Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Diminished Light: Void's Assault ❯ Daydreams and Nightmares ( Chapter 6 )

Diminished Light: Void's Assault

Chapter 6

Daydreams and Nightmares

By

Sailor Janus

 

 

The small apartment Yamato and Sora shared was rather quaint, with a living room, tiny dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and a bedroom. All of which was painted in soft cream tones with calm landscapes framed on the walls. Hikari chewed on her lip as she sat on the sofa next to Daisuke while he and Yamato chatted about music. Sora was in the kitchen making coffee.

 

Yamato addressed young woman with a nod. “I'm glad to see you again, Hikari. You have grown so much and have become quite a lovely woman.”

 

She flushed at the compliment and bowed her head. “Thank you.” It was still a bit difficult trying to get used to the friendly couple that insisted they have known her and her brother since they were children. Daisuke had shown her their photos in his wallet and suddenly tales of Yamato and Taichi's rocky friendship became the topic of discussion.

 

Hikari tried to pay attention, but the fact that she didn't have any memories of any of the events made things a bit difficult and equally confusing. She didn't really know what to say, so she just listened and nodded at the appropriate times.

 

Sora entered the room a moment later with a tray of four cups of steaming coffee, sugar and cream. She handed the younger woman a cup then gave one to Daisuke and her boyfriend before taking the last one for herself and setting the tray down on the coffee table. “How has college been, Hikari? Still studying to be a teacher?” She flipped a strand of red and blonde streaked hair off her shoulder as she took a seat next to Yamato.

 

“It's been good.” The unsure young woman looked down in her cup and debated what she wanted to add to it.

 

Daisuke's brow twitched a bit as if he was about to say something but had thought better of it. Instead he added several spoonfuls of sugar to his coffee.

 

The blonde raised an eyebrow at him and chuckled a bit. “Would you like some coffee with that sugar, Daisuke?”

 

Sora giggled as well and lightly slapped Yamato's arm. “Stop it. Just because you can drink it straight doesn't mean that everyone should.”

 

“I didn't say everyone should drink it black. I was only teasing Daisuke on the mountain of sugar that is dissolving in his cup.”

 

“Hey, to each their own, man,” the soccer star snickered. “I just prefer not to drink something that could bite me back.”

 

The Chosen of Love added some cream and a teaspoon of sugar to her cup and laughed. “I have never heard that term used before.”

 

“Then you have never had my sister's coffee.” Yamato started sputtering at the mentioning of Jun. Daisuke gave the older Chosen Child a sympathetic look. “Uh, sorry. I guess I shouldn't have mentioned my crazy sister while you were drinking.”

 

The blonde coughed a bit and took a deep breath. “It's okay. Just be more careful next time.”

 

“How is Jun anyway?” The twenty-four year old woman stirred her cup with thought.

 

Daisuke shrugged. “Last I heard, she was in school for nursing after changing majors from business to psychology. She can't seem to make up her mind.”

 

The blonde gave his girlfriend a look then stood up. “Daisuke, I think we should attend to our business now.”

 

“Right.” The brunette haired man hesitated as he rose to his feet. “Um, which should we do first?”

 

“Probably get the supplies. That way they will be taken care of in case anything unexpected happens.”

 

Daisuke raised an eyebrow at that but finished off his coffee and turned to the Bearer of Light as he set the cup down on the table. He gave her a sincere smile and said as soothingly as if he were talking to a child, “I need to run a few errands with Yamato. Think you'll be okay, Hikari?”

 

She glanced briefly at Sora and nodded. “I think so. I mean, no one knows where I am, right? And you all insist that you have been my friends for years, so I should be okay, right?”

 

“Yeah, Sora will stay here with you and she can contact me on my cell phone if anything were to happen,” the Chosen of Friendship said reassuringly. “We'll be back soon.”

 

The younger leader paused briefly as he looked at the brown haired girl and after a moment gave a nod, “Yeah, we'll be back before you know it. In the meantime, you can talk to Sora. I'm sure there's some girly stuff you two can discuss.”

 

The redhead threw him a glare. “Hey! Mimi is the girly one. Not me.”

 

“Sorry, Sora. I was just joking. Lighten up.” Daisuke chuckled as he and Yamato left the apartment leaving the two girls alone.

