Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Chosen Warriors ❯ Chapter XII: Guardians of Fire ( Chapter 12 )

After the death of Takeru, I thought my entire world had ended. It was true that Daisuke was my true love, but Takeru was my best friend. He was there from the first moment I stepped into the Digital World, he saved me from Piedmon, he supported and help me, no matter what.

But I knew that I had to continue. Everyone else was counting on me. I hate to admit it, but I was scared about stepping into the Temple of Zhuqioamon. I wondered what kind of Priestess she was, what kind of warriors she had. And I wondered, would I be a legend one day? “””””””””R 21;””””””””””&# 8221;”””””””””” ””””””””””̶ 1;”””””””” The Chosen Warriors Chapter XI: Guardians of Fire “””””””””R 21;””””””””””&# 8221;”””””””””” ””””””””””̶ 1;””””””””

Hikari could not help but shiver, despite the heat that was radiating from deep in the hallway. She glanced at the images carved in the walls, images of a young girl with brown hair and seven warriors surrounding her. “That’s her, right? I mean, the Priestess of Zhuqioamon?”

Ken nodded. “Yes, I think so.”

“Can they tell me anything about her?”

The Chosen Child shook his head. “I don’t know. I can’t read these inscriptions.”

Hikari breathed out a sigh of relief. “That’s good…that’s good.”

Taichi turned to her. “Why do you want to know so much about the other Priestesses?”

She smiled weakly. “I..I guess its just…reassuring to know that I wasn’t the only one to go on this kind of journey, to summon a god.”

“Hey,” Daisuke said, “It wouldn’t matter if you were, you’re still brave enough and strong enough to do this.”

“I…I don’t know,” she said, “After all, I couldn’t save Takeru.”

“Stop it!” Yamato shouted so loud she was afraid that Taichi would start yelling at him, but to her surprise, he was silent. Yamato continued speaking, “Takeru wouldn’t want you to blame yourself. Hikari, I know it’s hard, but you’ve got to continue on, no matter what, or else are you going to let everything he did for you be for nothing?”

Hikari stared, her mouth open. She finally nodded. “Y..you’re right. Thank you.”

They continued on silence, each one thinking about the friend they had left buried outside. He had made the ultimate sacrifice for Hikari, and they wondered if they would be next. Who knows what might happen, but the thought that scared all of them was, if it came right down to it, would they be able to give up their lives for their Priestess?

Eventually, after walking for what seemed like hours, the brick walls of the temple slowly changed into simple rock, before the walls vanished completely. They were standing inside a massive cavern, and it was much hotter then before.

“We must actually be inside the volcano now,” Ken said, stepping forward to examine the cavern. “These stalactites must be thousands of years old, amazing!”

Hikari smiled, but gasped loudly.

“What’s wrong?” Daisuke asked.

“Someone’s here!”

The Qinglongmon Warriors snapped to attention and stared forward. They could make out two figures walking towards them through the smoke billowing out of cracks in the ground. One had fiery red hair and carried a metal fan; the other wore a strange mask and held a monk’s staff in his hands.

The one with the red hair spoke first. “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

The brown-haired girl took a deep breath and stepped forward. “My name is Hikari Yagami, and I am the Priestess of Qinglonmon.”

“Qinglongmon?” the other one asked, “You mean Seiryuu?”

“That’s right,” Ken said.

“Well, what do you want?” the red-headed one asked, “If you’re looking for your temple, you’re completely in the wrong place.”

Hikari shook her head. “No. We couldn’t summon Qinglongmon correctly, and…”

“And now you need the Shinzaho, right?” the monk asked.

“So, are you gonna give it to us, or what?” Taichi asked.

The red-headed warrior glanced at his partner. “I don’t know, Chichiri, do you think we can trust them?”

“Seiryuu Seven? I don’t know. They’ll have to prove it to us.”

Hikari felt her heart slip somewhere into her stomach. “Another…fight?”

“We’ll take care of this, Hikari,” Taichi said.

“N..no,” she said, “D…don’t…”

Her warriors ignored her and quickly evolved to their highest forms and jumped in front of her. The red-headed warrior laughed. “All right, now this is what I’m talking about!” He grabbed the metal fan on his back and whipped it out, screaming as he did.

“Rekka Shien!”

The Qinglongmon Warriors dove to the ground to avoid the blast, Taichi yanking Hikari to the ground as he fell. The wave of flame shot over their heads. The red-headed warrior laughed.

“I though you guys were warriors! Jeeze, if you fold that easily, how are you ever going to protect your priestess?”

