Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Diminished Light: Void's Assault ❯ Dire Reasoning ( Chapter 25 )

Diminished Light: Void's Assault

Chapter 25

Dire Reasoning

By

Sailor Janus

 

 

 

Taichi ground his teeth together as he and the others continued their search for Sora. The fact that they had been looking for nearly an hour and yet found no trace of the red head did not bode well and made him worry even more for their lost friend. He sighed and shoved his bangs from his eyes.

 

“Don't worry, Tai. We'll find her,” Tani murmured softly as she touched his arm in reassurance. She bit her lip for a moment in thought and bowed her head. “We'll find them all.”

 

He glanced down at her and blinked. “How…”

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing,” he sighed.

 

Tani wrinkled her nose at him. “Oh!” Her eyes widened as she realized what he was about to say. “Where you going to ask how I was able to last so long without going insane over the whereabouts of my sisters?” Silence was her answer but she explained anyway. “I-I really don't know. Akina can kind of take care of herself…. Ami is a different matter. If anyone has the damsel in distress act down, it's her.”

 

“What do you mean?” Taichi frowned as the brunette shrugged.

 

“She does this `pity me' thing…. I think a large majority of that is from being the youngest and putting up with Shina.”

 

“I see.”

 

Tani hesitated a moment and turned her attention to her fingernails. “You never did mention what happened to Hikari. I can tell that you're worried about her, more than usual,” she whispered softly after a brief glance back at the others who were silently trailing behind them. “I didn't ask anyone else about it, because I wanted to hear the answer from you.”

 

“She-she…” He paused a moment, unsure of how best to explain things. The young man drew a breath and finally replied, “We all came here to find Hikari's memories. She had been missing for several years when out of the blue, Daisuke found her in a park in Kyoto. She doesn't remember who anyone is outside of me.” Taichi rubbed his face with his hands in frustration. “You should have seen her. She looks like she's already dead and acts as though she wants to make that reality come true.”

 

Tani's brown eyes widen in horror as the missing girl's brother clenched his hands into fists. She quickly grabbed one of his hands and held it firmly in her own. She opened her mouth several times as if at a loss for words as he came to a halt and instead pressed her face against his shoulder.

 

“What's going-” Rosa began as Iori clamped a hand over her mouth.

 

He shook his head at her and led her by the arm to a shady area of the forest as if knowing that things were better left uninterrupted. Yamato too followed, understanding exactly what the teenager was trying to do.

 

“Damn it,” Taichi breathed as he fought to maintain his composure, but it was futile. He was supposed to be the courageous leader but there he was falling apart over his baby sister who was God knows where, and either alive or dead. He sank to his knees, still battling against the tears that began to flood his anguish filled eyes. He could feel Tani's arms around him as she leaned supportively against his back while all he could do was kneel in a numbing stupor.

 

After a moment of silence, she finally spoke. “You've always been overprotective her. Why?”

 

“When we were kids she nearly died because I made her get sick. All I wanted was to play soccer….but she caught pneumonia… I was so stupid.”

 

“But it was an accident.”

 

“I'm her big brother. I'm supposed to watch out for her!” Taichi snapped as bitter tears slid down his cheeks. “It didn't help that she nearly got sick again after being dragged back to the World of Darkness when she was thirteen.” His eyes flashed at the memory. “Damn it, She felt like ice and was drenched to the bone when we found her. All she did was cry and cry…. I felt like I could have killed someone with my bare hands.”

 

“World of Darkness?”

 

He nodded with an angry sigh. “Hikari is the Chosen of Light and for some really screwed up reason that we don't even know she ends up disappearing to someplace that she calls the World of Darkness. There have only been two known times so far. Once when she was eleven and then again when she was thirteen. Hell, she could be there right close to death if…. she hasn't already died.”

 

“Don't say that!” Tani moved so she could look Taichi in the eye. “She will be fine, you just have to believe it. But look, I know you're scared, you're just too proud to admit it.”

 

“I'm the Chosen of Courage…or at least I was. There is no room for fear,” he snorted and shook his head dejectedly. “I'm a failure.”

 

“No, you're not. And guess what? Sometimes it take a more courageous person to admit that they're afraid than one that lies through their teeth to preserve their pride.”

 

Taichi raised an eyebrow that the young woman. “Gee, thanks. I didn't you know thought I was a jackass.”

