Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Diminished Light: Chosens' Quest ❯ From Bad to Worse ( Chapter 4 )

Diminished Light: Chosens' Quest

Chapter 4

From Bad to Worse

By

Sailor Janus

 

 

Daisuke shielded his eyes with his hand while he and his friends traveled along side Ryverton as the soldiers trailed behind them. He carefully stepped over a large tree root as they headed deeper into the dimly lit forest. He studied the Dralyan captain silently as the man began to speak.

 

“I still cannot fathom how you have journeyed this far without any sort of weapons, crystals, or herbs.” He shook his head and drew a breath. “The most important thing of all however is healant. Without it you cannot heal yourself if you were to be injured in an attack.”

 

“And where do we find healant?” Takeru scratched his head as he tried to comprehend exactly what the man was talking about.

 

Hikari opened her mouth to reply but thought better of it as she stepped toward Daisuke and grabbed his arm.

 

“What's up?” He blinked in confusion as she cocked her head at him in concern.

 

“Why have …” She shook her head and pushed back a strand of hair from her face. “Never mind. Doesn't this seem a bit familiar?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

She glanced at the other knights and whispered in his ear. “R. P. G.”

 

Daisuke's eyes widened as he stumbled backwards. Hikari caught his hands and pulled him forward. “But…” He turned his head towards Ryverton who continued walking unaware of the pair and shook his head. “I- It… It's different.”

 

“I'm not saying that this is an actual RPG but there are similarities.” She bit her lip and picked up her pace, dragging her boyfriend behind her. “We'll discuss this further later. I have some suspicions now given previous experiences we have had.”

 

“Right.”

 

Takeru frowned at the couple as they walked past him and sped up nonchalantly as Catherine glanced at him in concern. He took her hand and squeezed it in reassurance. He nodded at Daisuke as he met the leader's brown eyes with his own blue ones. “What's going on?”

“Nothing to worry,” the brunette quickly answered.

 

“Right.” Takeru gripped the boy's shoulder and glared as his lips curled in disgust.

 

Hikari's eyes darted from the soldiers and back to the blonde. “Takeru,” she hissed, removing his hand from her boyfriend's shoulder. She closed her eyes as she drew a breath. “It's not anything to be concerned about and we'll explain it later.”

 

“I don't appreciate you two keeping secrets from the rest of us.”

 

“This isn't the time or the place-”

 

“Damn it, Hikari! There you go again!”

 

“Takeru!” Catherine grabbed his wrist in protest. “Stop it.”

 

Takeru snorted as he folded his arms over his chest and sneered. “Oh wait, I don't have anything to worry about because there isn't another guy making any moves on my girl, eh Daisuke?”

 

“Takeru! Enough is enough!” Jyou stepped between the two and shoved them away from each other. He paused and stared in astonishment at Daisuke as the teenager stood with a blank expression on his face. He peered up at the leader and scowled. “Are you okay, Daisuke? You've seemed kind of out of it lately.”

 

“Fine,” he mumbled, as he backed away from the group. He snapped his head to the left as something moved out of the corner of his eye.

 

Ryverton too came to a halt as he peered around and thrust his hand up, signaling for his men to stop. Silently he unsheathed his sword and held it defensively. “Stay alert. We're not alone.”

 

Daisuke moved protectively in front of Hikari, holding one of her wrists tightly as his face hardened with tension.

 

“I don't like this,” Catherine murmured as she held onto Takeru's hand. “Can we please go someplace safe?”

 

“Shhh,” the blonde hushed the French girl as he pulled her closer.

 

“What are we going to do?” Jyou hissed as he threw his hands up in the air. “We can't fight whatever it is that tries to attack us. We don't have any weapons or knowledge of how to use them. We're useless!”

 

“Shut up, Jyou.”

 

A roar screamed through the air as a thin gray human-like creature with fangs protruding from its pointed mouth leaped through a cluster of branches from a tree. It rose to its full height and snarled, spreading out talon-like clawed fingers as five more landed behind it, armed with swords, axes, and spears.

 

One of the Dralyans gasped in horror and pointed to one of the fur clad creatures. “He has Vlandyz's sword!” The man clutched onto his own sword as he gritted his teeth in rage. “You monster!”

 

“They must have defeated Jenur and his men,” another knight soberly remarked. “Tis a sad day. His lovely Trylia will be expecting his heir any day now.”

