Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Diminished Light: Void's Assault ❯ Iced Over ( Chapter 11 )

Diminished Light: Void's Assault

Chapter 11

Iced Over

By

Sailor Janus

 

 

The hazy sky peeked out through the tall, lanky treetops. Sweat dripped off the faces of the Chosen Children as they wandered through the thick maze of tree trunks and bushes, all of which were oddly void of leaves, or what little they may possess were brown and dead. The appearance of the vast forest reminded them of autumn in New York only it felt more like a scorching hot summer.

 

“It feels like a sauna here,” Sora panted as she bent over a dried out shrub. She frowned at it and turned away. It was evident there was not a stone hidden there.

 

“Gennai did say things are different than we last remember them here. This may be what he meant,” Yamato said peering in a hollowed out tree.

 

“I wish he could have given us a better warning….or cooler clothes,” Taichi grumbled as he kicked through a pile of leaves. “This is getting us no where. It's like looking for a damn needle in a haystack.”

 

Iori sighed as he looked at his elders then glanced towards the Mexican girl who was pouting at a rather brittle tree. “The others may not be having much better luck. This is a really big place.”

 

“I just wish it were cooler out,” Sora groaned rolling up her sleeves. She was thankful her hair was shorter than it formerly was despite having lost three years to her age.

 

“This is absolutely insane. Why must we search for these Power Stones? What are they supposed to do anyway?” Rosa leaned back against a tree and dug through her bag for a water bottle.

 

“Gennai didn't tell us and so more than likely we'll have to find out on our own,” Iori replied.

 

“But it's so hot out and I haven't seen one digimon since we got here.”

 

Yamato made a contemplative face. “That may be the reason why we need to find the Power Stones.”

 

Rosa frowned. “And just what are we supposed to do with them when we find them because I doubt they'll come with an instruction manual.”

 

“Either way, we're going to look for them and my sister. If anything happens to Hikari I swear I'll break every bone in Gennai's body before killing him,” Taichi growled as he stalked towards yet another tree and after a quick scan, kicked it in frustration.

 

“Take it easy, Taichi. Hikari should be fine,” Yamato said calmly.

 

Their leader however spun around, his brown eyes blazing with fury. “And just how the hell do you know that, Yamato? Takeru is safe with Mimi and Koushiro, but no one knows where the hell my little sister is!”

 

“Daisuke is missing too,” Iori reminded them earning a glare of his own.

 

“Daisuke is not sick, Hikari is! You don't even know how fragile she is,” Taichi argued in a vehement rage.

 

The blonde however gave his best friend a look then swung his fist, nailing the Chosen leader's cheek. “Stop it, Taichi! Do you even know how ridiculous you sound? Hikari is a Chosen for crying out loud!”

 

“SHE IS STILL SICK!” He ran at the musician, prepared to slug him in the gut.

 

“WILL YOU TWO KNOCK IT OFF?” Sora stepped between the two with her arms spread out, creating as much space as possible. She scowled at the two twenty-one year old men. “Fighting isn't going to solve anything. Hikari and Daisuke will still be missing and we'll still be stuck here trying to find some stupid stones that we don't even know what they look like or anything.” Her brown eyes glistened with fresh tears and she screamed in frustration. “Stupid. You're all stupid!”

 

“Sora…” Yamato began, his deep voice apologetic.

 

The red head however turned away from both of them. “Just stop. I can't do anything either. I really don't want to be here, but we have to deal. So stop.” She walked sadly towards a tree and sat down, pressing her forehead into her knees. She was sick of playing peacekeeper. It was a title that she had first adopted during their first adventures to the Digital World and seemed to have stuck with her since.

 

Rosa shook her head at the older Chosen Children. “You two are idiots.” She too left them to stare at one another. Iori silently nodded in agreement and trailed after.

 

“Shit.” Taichi cursed to the sky as the guilt seemed to cover him like a thick wool blanket.

