Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Donkey Madness ❯ Danger Zone Camaraderie ( Chapter 12 )

Started: January 12, 2001
Finished: January 23, 2001

The first thing he was aware of . . . was the cold floor underneath him. He grunted as he pushed himself to his feet, sighing as he brushed himself off. That last test had been a real challenge. . . Tears still stung at his eyes and rubbed gloved fingers against them in irritation.

"Davis?"

Davis Motomiya turned around at the voice, smiling in relief at the familiar face. "Yolei!" He ran to the older girl, gripping her arms tightly to make sure she was real. "Holy crap, Yolei, I freaked out during that test! They used mirrors and tried to confuse the hell outta me!"

Yolei Inoue nodded breathlessly, worn out from walking through the maze she had found herself in after awakening. "I hope the others passed. . .," she murmured. "I really hate this place now."

Both kids walked through the new maze they found themselves in, Yolei explaining the short journey she had made to finding him. The walls, instead of the reflective surfaces of the last area, were a pale brown color and smooth to the touch. Glad to not himself to stare at with every step, Davis managed to stay calm as they traveled. Cody Hida was the next Digidestined to be found, already up and walking around by the time the older children found him.

"Are you all right, Cody?" Yolei asked in concern, seeing the redness around the boy's green eyes.

". . . No. . ." Cody shook his head and shut his eyes, a heavy sigh sending him into shudders. "The last test was mentally draining. I don't look forward to ones like it."

Yolei hugged the little boy tightly, not daring to ask what had happened; if his test was anything like hers had been, he wouldn't take well to questions on the matter. They silently made their way through the maze, Davis frowning as he told the others that he didn't know the maze route. The three wandered, reaching a stretch of maze that broadened into a small crossroads-hall. At the opposite side of the hall were two familiar figures, just appearing from the shadows of the corridor.

"Kari! T.K.!" Yolei exclaimed, breaking away from her two friends to make her way to the two. She embraced the other two tightly. "We were getting worried. . ."

Kari Kamiya smiled faintly, gripping the other girl's hand as she spoke. "I guess we all passed the test if we're back together. Was it as hard for you all as it was for me?"

All the Digidestined nodded solemnly, including the very proud Digidestined of Courage and Friendship. "How about Ken? Have you guys seen him yet?" the goggle-wearing boy queried.

"I'm right here; you don't have to act like I can hear you."

The Digidestined blinked, looking to the western corridor in surprise. Ken Ichijouji sighed raggedly as he leaned against the wall. "Ken!" T.K. Takaishi looked to the regally-garbed boy. "Are you okay?"

Ken frowned, slowly straightening and walking over to the other children. "Not after that last test," he hissed. "I'd rather have my whole Airdramon fleet flailed than go through that again."

Cody looked disturbed by Ken's comparison, staying close to Yolei's side. "Did Wormmon show up yet?"

"I think Makusumon isn't going to give him back," Ken replied darkly. He shook his head. "How are we going to protect ourselves?"

Davis glanced at Cody, then at Yolei, and saw the confusion lingering in their gazes. This isn't right, Davis thought. Ken doesn't think like that now. Wormmon's his pal now, not his bodyguard. "Hey, uh, Ken, are you feeling okay?"

Eyes narrowed behind violet shades. "What's that supposed to mean?"

T.K. gave the Digimon Emperor a hard look. "Something's wrong with you, Ken. You're acting weird. . ."

"Sticky Net!"

Ken turned at the new voice, cursing as white webbing stuck onto the front of his suit. He tore at it, glaring at a small, caterpillar digimon that had appeared from the same corridor he had come out of. "Where did you come from!?"

"You!!" screeched Wormmon, tears spilling from his bright blue eyes. "What did you do to Ken-chan?! You impostor, what did you do?!"

"Imposter!?" At Wormmon's exclamation, Davis pounced at the blue-dressed boy. 'Ken' narrowly escaped his grasp, twisting away and somehow managing to jump above the Digidestined to land on the opposite side of the crossroads-hall.

"If Makusumon hadn't dropped the insect back into the game, I would have had you all," 'Ken' growled bitterly. "I guess this is an interesting turn of events as well. The Digimon Emperor is beyond your help!" Cackling madly, the impostor disappeared back into the maze.

"Damn!" Davis jerked to his feet and balled his hands into fists. "Let's go after that jerk; he might know something." The unofficial leader of the Digidestined turned to the other two boys and girls. "T.K., Cody -- let's find that impostor. Kari, Yolei - take Wormmon and find out where Ken is. If a Digimon somehow attacks, Wormmon should be able to protect you."

