Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Diminished Light: Void's Assault ❯ Chaotic Visions ( Chapter 15 )

Diminished Light: Void's Assault

Chapter 15

Chaotic Visions

By

Sailor Janus

 

 

Iori groaned as he weakly opened his emerald green eyes then squeezed them shut again. His whole body ached and his head felt even worse. He sucked in a breath and forced himself to sit up.

 

“Are you awake?”

 

The Kendo expert's eyes shot open in warning. He searched the dim lighting for the source only to find the Mexican girl staring at him from the opposite side of the strange dirty room. Oddly enough, she was covered in dirt as well. “What happened?”

 

“We fell in a big hole during the earthquake. Don't you remember?” Rosa jumped as her brown eyes filled with concern. “Oh no! You didn't hit your head, did you? You still remember your name, right?”

 

Iori glanced back at her then at their surroundings. He noted that walls were actually made of compacted soil and little else. He could vaguely recall the actual fall as the other Chosen were yelling for them. It was evident the others had not met the same fate which meant there was a chance they could be saved.

 

“How are we going to get out of here?”

 

“I don't know.”

 

Rosa sighed and tried to dust off her shirt, but instead wound up grinding the dirt even further into the material. She made a face in disgust. “So we really are stuck in here,” she murmured. “What are we going to do now?”

 

“I guess wait and hope Taichi and the others can get us out.” Iori leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

 

The teenaged girl studied him thoughtfully and bit her lip. “At least the ground is no longer shaking so we don't have to worry about a cave in.”

 

Iori silently nodded in agreement.

 

“Funny how I'm stuck in the earth when my digimon is a rock digimon.”

 

“Do you always talk so much?”

 

Rosa winced and drew her knees to her chest. “Only when I'm nervous or scared. Mama used to call me her little panic button. She could always tell when something was wrong.”

 

The boy looked at her curiously. “And you're from Mexico?”

 

“Sí.”

 

“I can understand how you might know English, but why do you know Japanese? It isn't a commonly learned language,” the Japanese teen inquired.

 

The girl merely shrugged. “I just wanted to learn the language…. Especially after meeting Ken, and Gotsumon could speak Japanese too. Actually he could speak many languages, but since digimon are created from data, I guess it would make sense that they would know many things including languages.”

 

Iori nodded then closed his eyes as they sat in silence again.

 

*~*~*~*

 

Taichi awoke with a start as if jolted awake by some unknown force. He gazed around in confusion at the dried up field he, Yamato, and Sora were lying in. Immediately, the brunette sat up as though realization had just smacked him painfully upside the head. “We fell asleep!”

 

“What?” The red haired young woman gasped out loud and glanced towards her boyfriend who wore similar expression of shock and disbelief on his face.

 

“Shit. Iori and Rosa…. How long have we been asleep?” Yamato ran a hand through his hair as they scrambled to their feet, ignoring aching tense muscles as they moved.

 

The Chosen leader frantically snatched up his bag then began shifting his feet anxiously. “I don't know but we have to get them out of that hole!” He gave his friends little notice then bolted back into the forest. The couple exchanged glances, picked up their own bags, and raced after him.

 

They did not have too far to go however as Taichi froze in his tracks. An odd smell caught his attention making him feel even more uneasy than he already was. “Is that…”

 

“Smoke,” the blonde finished with an edge in his voice.

 

“There's a fire!” Sora cried out as she stared at the growing blaze snaking through the dead forest.

 

“We have to get them out of there now!” Taichi tore through the burning forest without warning in search of the location where they had left the two teens trapped in a large hole. He sprinted a few paces, but just as he leapt over a log, a shiny object suddenly caught his eye. The brunette turned to his friends briefly then back to the mysterious object surrounded by a ring of fire. “Be right back.”

 

“Taichi, what the hell are you doing?” Yamato swore as his best friend propelled himself into the flames. Sora shrieked in fear for their friend and clutched onto her boyfriend's arm. “Taichi, you idiot!”

 

The Chosen Leader however ignored the blonde, landing solidly on his feet. He scooped up what appeared to be a small stone then vaulted back through the flames in triumph to his friends with little damage.

 

“What did you do that for?” Sora yelled, racing up to the young man who seemed to have risked life and limb for no good reason at all. She pushed him in the chest lightly and a sent a cool glare his way. “You could have been killed!” Yamato looked at him expressionlessly as he pulled his girlfriend away.

 

“But I wasn't and I got this,” he replied with a grin as he held out the small gray stone with a rather familiar symbol on it.