 

“Your words, not mine. Listen, Hikari needs her brother to be strong, not a pretender. To do what you have done takes a lot of guts, but…. I know you and being afraid is something that you never liked to admit. How about starting now? Take the biggest step in bravery and see what happens.” Tani's mouth quirked into a playful smile as she ruffled his unruly locks.

 

“Hey!” He caught her hand and chuckled as he yanked her down to the ground in front of him. “Fine, I'm scared out of my mind over all this shit that is so screwed up that I can't seem to figure out which way is up anymore. The fact that I have no clue where Agumon is definitely is not a comfort either outside of Hikari's unknown whereabouts. Hell, I don't even know if we'll last long enough to find out where Hikari and the digimon are. So yeah, we're pretty much defenseless outside of our own wits and even though I'm still freaking out over everything…. I'll try my best to keep everyone safe.”

 

“Isn't that what a leader is supposed to do?”

 

“Damn straight. And I'm not afraid to do something I've been wanting to do ever since you fell on me either,” he arched one eyebrow and threw her a devilish smile.

 

Tani blinked in wonder and cocked her head to the side in thought. “And that would be?”

 

Taichi smirked as he shoved her down to her back by the shoulders, laughing as she shrieked in surprise. He quickly leaned over Tani, pressing his mouth against hers in a deep kiss that literally said that it had been way too long since their last one. When they finally broke away he was greeted by an even livelier expression as the girl of his dreams seemed to gawk at him in amazement. “I didn't think the kiss was that good,” he snickered.

 

“Then you haven't looked in the mirror, Tai,” she breathed still staring at him. “I think you activated your Power Stone…. and you seem to be the leader again too.”

 

The young man froze for a moment then glanced down at his chest, his jaw dropped at the sight of a pair of gunmetal gray goggles with stormy blue lenses. His line of vision abruptly shifted to the blue-gray short-sleeved v-neck shirt over the near black turtleneck, followed by his gloves, now a stormy blue with dark gray cuffs. Taichi lastly turned his focus to his cargo pants that could revert to shorts in a deep gray lined in blue-gray with only the pockets, and cuffs in the same blue shade. His sneakers too, were blue and gray. “Um, wow.”

 

Tani grinned at his expression and sat up. “So I guess we're on again. In more ways than one since it looks like we're both leaders…. It makes sense I guess since I led my siblings, but is there room for more than one leader?”

 

“Hell, yeah!” Taichi leaped to his feet and gazed down at the goggles still strapped around his neck. “If I didn't mind Daisuke being a leader than why should your being one be any different?” He quickly snatched his girlfriend's hands and pulled her to her feet then threw her over his shoulder as she squealed in shock.

 

“Hey, Caveman! Did you check out your Power Stone?” A deep voice said behind them.

 

“Huh?” The Chosen leader spun around and nearly dropped Tani as he caught a rather amused Yamato's gaze as he shook his head at them. “Oh, uh….” Taichi fished the stone out of his pocket then scowled at it. “It-it's gray. But I thought that was Jyou's color because mine is supposed to be orange…. What the hell?”

 

The blonde however shoved his hands in his pockets as Iori and Rosa joined the group. “I guess things really have changed.”

 

Rosa blushed as she looked at the playful couple then quickly studied her shoes. “If the colors are different then what does it mean?”

 

“I don't know. But I think our next goal is to activate our stones in whatever way we can.” The Kendo expert glanced at the teenaged girl by his side briefly then turned to Yamato. “I also suspect that now that the air is cleared, it'd be best to continue our search for Sora.”

 

Taichi made a face then pointed to the sky. “Then I guess we should be off.”

 

“Um, Tai, can you let me down first… all the blood is rushing to my head….” Tani kicked her feet slightly, in an attempt to get his attention. “Taichi? Tai! Put me down, you Neanderthal!”

 

The other Chosen followed behind the two leaders, trying to stifle their laughter at the couple's antics. The only other active thought in their minds was Sora's whereabouts and the lingering mystery of the Power Stones.

 

*~*~*~*

 

Waves of blinding white haze struck the Chosen in a chilling assault as they struggled to escape the torturous storm. The frantic pace of the snow threatened to bury anything in its path as the wind increased upon the second.

 

“I hate blizzards!” Mimi cried out as she gripped onto Michael's hand for dear life.

 

“Not always. You're just upset because they don't have any candy coated chocolates,” he shouted to her with a laugh. It was evident he was trying to lighten the mood despite how bleak it seemed.

 

“Wrong type of blizzard!”