Sora stared at him, fire began to burn in her own eyes. “You think you’re so tough?”

He stared at her. “Why don’t you show me how strong you are.” He reached for his fan. “Rekka Shien!”

Sora, in her final evolution of Sailor Moon, reached for her scepter and whipped it out before her in a manner similar to her opponent. “Moon Princess Halation”

The two attacks exploded into one another, creating a blast of fire and light. When the smoke cleared, they began to attack, solely using their weapons alone.

Hikari stared in horror. “Sora…don’t…”

“Hang on Sora!” Yamato called. He grabbed his twin katanas and leapt after his girlfriend. He was stopped, however, when the monk thrusted his staff out before him. Yamato’s entire body went ridged, and he appeared to be floating in mid-air!

“I’m sorry,” the monk said, “But until you prove yourselves to us, I’m afraid we’ll have to fight, ya know.”

Hikari continued to stare. “No…stop…”

“We’re coming, Yamato!” Daisuke shouted. He and the other Qinglongmon warriors rushed to their aid of their friends. Hikari watched as her brother and Noriko rushed to help Sora, while Daisuke and Ken tried their best to free Yamato from his sudden paralysis. She stared as Taichi fired a Kamaehamaeha at the red-headed warrior, while Noriko sang as hard as she could. She turned to watch Daisuke execute well maneuvered sword techniques, and Ken used his Duel Monsters against the monk. She watched them, but all she could see was Takeru, lying on the ground, bruised and bloody.

“Stop it!” she screamed. Once again, her body was covered by a mysterious blue light that completely illuminated the cavern and enveloped everything inside. The battle instantly stopped as everyone stared at the Priestess of Qinglongmon.

“Hikari-chan?” Daisuke questioned.

“I won’t let anyone else die because of me!” she shouted, the light only growing in intensity, “I don’t want anymore Takerus!”

“Hikari!” Taichi shouted.

The two defenders also stared at her. The monk was the one who spoke. “You’ve lost one of your warriors?”

“What’s it matter to you?” Sora spat.

The red-headed warrior shot her a glance, but the monk continued speaking. “Tell me, priestess, why do you wish to summon Seiryuu, ya know?”

Hikari slowly began to calm down, the blue light diminishing. “I… want to make sure the Digital World is safe, and I want everyone on Earth to become a Chosen, so that we won’t be hunted any more.”

“I…see.” He turned to the other warrior. They appeared to be communicating telepathically, but the monk turned back to her. “Tell me, what is your name priestess.”

“It…it’s Hikari.”

“Hikari,” the red-headed one said, “I think it suits you, right?”

The monk nodded. “We can see you truly care for your warriors, ya know? And your wish seems selfless and honorable, ya know. So, we’ll give you the Shinzaho.”

Hikari broke into a grin. “Really?”

“You got it,” the red-headed one said.

The monk quickly walked to the opposite wall, where a small raised pedestal had been chiseled out of the volcanic stone. He removed an object that was resting on top and brought it over to Hikari, who gently lifted it.

“A ring?”

“That’s right,” he said, “That’s what our Priestess was wearing when she summoned Suzaku, ya know.”

The Priestess of Qinglongmon held it in the light. “Wow.”

The red-headed warrior grinned. “You’ve proven yourself to us. Feel proud. We’ve guarded that for what seems like forever.”

Noriko stared at them. “You mean, you’re…dead? Just like the other ones?”

He shrugged. “Eh, what’re ya gonna do, right?”

The monk nodded. “Maybe one day two of you will be chosen to guard the Shinzaho that your Priestess leaves behind.”

Ken stared at the simple ring. “Amazing.”

“Great,” Taichi said, “Now we need to get the Xuwanamon one and the Baihumon one.”

“We wish you all the luck, ya know,” the monk said, “Farewell, and never give up hope, ya know.”

The red-headed one stared at the six remaining Qinglongmon Warriors. “And you guys better protect her, no matter what, got me?”

“Yeah,” Daisuke said, “I won’t let anything happen to her.”

As the Qinglongmon Warriors exited the cavern, the two Suzaku Warriors watched them leave. “That Priestess,” the red-headed on said, “She cares so much for her warriors.”

“Yeah,” the monk said, “She reminds me of Miaka.”

When Hikari exited the cave, she was still holding the ring. She reached into her pocket and removed the earrings that they won from the two guardians at the Temple of Qinglongmon. “Now we’ve got two of them.”

“Just be careful with them, all right?”

She turned to her older brother. “Do you always have to act so grumpy, Oniisan? Come on, smile.”