 

“Courage.” She whispered taking a step back as she studied the etching. “Well, you definitely have that in spades at the moment, Yagami Taichi.”

 

The musician sighed then studied their surroundings for the fallen tree that had concealed the hole containing the missing Chosen Children. He made a face at the building fire knowing that their situation would only decline the longer they waited. “We better find them now.”

 

Suddenly the ground began to shake again. Sora screamed as everyone fought to maintain his or her balance. Yamato grabbed his girlfriend's arm, trying to steady each other as Taichi fell backwards to the ground. Just then a sickening snapping sound caught their attention as the last remaining trees collapsed, adding even more fuel to the fire and increasing the building smoke. The three Chosen Children coughed and gasped for air as the heat from the flames intensified, and the fire grew closer.

 

Yamato yanked Sora between himself and Taichi and they huddled together. “This doesn't look good.”

 

“We're gonna be flame broiled,” the leader growled as he searched for an opening amongst the fire, but could find none.

 

“So much for helping Iori and Rosa,” the red head said sadly.

 

Another strange sound caught their attention but before they could look for the source, the three Chosen Children found themselves falling through the earth as it began to shake once again.

 

*~*~*~*

 

Iori's eyes snapped open as the ground started to quake. He quickly rose to his feet and grabbed his bag as Rosa did the same. He grimaced at their prison, slowly backing towards the Mexican girl. “I hope this doesn't create a cave in.”

 

“What if it does? Then what are we going to do?” Rosa whimpered as dirt crumbled from above, showering down upon them. “We're going to be buried alive!”

 

“Shh. Don't say things like that. There has got to be a way out. Feel around the walls. Maybe we'll get lucky and find a cavern of some sort.”

 

The teenaged girl brushed the tears from her eyes then moved to the nearest wall as her companion did the same. “What if we don't find anything?”

 

Iori said nothing as he looked, pausing only briefly to steady himself when a particular violent tremor almost knocked them off their feet. He glanced towards the crying girl and clenched his jaw tightly trying to force himself to concentrate. Just then another jolt sent Rosa flying backwards into him, resulting in two teens bursting through the wall upon impact.

 

“Ow. That hurt.” The Mexican girl winced as she touched her head and groaned in pain.

 

“Can you please get off me?” Iori stared up at the girl with an unreadable expression on his face, realizing that they were pretty much nose to nose.

 

She flushed to a deep crimson and quickly crawled off him. “Sorry!” Rosa sat up then gasped out loud in surprise.

 

The Kendo expert looked as well and slowly stood up. What they had expected to be a small cavern was more like a vast cave with a small stream running along the center of it. “If there is water then it might lead us out of here. Come on.” He quickly headed towards the stream then paused at the sight of an odd looking stone. Iori frowned then picked it up. Oddly, it felt warm in his hand. He examined it closely and found a rather odd symbol etched on it.

 

“Iori?” Rosa called out as she glanced back at him in concern.

 

He slid the stone into his pocket and quickened his pace to join her. “It's nothing. Let's go.”

 

 

The Mexican girl continued walking and suddenly stopped as she let out a blood-curdling scream. Iori raced to her side without thinking and stood protectively in front of her.

 

“What is it?”

 

“I think they're dead. Your friends. They-they're not moving,” she replied in a broken voice as she started to cry and mumble in unintelligible Spanish.

 

Iori stepped closer to the pile of limbs that appeared to be the three older Chosen Children. He quietly approached Taichi who was flat on his back and checked the leader's pulse. After a moment, the teenaged boy released a sigh of relief. “They're not dead. Just knocked out,” he replied as he moved to Yamato and Sora.

 

Rosa sniffled and clasped her hands together. “Well, what do we do now?”

 

“I suppose we'll just have to wait until they wake up.”

 

“And if they don't?”

 

“They have to…. They just have to.”

 

*~*~*~*

 

Michael groaned as his eyes fluttered open. He rolled over and stared at the ground for a moment before turning back around to find Koushiro typing madly on his laptop. “Where-where's Mimi?”

 

“Probably still on the mountain,” the red head answered. He grumbled loudly at the computer then snapped it shut. “The damn thing is still not working.”

 

“Wait. We FELL off the mountain?” The American gaped at the other Chosen who nodded in response.

 

“Yeah. You tried to save me during the earthquake.” Koushiro hesitated for a moment. “By the way, thank you.”

 

Michael frowned at the sight of their backpacks and scratched his head. “Then where did those come from?”

 

“Must have fallen as well.”

 

“Wait. Isn't that Takeru's bag?” Michael pointed to the gray backpack amongst his and the computer expert's. Is he here too? Where is he?”