 

“I really can't think of ice cream when I feel like my nose is going to freeze off,” Takeru muttered through chattering teeth. “As Daisuke would probably say to that context however…” He cleared his throat then threw his head back and shouted, “I think someone went a little overboard. But if it starts raining crushed candy, I'm all for it!”

 

Koushiro blinked completely stunned at blonde Japanese boy. “I think that is a very accurate representation of Daisuke. Did he ever say that?”

 

“Actually…. I think so. Probably during a ski trip in Colorado. Either that or it was Hikari mocking him trying to get him to calm down about his accident,” The writer shrugged and wrapped his arms around himself as he tried to focus on the conversation rather than the temperature. “He actually requested to be brought to the tree he hit so he could cuss it out. I don't think I have seen him more livid…. Then again it could have cost him his scholarship.”

 

“Sometimes a distraction is the best way to get through things….as we are demonstrating right now,” Akina softly said before she sneezed.

 

“I'd rather have a nice hot cup of tea or maybe hot chocolate,” Catherine murmured as her blonde curls whipped in her face.

 

“With mini marshmallows!” Takeru chimed in with a childish grin.

 

“Oui! Most definitely.”

 

“Hot chocolate,” Mimi whispered as she felt herself drifting. It was an odd sensation. One minute she felt like she was going to turn into one of those ice carving statues and the next… she felt nothing. Not cold, not hot, she couldn't even tell if she was still clutching onto Michael's hand. It was as though she were no longer trailing through the mountain region during a raging blizzard.

She blinked in wonder at the fog of nothingness she was surrounded in. Confusion flashed across her face as fear slowly set in. “Where am I?”

 

“You're here of course.”

 

Mimi gasped at the disembodied voice and spun around in warning. “Who's there?”

 

“That's not important. What is however, is that you have a good, pure heart and need to follow it for a change,” the soft feminine voice said earnestly. “You need to trust it. It won't lead you astray.”

 

“But I don't understand-”

 

Her mind immediately returned to the last thing she thought of as the voice fell silent. Hot chocolate. What was it about the beverage that made her lose track of everything around her? Her stomach immediately turned as the memory flooded back to her, it's images sharp and painful, but if it was important, she'd have to examine it closely.

 

“Mimi is such a slut. I swear she's probably sleeping with half the guys in our class,” a blonde haired girl whispered to her dark haired friend as they sat in the girl's locker room after P.E brushing their hair.

 

“Tell me about it. She already staked her claim on Michael and now she's making her mark on Joel then Adam is probably going to be next. I swear the girl is such a bitch. She just bats an eyelash and all the guys come running towards her like trained lap dogs!”

 

“She should just go back to China where she belongs.”

 

Mimi bit her lip hard as she tried to keep from crying. Instead she slammed her locker shut and approached the girls, her face oddly blank and calm in appearance. “Japan. I'm from Japan.”

 

Her two peers however glared at her as they rose to their feet. “Why don't you go eat a cat or something?” The blonde sneered eyeing the cup of hot chocolate Mimi was unconsciously holding.

 

Stereotypical morons, the Japanese girl thought angrily. They probably think we ran around in kimonos 24/7, and have never heard of fast food, blue jeans, or rock music. At that moment she wanted to throw the hot drink at the two girls for their rudeness towards her and the country that she would always call home no matter where she might go next. Mimi however maintained her grip on the paper cup, the welcoming aroma of chocolate wafting tantalizingly in the air through wisps of steam. She inhaled the sent deeply and shook her head at the two girls. “Once you've actually done some research on Japan rather than make up your own assumptions, I'll choose to respond. Until then, I'll let you think what you want, but for the record… I've never slept anyone, ever. Michael is my best friend and Joel wanted to know what last weeks' assignment in History was because he got sick from a bad corndog and had to go home. Before you start gossiping, try to get the facts straight.”

 

With that she turned on her heel and walked away as her peers stared bitterly after her. It was almost a graceful exit, when the blonde suddenly shoved her from behind, causing the steaming hot chocolate to slosh out of the cup and onto Mimi.

 

Mimi winced at the memory of the burns she received on her arms and the ruined shirt. Despite how hurt she was over the girls in the locker room, she still felt that perhaps if they had made an effort to get to know her that they could have been friends. She never did allow herself to hate them even though they had continued with their vicious lies. Mimi knew better and even tried to explain to others how things really were in Japan before anyone else could jump to false conclusions. She knew if she tried hard enough that perhaps people would then understand. For the most part it worked, but she never could change the minds of the two girls in the locker room.

