Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Remembrance ❯ Cataclysm ( Chapter 1 )

Remembrance

Chapter 1

By Time Lady

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Disclaimer: Digimon is owned by Toei, not me.

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Author's note: The events of this story would take place at the end of the events of episode 50, but replace the original epilogue. In essence, this is an alternate future story. Only the DigiDestined have digivices and Digimon partners, not everyone in the world.

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When I want to be alone to think, I often come up here. From the shrine's roof, I can see far across the land. Down the side of the mountain, some humans and some Gotsumon are planting the fields. A Monzaemon helps some other humans fix the roof on a building. Closer to the shrine, Digitamamon is catering to a picnic of some human children and baby Digimon.

I've been told that twenty-three years ago, eight years before I was born, the human world and the Digital World were two separate entities. It's hard to imagine what that might have been like. For me, the world has always had humans and Digimon side by side.

Every child born since the rebirth of the world has been told the story in detail. Everyone close to me has made sure that I know the story, perhaps because my parents were a part of all of the events that make up our world's history.

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According to the chronicles, the worst of the worst banded together: Belial Vamdemon, Apocolymon, Armagemon, and thousands of virus Digimon. Not all virus Digimon sided with the true evil though. Despite being virus Digimon, they realized when their own world was threatened.

One thing stood in the path of darkness. From Earth came the DigiDestined and their partner Digimon, led by 12 humans from Japan and their partners. These 12 were considered the most powerful, as 10 of their number were able to reach Mega levels, two easily were able to reach Ultimate. DigiDestined from all over the Earth provided support by fighting the legions of darkness. The Japanese DigiDestined faced the three leaders.

As I've been told, the battles were awesome. Over 200 DigiDestined and their partners entered the battle. Four pairs survived. They rushed to the ultimate conflict to provide support. They were still a distance away, but could see as the Japanese DigiDestined and their Digimon fell one by one. By the time they arrived, Armagemon, the last of the dark leaders alive, was facing MagnaAngemon and Angewomon. Only one of the Japanese DigiDestined still stood. Hikari Yagami watched as the two angels fought. Before the reinforcements could join the battle, Armagemon struck Angewomon a fatal blow.

"ANGEWOMON NOOOOO!!!!!!!" shrieked Hikari as she watched her companion and partner dissipate into a burst of data.

"Meramon, you must help MagnaAngemon!" called Mina. The young woman from India's red sari was torn along the bottom. She rushed to Hikari's side.

"You too Seadramon!" ordered Michael. Dirt and soot streaked his ripped jeans and T-shirt. The humans joined Hikari as their Digimon entered the battle. "Hikari, can't MagnaAngemon digivolve to Seraphmon?" he asked.

"He could if. . . if. . . Takeru. . . ." Their eyes followed Hikari's stare. Takeru's body lay crumpled on the ground. "Takeru. . . and Iori. . . and Daisuke. . . and Sora. . ." stammered Hikari as she forced back her sobs. "I'm the only one. . . TAICHI!!!! TAKERU!!!! ANGEWOMON!!!!" As Hikari screamed, her body began to glow with a strange pink light. Energy flowed through her as it had only twice before. The pink light grew until it cut through the darkness, forcing the other DigiDestined to shield their eyes.

"What is that light?" bellowed Armagemon, who appeared to be in pain from the glow. The evil Digimon turned towards Hikari. "BLACK RAIN!"

"HIKARI NO!" exclaimed MagnaAngemon.

Darkness faced light. Hikari's rose-colored light counteracted the dark attack. The other DigiDestined breathed a sigh of relief as Hikari's light strengthened and expanded, creating a dome of pink light surrounding them protectively.

"This ends now!" gritted out MagnaAngemon "Heaven's Gate!" The angelic warrior traced a circle with his sword. Within the golden circle, a golden gate slid open. "Everyone together!"

"Ice Arrow!"

"Burning Fist!"

"Variable Darts!"

"Volcanic Strike!"

"Excalibur!"

"I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!" exclaimed Armagemon as the attacks pushed him towards the gate.

"You have caused enough pain!" shouted Hikari tearfully. "You have destroyed two worlds! You have destroyed the people closest to me! THIS MUST END!" At Hikari's final statement, a bolt of pink light exploded towards Armagemon, fusing together the attacks of the other Digimon into one massive wave of power. Even a mega of Armagemon's power could not stand up to the combined assault. Armagemon's shrieks echoed across the world as the Heaven's Gate closed around him.

Exhausted, Hikari would have collapsed to the ground if Derek and Michael hadn't caught her. "It is over," said Rosa, the youngest DigiDestined remaining. Tears ran down her cheek. The Digimon devolved, with the exception of MagnaAngemon.