 

Koushiro sighed. “I-I don't know. There was too much going on. He may still be up on the mountain, or he may have fallen as well.”

 

“Well, we either need to get back up there or they need to come down here.” The American gritted his teeth and clenched his hands into fists. “I hate getting split up. What if Mimi gets hurt or needs help? Damn it!”

 

The computer expert studied his companion carefully. “The best thing we can do is start looking for them.”

 

“Right.” Michael spun around as he debated on where to begin. The rock seemed very loose along the side of the mountain they had fallen from, promising an impossible climb to whoever may try. He growled in frustration and tightened his hands.

 

“Don't punch the wall again. It's not going to do you any good if you break your hand.”

 

The blonde glanced at Koushiro but said nothing. Instead he shouldered his bag and Takeru's then began walking around the base of the mountain in search of a section that would be easier to climb.

 

*~*~*~*

 

The mountain shook as more lava gushed out from the top. Mimi and Catherine rushed towards the edge in hopes of finding a steady slope to climb down upon, but could find none.

 

“There's no way down. We're going to be killed,” the French girl cried out in fear.

 

Mimi looked at the girl's tear streaked face then back towards the rushing lava, before settling her gaze at last on the cliff. Making up her mind she grabbed the blonde's arm and redirected each other back to the cliff. “This is going to hurt.”

 

“What?” Catherine glanced from the cliff and back to the young woman who seemed to be trying to gather all the courage she could. “Wait…. You don't mean… Are you insane?”

 

“Do you know of a better way?” The brunette snapped then sighed. “It looks fairly smooth from here on down. We should survive.”

 

“But what if we break something?”

 

“Would you rather be pretty much melted by billion degrees of scorching hot lava?”

 

The ballerina laughed lightly. “It's not that hot…. But I don't think I want to find out either.”

 

Mimi nodded. “Ready?”

 

“As I'll ever be.” The two girls took a deep breath then jumped off the cliff. It seemed like that had been in suspended in mid-air for hours until they landed a few feet away on a slope, sliding down upon loose rock and soil as they went before rolling into a tumble. They screamed as sharp rocks cut into their clothing and skin, and finally just when it seemed as though the terrifying ride would never end, they crash-landed into two firm yet soft figures.

 

“Holy shit, Mimi!” Michael shouted as he stared down in shock at the Chosen Child lying sprawled out on his lap.

 

She lifted her head and wince at the sight of blood dripping down her face. She turned to Michael and hugged him tightly, relieved to see his face again. “Thank God you're alive! We have to get out of here. The mountain is actually a volcano and it erupted.”

 

“What? That's news to me,” Koushiro said as Catherine weakly gathered herself off his back. She ran a hand through her hair then froze.

 

“Wait. Where's Takeru?” The French girl's blue eyes widened with fear as they began to flood with tears once again.

 

Michael helped his girlfriend back to her feet and shook his head. “We don't know. We haven't seen him since the earthquake started…. But don't worry. We'll find him.”

 

“But first, let's get out of here,” the red head said urgently.

 

The four Chosen gathered their things and quickly bolted around the volcano on a quest for a shelter. They circled three times but were unable to find anything that would protect them from the scorching hot lava that threatened to destroy them.

 

“DAMN IT ALL!” Michael threw his fist into the mountain then bit back at scream at the horrible pain that soon followed.

 

Mimi wrapped her arms around him and cried softly as despair took over. “I don't think I've ever felt this helpless before. We are trapped and all we can do is wait for boiling hot lava to kill us all!”

 

Catherine leaned back against the side of the mountain and suddenly lost her balance as the rock gave way. She shrieked as she landed ungracefully on her butt. The others spun around, but just then, a hand grabbed the blonde's shoulder, causing her to scream again.

 

“Calm down, Catherine. It's just me,” a familiar voice said from behind her.

 

She gasped and turned around. “Takeru?” Without warning she threw her arms around him and cried into his shirt. “You're alive! You're alive!”

 

He returned the embrace. “Yeah. It's okay now.”

 

“But the volcano!”

 

“What volcano?” Takeru looked at three approaching friends who seemed just as happy to see him again.

 

“She's right. This mountain is actually a volcano,” Koushiro explained.

 

“Crap. And here I thought the worst was over with that earthquake.” The writer shoved a handful of hair from his face and released Catherine. “At least you guys came along or I'd probably still be trapped in this damn cave.”

 

“Cave?” Michael refocused his attention on the large cavern then handed Takeru his bag. “But this is in the volcano.”