 

“Yeah. We aren't starting out too well.” Yamato studied the dirt as if it were the most interesting thing he had ever seen.

 

“Not at all.” The soccer player drew a breath and glanced towards the rest of his group scattered in different parts of the dead forest. “So now what?”

 

“You're the leader, why are you asking me?” The blonde raised an eyebrow at his friend then rolled his blue eyes. “Apologizing is always the best road to take in this type of situation. Then we need to think of a strategy for finding the stones.”

 

Taichi shook his head. “Sometimes I wonder why you aren't the leader instead. It'd make more sense.”

 

“No. You have the Crest of Courage…or at least you did.” He sighed and kicked some dirt. “I have to wonder if we are still worthy of those crests. The fact that we now have clear empty tags isn't very comforting either.”

 

“You mean we may not be Chosen Children anymore?”

 

“No. We just may not have our crests anymore, meaning you wouldn't be the Bearer of Courage and I wouldn't be the Bearer of Friendship. We screwed up too much to be allowed such power.”

 

Taichi looked down in solemn. “Maybe we're the reason why the all the digimon are gone. Man, have we screwed up!”

 

Yamato sighed. “There isn't much else we can do except continue looking.”

 

“Yeah.” The brunette turned his face towards the sky and sighed. “Sometimes, I have to wonder why we are Chosen to begin with.” He shook his head and headed back towards the group.

 

“I'm beginning to wonder the same.” Yamato grimaced slightly and trailed after his friend.

 

*~*~*~*

 

A chilly breeze whipped through Takeru's hair, sending a shiver down his spine. It oddly reminded him of an ice cube being dropped into a bowl of hot soup, and how there would be a momentarily cold spot before the warmth engulfed it leaving the soup a few degrees cooler than it previously was.

 

The mountainside was very rocky with jagged edges and very little grass or vegetation. He couldn't even remember the last time he saw a tree since they started climbing.

 

“Is it just me or is it getting colder?” Catherine wrapped her arms around herself as she bowed her head against another frigid breeze.

 

“It's bound to get cooler since we are headed up and this being a mountain means the elevation is higher and the air will more than likely get thinner,” Koushiro replied in his matter of a fact tone.

 

The French girl looked a bit hurt by his answer. “I only wanted to be certain that I wasn't getting ill. I suppose the question was rather stupid.” She focused her blue eyes on the ground and bit her lip.

 

Takeru sent a glare towards the computer expert deciding that Koushiro could have been a bit nicer about his reply. He glanced briefly at Catherine and debated saying anything before thinking better of it and instead trailed after the others in silence.

 

“I wonder where we're going and why we haven't seen any other forms of life,” Mimi whispered, her eyes wide with worry. “I wish our digimon were with us. Then maybe I'd feel a little safer.”

 

Michael unconsciously grabbed her gloved hand and gave it a squeeze. “We'll be okay. We just need to find the those stones, that's all.”

 

His girlfriend blinked at his gesture and words then dropped her gaze to the rocky soil. “But what if we can't get out of here? I knows we've been in this situation before, but the digimon helped us and now…. they aren't here.” Tears flooded her brown eyes. “I feel like we're being punished. Like we failed or something. We don't even have our crests and our clothes and digivices are gray….like as if everything just died or something.”

 

“You worry too much, Mimi.”

 

“Well, I think I have a good reason to.” She pushed back a strand of hair and sighed. “It would also be nice to know where Hikari and Daisuke were….I know I didn't really say anything to them but…”

 

“They should be okay.” The blonde haired American said reassuringly. “They've both been in the Digital World many times. They're good survivors.”

 

“But Hikari doesn't remember the Digital World!”

 

“Do you really think Daisuke will let anything happen to her?” Takeru jumped into the conversation. “As long as he's with her, she should be okay.”

 

“And what if she's not? Why are all of you acting so damn optimistic? How do we know about anything? Hope? What good will that do us? We're all helpless against anything and everything.” Fresh tears leaked from Mimi's eyes. “Yes, I wanted to help Hikari, but I wasn't expecting this!”