 

“I did try,” she said to herself as she closed her eyes. “I couldn't hate them for what they did, but I felt sorry for their closed-mindedness. If only they could have seen that differences are good because if we all were the same, it'd be a really dull and boring world.” The voice she heard had to have been her own. She had never actually listened to it since perhaps the last time she had seen Palmon and the last time she actually tried to be herself rather than what other accepted as normal. I'm Tachikawa Mimi and that's all I ever need to be because that's who I am. I'm not a fake… At least, I won't be anymore. Not like those girls, not ever again. A sudden flood of warmth filled her body as all reality seemed to slip away once again.

 

*~*~*~*

 

“MIMI! WAKE UP!” Michael cradled her limp body against him as the storm's fury intensified. Luckily they managed to carry her to a cave that wasn't too far from where she had collapsed. He gazed down at her with worried blue-green eyes and cursed to the ceiling.

 

“Calm down, Michael. She'll be all right. Just give her a moment,” Takeru said softly, but the American wouldn't listen.

 

“Calm is going to do shit.”

 

Catherine flinched and glanced at the other Chosen gathered around Mimi. She sighed and said a silent prayer. “She has to awake. She just has to!”

 

Suddenly a white light erupted around Mimi's still form and slowly dissipated as her eyes fluttered open. “What- what happened?” She frowned up at the others who sat gaping over her. “What?”

 

“First you were dead to the world and now you're wearing white and green….” Akina quietly replied with a puzzled expression.

 

“WHAT?” Mimi sat up and pulled a mirror from her bag lying next to her as she inspected her appearance with a scrutinizing eye. What was once considered a drab gray long sleeved, square neck shirt was a spring green under a sheer white quarter length sleeved top that made the green of the under shirt appear mint colored instead. Her mini skirt was also white trimmed in a mint green and under that were green tights that matched her under shirt. Her elbow length gloves were also white as were her knee high boots with a mint green trim. “Not bad,” she said with an approving smile as she placed the mirror back in her white bag. She paused a moment and frowned. “Wait…. White? But I had green…”

 

“Did you check your Power Stone?” Catherine questioned with a slight giggle.

 

“No, but…” the Chosen of Purity trail off as she hunted in her bag and shrieked. “It's white! But shouldn't it be green? I mean I'm still wearing green-”

 

“And white,” Koushiro pointed out as he held out his own stone. “It's evident now that we may not have the same colors as we did previously. What it means, I have no clue.”

 

Akina folded her arms over her chest in thought. “Maybe we should just set camp here until the storm dies down.”

 

“Sounds like a good idea,” Michael nodded as they worked together to build a fire. They could only hope that the blizzard would end soon before things could get any worse.

 

*~*~*~*

 

“So far,” Wallace began between bites of his slightly bruised apple. He chewed quickly after Miyako sent him a scolding look that practically screamed `Chew first, speak later.' He swallowed and cleared his throat as though he had paid her no mind whatsoever. “We seem to have all found our Power Stones and Ken and I have activated ours. How exactly, is still a big mystery.”

 

Ken nodded and ran a hand through his indigo hair. He tossed the cap of his water bottle in his hand. “There is still the issue concerning Hikari and Daisuke's whereabouts as well as all of the digimon.”

 

“And Hikari's missing memories,” Miyako chimed in as she crumpled the wrapper from her crackers. She made a face at it and discarded the trash in her bag. “Somehow I have a feeling everything is tied together.”

 

“I wonder if anyone else was able to activate their Power Stone,” Jyou said in an after thought as he leaned back against the tree he was sitting in front of. He glanced at the abnormally silent Ami who was staring at the sky, apparently lost in her own little world. He shook his head and sighed. “We should try contacting the others again and see if anything's happened lately.”

 

“Good idea,” Ken pulled his D-Terminal out of his bag. The other Chosen finished whatever food they had left as he typed up a message. After a moment however a scowl crossed his commonly serene face. This only made his friends look at him in concern.

 

“What's wrong?” His girlfriend peered over his shoulder and blinked at the dark screen. “Did you forget to the charge the batteries or something?”

 

He shook his head. “No, I made sure everything was fully charged before we left…. It shouldn't be doing this.”

 

Miyako made a face at the small computer then moved to retrieve her own. “Well, I haven't been using mine so it should have enough power.” She quickly flipped it on but nothing happened. “What the hell?”