 

Hikari looked into her barely touched cup of coffee but said not a word. She was still greatly confused and her head was bothering her badly. She didn't really know what to do but wait. For what? She wasn't sure. At least it's harder for Nitoni to find me now. She shuddered with the thought of her ex and deep down hoped to never have to see his face ever again.

 

She was unaware that she had blanked out until she felt the sensation of someone's warm hand on her shoulder. The younger woman glanced up and realized that Sora was now sitting beside her.

 

“Hey, what's up? I haven't seen such a long face on you for years.”

 

The Chosen of Light fingered a strand of hair nervously. “I- N-nothing. I'm fine. Just thinking. That's all.”

 

Sora made a face and removed her hand from the young woman's shoulder. She looked out into the distance and nodded. “I see.” She laughed lightly and Hikari turned toward her with an inquisitive expression on her face. “You never did share how you really felt. Even as a little girl. I remember the day that you fell ill. Everyone was so scared. Especially your brother. He blamed himself for it. But you always put a strong, fearless face forward as if nothing else mattered except the task at hand.”

 

Hikari dropped her gaze to her lap. “I don't remember.”

 

“I bet that's pretty rough. Not remembering things and all.”

 

“Yeah. It's really confusing and frustrating. I keep having all these strange visions and dreams, some of them nice and others, horrifying. It's getting to the point where I don't want to sleep anymore.”

 

Sora frowned at her confession and stood up. “I'm going to go get some crumb cake. Yamato is addicted to the stuff so you have got to try it.”

 

“I'm not really hungry, but thank you.”

 

The older woman however would hear none of it. “You are still going to have to take at least one bite. I'm having a small piece anyway since I'm on a diet.”

 

Hikari looked at Sora as she retreated into the kitchen. “You look fine. You don't need to diet.”

 

“Try telling that to my bathroom scale.” A few minutes later, the redhead returned with two small plates with a sliver of cake each. “Moderation is the key to success.”

 

The brunette accepted the dish and looked down at it. The cake looked really moist and smelled of sugar and spices. She could feel herself salivating over the dessert. Hikari shifted uncomfortable in her seat and glanced up at Sora who gestured for her to try it. It would be rude to say no, so I guess I have no choice. She picked up the fork and broke off a tiny piece then took a bite. Her brown eyes widened at the incredibly sweet flavor that filled her mouth.

 

“Good, isn't it?” Sora took a small bite as well.

 

Hikari nodded and soon realized that she had finished off her plate. She washed it down with her coffee and set the plate on the table. “I didn't think that I'd actually finish it.”

 

“Now you see why I gave you such a small piece. It's easy to eat too much of it because you enjoy it so much.”

 

“Yes, it is. Now I feel like such a glutton.” She glanced down at her hands and fell silent.

 

“It's okay to indulge once in a while. Just as long as it's not more often than not.”

 

The Child of Light stared at the plate and felt tears well up in her eyes. Nitoni used to make cakes and other foods. Especially for the holidays and birthdays. She could recall a particularly rich cheesecake that could make a five star restaurant die of envy. Unconsciously, she touched her bandaged arm. She was thankful to have had a change of clothes in her bag that way she didn't have to wear her destroyed and dirty clothing, but she still knew what had happened to her. The memory replayed in her head several more times until she slid off the sofa, clutching her head and began sobbing uncontrollably as Sora watched in terror.

 

*~*~*~*

 

The florescent lighting of the store did nothing to lift Daisuke's mood as he trailed after Yamato on the quest to find the necessary items for a trip to the Digital World. Luckily there was a large store nearby that had pretty much everything so they didn't have to wander across town.

 

“Daisuke, you're being rather quiet,” his blonde companion said, pushing a shopping cart down an aisle filled with camping goods.

 

The brunette blinked and scratched the back of his head in a nervous gesture. “Sorry, I was playing with some strategies in my head for the next soccer game.”

 

“Uh huh.” Yamato snatched a few small flashlights off a rack and dropped them in the cart. He paused a moment as if considering what to say next. “I don't think I have ever seen Hikari that depressed before.”

 

Daisuke raised an eyebrow at his friend's abrupt statement and contemplated whether or not he was making a hidden reference to himself. “So you noticed it too.”

 

“That boyfriend must have done a number on her. She's very much withdrawn even for someone without their memories.”