Kari looked concerned at the brown-haired boy's words. "What about you three?"

"We'll be fine; we'll stick together," T.K. promised. "Just find out where Ken is; if that fake's right, Ken's in real trouble and needs someone with him." He pulled out his D-terminal. "Once you find him, contact us."

"Got it," confirmed Yolei, nodding along with Kari. "You guys be careful!"

"Try not to worry, Yolei," Cody said, gripping his best friend's wrist for a moment before heading after the departing Davis and T.K.

The brunette turned around and hurried to the crying digimon, cradling him in her arms. "Wormmon, what happened?"

Wormmon sobbed, looking at Kari and Yolei before speaking. "I'm not sure what happened, but I remember being in Cody's in this mirror maze . . . and then I-- I woke up next to Ken-chan. He's hurt badly; he's been hurt and I can't help him!"

Yolei and Kari traded horrified looks, the older girl getting her voice back first. "Take us to him, Wormmon."

The digimon nodded sorrowfully, and the three were off.

Meanwhile, the three boys were chasing after Ken's doppelganger, Davis leading the trio through the long corridor. "I can't believe this!" growled T.K. from behind him. "These tests just get weirder and weirder. . .!"

"Is this a test?" Cody queried, looking to the older Digidestined. "I thought Wormmon was always part of the test."

T.K. shook his head, pausing to rethink their situation. "I'm not sure, but we're in another maze. If the last area was a test, then this is probably a test."

"This really isn't the time or the place, T.I.!" Davis shouted, having taken to running faster down the hallway. "That guy's gonna get away if we don't hurry!"

Davis caught sight of a blue cape at a T-section, turning right and seeing the blue-haired impostor running down the hall. "You're not gettin' away, you jerk!!" Forcing himself to run at top speed, the soccer forward covered the majority of the long corridor and flew at his intended target. They both rolled, narrowly missing crashing into the maze walls.

"Great move, Davis!" T.K. complimented, he and Cody blocking off one side of the hall. The Digidestined of Hope prepared a frown for his interrogation of the impostor. "You fake, who are you!? What did you do to Ken!?"

The fake Digimon Emperor laughed, pushing himself to his feet and leering at T.K. and Cody. He seemed to be taking his current position very well, bowing with flourish. "I am Utagaumon, one of the Game Lords. Of course, you must have already suspected that, Digidestined."

"A shape-shifter?!" gasped Davis, eyes bugging out at the thought. "Were you the one that did that last test?"

Utagaumon smirked in that twisted way Ken usually did as he turned to face Davis, sending a chill down the Digidestined's spine. There wasn't a single flaw in the disguise the digimon had created. "Of course. . . I enjoyed every moment of it, as well."

This is one sick digimon. . ., Cody thought darkly, glaring at Ken's look-alike. "You still haven't answered our other question! What happened to Ken?" The Game Lord looked over his shoulder, evil eyes visible behind the yellow frames. Cody shrank back as he began to speak.

"I've dealt with him."

"Ken! Oh, my God. . . Ken!!"

Yolei and Kari ran into the room at the sight of their friend crumpled on the ground, deathly still. "Get him on his back," Kari said, panic in her voice as she set down Wormmon. The two girls rolled the boy on his back, staring at his sweaty and pallid face.

The older Digidestined trembled as she took off Ken's glasses, revealing his torture-etched face for the whole world to see. Yolei dropped the glasses back on Ken's barely-moving chest, almost ready to cry. "I read in a book about these symptoms," she managed, setting her gloved hands on the floor to balance herself. "He's got a fever. A substance-induced fever. . ."

"It's poison." There was a firm finality in Wormmon's voice as he nuzzled Ken's still hand. "I can still smell it. From a Dokunemon's Worm Venom attack." He began to cry again. "Ken-chan. . . Ken-chan, wake up. . ."

Kari hugged herself tightly as she knelt by her companions. "I feel so helpless," she whispered, the panic still lining her voice. "What do we do, Yolei? What can we do for him?"

Yolei looked indecisive for a second, then gestured for Kari to take over her backpack. "Blankets. We should at least make him comfortable, if nothing else. We don't have any water or anything, so we can't help him there. . ." Halfway through pulling out one blanket, the girl burst into tears. "Wormmon, is he going to be okay? We can't help him at all!"

Wormmon turned those sorrowful blue eyes to the lavender-haired girl, his head leaning against his friend's unmoving shoulder. ". . . No. No, Yolei, he's not going to be okay. Ken-chan's dying." The tears were coming again. "If he doesn't wake up, Ken-chan's going to die."