 

“This doesn't look good…” Jyou said as panic set in. “If we lost contact with the others then what are we going to do?”

 

“What's wrong? Did something happen? Are we going to die?” Ami scurried towards the others, her wide blue-green eyes already brimming with tears. “I want to go home!” Abruptly she threw her arms around the nearest person, which happened to be the med student and began sobbing in his shirt.

 

“Uhh, it's going to be okay,” he said, patting her back awkwardly. He turned to the others for help, but was only met with looks of pity and half-hearted shrugs. “Thanks.”

 

Wallace jumped up and gave his best stern look. “Hey! Wait! We're not just going to lie down and let whatever the hell is going on to just kill us so stop freaking out. We can survive off worse than lack of communication with the others. We just have to trust that they'll be okay just like they have to believe that we'll be okay. Okay?”

 

Miyako and Ken exchanged glances. “If I didn't know better, I'd swear he has been taking notes from Taichi, except I don't think they ever met,” the girl whispered as her boyfriend shrugged.

 

“That maybe so, but didn't you say he was friends with Daisuke?” He paused a moment and shook his head. “Either way, Wallace is probably the closest thing we have to a leader at the moment. Granted I could probably lead, but it's not my forte.”

 

“True, but I'd feel so much better if we could find some answers to everything. This is worse than the scavenger hunt you guys devised for my sixteenth birthday.”

 

Ken grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “We'll get there. Just have faith.”

 

“That's Jyou's department. I'm…. I don't know what I am if I'm anything…”

 

“Miya…”

 

Miyako pulled away and stood up with a sad smile. “But I'm okay with that. I'd rather be nothing if it meant finding Hikari and Daisuke and all the digimon. I never thought I'd miss Hawkmon as much as I do now…. I completely abandoned him and look at what happened? Everything got completely screwed up and I don't know if it can even be fixed.”

 

Ken rose to his feet too, an earnest glint in his deep blue eyes. “Miya.”

 

“I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. I'm Inoue Miyako. Nothing can hurt me.” She backed away, grabbed her bag, and shoved a strand of lavender hair from her face. “So are we going anywhere or are we just going to sit here all day?”

 

Wallace stared in confusion at her and scratched his head. “What…” he began as a drop of water fell in his eyes. He blinked then tilted his head up as another landed on his cheek. “Well, damn. Now it's raining.”

 

“At least it's only a light sprinkle…although now my hair is going to frizz up,” Ami said with a slight whiny tone to her voice.

 

“It's not going to kill us. Come on,” Miyako grumbled as she brushed past the others and started off without them.

 

“Well, I guess we should follow her.” The American sighed and quickly sped after the lavender haired teen unsure of what to make of her newest mood. All anyone really knew was unless things improved fast, they might find themselves in deeper trouble than they could ever imagine.

 

*~*~*~*

 

Hikari gazed at Daisuke's sleeping form from her own sleeping bag and bit her lip. She didn't know where the emotions came from but all she wanted was to be near him as if he could protect her from all the evils of the world. Don't be silly, Hikari. You probably have a hero complex going on and the reason why he won't tell you anything is because you two were never together to begin with. You've probably been just jumping to conclusions, which usually results in falling on your face. So stop being such a child and grow up.

 

She dropped her head in her hands and sighed deeply. “I'm such a idiot.”

 

“You're such a slut.”

 

Her head snapped up at the enraged voice that seemed to echo throughout the cave. Wide brown eyes scanned her surroundings before resting to an abrupt halt on a shadowed figure in the corner. Fear enveloped her as she said shakily in defense, “No, I'm not.”

 

The stranger chuckled coldly as he stepped into the firelight. “I've been searching everywhere for you Hikari and here you are, dreaming of jumping into the sack with some guy who will probably never amount to anything.”

 

Hikari's blood turned to ice as she met Nitoni's dark eyes as he stalked towards her. She swallowed thickly and shifted in her sleeping bag wishing to be anywhere but there. “You're wrong. And you're the one that left me, I just made it easier after you tried to kill me you-you-you, you asshole!”

 

“That's where you're wrong.” Nitoni grabbed her hard by the wrist and hauled her to her feet as though she were nothing more than a rag doll. “You're mine and will always be mine,” he growled shoving her violently against the wall. “And I will do whatever I damn well please with you.”