 

The other four Chosen stood in silence as they let their companion's words sink in. The situation was rather desperate and without their digimon, they didn't have that much of a chance in the Digital World. Koushiro slumped to the ground and stared at a gray rock that very much matched his shirt.

 

“This is so frustrating!” Catherine threw her hands in the air then quickly clasped them back together. “I mean, we don't seem to be having much luck right now,” she added meekly.

 

Takeru glanced at the French girl for a moment then sat on a rather large rock. “We can't give up though…even if there doesn't seem to be any hope for us,” he whispered looking rather dejected.

 

“Yeah, well crying about it isn't going to do us much good either.” Michael sighed and smoothed his curly hair from his face. “I'd say we need a plan, but damn it, I don't even know where to begin.”

 

“We're sure going nowhere fast,” Mimi dryly stated.

 

“First class ticket.”

 

“I was about to say coach, but okay,” Koushiro shrugged then stood up. “Since no one has messaged us, I guess the others haven't had much luck either.”

 

“Sure seems that way,” Takeru nodded.

 

Michael scratched his head. “Then I guess the best we can do is keep looking and maybe turn it into a game. Try to be the first group to find one or something.”

 

The writer blinked then smiled at the suggestion. “You know that might actually get us a bit more motivated.” His smiled however saddened as he reflected on one of their missing friends. “Sounds like something Daisuke would really get into…. He'd go completely nuts trying to be the first one to find a Power Stone…. Just so he could say he did it first.”

 

“Daisuke should be fine. He's been in worse situations than most of us yet still comes out of it unscathed,” Koushiro reminded them.

 

“Yeah, I'd just feel better if we knew where he and Hikari were.”

 

“Um, we're not going to be able to do too much if we stand around and talk,” Catherine said softly then bit her lip her. “I mean if we find the Power Stones, we may have a better chance to find out what happened to them.”

 

The American nodded and once again took on the role of the leader. “Well, then I guess we better start hunting. Let's go.”

The others exchanged glances then joined Michael as they trailed through the rocky mountainside in hopes of finding the Power Stones, and perhaps even some answers to the questions burning in the backs of their minds.

 

*~*~*~*~*

 

The calm ocean water washed upon the shore before gracefully drifting back to sea as more waves crashed down. The coarse sand sunk beneath the Chosen's footsteps as they slowly made their way along the beach in the search for the mysterious Power Stones.

 

Ken's gaze was focused on Wallace and Miyako and they walked together, reminiscing about the trip to Colorado that he didn't get to attend. He ground his teeth together as his girlfriend laughed at something the blonde American had said. Rather than say anything he stayed quiet and trailed after the group.

 

“…Then Daisuke went chasing after V-mon and Terriermon and all three of them crashed head-on into a billboard,” Wallace chuckled from the memory.

 

“That sounds like Daisuke,” Miyako giggled. “You made him so jealous when you kissed Hikari on the cheek. He actually thought you were like his best friend…. Then you went and did that.”

 

“Well, I wasn't actually thinking back then. It just happened… Nowadays, if I pulled something like that off, I'd get slugged,” he shrugged.

 

The teenaged girl blushed slightly. “Well, you took both of us by surprise.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

“No!” Miyako twisted her fingers together. “I mean, it was so unexpected. No one really reacted like that before…. It was actually really rather daring. I mean for all you knew, I could have kicked your ass into next Thursday.”

 

“Oh, okay.”

 

Ken glared at the two and kicked at a shell.

 

“If I knew we were going to be at the beach, I would have worn better shoes….that is if I were actually able to choose my own clothing,” Jyou grumbled a few paces in front of the former Digimon Kaiser.

 

“Yeah, well, we couldn't, now could we,” Ken stated bitterly.

 

The tall young man frowned. “What's eating you?”