 

“She cries a lot too,” the soccer player softly said. Yamato looked at his down turned face and gripped the shopping cart.

 

“Don't blame yourself. I know how you can be, Daisuke and beating yourself up over something you couldn't prevent is not going to help either of you. You have to be strong.” The musician drew a breath and tossed a sleeping bag, three first aid kits, and a box of matches in the cart. “I know it's got to hurt something awful but if you fall apart, so will Hikari. You just have to believe that you can help her.”

 

The Bearer of Miracles dropped his gaze to the floor. “What good will that do? I can't do a damn thing to help her. Instead I have to sit there and watch her die a bit each time.” He scowled at the shiny tiled floor as if it was its fault that everything was such a mess. “Yeah, she sometimes has her moments where she seems like the old Hikari. But it's short lived and comes as goes as fast as a flash of lightening.” At that moment he wanted something to punch; anything to prevent the downpour of tears that wished to fall.

 

Yamato studied his glum friend and patted him on the back. “You can get through this. Both of you. Remember five years ago-”

 

“I DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER!” Daisuke was breathing heavily, his brown eyes were wild and wet, as the tears finally won the battle. His face had a reddish tone and he balled his hands into fists, pressing them against his face. He didn't care if the whole store heard him. If he got thrown out, so be it. He didn't live near there anyway.

 

 

 

The Chosen of Friendship stood flabbergasted as he stared in shock at the upset young man. He could still remember when the Bearer of Miracles was a bouncing ball of energy with a smile consistently plastered to his face. Seeing him this destroyed was surreal and even horrifying. “Daisuke…”

 

“Just, leave me alone, Yamato. Just…. leave me alone.” The leader of the second group of Chosen Children collapsed to his knees as if his will to continue had just died.

 

“Shit.” Yamato couldn't remove his blue eyes from the soccer player when suddenly his cell phone went off. The blonde snapped out of his stunned stupor and quickly retrieved the phone. He was relieved to see on his caller ID that it was his girlfriend. “Sora! Am I glad to hear from you! We have a problem-”

 

“Hikari has completely lost it.” The Chosen of Love jumped in complete panic. “She says she's afraid to sleep, has been crying for the past fifteen minutes and hasn't stopped. I just don't know what to do-”

 

“What?” Yamato interrupted. “Double shit. Daisuke is a complete basket case at the moment. I think things are a lot worse than we could have ever anticipated. He doesn't even want to remember the past. It seems like he's trying to shut things out.”

 

“That's horrible. So what are we going to do?”

 

The blonde haired man paused for a moment. “We need to contact the others immediately. Email, call, do whatever you can. They can all bunk at our place for all I care, we just need to do something fast.” He looked down at Daisuke who seemed to be calming down a bit. It was highly evident that the guy was emotionally drained and considering the state that Hikari was in, who wouldn't be in his situation? “Contact Taichi first, he might be able to help his sister. The last thing I want is for either of those two to get any worse.”

 

“Yes, losing either of them would be an absolute tragedy.” Sora paused for a moment then added, “Okay, I'll go call everyone. Will you be home soon?”

 

“As soon as I scrape up what's left of Daisuke,” he bitterly said. The couple said a quick goodbye before setting off on their tasks. Yamato drifted his gaze over to the Chosen Child on the floor and shook his head. He could still remember the countless times he had lost it in the Digital World over Takeru. He twitched a bit, recalling his brother then pushed the anger away. Daisuke was more important at the moment.

 

He knelt over the young man and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. “Hey, Daisuke. It's okay. I know you are having a rough time with Hikari and all, but we need to go back now. Sora just called and she needs us.”

 

The soccer player lifted his head. Fearful, wide, red-rimmed eyes looked up at the musician through a pale face. “What happened?”

 

“Sora says Hikari has been crying nonstop. She doesn't know what triggered it, or what to do. So she's going to get in contact with the others and see if we can figure out what to do for her.”

 

“I guess you two are really worried about Hikari to be rounding up the troops.”

 

Yamato nodded. “Hikari is not the only one we're worried about.”

 

Daisuke sighed as if he knew what Yamato was trying to discretely say and wiped his face off. “So I guess we should pay for this stuff then help Hikari. Right. Well, we better get moving then.” He gathered himself off the floor with a look of pure determination on his face.