 

She suddenly felt dizzy as her head slammed back against the stone. Hikari tried to shake the swirling sensation in her head, struggling to regain her focus as her mind screamed at her that this couldn't be real…but the pain was too intense for it not to be. “I'm not yours and never will be because YOU DON'T DESERVE ME!”

 

“Bitch.” He backhanded her, forcing the other side of her face into the wall as she tried not to shriek out loud when he hit her again. In the heat of building rage he gripped her upper arms and threw her to the ground.

 

A rush of fire flooded Hikari's right side as she skidding on it towards the adjacent wall. She knew she couldn't run. Her ankle was still too swollen from her earlier fall to do anything more than walk on it using the lightest pressure possible. This has to be a dream. Wake up, Hikari. You're dreaming. Wake up, damn it! Tears stung her eyes as she rose to her knees just in time to miss Nitoni's newest attack in the form of a knife. She cried out in horror as she threw herself to her right, allowing the blade to graze her left arm. “Go away and leave me alone!”

 

“Not a chance, baby. You still have a death sentence to fulfill and I shall see to it personally that you carry it out.” He leaned over his ex-girlfriend and grabbed her by the hair as she screamed. He laughed in victory but it was short lived as she hit him in the face with a large rock.

 

Without a second to falter she forced her sprained right foot into his gut with a battle cry to mask the agony that shot through her leg as it made contact with her target. Hikari clenched her jaw as she nailed him in the windpipe with her elbow and kicked him in the face with her throbbing foot before she finally collapsed. “I-I did it.”

 

“You did nothing except buy yourself more time. I WILL finish this,” he whispered in her head as she blacked out.

 

*~*~*~*

 

Daisuke opened his eyes sleepily and yawned. He had never felt more exhausted before in his life. More than anything wanted to duck back under the covers and sleep the day away. However he knew that was wishful thinking and that right now, finding Hikari's memories and getting away from wherever they were was much more important.

 

“Better awaken Sleeping Beauty,” he snickered to himself but froze at recalling what that would entail in the fairytale sense and knew if he kissed her one more time, that he may not have enough will power to keep his word. He sighed, climbing out of his sleeping bag and moved towards Hikari's.

 

The mild cheerfulness in his face vanished as the odd appearance of blood on the back of her head caught his attention. Daisuke frowned and dove to her side without a second thought. “Hikari.” He touched her shoulder lightly and was suddenly greeted with an ear-shattering scream that he swore shook the walls and he leapt back in alarm. “What's wrong?”

 

A torture ridden sob was his only answer as she tried to curl into a tighter ball. After a moment she whispered, “I'm okay. Don't worry about me.”

 

He narrowed his eyes trying to recall whether she had harmed her shoulder during her fall but couldn't seem to remember. “Are you okay? The back of your head looks like its been bleeding…. Hikari, look at me.”

 

“Just leave me alone.”

 

“Hikari.”

 

“Please!”

 

Daisuke drew a breath and knelt next to her. “I'm not moving until you come out of there and I know you will eventually because no one can hold off using the bathroom forever.”

 

Hikari paused for a moment as if she were trying to decide then carefully peeled away the cover from her sleeping bag. “I thought it was all a dream.”

 

“What…. the hell happened to you?” Daisuke's eyes widened in horror at the sight of her disheveled appearance, dried blood was crusted over under her puffy right eye from a cut that he knew wasn't there when they went to sleep that night. Her left side looked raw where the skin was left exposed due to cuts in her shirt while the right was caked in dried blood. She wrapped her arms around herself and cried. “Hikari…”

 

“I'll be okay. I'll be okay. Don't worry. I'll be okay.”

 

He moved closer to her and grabbed her trembling hands. “What happened? Tell me.”

 

She winced and looked away, tears rushing from her reddening eyes at a more frantic pace. “I don't really understand it. I was dreaming. I was dreaming, but he-he-” she choked and gasped for air as if on the verge of a panic attack.

 

“Breathe, Hikari,” Daisuke wrapped his arms protectively around her, careful not to use too much pressure where her wounds were. “Did someone sneak in? Do you know who or what attacked you? You have to tell me.”

 

“It-it was a dream. I was dreaming at least…that's what I thought…. I don't know what is going on….all I know is I hurt all over especially my ankle.”

 

“Your ankle?”

 

Hikari bit her lip hard and nodded. “I kicked him with it. He was going to kill me if I didn't….all I know is it hurts worse than ever.”

