Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Digital Trilogy - Episode 5 - A Phoenix from the Ashes ❯ Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Kari looked around. She was standing in the middle of a sunny meadow. She smelled the fresh flowers and the dew on the grass. She could feel the warmth of the sun and the breeze on her skin. She could see puffy white clouds and birds. She could hear the birds chirping and the slow gurgle of a small brook. All her senses told her this was a peaceful, beautiful place. Kari looked behind her and saw her own tracks through the dew-covered grass. They led from the sunniest flattest part of the valley to the place she was now. She was partially up a rocky hill. She could see other tracks through the dew but no other people. Then something came to her mind. Kari saw that she had walked in a half circle. To complete the circle she'd have to walk down through a rough looking patch of thorny bushes where the sun didn't shine. She also saw that some of the other people's tracks didn't go there, but stopped abruptly.

Kari began walking. She knew she had to go this way before she could go back. She walked down the hill toward the thorns. Kari pulled a Japanese katana from her side. She knew it hadn't been there before but it didn't seem strange. Kari held it out to defend against some unknown danger. Suddenly she felt her feet slip on the ground and she fell. A small thorn bush she hadn't seen before hit her in the right side of the face. Kari braced herself with her left arm putting her right palm to her scratched cheek. She pulled her hand away when the blood felt cold. She looked at it and saw her skin turning pale blue where the dark blue/violet blood was touching it. It felt cold. The chill and colour loss in her skin was moving outward and back up her arm. When it touched her head she fell asleep.

* * *

Kari woke up on Kovin's couch slowly. It took her a few minutes to get her bearings and remember where she was. The only detail of her environment that was coming through the fog in her mind was Gatomon sleeping soundly on her stomach. As she scratched the white cat's head she woke up and purred. The sound sorted Kari's vision into recognisable shapes, colours and surroundings. TK and Allura were playing cards at the table, Ken and Mimi were playing with Azuma on the carpet near the window. Palmon and Wormmon were watching them. Patamon was no where to be seen, probably on the roof on lookout duty. Kari saw Azuma sitting on a white blanket she'd never seen before. "Where'd he get that?" Kari asked.

"We made it." Palmon said.

"Yep. My silk and her weaving skills. You like it?" Wormmon said, beaming. Kari wondered how many babies played on a hand-woven silk blanket.

"It's very nice." Kari said, moving Gatomon to the cushion and herself to the floor. "So smooth."

*Crackle!* "Gilligan from Angel. Gilligan from Angel. Wake up down there, good buddy." *Crackle!* TK pulled a small radio from his side and spoke to it.

"What's up, Patamon?"

"We got ourselves a 10-13 in the sunset. Let it all hang out and get moving. Over." Patamon said over the radio.

"What is wrong with him?" Mimi asked. TK sighed.

"Tai gave him a copy of 'Smokey and the Bandit' for his birthday. I swear I'm going to use that tape to hang him." TK said.

"Tai or Patamon?" Ken asked.

"Whichever I catch first." TK said. "Anyway, he says there's a fight taking place west. And he say we should hurry."

"Is that what that meant?" Kari asked.

"Yes. Let's go. And we can finally go as all four of us." They made their way to the roof for another handicapped mission.

* * *

Ken stood in front of Stingmon at the top of a hill in the twilight of the evening far to the west of Tokyo. TK stood beside him with Angemon looking down in to the flat plains beyond. Kari and Gatomon were beside them counting the fighters and waiting for a chance to strike. Allura and Togemon were holding position behind them to guard against and ambush.

"Three on three." Kari said.

"All ultimate." Ken said looking at his D-Terminal.

"Show's on." TK said drawing his guns. "No more sugar coating. I'm going for bitter and sour. The humans will all sustain injury and we'll use them as hostages to get the digimon to revert."

"I hope you know what you're doing." Kari said.

"Don't worry. If we die, we'll die together." TK walked back down the hill so they could circle the field in Allura's car. When they finally came to the fight TK and Kari knelt behind a bush. Kari's stars and TK's guns were to take down the stronger four between them first. Ken and Allura both with single guns each get one of the weaker two.