 

Ryverton readied his sword as he lifted his head. “They will not have died in vain. We shall avenge them! Attack!”

 

“Um… what about us?” Jyou's question remained unanswered as the Dralytes charged into battle.” The med student paled as he shrank back towards the other Chosen. “What are we going to do? If we stay we may end up dead.”

 

“We can't just leave them,” Hikari protested.

 

“We can't fight!” He grimaced as one of the soldiers was run through as another beheaded one of the strange creatures. “We don't even know what we're up against but I know one thing for sure, they aren't digimon.”

 

“There has to be something we can do.”

 

Catherine shook her head as she whimpered in fear. “I don't know about this. We are against some pretty heavy odds being as defenseless as we are.”

 

“I have to agree. Things don't look too good,” Takeru sighed in dismay.

 

“But-” Hikari began.

 

Jyou grabbed her by the arms and shook her. “Wake up and smell the death. We are helpless here and may end up killed ourselves. “We can't fight in this one.”

 

Daisuke stared at the battlefield as the soldiers fought against the creatures. His head suddenly began to spin as blood of red and black flew through the air, painting the ground, trees, bushes, man, and creature alike. Pain and fury filled cries echoed in his ears and the sickeningly sweet scent of blood assaulted his senses. He watched in terror as Ryverton was tackled to the ground by one of the creatures. His blood suddenly ran cold as everything around him seemed to suddenly stop.

 

 

*~*~*~*

 

Yamato coughed as he squinted through blurred vision. He lifted his head and winced as salty water dripped down into his eyes from his drenched golden locks. Groaning he shoved his hair from his face and coughed a few times. “What the hell happened?” He coughed again as his lungs struggled to remove the last of the salt water.

 

“I hate the beach.”

 

“Miyako?” He jerked his eyes open again and rose to his hands and feet to find the girl lying face down and grumbling to herself.

 

She swept her long lavender ponytail from her shoulder as she sat back on her knees. Wrinkling her nose in disgust she rung out the bottom of her shirt and sighed. “I just can't seem to stay dry lately.”

 

Yamato chuckled at her then frowned as his gaze swept over the large sand colored walls surrounding them. He climbed to his feet and brushed his fingertips against the surface. “It is sand.”

 

“How the hell did we get here and where are the others?” Miyako stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. “The last thing I remember is that humungous wave crashing down on us. Did we die or something?”

 

“I don't think we're dead.” The musician ran his hands over the opposite wall. “I think we may be in some sort of holding cell or something though.”

 

“Well this is just perfect. Instead of finding the digimon we got ourselves free room and board in a stupid jail cell!”

 

“Calm down, Miyako. We'll find someway out of here. We just need some time to think.”

 

The girl crossing her arms, leaned back against the wall, and sighed again. “I just feel really stupid right now. We don't even know who captured us.”

 

Yamato slapped a hand to his face. “If Taichi finds out that I lost Tani he'll kill me. Damn it. I made a promise and here I am, in a cell with no clue concerning her whereabouts.”

 

Miyako rolled her eyes. “I doubt that. Tani from what I can see and have heard can take care of herself. You guys need to have a little more faith in the fact that we girls are strong and don't need some big strong man to jump in and save the day.”

 

“I know that. It's just… it was a promise and we don't really know what we may come across next.”

 

Suddenly the wall behind Miyako shifted and fell open causing the girl to fall backwards and into two men garbed in bronze armor. They grabbed her arms before she had a chance to react and hauled her to her feet.

 

“Hey! Let go of me and tell me what you did with my boyfriend!” She thrashed against their grip but found it was unyielding as another paired rushed towards Yamato who gave them no resistance as they slapped a pair of shackles on his wrists. She flinched as the hard metal was slammed against her own wrists and bucked against the guards as they dragged her and her companion away.

 

*~*~*~*

 

Tani stared at the D-Quad clutched tightly in her hand. The breeze toyed with the loose strands of hair that fell in her face but she made no motion to move them.

 

“It's probably just waterlogged,” Koushiro shrugged as he examined his own digivice. He brushed the sand off his pants and glanced around the vacant desert they were standing in. He frowned as he scratched his head. “What I don't understand is what happened to the water. We should be in an ocean not a desert.”

 

“It is really confusing. I just wish we knew where the others were.”

 

“Yeah, I hate getting separated.” The red head scowled in thought. “Maybe they were lucky and avoided the waves.”