 

“Nothing.” Ken quickened his pace and brushed past the others heatedly. He shoved his hands in his pockets and glared down at his shoes. Why does she show so much interest in Wallace? He's just a guy. Nothing special, just a guy…maybe I'm just a guy and he's the one that is special since she's laughing and talking so happily with him. Damn them both.

 

“Ken?” Miyako called out to her boyfriend in wonder. “Are you okay?”

 

“I'm fine! Just, leave me alone.” He sped up his pace a bit more and continued to brood.

 

The other three Chosen watched him with concern as he stormed away. Wallace scratched his head raising his eyebrows at the dark haired teen. “Doesn't sound like it.”

 

“Ken…” Miyako murmured softly as his ponytail drifted in the ocean breeze.

 

“He has issues.” Jyou shook his head earning a scowl from Miyako. “What? He does.”

 

They think I have issues. They all have issues except Mr. Perfect, Wallace who has stepped in like some destined hero or something. He knows nothing. He hasn't dealt with pain or guilt, or rejection… He knows nothing. Ken paused to kick another shell that had washed upon the shore when suddenly it glimmered. He paused and knelt down realizing that perhaps it was no ordinary shell. What he found instead was a small gray oval shaped stone the size of a bottle cap with a rather familiar marking on it. The Chosen Child carefully lifted it into his hand and gasped as it glowed and pulsed in his hand for a moment with a rainbow colored light before it quickly died out.

 

“Ken, is that…” His girlfriend started as she and her companions raced up to the stunned teenaged boy who was still staring intently at the object in his hand.

 

“It has the symbol of the Crest of Kindness on it,” He replied softly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

 

“Let me see it.” Wallace reached out to take it from Ken's hand when he suddenly cried out in pain. “Or not. Damn, that could have electrocuted me!”

 

Jyou looked curiously at the stone and rubbed his chin. “I suppose since it bears the symbol for Kindness and Ken was the Chosen of Kindness then perhaps he's the only one that can touch it.”

 

“Well, is it supposed to do anything else besides shock whoever touches it other than Ken?” Miyako frowned at the stone then glanced at the grimacing blonde in pity.

 

“Gennai never told us, so I guess we'll have to wait and find out.” The indigo haired teen sighed as he closed his hand around the Power Stone. “I wish Wormmon were here as well as the other digimon. They may have been able to tell us a thing or two about the Power Stones.”

 

Miyako nodded solemnly. “Yeah, Hawkmon could probably enlighten us too.”

 

The four fell into an uncomfortable silence as they reflected on the missing digimon. Ken drew a breath and set his backpack down. “I suppose since we finally found a Power Stone, we should alert the others so that they have some type of an idea as to what they are looking for: a stone with a crest symbol engraved on it.”

 

“It's a good start,” Jyou nodded when suddenly the earth began to shake. “Um, am I just being paranoid or is the earth shaking a bit?”

 

The lavender haired girl gaped as the jerking motions worsened and suddenly found herself thrown into Ken and Wallace. “It's not just you.”

 

“You know, there is a word for this….. EARTHQUAKE!” Wallace lost his footing and fell to the sand. He quickly scrambled to his feet as Ken helped Miyako back up. “We better run. There is no telling what's going to happen being on the beach during an earthquake.”

 

“You mean quicksand?” Jyou looked at the American edgily who paled in turn. “Nice to see we're on the same page.”

 

The four exchanged glances of dread as they debated just what they could do to escape such an odd occurrence in the Digital World. All they knew was that they had to survive.

 

*~*~*~*

 

White flurries continued to fall to the dark soil as Daisuke and Hikari trudged through the thick snow. What had once been a few snowflakes was quickly developing into a rather serious storm as the wind began to pick up, blinding the two teens in a white haze.

 

“So this is what a blizzard feels like,” Daisuke said through gritted teeth. He knew they should find someplace to use for a shelter or else risk freezing to death. As it was neither he nor Hikari were dressed for such weather.