They soon exited the temple itself and stood on the volcanic mountain side. Suddenly without warning, a figure leapt off of the top of the temple, and managed to grab the two Shinzaho objects that were resting on her open palm. Before anyone could react, the figure had used his momentum to slide down the steep slope of the mountain.

Hikari blinked a few times, staring at her now empty palm. “W…what?”

“That was Lou!” Daisuke shouted, running down the slope after him “He stole the two Shinzahos!”

Taichi stared at his sister, running after Daisuke. “I told you to be careful!”

“Now’s not the time to yell at her!” Sora scowled.

They tried to chase Lou as best they could, but soon lost him in the maze of mountain paths and volcanoes.

“Just great!” Taichi shouted, “Now what the hell do we do?”

“What about the other Shinzaho?” Yamato asked, “There’s still one more, right?”

“And the Baihumon Warriors need it too,” Daisuke said, “If we just go there, we might have a chance to get them back.”

Taichi nodded. “All right. Ken, find us the quickest route to the Temple of Xuwanamon.” “”””””””& #8221;”””””””””” ;””””””””””R 21;””””””””””&# 8221;”””””””””” ”

Michael quickly jumped up from the bed he was sharing with Mimi as the flap of his tent flew open and Wallace ran inside. “Sorry to bother you, but you’ve got to come outside, right now!”

Michael quickly ran outside, and saw a sight that made him gasp, Lou, lying on the ground, bleeding profusely from what seemed to be every pore in his body. Tatem and Phil were trying their best to stop the blood, but it was no use.

“What happened?” he shouted.

“S…shinzaho,” he muttered, opening his had to reveal the earrings and ring he stole from Hikari.

“Who did this to you?” Tatem asked, “It was the Qinglongmon Warriors, right?”

Lou did not really hear her question, and he wanted to tell her that Takeru was dead, killed by Ahab of the Digital Hunters. However, all he was able to say was, “Takeru…” before closing his eyes forever.

“They did it!” Tatem shouted, “Takeru killed him!”

Michael slowly shook his head. “I…I don’t believe it, how could they…?”

“They’re dangerous!” Tatem shouted, “Now do you see it?”

He nodded. “Y..yeah.” He clenched his fist in anger. “They’ll pay for this! I’ll have Yagami’s head on a pike for this!” He turned to Wallace, “Get the camp ready to leave, give us an hour, then we’re off.” “”””””””” ””””””””””̶ 1;”””””””””” 221;””””””””””& #8221;

When the Qinglongmon Warriors returned to the small village, they were greeted by Mina. “How did it go?”

Taichi shook his head. “We need to get to the Temple of Xuwanamon as soon as possible.”

She nodded. “I believe there is a certain water way that can take you there. I can organize a ship for you, but, it probably won’t be ready until tomorrow morning.”

“But, we’ve got to leave now!” Hikari protested.

“I…I am sorry,” she said, “But, this village’s yearly festival is approaching. Why not recuperate tonight, and then set off tomorrow.”

“I don’t think we have much of a choice,” Taichi sighed, “All right guys, it looks like we’re taking the night off.”

They walked back to their small huts, depressed and tired. As she passed by Takeru’s empty bed, Hikari felt a sharp pain in her heart. She thought of her fallen friend, she thought of the lost Shinzahos, and she thought of what might happen if she lost anything else. They were more then just Warriors, they were her greatest friends. What would she do if she lost Noriko, Ken or even Taichi? She knew it was only a thought, but her mind suddenly became flooded with an image of Takeru’s final breath, but this time it was her older brother. She collapsed onto the bed and cried. “””””””””̶ 1;”””””””””” 221;””””””””””& #8221;”””””””””” ;””””””

The festival was very beautiful. The Qinglongmon Warriors split off to enjoy the excitement.

Sora gave a small gasp and ran over to one of the vender tents. She was staring at two gold necklaces, one was cut in the shape of a male and the other cut in the shape of a female. “Yamato, look at these!”

“Do you like them?” the Meramon inside the tent asked, “Very cheep price.”

Yamato stared at them. “What do they mean?”

“I can see you are a couple deeply in love, so I will tell this to you: the two necklaces are meant to be worn by a special couple. The legend says that as long as both couples wear them, they will never be separated.”

The red-head stared at her lover. “Please?”

The Meramon nodded even further. “For you, very low price.”

Yamato sighed. “All right.” He quickly paid for the necklaces and Sora proudly placed it over her neck.

“Oh, I can’t wait to show Mimi! She’ll…” Her smile faded. “Oh.”