Ken was looking at his watch timing their attack. Five. "Five." Four. "Four." Three. "Ready." Two. "Steady." One. "Go!" All four launched form the bushes like flesh-toned rockets. Four shots rang the air accompanied by two throwing stars glinting the moonlight off them as they made their way to their target of sliced skin. The digimon took of on a similar job. Angemon's staff brought two down. Stingmon and Togemon brought three down between them and Gatomon used her own body weight to rake her claws across the back of the last one.

When it was done TK stood over two girls holding each with a gun. The rest of the humans backed away. Ken and Allura were behind TK with guns trained on the enemy covering their friend. Kari had to pull Gatomon out of the melee but the rest took off willingly. The surprise attack had the exact intention they wanted. They were in a stalemate with hostages.

"OK, this stops now. And we get some fucking answers right now!" TK yelled.

"You move off me now." One of the girls under TK said. Kari walked over to her poking her hard in her side. "Ahh!" She said in pain. Kari drew a sword from the girl's side turning to see her face.

"You!" Kari said.

"Yes. You see is me. Give sword back and let up, and you die quickly." The girl said. It was one of the ones they fought earlier.

"I think not. You hurt us and it stays here for now." Kari put it point first into the ground beside her.

"Now you four. You will tell us why you know so much about the Guardians." TK looked up at the people facing him. He could only count three males, and two females under him. TK's heart missed a beat. "Oh shit," he said in a quiet whisper.

"Yeah!" A high-pitched scream came from behind him. TK turned and saw the missing girl come flying off the hill with a dirk in her hands. He leaned left but she had anticipated him and hit him square in his chest. TK and the flying girl rolled over and over coming to a stop in the area between the two groups. Ken and Allura were trying to get a good shot at her and didn't see the other two get away. Kari picked up TK's guns that were dropped when he was hit.

"Now you die slow." The girl said. She had taken a sword from her partner who obviously had two. "Him first." TK stood stock still watching the blade come toward his neck. He quickly kicked out and hit two in the chest and dodged the third. He ran parallel to the group but it was clear they would get him. Allura and Ken had no chance of a clear shot to cover TK.

"My guns!" TK screamed. Kari held back and threw one then the other is his direction. TK stopped to make the catch. Everything depended on him making it. Both weapons fell short. TK dove for them but missed. His enemy was between him and his weapons.

"Not smart." She said. With TK on the ground Ken and Allura risked a few shots. One grazed a girl but the rest missed on purpose. She screamed and fell back. Their digimon lunged.

"Hand of fate!"

"Desperado blaster!"

"Needle spray!" The attacks from the different directions were enough to drive them off but not before picking up their humans. The Guardians allowed them to retreat. It was part of their code. TK came over to find Kari on the ground crying. Saying that she'd let them down.

* * *

Back at the apartment. Kari was still needing to be consoled. They had brought back the one girl's sword with them; it now sat on the table. "I could have been killed Kari! You couldn't throw a little better than that?" TK yelled. Ken and Allura were also disappointed in her. The distance was intolerably small for her to miss.

"Kari how can we count on you?" Allura asked. Ken said nothing, just shook his head with a stern look on his face. Kari turned away with tears in her eyes. She panicked and knew it. In her mind's eye she thought they were right. She moved toward the bathroom but tripped on the edge of the carpet. She fell toward the table and her cheek brushed the tip of the sword. Kari braced herself with her left arm putting her right palm to her scratched cheek. She pulled her hand away when the blood felt hot. She saw the bright crimson red fluid and felt it between her fingers. She knew now. She made a mistake but they were not going to blame her. She knew now that she was as hot blooded as them, and more so. Kari stood and hit the blade of the sword. It spun on its hilt and the handle touched her bloody palm. The sword spun around in her hand and the tip came to rest on TK's shoulder.

"You will shut the fuck up now."

"Calm down, Kari." Ken said.

"I don't fucking think so!" She yelled. "I will fucking kill whoever is trying to kill us. You three will quit whining about me and fucking listen. Or else!" Allura's brain was attacked by a blonde-moment.

"Or what?" She asked sarcastically. Kari swung the blade high over her head bring it crashing down on the coffee table sending splintered wood and glass over half the room. She swung it again and embedded it in the floor. "I see." Said Allura, pulling her foot from her mouth.