 

“I must have fallen in a different part of it then,” he replied as he nodded in thanks.

 

Koushiro furrowed his brow in thought. “Maybe this will lead us to safety.”

 

“Are you crazy? Go through the volcano?” The American looked at the red head as though he had gone mad.

 

“It's our only choice!”

 

The four Chosen Children stared at each other for a moment before they decided that they had no other option. Together they picked up their stuff and began the hike through the cavernous volcano with only one hope. A way out.

 

*~*~*~*

 

The waves splashed gently against the shore as Miyako walked mournfully along the beach. She wrapped her arms around herself and silently cried. I am so stupid. How could I think for a second that we were meant to be. Ken is too… perfect and I don't deserve anyone like him.

 

She closed her eyes and tried to shut out their happy moments together, but it was no use. She could still remember the first day he had kissed her. They had been caught in a rainstorm at the university and she had forgotten her umbrella. He offered to walk her to her dorm. Despite the cover of his umbrella, the two Chosen had still gotten wet from the downpour. Once they reached her door, Ken brushed a few lingering raindrops from her face then kissed her. She could still recall how soft and gentle yet breath-taking that first kiss had been, something that she would probably never forget. After that moment Miyako knew she had fallen madly in love with the indigo haired young man.

 

What did he see in me? I'm just loud, obnoxious, and dumb Inoue Miyako. I'm not anything special, so did he really want me? I'm so confused. What would Hawkmon tell me?” The lavender haired teen shook her head as she realized that she couldn't figure out the answer. In fact, she could barely remember her digimon partner's voice, which made her feel very uneasy. Miyako sighed and dropped her gaze to the gritty sand as more tears fell from her sorrowful eyes. A shining light suddenly caught her attention from her right towards the ocean. She turned her head and gasped at the sight of a small stone drifting on top of a large wave.

 

Abruptly the salty water crashed down upon the depressed teenager, soaking her immensely. She swore loudly at the wave for drenching her then but froze as she became aware of the sensation of something foreign sliding down her top as salt water dripped from her face and long hair. She scanned her surroundings carefully to be certain that she was indeed alone then uncomfortably fished the item out. “Okay, what are you and why are you getting personal with me?”

 

The Chosen Child however gaped at the sight of a stone with what appeared to be two swords etched in the middle of it. She blinked in shock at the gray stone, completely bewildered by its presence.

 

“MIYAKO!”

 

She spun around and was surprised to find Ken, Wallace, and Jyou running in her direction. Her hand tightened around the stone as they quickly joined her.

 

“Don't ever do that to me again!” Ken wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. “You worried the hell out of me. What were you thinking?”

 

“Ken…” The girl stood completely stunned unable to comprehend what to say in response.

 

“I'm just glad to see that you're alright. You are alright, aren't you?”

 

“Yeah.” She hugged him back glad to feel safe again despite all the doubts still swimming in her head. “Other that having been drenched by a wave, I'm good.”

 

“At least we're back together. Now lets get back to work on finding the Power Stones,” Wallace said with a sigh of relief at finding their missing party member.

 

Miyako blinked then held up her hand. “I-I found one. A Power Stone.”

 

Her boyfriend pulled away and inspected the gray stone in her hand. He then withdrew his from his pocket then examined hers. “It's very similar. The only difference are the two swords, but why swords?”

 

“Beats me,” the American shrugged. “Mine is the same as my Digimental.”

 

“And mine is just like my crest,” Jyou added as he pulled his out of his pocket.

 

Wallace did a double take and frowned at the med student. “When did you find one?”

 

“When you two left me behind chasing after Miyako.” Jyou grumbled.

 

“Oh. Hey, sorry about that, but you know Kenny was kinda frantic so I had to help.” The blonde scratched the back of his head then turned his back towards the rapidly growing waves of the ocean as he focused on the three Chosen Children. “It's getting kind of violent out there. I wonder if the earthquakes had anything to do with it.”

 

“Like a monster sized wave that could crush us upon impact?” Ken suggested as he grabbed Miyako's hand and began backing away. His face was very pale and he appeared even more nervous than before.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Um, then I would have to say yes…. Look.”

 

Wallace spun around and gasped at the sight of the growing tsunami. “SHIT! We've got to get out of here!”

 

Jyou looked as well and yelled in warning. The four Chosen then raced away from the beach as fast as they could in hopes of being spared from the monstrous wave.