 

The blonde shook his head at the other man. As long as he knew Daisuke, he had seen many sides to the protégé of his best friend. This particular one reminded him very much of the true leader of the second group of Chosen Children who had defeated BelialVamdemon many years back. Hopefully, this side would remain the strongest until they figured out what to do about Hikari.

 

*~*~*~*

 

Sora gripped the cordless phone in her hand as she gazed down at the sobbing young woman. If she didn't stop soon, she would more than likely make herself sick. The older woman wanted to try to comfort her, but didn't know how. At that moment she knew first hand what Daisuke had been going through and honestly couldn't blame him for breaking down like he did. She had a feeling that there was more to it than that, but it was still a large chunk. Come on, Taichi. Pick up, damn it.

 

At that moment the sound of the door being unlocked drew her attention from the phone as an anxious Daisuke swept into the room, kicked his shoes off, and approached the fearful Hikari. Sora glanced up helplessly as her boyfriend closed the door behind him, juggling several bags at a time.

 

“Hello? Hello, anyone there?”

 

The young woman blinked and nearly dropped the phone as a confused voice spoke from the other line. “Taichi? Is that you?”

 

“Yeah, it's me. Who's this?”

 

She breathed a sigh of relief. “It's Sora. Listen, I don't have much time to explain but can you get over here. We're at the apartment and your presence would be greatly appreciated.”

 

“What's going on over there? Is something wrong? I can hear crying in the background.”

 

Sora bit her lip, trying to think of a way to explain things to the leader without giving him a heart attack. “To put things simply, Daisuke found Hikari and she's over here.”

 

Silence flooded the other line for a moment. “You're joking, right?”

 

Yamato snatched the phone from his girlfriend's hand. “It's no joke, man. Hikari is here and she's a bit upset. Daisuke has been trying to take care of her, but….” The Chosen of Friendship sighed deeply. “You're going to have to come here to see for yourself. Bring your Digital World gear. We have a feeling we'll being visiting there very soon.”

 

“Okay. I'm on my way.”

 

The phone suddenly went dead and Yamato hung it up. “Maybe I should have tried to put it a little more delicately. He's probably going to run red lights and drive as though his hair was on fire.”

 

Sora plucked the phone from his grasp. “I'll call Ken and Miyako next since she was pretty close to them, not to mention, poor Daisuke could use a friend that actually understood him at the moment.”

 

The blonde drifted his gaze over to the young man who was kneeling next to Hikari as she continued to cry herself nearly to the point of exhaustion. He was holding a stuffed white cat in his hands and talking softly to her. “Both of them look like they're barely holding on by a thread. I have a strong suspicion that Daisuke hasn't been sleeping and seems to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. This is very bad. Just what the hell happened?”

 

“I wish I knew.”

 

Yamato sighed and began dialing Koushiro's number.

 

*~*~*~*

 

Daisuke looked at Hikari with a worried expression on his face. She looked paler than when he had left her almost an hour ago. He didn't know what to do and honestly admitted that he was afraid. He felt like she was wilting away like a flower and no matter what he tried, she wouldn't respond. It was as though she was slowly dying and there wasn't a single way to reverse the process. Her puffy eyes had dark rings under them, giving her a corpse-like appearance. He was even terrified at the prospect of feeling ice cold skin if he tried to touch her. Instead he stayed by her side, rocking back and forth slightly on the balls of his feet as if preparing to spring at some offensive entity any moment.

 

“It's okay, Hikari.” He choked on his words, suddenly feeling very ill himself. He wanted to comfort her, but doubted that she'd actually let him. He'd have to content to the distance she allowed between them. “No one is going to hurt you. I promise. No one else knows where you are and you're among friends. You don't have to be scared. It's okay.”

 

The young woman however didn't respond and continued crying. Her whole body shook as she sobbed on. Her knees were pressed to her chest, concealing her face as she hugged them tightly. Small drops of blood trickled from her clenched fists as she ground her nails into the palms of her hands.

 

The Chosen of Miracles winced at the blood falling from her hands. Whatever triggered it did a good job. He quickly grabbed her hands, not caring about the consequences so long as she stopped trying to hurt herself.