 

“Kicked who?” His anger grew at the thought of someone having harmed her and at that moment all he wanted was to hurt them worse than they had hurt her. He released the girl then turned to unzip her sleeping bag to see just what type of damage she had done. Luckily, she had slept in her clothes just as he had to avoid any potential awkwardness.

 

“Nitoni.”

 

Daisuke swore at both the name and the sight of Hikari's ankle, which was now twice the size it previously was. “I'm going to kill him,” he growled glaring at her injury more closely. “Shit. I'm not an expert or anything, but you really did a number on it. I'm not gonna lie to you, but this looks bad. I've seen a lot of twisted and sprained ankles before during my soccer days but, damn. Hikari you may have broke it and I don't have anything to use for the swelling outside of normal first aid kit stuff.” He paused for a moment then slammed a fist into the wall behind them. “DAMN HIM! How the hell could I have slept through all of that?”

 

“I don't think it actually happened.” She then explained to him everything that had happened outside of what she was thinking before her ex had made his appearance. “I don't understand how any of this could be possible….but I don't remember crawling back inside my sleeping back, especially with how much my foot hurts…. I'm not even safe in my sleep now.”

 

He stared at her long and hard for a moment before quickly rising to his feet and retrieved his backpack. Fury burned in his brown eyes as he dropped the bag next to Hikari then practically ripped it open. “That's it. I've had enough of this shit. After we're done bandaging you up, we're out of here even if I have to carry you half across the world. We're just damn lucky that I know some stuff about sports medicine and first aid.”

 

“I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry,” she said softly causing Daisuke to almost drop the packets of rubbing alcohol as he gave her a bewildered look.

 

“You didn't upset me, Hikari. The bastard that did this did. And don't you dare blame yourself for any of this. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to beat the shit out of you and try to kill you.” He made quick work of cleaning her wounds as she sat with little emotion evident on her pale face. The tears were already drying up and despite the sharp bite of the alcohol; Hikari barely reacted to the stinging sensation with so much as a wince. Don't tell me she's gone into shock.... Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. I'm going to rip him to pieces if I ever find him or whoever is doing this. He nearly swore out loud as he looked in her eyes to find them blank and lifeless. “Hikari, snap out of it.”

 

She didn't respond, her breathing too shallow to make even a slight sound as she crumpled down to her left side. Daisuke barely had the chance to catch her.

 

“Hikari. Hikari! Wake up!” He snapped his fingers in her face but she remained motionless. He yelled in frustration and lightly slapped her left cheek, not wanting to hurt her any worse than she was. “Come on, Hikari…. Hikari, you have to snap out of it. Come on. Your brother is going to be really pissed off if I bring you back to him as a potted plant. Please, Hikari. I don't think you want him to use me as soccer ball…. WAKE UP, DAMN YOU!”

 

The young woman suddenly gasped sharply as though she had been underwater holding her breath for a long time. She blinked and frowned at the red marks on her wrist.

 

Daisuke too looked and gaped in shock. “Tho-tho-those weren't there before…. What the hell is going on here?”

 

“I don't know.”

 

He gritted his teeth and eased Hikari off him then shoved everything he could back in his bag and frantically packed up Hikari's things as well. “We're getting out of here. Now.”

 

“But… my ankle…” she protested when he threw his backpack and hers on then scooped her into his arms.”

 

“I told you, I'd carry you across the world if I had to and don't you dare even suggest having me leave you because I'd have every bone broken in my body while I'm still alive than do that.” Daisuke shifted her slightly as he adjusted to the extra weight and started out of the cave then swore again as he froze at the threshold. “That's it! I'm having a nervous breakdown…. Why couldn't one of the Chosen become a psychiatrist? They might have been able to give me a discount.”

 

Hikari shook her head as her brown eyes fell upon the lively ocean waves a few feet away reflecting off a dim stormy sky. “You're not losing it. That wasn't there before. I would have remembered hearing the ocean…”

 

“We're both going to need therapy now.” He sighed then started off; his only wish was to find a way to keep them both safe in time find Hikari's memories and then a way back home. Deep down he knew it was easier said than done.

 

*~*~*~*

Author's Notes: This chapter was just…. odd. I really didn't plan much of it outside of Taichi and Mimi activating their Power Stones. I must say pretty much the rest of this story is up in the air as far as what happens next aside from what stones are activated when and what storm hits next so I am intrigued to see how it all comes together just as you are probably as well.

 

Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. Until then.