 

The young woman chewed on her lip as she gazed out at the sand as it glinted off the rays of sun like polished topaz. “Something doesn't feel right.”

 

Koushiro drew in a deep breath and placed his digivice back in its pouch. “Well, we're in the middle of nowhere. The only thing we can do is try to find civilization and hope we find the others as well. Maybe we'll be able to find the digimon as well.”

 

“Right. Why didn't I think of that?” Tani rubbed her face with her hands and groaned. “I'm losing it.” She lifted her head and began walking.

 

Koushiro trotted after her. “I wouldn't worry about it. This is a rather stressful situation.”

 

“I feel like I'm in a damn video game.”

 

The red head's complexion took on a greenish appearance at the Chosen leader's words. “Please don't talk about that.”

 

Tani lifted an eyebrow. “What's wrong? I would have thought you might be into video games, especially since you like computers and used to hang out with Taichi.”

 

“Oh I do, just the idea of being in one… bad memories. Let's just say I had to play a game nonstop so no one would get killed and it took almost a year before I could pick up a controller again.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“It's a long story. One that it might be best to have Taichi, Daisuke, Hikari, Mimi, Ken, and Michael present in order to explain all the details.”

 

“I think I'll have to take your word for it.” Tani cracked a grin and clasped her hands behind her back suddenly feeling a little better than she previously was. “I was once convinced that I was an American comic book character.”

 

It was Koushiro's turn to be surprised. He didn't know she was actually familiar with American comics. He actually had Michael to thank for introducing them to him and his other friends. “Really? Which one?”

 

“Shadowcat from X-Men.” Tani blushed at her confession. “It was around the same time that Shina was obsessed with Boom-Boom.”

 

“And was Akina a taken with any of the characters?”

 

“Magma.”

 

“What?”

 

Tani opened her mouth to explain when suddenly the sand beneath their feet gave way and the pair of Chosen found themselves falling.

 

*~*~*~*

 

Ken lifted his head and blinked trying to clear the fogginess in his head. Deciding it was futile he pressed it back against the soft pillow and froze. Wait. Where did the pillow come from? He opened his eyes and sat up to discover that he was sitting on a large four poster bed draped with silky golden fabric. Now I'm really confused. How did I get here and where is everyone else?

 

Just then the large ornately carved wooden doors swung open and a young woman in a modest dress wearing an apron stepped inside. Her hazel eyes gleamed as she smiled at the young man. “Good. You're finally awake. M'lady has been expecting you!”

 

“M'lady?” Ken suddenly felt uncomfortable as the woman gestured for him to follow her. He glanced hesitantly around the room then joined her as she wished, hoping he might be able to find some answers concerning his and the other Chosen's whereabouts.

 

*~*~*~*

 

“Faster!”

 

Mimi held the Otamamon tightly in her arms as she raced through the forest. The autumn leaves crunched sharply under her boots as she darted around a rather large tree. She had to be cautious otherwise she might find herself on the pointed end of a sword. She glanced to her left and saw Rosa running ahead of her. For once she envied the fact that the Mexican girl was wearing flats and she was not.

 

The digimon whimpered in fear. Come on, Mimi. You have to keep their filthy paws off Otamamon if it's the last thing you do! She set her jaw and picked up more speed. “Don't worry. It's going to be okay.”

 

“MIMI!”

 

The young woman's eyes widened as her name was called out. Several knights were quickly approaching. She had to do something or risk being caught. “Rosa!”

 

The Mexican girl frowned as Mimi raced towards her and tossed the digimon to her. “What are you doing? Are you loca?”

 

“Keep Otamamon safe. I'm going to distract them so you two can get away.”

 

“But- What about you? And the others? We all got separated!”

 

“We'll find each other again. I promise.” She gave Rosa a smile. “I have to do this. I'll feel better sacrificing myself than letting them get their hands on Otamamon.”

 

“But Mimi?” Otamamon's eyes flooded with tears. “We wouldn't be able to bear the idea of losing you. Digimon are supposed to protect you. You've saved us so many times.”

 

Mimi smiled gently at gesture and kissed the top of the digimon's head. “Yes, but I'm no longer a little girl. I have to stand up for what I believe in and that is making sure you make it back to the Digital World safely. Be brave. Both of you. And tell Michael if you see him before I do, that I love him.”

 

“Mimi, I can't let you do this! If we can find the others-” Rosa began and shook her head frantically as she grabbed the young woman's sleeve. “Please reconsider. There has to be another way.”