 

“It's so cold,” the teenaged girl shivered with her arms wrapped around herself, trying to keep as warm as possible.

 

“Don't think about it and keep moving. We'll stop as soon as we find someplace safe and covered.” The Chosen leader bent his head downward as the storm intensified.

 

Hikari whimpered slightly as she stumbled to the ground due to another frigid blast of wind and snow.

 

Daisuke reach out and grabbed her hand, pulling her back to her feet. “Come on, Hikari. We need to find a shelter.” He continued on, still gripping her hand. Damn it. There has to be someplace we can go because I sure as hell don't feel like becoming a Daisuke Popsicle. He clenched his jaw and paused a moment, squinting through the white blur in hopes of finding some sign of hope. “Damn it!”

 

“Daisuke…. I'm…so….cold.”

 

He turned to Hikari and gasped at the sight of her bluish lips and ice glazed hair hiding an extremely pale face. He silently cursed, then released her hand. Quickly he stripped her of her backpack and added the heavy load onto his own then scoped her up into his shaking arms.

 

“What are you doing?” She gaped at him in surprise as he began his way through the snow, only more slowly than before.

 

“Just shut up, Hikari and hold on to me. See if you can find someplace that is covered like a cave so we don't freeze to death.” Daisuke winced a bit at his own harsh words, but held onto the girl tightly in his arms. At least if he carried her, they would share each other's body heat despite the fact that now their progress would be even slower. “Sorry, but the last thing I think either of us want to do is to become a pair of ice cubes.”

 

“I understand,” she nodded slightly, wrapping her arms more securely around the teenaged boy's neck as she snuggled against him.

 

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it! If only V-mon were here. He could take us someplace safe and even make a fire to warm us back up as Fladramon. Now Hikari and I are probably going to die out here and there isn't anything we can do about it. Some leader I am. Daisuke's legs felt numb as he took another step. At that point he couldn't even feel his toes he was so incredibly cold, but he had to continue on: for his and Hikari's sake. Suddenly the world seemed to spin as he found himself falling. He could recall Hikari scream before he completely blacked out.

 

“Daisuke?” Hikari squirmed underneath his weight and stared in horror at his still form draped over her own. “Are you okay?” She wiggled more, trying to free herself from her unconscious friend but it was no use, his weight plus that of the two backpacks had her successfully pinned. She leaned her cheek back against the cold soil and sighed as icy flakes of frozen water continued to fall, threatening to bury them alive in a frozen coffin. Warm tears leaked from her eyes as she shook Daisuke's shoulder urgently. “Please wake up! Daisuke, you have to wake up. WAKE UP!”

 

The teenaged girl closed her eyes against the snow, her body quivered heavily as she began to sob. She was trapped by her only friend who may be facing off with death at the moment and there wasn't single thing she could do but lay there like a log and hope that someone would come along and help her or by some miracle, that Daisuke would open his eyes. The only good that came to it was that she was a bit warmer than before, but that was only a tiny shred of light in the darkness that she was engulfed in.

 

“Someone…. Help me. Please help.” Hikari shivered violently and choked on the snow that flew to the back of her throat. She coughed a few times and whimpered, wishing she could be anyplace but there. She didn't care about finding her memories anymore. All she wanted to do was to be someplace safe and warm. She felt so weak, alone, and frightened that she could scream until she had no breath left.

 

Fatigue soon swallowed her whole, forcing her eyes to remain closed…. possibly forever as the Chosen Child slowly drifted into the darkness with only one thought in her head, help.

 

*~*~*~*

Author's Notes: One Power Stone down… and many more to go. I didn't exactly expect Daisuke and Hikari to pass out during the blizzard. I planned the blizzard (actually all the events the Chosen go through were planned at the very beginning around chapter 5) I just don't know what's going to happen to them…. Hopefully they wake up soon or this story may have turned into a tragedy…. Nah. Something will happen, I'm just not sure what.

 

Thank you reading and reviewing.