The three boys stared at their enemy in horror. "Poison!?"

Utagaumon went through the motions of buffing his nails on his cape, despite the fact he wore the Digimon Emperor's gloves. He continued to smirk. "A very potent poison, I believe. He should be dead within a few hours."

"You sick freak!" Davis was raging. Ken, dead?! The idea of his maybe-friend dying didn't settle well with the boy. "Where's the antidote? You have a lot of nerve. . .!"

"Antidote?" A cruel laugh filled the air. "There isn't an antidote! This isn't some cliché adventure you're part of, Digidestined!"

"Bastard!" The Digidestined on Courage and Friendship flew at the impostor, the two sliding down the corridor in much the same way as before. T.K. and Cody pressed against the walls as they passed, staring after the blur of orange and blue and brown and gold. Davis was laying on the punches, trying in vain to wipe the smirk off the digimon's face. "You're lying! You've got a friggin' antidote somewhere!! Where is it!!?"

With an inhuman amount of strength, Utagaumon shoved the smaller boy off of him and flipped to his feet. "What an annoying display," he drawled, feigning boredom. "You don't mind if I'm not impressed, hmm?" The shape-changing digimon reached into the folds of the cape he shouldn't have been wearing, pulling out a long weapon.

"Holy crap. . .," came a startled gasp from T.K.

The three Digidestined backed up quickly, their eyes trained on the sword Utagaumon had brandished.

". . . It's so . . . hot. . ."

Yolei started at the voice, shoving herself away from the wall she had been leaning against and crawling to the boy she and Kari had wrapped a blanket around ten minutes ago. She knew; she had counted every second since the act had been done. "Ken? Ken, you're awake!" It took sheer will power to not hug the sick emperor, and Yolei quietly congratulated herself for the restraint.

She looked down at the blue-haired emperor, at his glazed, blue eyes that looked at her without truly looking at her. "Hot. . . It's so hot. . ."

It broke her heart to look at the once-proud Digimon Emperor, delirious and taken over by sickness before her eyes. She shifted her position, resting his head on her lap and brushing at his sweaty locks. His hair, once fashioned in spiky and wildly, had lost a great deal of flair with the coming of the poison-induced fever. "We're trying to help you, Ken," she whispered, glancing over at Kari and Wormmon. Kari had cradled the distraught digimon until both of them had fallen asleep. "Just stay with us . . . stay with me. Don't give up."

Ken shook his head back and forth, lost in the agony that Yolei had a feeling was very real and very excruciating. ". . . So hot. . . Yolei. . ."

She blinked. Did he just. . .?

". . . Yolei. . . It hurts. . ."

Yolei pulled her glasses off, not wanting them to fog the way she knew they would if she left them on while she cried. The tears were coming again. "Ken, I don't know what it is about you. . .," she murmured, still stroking his hair. "Something about you just seems to push all the right buttons. . . You can make me cry on command now! Please, get better. Please. . ."

And Yolei Inoue hugged Ken Ichijouji gently, her falling tears mingling with the sweat that beaded on the boy's forehead.

A sword. . . Damn, this guy's really trying to kill us!

The three boys stayed close together, swallowing hard as Utagaumon swayed the curved sword back and forth. From the mere motion, the Digidestined were able to conclude that the digimon knew how to use the sword.

"Goodbye, Digidestined!" hissed the Game Lord, thrusting sharply at them.

Screams of terror filled the air, but no blood was spilt.

Instead, a loud clang rang throughout the corridor, startling Utagaumon. He looked to see what had deflected his attack.

Cody Hida glared determinedly his enemy, the Golden Scepter he had received held before him like a weapon. A serious frown creased his young features.

"Cody. . .!" Davis and T.K. echoed each other in surprise.

"I was always taught to channel my anger into something positive," Cody declared, his voice deceptively calm as he fingered the top of the scepter like he would a sword hilt. "I think protecting my friends from the likes of you is rather positive."

"Digidestined of Knowledge and Reliability," murmured Utagaumon, assessing his opponent in amusement. "Very brave of you, boy."

Cody flung off the vines tied around his scepter, his eyes never leaving his enemy. "Bravery is a trait not to be taken lightly; it often is the only driving force a person needs to reach his goals."

The smirk returned to the digimon's face. "A statement spoken aloud is no more than a statement," he remarked, his voice bouncing off the walls. "And statements, as we all know, are open to individual dissection."