Yamato placed his arm around her. “I know it hurts Sora, no one should ever have to lose a friend,” he glanced to the ground, “Or a brother.”

Sora twirled around and hugged him tightly. “Promise me you’ll never go anywhere, promise me you’ll never leave me.”

Yamato smiled and returned the embrace. “I promise, I’ll stay with you forever.”

On the other side, Taichi, Noriko and Ken were waiting on line for a chance at one of the games, particularly the water gun game. Well, actually, Taichi and Ken wanted to play, Noriko just went along.

When it was their turn, Taichi and Ken eagerly grabbed the water guns. “I’m gonna beat you so bad!” Taichi grinned.

“Oh yeah?” Ken challenged, “I’m still the best!”

Behind them, Noriko chuckled slightly. “Are all boys like this?”

“Come on,” Taichi nudged, “You’re playing too.”

She shook her head. “Oh, I don’t know…”

Ken shoved the gun in her hands. “Come on.”

The Guilmon behind the counter raised his claw. “Began!”

The three humans instantly pulled on the triggers. Taichi and Ken’s aim was almost dead on, quickly filling their water balloons. “I’m gonna kick your butt!” Ken shouted.

“Give it up!” the older boy shouted, “There’s no way you can win!”

Suddenly, the lights around the game began to blink brightly. “We have a winner!” the Guilmon cheered.

Ken and Taichi’s balloons were still only half full. They stared at each other, then back at the Guilmon, who said, “Well, what’s your prize, missy?”

The two boys shot their heads to the end of the line, where Noriko was smiling broadly. “I’ll take the Panda.”

The Guilmon handed her the largest stuffed panda. She grinned and face Taichi and Ken. “That was really easy.”

“Everyone gets lucky their first time,” Ken lied.

“Yeah,” Taichi said, “We’ll beat you at the next one.”

An hour and twenty games later found the trio heading back to their huts, Taichi and Ken’s arms full of large stuffed animals. They dumped them into the girl’s hut and both boys whipped the sweat from their foreheads.

“Come on,” Noriko said, “There’s a few game booths that we haven’t got to yet.”

Ken sighed. “This is like having a girlfriend!”

Taichi shook his head. “Hey, she kinda young for me.” “””””””””& #8221;”””””””””” ;””””””””””R 21;””””””””””&# 8221;”””””””””” ””””””””

Daisuke and Hikari, meanwhile, were seated on a small ridge, watching the festival below. The lights of the village were perfectly placed before the star-filled night sky. He smiled. “Ya know, I don’t really say something like this, but it’s really beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

He turned to her. “What’s wrong?”

She sighed. “I failed.”

“What?”

“I failed everyone! I lost the Shinzahos! And worse, I failed Takeru. I let his sacrifice be for nothing!”

He sat down beside her and hugged her. “Hikari, listen to me, we’ll get the Shinzaho back, don’t blame yourself for that, okay?”

“But…”

“Okay?”

She hesitated, then nodded. “Okay.”

He smiled. “Listen, you’re everyone’s hope. We’re all counting on you.”

“But…what if I let you down? What if we can’t get the Shinzaho back?”

“Then we’ll deal with that.”

“But what if I lose Taichi? What if I lose you? I can’t….I can’t lose another friend!”

“Hikari…Hikari-chan, listen to me,” he gently embraced her, “You can’t worry about stuff like that. I know it’s hard to lose Takeru, but we can’t change that.” He sighed. “Someone told me once that the world is full of comings and goings, that is the way of it. I know its sad, but we have to accept the first going there was among us.”

Hikari sniffled slightly. “I still miss him.”

“I miss him too.”

She turned to him. “I’m just so afraid of losing you.”

“You’ll never lose me, no matter what, I’ll always be with you.” He smiled, “Besides, the hero can’t die because he always gets the girl, and I’ve already got the girl, right?”

She laughed. “You always could make me laugh, that’s what I fell in love with. Don’t ever change.”

“Don’t plan to.”

She laughed again. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The two lovers embraced, kissing passionately as fireworks began to exploded in the night sky.

“””””””””R 21;””””””””””&# 8221;”””””””””” ””””””””””̶ 1;””””””””

I had the Shinzaho, both of them. They were in my hands, before they were taken, stolen. I can’t ever forget that, I failed.

It was supposed to be easy. Once I had the three Shinzahos, we could just take the one that the Baihumon Warriors had, then I could summon Qinglongmon, and everything would be okay. No one else would have to fight, no one else would have to die, but now, because of me, we’re forced to fight the Baihumon Warriors again. I don’t want to lose anyone else!