 

“Sorry, but this is just something I have to do. Be safe.”

 

Before Rosa and Otamamon could protest Mimi spun around breaking the girl's grip and bolted towards the soldiers holding her vest to her chest as though hiding something in it. She took one look at the men and screamed at the top of her lungs. “OH NO! We better hurry before they catch us!” She turned to the left and ran as they gave chase.

 

“Estupida.” Rosa tip-toed in the opposite direction then glanced up at a large oak tree. She brushed a strand of hair from her face, set the forlorn Otamamon on her shoulder and began to climb.

 

*~*~*~*

 

“Left. No, Right. Right. Left! Watch out!”

 

“Don't be a backseat driver or whatever, Gekomon while we're trying to escape!” Taichi gritted his teeth as he ducked behind a large tree while the digimon clung to his shirt for dear life.

 

“Don't want to get captured.”

 

“We're not going to be captured. Just stay quiet and try not to cry on my shirt. Blowing you nose on it again is out of the question too,” he whispered as he surveyed their surroundings. So far, so good.

 

“Sorry.”

 

Taichi leaned his head back as he tried to catch his breath. It was a really bad situation but he'd be damned if anyone was going to harm his charge. “This sucks. Gekomon, I want you to stay here and hide. Don't trust anyone except Sora, Mimi, Michael, Rosa or myself to find you.”

 

“What are you going to do?”

 

“I'm going to find the others, regroup and hopefully by then those metal heads will have given up.”

 

Gekomon blinked and looked at the Chosen leader in concern. “But-but what if they capture you?”

 

“It won't happen. I'm the leader. The leader can't be captured otherwise the entire thing just goes to hell.”

 

“But-”

 

Taichi chuckled and set the digimon on a tree branch. “You worry too much, Gekomon. Don't worry. I'll be fine.” He patted the digimon on the head then marched off.

 

“Be careful, Taichi.”

 

*~*~*~*

 

Sora bit her lip as she and Michael hid in the underbrush near a rather steep hill. “Where are they? This was a bad idea. We should have never split up!”

 

“Stay cool,” he replied calmly. “It was our only choice. If we had stayed together then it would have been easier for those dumbasses to track us.”

 

“But aren't you worried about Mimi?”

 

The American flinched. “Yeah, but she can take care of herself too. I just have to trust that.” He cocked his head at her. “Aren't you worried about Yamato and whatever is going on with him?”

 

Sora gave a half smile. “Same thing I guess. I just have to believe that he'll be fine and that's all I can do.”

 

The two Chosen fell silent as the sound of running feet echoed ahead of them. Michael held his breath as Sora squeezed her eyes shut. The footsteps came to a halt just above them.

 

“We've got one!”

 

“Which one?” The footsteps quickly sped away allowing the two hidden Chosen to breathe yet question who had they caught?

 

*~*~*~*

 

Ami glanced at Akina in concern as she was being carried by Iori once again thanks to another fainting spell. She sighed and refocused her gaze to the ice and snow sprinkled throughout the mountain side.

 

Shina elbowed the red head in the ribs. “Hey, don't worry. She'll be fine.”

 

“I know it's just…. I'm scared for her. I'm trying to think of what Tani would do but everything turns to mush in my head and I can't think-”

 

“Calm down.” Shina paused and placed her hands on her little sister's shoulders. “We're doing exactly what Tani would do by trying to find someone who can help.”

 

Ami whimpered. “But I couldn't even contact Tani on the D-Quad. What if something happened to her?”

 

Wallace scowled and ground his hands into fists. The lack of communication with the other groups was not a welcoming sign. If anything else, it was a very distressful one. “We just have to go about this as though it were only the five of us sent here and ignore the fact that we could previously contact the other Chosen. After all even if the D-Quads were working and we could talk to the others, it's not like it'd do any good. We're here and they're not. It's as simple as that. We can only depend on each other.”

 

“Wally does have a good point,” Shina pointed out as the American gritted his teeth at the nickname.

 

“Please, don't call me that!”

 

“Touchy, touchy. Fine, Wallace. Better now, Wallace?”

 

The blonde growled under his breath and stormed away.

 

“Geez! What is his problem? That guy needs to seriously lighten up! I mean you'd think he'd be more easygoing having lived in New York and Colorado.”

 

Iori raised an eyebrow at the violet haired young woman. “How do you know where he's lived?”