Sword met scepter, and the two became combatants locked in battle. Cody blocked Utagaumon's attacks using what skill he had picked up from Kendo, finding himself more on the defensive than the offensive. Gritting his teeth, Cody snapped his wrists and dealt quick strikes to the digimon, regretting it as soon as his wrists began to ache. The Golden Scepter was heavier than his Kendo shinai.

Davis and T.K. watched the two battle anxiously, unable to jump into the fray without immediately becoming bodily-harmed. Taking a deep breath, Davis shoved a hand in one pocket and grasped the orb in there. I could always throw this thing over there . . . but I'm not exactly the greatest thrower in the world. . . He spied Cody's discarded sling, an idea forming in his mind. Eyes lighting up, Davis snatched up the vines and took out the Red Orb, pulling the vines out of their knots and winding them around his treasure from Makusumon.

"Davis, what're you doing?" hissed T.K., averting his eyes from the fight to the shorter boy.

"I'm gonna help Cody!" Davis snapped back, tugging the thin vines securely around the orb. He jerked to his feet, his hands sliding down the main length of vine as he lowered the weighted end. "Cody, get down!!"

Cody, unsure of Davis' plan, parried Utagaumon's next attack and fell backwards. Ken's impostor leered down at him, raising his sword to kill the boy. The next thing Cody knew, a red projectile flew overhead and slammed into the digimon's stomach, sending him stumbling backwards.

"Wh-- what the hell. . .?!" The Game Lord seethed visibly, glaring at where Davis and T.K. were giving each other high-fives.

"Ohhhh yeah!!" The Digidestined of Courage and Friendship cheered as he dragged back his new weapon. "These feet are lethal weapons, baby!" Holding the length of vine in both hands, Davis lowered the weighted end low enough for his foot to kick it. He slammed his sneaker into the Red Orb, immediately releasing one hand and watching the orb smash into Utagaumon again.

T.K. managed to drag Cody out of Utagaumon's range as this was happening, the three Digidestined standing together once again. "Clever, boy," commented Utagaumon, his eyes on Davis. "Very clever."

"Hey, I'm not a complete dope," spat back Davis. He dragged back his homemade morning star and kicked it again, determined to knock the digimon out.

Utagaumon sneered, grabbing the weapon in midair and slashing through the vine with ease. He threw the Red Orb to the floor, watching it bounce twice and then roll back to the Digidestined. "Third time's a charm," he quipped nastily.

The next move was completely unexpected, even to Davis and Cody. T.K., taking Davis' attack as a distraction, charged at the Game Lord and struck him as hard as he could, his fist connecting with the left side of the digimon's face. Spinning abruptly, the Digidestined of Hope waved to his comrades. "Run!! Move it!!"

Davis and Cody didn't have to be shouted at twice, holding tightly to their treasures as they sped out of the corridor and back to where they had separated from Kari and Yolei.

"Kari. . . Kari, you've gotta help me!"

Kari awoke to desperate shaking, blinking in alarm at the tear-streaked face of Yolei. "Y-- Yolei, what's wrong??" she stammered, hugging Wormmon closely to her. The small digimon's eyes fluttered open and he tried to focus in on the two girls.

"Kari . . .oh God, Ken. . . He's. . .!!" Yolei continued to stumble through her words, pointing frantically at where Ken still lay. "He's-- he's so red!!"

"What?!" Wormmon squirmed out of Kari's arms and hurried to the young emperor. "Ken-chan? Ken-chan!"

The boy still breathed heavily and shivered with fever, but his face had found tranquility over the last hour. However, red liquid beaded his forehead instead of sweat, sliding from his face to form bloody rivers on his pale visage.

"What is that. . .?" Kari gasped in shock, not daring to touch the redness. "Yolei? Wormmon?"

Wormmon stared at the red that dripped from his friend's head, crawling closer for a good look. ". . . It's the poison!" he whispered in pure disbelief. "He's sweating off the poison!"

"Oh, God . . . that's great!" Yolei grabbed Kari and Wormmon in a hug. "If he keeps this up, he'll get all the poison out of his system!"

Kari hugged Yolei as well, relief calming her for only a moment. ". . . He's going to dehydrate sooner or later, though," she said seriously. "He'll only get sick again if we don't get water into him."

"We don't have any water here, though. . ." Wormmon looked sorrowfully at the sand-colored walls. "Ken-chan. . ."

". . . I'm all right. Don't start crying. . ."

All three stiffened at the familiar voice, looking down at the boy they had been watching over. Ken met their gazes with half-opened eyes, licking his dry lips as he lay on the floor.

