, before he began slowly walking for the staircase again. His mind was raising faster then ever now. "What is a digimon then? Was Sabirdramon one? And who was his master? Damn it, I wish Selene were here…" Erin sighed, as he walked down the stairs, pushing the curious questions in his mind aside, as he readied himself for the yelling he was about to receive.

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A/N ~ chapter 3, done in record time! ^_^ Wow, I'm all proud of myself. I hope the fight scene turned out alright, I thought this one looked better then last chapter. But with the burning questions racing through his head, is Erin ready to face another digimon so soon? and how will he react when he meets his first digidestined? Find out, in the next exciting chapter of Dark Dairies!