 

Shina stiffened then ran a hand through her hair as she chuckled. “Ami told me…”

 

“No, I didn't,” the red head disagreed, earning a glare from her sister.

 

“Shut it.”

 

“But-”

 

Akina sighed. “They partially know what you did in the past, Shina. It's not like its going to be some huge surprise.”

 

Shina rolled her eyes. “Aren't you supposed to be sick?”

 

“I am, but that doesn't mean I become mute and dumb.” She brushed a lock of hair from her eyes then pressed a hand to her forehead. “I'm feeling really warm though.”

 

Ami frowned at her sibling. “How? It's freezing cold here! There's even snow on the ground!”

 

Shina cocked her head at her dark haired sister. “Your color does look a bit off, Kin.” She reached a hand towards her sister's head and touched her forehead then jerked away as she shouted in alarm. “Holy crap, you're burning up!”

 

Wallace spun around, startled by the outburst. “What's wrong?”

 

“She- I- She- Kina- She's has a fever or something. Her forehead is really hot!”

 

Ami glanced worriedly at her elder sister as she began to pace and bite at her hand. The younger of the triplets pressed her hands to her face and started to hyperventilate. “This is bad. This is bad. This is bad. This is bad.”

 

Iori exchanged glances with the American then redirected his gaze towards the three girls before looking at Wallace once again. “I'll have to agree.”

 

“Shit!” Wallace threw up his hands and yelled. “HEY! Now is not the time to fall apart for crying out loud! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELVES DAMNIT!”

 

Ami burst into tears, crouched on the ground and covered her ears. “YOU DON'T HAVE TO YELL AT US!”

 

“Damn it.” He turned and kicked a large rock in frustration. “They are going to be the death of me.”

 

Iori cleared his throat. “Wallace is right though. You have to keep a level head.”

 

Akina gasped in horror as she looked at her hand. “Even if my entire hand is icing over?”

 

“What?” Wallace stalked over to the young woman, grabbed her hand and swore. What had just covered the cut on her hand had spread over her palm stopping short of her fingers. Oddly, the ice was as warm as the flesh of her hand. “I'll say the sooner we find a doc the better off you'll be. Can you flex your hand?”

 

She tried to stretch her fingers out then ball her hand into a fist but the covered skin refused to move from its current position. Akina squeezed her eyes shut as she drew a sharp breath. “What happens if it reaches my fingers or spreads to my arm?”

 

“Let's not think of that. We're going to get you help. I promise.”

 

“What if no one can help me? What if it's permanent?” Akina lowered her head and whispered,” What if I never get to see Koushiro again?”

 

Shina stepped forward and grabbed her sister's other hand. “Don't talk like that, sis. You'll see him and Tani and everyone else again.”

 

“I can honestly say I'm scared, Shina. I don't know if I'm dying or what.” She stared at her iced hand for a moment then looked away. “What if no one knows what is wrong with me?”

 

“We'll find someone. Don't worry.” She walked over to Ami and offered a hand, lifting her trembling sister to her feet.

 

“Sorry. Overemotional sometimes,” the red head apologized meekly as she fingered one of her curls and sniffled. She turned on her heel then jumped back in fright at the sight of a dark cloaked figure standing before them. Shina caught her by the shoulders as Wallace stepped ahead of them threateningly.

 

“Who are you?”

 

*~*~*~*

 

Author's Notes: I will admit that this story is a bit more difficult to write than the previous one. Lately I've been going blindly while writing it which leads to it becoming stuck in certain areas. I'm going to try outlining future chapters… of course that doesn't mean they will actually stay true to the outlines…. Usually I use 50 percent of an outline before it goes in a completely different direction.

 

Interestingly enough bits and pieces of this series will find their way into my co-authored original series. Names and setting will be different of course.

 

I'm still working on my first picture of the series. Mainly need to get used to using the tablet. And find time to play with it too. Any requests of pictures of characters (I know the descriptions aren't nearly as good as an actual picture) feel free to send a request to my email (sailorjanus@hotmail.com) I can't guarantee I can get a picture out quickly, but I will work on creating it. It can be for any character/scene from the first two stories. Keep in mind I'm still getting used to my software but if you want a rough sketch with horrible colored pencil coloring I can provide that too. Unfortunately the cheap colored pencils I have do not do my sketches justice especially when scanned.

 

Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed my newest installment. ^_^