 

*~*~*~*

 

Hikari shivered as they walked further into the dark, muddy forest. She wrinkled her nose at the not so pleasant sensation of her wet skirt clinging to her legs as her shoulder length hair dripped down her face. She glanced at Daisuke and noted that he wore a similar expression of discomfort. She whispered softly, “I wonder how my brother and the others are doing.”

 

“I was wondering the same thing. Hopefully they're not experiencing the same hell we are.” He shook his head wildly, trying to dry his saturated locks a lot faster. “My shoes keep going `squish, squish.' This really sucks.”

 

“Mine too. I feel like a drowned rat.”

 

“You look cuter than one,” Daisuke said automatically with a snicker.

 

“What?” The teenaged girl stared at her companion as if unsure if she had heard him right.

 

He paused, realizing what he had said then innocently shrugged. “Dead anything isn't cute...I mean have you ever seen something that was dead, possibly drowned and said that it was cute? I think not.”

 

Hikari studied him for a moment, still puzzled by his words. “I suppose so.”

 

The spiky haired teen slipped his hands into his pockets nonchalantly then cringed as he quickly removed them. “I think the only thing that is not wet, is our backpacks.”

 

“Yeah.” She bit her lip for a second in hesitation. “Do you really think I'll get my memories back?”

 

Daisuke blinked then smiled at the girl as he stepped over a large tree root. “Of course. We'll find them then things will get back to normal and everything will be fine again.”

 

“Are you sure?” Hikari looked at her gloved hands sadly. “I don't think I want to find my memories anymore…it's not worth putting other people's live in danger. I'm probably better off without them.”

 

“It's too late to turn back now.”

 

“I just feel like everything is all my fault…That we've been separated and have been going through these horrible near death experiences because of me. We don't even know if the others are still alive.” Tears leaked from the teenaged girl's eyes and ran down her damp cheeks. “What if they were killed? What if I never see my big brother ever again?”

 

Daisuke turned on his heel and spun towards Hikari, grabbing her by the shoulders and looked at her sincerely yet firmly in the eyes. “Listen to me. None of this is your fault and everyone else is probably fine. We're all survivors no matter what. There is no need to blame yourself.”

 

“But the woman in my dreams insists that I am the one at fault. That it's because of me that everything is happening. What if she's right?”

 

“A woman?” He looked at her in bewilderment. “Is this the same woman you mentioned dreaming of before?”

 

“I-I think so.” Hikari dropped her head and refocused her gaze on the ground. “She seems very angry with me for some reason and insists that I know the answer, but I don't. There was something sad about her.”

 

Daisuke didn't know what to say and instead gently released her then turned away and began walking again.

 

“She mentioned that there were other people too, but I don't know who she was talking about….I-I think I want to help her, but I don't know how.”

 

“You'll find a way.”

 

Hikari refocused on the teenaged boy and studied him considerately. Once again he seemed to have a sorrowful presence. His face was a bit downcast and his shoulders slightly hunched as they continued on their way. It was gravely different from the boy she saw in her memories, then again, that may not be correct either. Either way, she hated to see him such a state.

 

A sudden flash of a sad eyed six-year-old boy sitting alone on a swing entered her mind then quickly vanished. Why did that pop in my head? She scowled for a moment in thought but could not decide on an answer.

 

“What's wrong? Water in your boots annoying you too?”

 

The brunette haired girl gasped and spun around to find Daisuke looking at her in concern. Her cheeks tinted in a light blush as she shook her head. “Just thinking.”

 

The soccer player nodded in acceptance then chuckled. “You always did a lot of that.”

 

Hikari's lips curled into a small smile. “If you say so…. I wish I had my memories back yet at the same time I'm not sure if I really want them if it means endangering others. I don't want to sacrifice anyone for my own means. It's just not right.”

 

“Everyone agreed to help, and even though they aren't with us right now, they're probably doing whatever they can. They all care about you.”

 

She bit her lip and nervously clasped her hands together. “And you?”

 

Daisuke's mouth fell open for a moment before he recovered. “Well, yeah. I mean we've been through thick and thin together…. I could never dream of deserting you, Hikari.”

 

The teenaged girl turned to look at her companion, but lost her footing and fell down a muddy slope. Daisuke moved to grab her hand, but his wet shoes lost traction on the muddy ground and soon he too followed.

 

*~*~*~*

Author's Notes: Yet another chapter done, and I am still partially in the dark as to certain events. There are a few things I know of but others are still a mystery. And least the groups are back together again… though I didn't expect it to turn out that way.

 

And at least the story is still flowing. I usually have issues with bad Writers Block, but this story oddly has not been inflicted with it. Hopefully it stays that way.

 

Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter and thank you for reviewing.