Something coursed through the angel's body, refusing to allow him to return to Patamon, or even to Angemon. All of his comrades, those he had fought along side for years, were gone. A tear appeared from beneath his helmet as he knelt beside the body of Takeru. "I failed you Takeru," whispered the angel. "I couldn't protect you. I should have been the one destroyed, not you, and not Angewomon." His tears flowed freely. "Angewomon," he whispered to her shade, "I shall honor the pact we made before the battle. I shall protect Hikari with my life. Were the positions reversed, I know you would do the same for Takeru."

Hikari cried. No one expected more. The girl had lost her brother, two boys she cared for deeply, eight of her best friends, and the Digimon she had been partnered with since she was eight years old. Mina and Rosa stayed close to her. Michael and Derek gathered the exhausted Digimon together.

MagnaAngemon composed himself. Hikari would be hurting enough as is. There was no need to worry her further with his own upset. The boys met him as he approached the remaining humans. "Are they all. . . ." Michael swallowed hard. He couldn't bring himself to finish the question.

"All of them," replied MagnaAngemon. "None of them survived." The warrior angel couldn't hide the tremor in his voice. "I should tell Hikari."

"I think she knows already," said Derek.

"MIRA!" shouted Rosa. "Look! The sun!"

The sun appeared for the first time in days. None of them expected to ever see the sun again. With the sun came a man in a brown robe. "Hogan?" asked Derek as the man pulled back his hood.

"No. I am Gennai. The original." Sadly Gennai surveyed the results of the battle. "In all the previous battles, never has it taken such a toll on life." He lowered his head respectfully.

"Gennai," said Hikari as the tears rolled down her cheeks, "can we go home?"

Gennai remained silent. "There's something you're not telling us," said Michael, staring at Gennai levelly.

"Yes," said Mina as she stood. "The three dark lords have been destroyed, their forces defeated. We should be able to return to our world."

"I think everyone should sit down before I say anything further." With that simple statement, everyone knew something was drastically wrong. Everyone sat down on the scorched ground, save MagnaAngemon. He moved to stand behind Hikari. "There is no easy way to say this, so I will just spit it out. As a result of the forces the three dark lords manipulated, there seems to be no longer any 'human world' or 'Digital World.' From our analysis, small chunks of the Digital World have disappeared, replaced by pieces of the human world."

"What?" said Mina. "You can't be serious."

"That's impossible," said Derek.

"We don't know exactly what happened," said Gennai, holding up his hands defensively. "We have tried opening digiports and failed. However, we have found thousands of humans suddenly in this world, along with remains of cities that never were on the Digital World. Conversely, some towns of the Digital World have completely disappeared. There may be as many as a million humans here now. No one is sure of any numbers. Benjamin, Jackie, Hogan, Ilya, and Jose are trying to assess the entire situation."

"Oh man," said Michael. "So the Earth is destroyed? All our families and friends are gone?"

"Like I said, we don't know," said Gennai. "We don't think that either world was destroyed. Think of it as two puzzles. Different pictures, but all of the pieces are cut in the same shapes. The pieces are mixed up, but when you put the puzzles together, each makes a complete puzzle. Some of the pieces are wrong, even though they fit. It may be weeks, even months, before we have an inkling of what has happened."

"So our world is out there, but with pieces of the Digital World mixed in," paraphrased Mina.

"Essentially," agreed Gennai. "But in this case, after the two puzzles were put back in the boxes, each box was dipped into melted plastic and allowed to harden into an impermeable shell. Until we find a way to punch a hole in the shell, the two worlds are cut off."

"We'll never see our families again?" asked Rosa, her lower lip quivering.

"Not anytime soon." Gennai saw tears rolling down Rosa's cheek. "That doesn't mean never. We'll do all we can to find a way through the barrier."

"Look on the bright side," said Derek. "Your family may be among those who are now on the Digital World."

"So what do we do in the meanwhile?" asked Michael.

"We honor those we have lost and put their spirits to rest," said Mina as she rose to her feet.

-to be continued-

Author's notes: I've had the idea for doing a story like this for quite a while. For some reason, it just wouldn't totally click. Then I saw this picture: http://www.LELOLA.com/digimon/manga/page27.JPG. This image from the V-Tamers manga becomes "Holy Angemon." As you can see, this version of Holy Angemon seems much more peaceful and is in fact treated as something of a priest. When you read the rest of the story, you'll understand why I made the distinction.

The whole idea fit into place and the story just demanded to be written. It took me about 2-3 weeks to write it.

A couple of people have asked me why, if I used the Japanese names for all the other characters, did I use the American names for Rosa and Derek. Usually I like the Japanese names better. In this case, I'm making an exception. I'm not that fond of the names "Chichos" and "Dingo".

Thanks to Susan, Renegade, Canopy4, donJaime, Beth, Jack, Ryuuoojo, and Gothic Zephyr for beta reading.