"Ken!!!"

Two pairs of arms and ten caterpillar pods clamped onto the boy at once, surprising him in silence. "Don't do that to us again!" cried Yolei, holding his shoulders with a mixture of gentleness and firmness. "Do you have any idea how much we worried!?"

"We were afraid you were going to die, Ken!" sobbed Kari.

"Ken-chan, don't scare us like that!" Wormmon rubbed against his face against the boy's arm, managing to keep tears at bay despite the reactions from both Yolei and Kari.

"Where are we?" queried Ken, shifting in avoid being smothered to death by the three. His voice was weak and strained, so unlike his normal coolness and nonchalance.

Yolei wiped away her tears slowly, swallowing hard before speaking. "I guess this would be gamma level, part two," she said. "I don't think it's a danger zone or a puzzle room--"

"Kari!! Yolei!!" Feet rapidly hitting the floor echoed to the small group's ears, diverting their attention to the hallway into the room. Davis came running into the room, Cody and T.K. right behind him.

"What. . .? Did you find that impostor, guys??" Kari shouted.

T.K. frowned as he nodded. "He's chasing us, and he's armed."

Ken pushed himself to elbows, triggering gasps from the two girls and one digimon next to him. He ignored them, turning dark blue eyes to the corridor as a regally-dressed boy came in.

"You Digidestined are really annoying," the look-alike growled. His hidden eyes averted to the red-faced Digimon Emperor, and he smirked. "Wonderful. You've survived after all. It would have been quite dull if you'd died this early into the game."

Wormmon glared and placed himself protectively between his partner and his enemy. "You're a Game Lord, aren't you?" he shouted. "I won't let you hurt Ken-chan! Not again!"

"Brave little bug," snorted the Game Lord. "You love the idea of signing your own death certificate, hmm?" He raised his sword to strike.

"Sticky N--"

Ken grabbed his digimon before he could finish, getting him out of range just as his doppelganger's sword hit the ground. "You'll get yourself killed!" the boy protested, shuddering as he fell into a coughing fit.

"Ken-chan . . . I'm doing this for you. You're my only friend, and I don't want you hurt," was Wormmon's whispered reply, staring at his coughing partner.

Utagaumon was quick to raise his sword again, but found himself facing Cody once again. Cody held his Golden Scepter tightly, teeth gritting together as he tried to hold back the digimon with all his strength. "You're not killing anyone," Cody rasped, eyes narrowing as he pulled away from the meeting. ". . . Especially a friend of mine."

Davis and T.K. were both behind Utagaumon, Davis with his orb in hand and T.K. with his hands curled into fists. Yolei and Kari knelt behind Ken, supporting him as he slowly pushed himself to his knees and then his feet. "You shouldn't have allowed us to get away from you the first time, Utagaumon," T.K. declared. "United, we can take anything you throw at us."

Kari nodded at her best friend's statement, ducking to allow Ken to loop his arm around her shoulders. "And when you mess with one of our friends, we'll take you on." She looked at Ken, smiling. "That includes Ken."

Utagaumon lowered his shades slightly, his dark blue eyes flickering with surprise. Is this the power Makusumon was talking about? These children are amazing. . . "Friendship?" he queried dryly, readjusting his sunglasses. "Is friendship your only shield?"

Ken was the first to speak, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. "Sometimes, friendship is the only shield you need."

There was a beeping sound at his words, causing the Digidestined's eyes to widen. Ken reached into the folds of his cape, pulling out his black digivice. It beeped erratically, with the same urgency that occurred before a battle. Averting his eyes, the Digimon Emperor noticed Davis pulling from his D-terminal. Nodding at the goggle-wearing boy and Wormmon, Ken thrust up his digivice. "Digi-Armor, energize!!"

"Wormmon Armor Digivolve to . . . Togemogumon, crystalline camaraderie!"

The Digimental of Friendship. . . OH, MY GOD!! This was a long chapter!! *wipes sweat off brow* Even if it's only ten pages in length, it feels like it took months to finish! . . . Anyway, for people curious, "Utagau" is "doubt." Again, this name has nothing to do with what the actual digimon does; I just was scraping for original-sounding names.

I'm really glad I decided to read ahead of my Biology class and learn about fevers. Did you know that fevers are one of the body's natural defenses to viruses? When you get sick, something is triggered inside the body which tells it to raise in temperature; that's why your body heat shoots up during a fever. You sweat out some of the sickness and the irregular heat kills off the rest of it (in most cases). *grins*