 

“LET GO!” Hikari struggled to release her hands from his grasp and met him with a slap across his face, smearing her own blood on Daisuke's skin in the process. “Leave me, alone. Please. Just leave me alone,” she said through heart wrenching sobs. A brief second later she stumbled to her feet and raced for the balcony.

 

“HIKARI!” Yamato and Sora watched dumbfounded as the young woman streaked across the living room and threw the door open then stepped outside.

 

The brown haired Child of Light only had a brief moment to lean over the railing before a pair of strong arms encircled her small frame, holding her tight. “Hikari, stop. Don't do it. Please don't.”

 

She was about to retaliate when something warm and wet hit the back of her neck. It was only then that she realized that the young man that had been trying to help her ever since day one of her life being turned upside down was crying. Something in her shattered and her knees went completely numb. More than anything she did not know what to do and barely noticed that he had fallen to his knees hugging her tight as if she was all that mattered in the world and this action confused her.

 

“Daisuke, are you okay?” Sora stepped out onto the porch crouched down next to the Bearer of Miracles who looked like he was continuing his emotional breakdown.

 

Yamato walked to the door and shook his head. “We should get them inside before-” Suddenly a loud rapping at the door interrupted him mid-sentence. “Damn it, Taichi is here.”

 

“Well, go let him in. There is nothing we can do right now. Maybe he can snap her out of it.”

 

The blonde nodded begrudgingly and went back into the living room then unlocked the front door only to reveal a rather frantic and panic-stricken Yagami Taichi. His hair was a bit shorter than he remembered, slightly slicked back. He was dressed in a pale blue dress shirt and black slacks, looking rather professional despite the fact that his necktie was half undone as was the shirt. It was still odd to see the twenty-four year old leader dressed in such a fashion.

 

“Where is she? Where is my sister?” Taichi looked expectantly at Yamato who stepped aside to allow his best friend inside.

 

“The balcony with Daisuke. Neither of them are in too good of a shape at the moment.”

 

The older Chosen leader nodded, and headed off in the direction as the blonde trailed after. He said a brief hello to Sora and froze at the sight of his protégé holding his sister.

 

 

Taichi gaped in horror at how sickly they both looked. Hikari's skin had a chalky tone to it. Her once vibrant eyes were now swollen and puffy behind a dull lifeless brown. Even her hair had lost its glow. It was as though she was a lifeless doll that Daisuke was clinging to as if he were drowning. The young man didn't look too much better though. The tan that normally bronzed his skin from countless days of playing soccer seemed faded. Large dark rings hung under his fear filled eyes. Something that Taichi could never recall being written on Daisuke's face. A red blotch that looked like blood was smeared across one red cheek, indicating that perhaps his sister had slapped him at one point. “Oh, man.”

 

The Chosen of Courage at that point found he had no courage. All he could do was stand there and stare. Yamato placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and pushed him a bit in his sister's direction. Taichi could only suck in a breath as he approached the distraught young woman. “Hey, Hikari. Guess who?” He plastered a fake smile on his face in hopes that she would relax at seeing her older brother acting as he always had.

 

She lifted her gaze and frowned in confusion. More tears flooded her eyes and she tried to blink them away. “Taichi? Is that you?”

 

This prompted Daisuke to look up as well. He relaxed his grip on Hikari a bit as if knowing that perhaps things would be okay now. “Taichi,” he said through a strangled voice.

 

“Hey, Daisuke.” Taichi kneeled in front of his little sister who wasn't exactly so little anymore. “I've missed you, Hikari and I am so glad to see you're okay.”

 

She paused for a moment before throwing her arms around her brother and began sobbing in his shirt as she squeezed him tightly. Daisuke pulled his knees to his chest and buried his face in them, rocking back and forth a bit.

 

“It's okay, Hikari. I'm here.” Her older brother rubbed her back soothingly and she cried on. He glanced down at the younger man and wondered if Daisuke was simply trying to pull himself back together. At least for now, everything should be all right.

 

*~*~*~*

Author's Notes: That did not go the way I thought it would. Daisuke was not supposed to have a breakdown and neither was Hikari, but well, the story is writing itself at this point so I really have no control in what's going on. Hopefully it'll stop being so dramatic soon. I didn't really expect this much angst when I started writing it. Well, another Chosen Child will be paying them a visit in the next chapter.

 

Thank you to those of you who have reviewed.