~Here's Part IX of Shadow Realms. I know it's really, really late, but I
had final exams and wasn't allowed to go on the Net, and then FF.net got
pretty big problems. And then I got lazy with my updating. So sorry, y'all!
Well, here it is anyway. I know the title seems kinda weird, but just read
on, and you'll see why it's there. Well, just, go on and read! And review
when you're done, please!~
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The Shadow Realms: Part IX - Dream Come True
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Lee Shuichon bit her lip and sighed as she stood at the window of the new Hypnos building, contemplating the nightscape over Shinjuku. One by one, like dying fireflies, the lights of the city winked out, until all that was left was a mass of shadowy forms. Shuichon longed for home, for her beloved, familiar room to sleep in.
'Onii-chan is more important than sleeping in your room,' she reminded herself sternly.
Since Lee Janyu was already working with Yamaki and the Monster Makers full time, the Lee family had been moved into the new Hypnos headquarters, a tall, modern building made of steel and many sunglass windows, reflecting the light in day like a giant mirror.
Shuichon walked back to her bed and flopped down onto its cold, unwelcoming sheets. At night, the building was completely dark, still and lifeless. It wasn't at all like her cozy home, where the floorboards squeaked and her good old mattress made odd noises when she shifted in her sleep.
'It's no use,' Shuichon thought, shaking out her long loose dark hair as she got back up from where she'd been lying, eyes wide open, on the bed, 'I'm never gonna be able to get to sleep in this horrid dead office building.'
She crept out of her room and through the hallways, until she came to the main Hypnos lab, where they kept all their complicated computers and monitoring equipment. Seating herself before one of the screens, she watched the data fluctuations without much interest. The building was totally silent. Wait... was that the sound of footsteps?
***
"Hey," the soft voice nearly scared Shuichon out of her wits.
She gasped and jumped around, and saw a boy standing in the shadows behind her.
Shuichon's immediate impression was, 'Whoa! Has Ryou's hair grown longer or what?! (A/N: That was actually my first impression of. well, you'll learn who he is soon enough.)'
She realized the absurdity of that thought and shook it off, 'Sheesh, Shuichon, what's gotten into you?! Ryou's in the Digital World with the others, remember?'
The boy was fairly tall and very tanned, which might have explained why she'd mistaken him for Ryou at first sight. He had spiky dark hair tied in a sort of ponytail at the back of his head. It looked ridiculously like Ruki's current hairstyle, but Shuichon decided to ignore that. He also had dark eyes and a cocky grin.
" 'Don't' do that again," Shuichon gasped, clutching her chest.
The boy cocked his head, "D'I startle you?"
"You sure did," Shuichon smiled to show that she wasn't angry with him nevertheless.
"Sorry, 'you' almost scared the living daylights outta 'me'," he grinned, "I thought you were some kinda Digimon ghost killed by that Shaggai thing, roamin' the headquarters."
The magenta-haired girl suddenly became serious, "It's not a joking matter."
He looked at her in surprise, then quickly sobered up, "Nope, it's not."
Shuichon couldn't tell whether he was really being serious, or whether he was just pretending. She then realized that she'd never seen this particular boy before. Usually when Onii-chan's friends came over to visit she was in the living room playing on the rug or the sofa and so got introduced. She looked more closely at him. Why... Why did he look so familiar?
"I've never seen you before in my life. Who are you, anyway?" Shuichon inquired, then wanted to strike herself in the head, 'Shuichon, that was the stupidest possible way to ask for someone's name that you could've come up with.'
"True, haven't introduced myself," the boy winked, "Name's Kai. I'm Takato's cousin."
"Takato's cousin," Shuichon stared. So that's why he looked so familiar. His eyes... they held the same openness, the same simple warmth as Takato's did.
She'd never known Takato had a cousin, and it must have shown in her face, because Kai chuckled and said, "Oh, I see he's never mentioned me. Well, ya can't have everything in life."
"Pleased to meet you, Kai, I'm Lee Shuichon," she proffered her hand and Kai shook. His handshake was firm and honest.
"What a weird day," Kai chuckled, "First I learn my cousin's disappeared 'cuz o' some giant black an' white sunflower and then I meet a pretty girl in the middle of the night!"
Shuichon blushed. He was talking about her! She blushed even more when she realized that she was in her nightdress and that he was as scantily clad as she; he wore only a pair of shorts. She felt her eyes widen. She'd been talking for the last ten minutes with a bare-chested guy and she hadn't even noticed. Shuichon's face felt like it was on fire.
Kai, noticing her reaction, puzzled over it for a moment, then noticed his own lack of clothes. But he was less modest than Shuichon and it bothered him little. He just grinned at the poor girl's discomfort.
"Well, be seein' ya tomorrow, Shuichon!" he called as he disappeared out the lab, "Ja ne!"
Shuichon stood there for a full minute, face still the color of ripe cherry, before she suddenly blinked and called into the empty hallways, "Goodbye!"
From somewhere far off she heard the distinct echoing sound of an answering chuckle.
***
Ruki looked wearily over at the chocolate-haired boy beside her. He was still asleep, the dolt! Over on her other side, Juri was silent, apparently lost in thoughts that Ruki couldn't even begin to fathom.
The tawny-haired girl sighed, suddenly feeling somewhat alone, 'I wish they'd talk or something. Heck, are they gonna sit there all day?!'
Ryou shifted slightly in his sleep, then became still once more, his head drooping onto his chest as he snored gently.
'. Guess so,' Ruki heaved a sigh, staring at the grimy stone floor, 'There has got to be a way to get out of here. somehow.'
***
Culumon was currently in the middle of a forest, sitting on the large round rocks next to the bottom of a roaring waterfall, laughing and rolling about as the cool water and mist were sprayed into his face.
"Yay! Culu, this is so much fun, culu!" the little white Digimon whooped, spreading his large purple-lined ears and bouncing into the river, "Ooh, that's cold, culu. Cold, cold, cold!"
He continued to chant happily in a singsong voice as he did all sorts of fun things in the water. One moment he floated on his back with his stubby little purple paws behind his head, and then he flipped over, and, using his ears to propel him into the air, jumped into the air and plunged back into the water with a satisfying splash. Bobbing back up to the surface, the little white Digimon giggled as he attempted to tread water, using his ears as floaters.
"Hey," Culumon cocked his head, his huge, innocent green eyes fixed on the foaming madness where the rushing waterfall clashed with the calm, flowing river, "Do you wanna play some more, culu? Huh?"
With that he launched his chubby little body at the foam, but a moment later scrambled back out, choking and spitting out water. He flew to a rock on the other side of the river and sat there, shrinking his ears and checking for damage.
"Ouch. That wasn't a very nice waterfall, culu. I could've gotten really hurt," Culumon stuck his little tongue out at the waterfall, "Bad waterfall, culu! I'm not gonna play with you no more!"
His face scrunched up in a frown, Culumon jumped off the rock onto the grass and ran off into the forest. Within moments, the incident had fled from his mind and he was singing happily at the top of his lungs.
"Culu, culu, who's the best friend around? Me, culu! I play games, I love water, I love mushrooms with jelly and butter! Culu! Culu!"
***
Juri contemplated the bright scrying mirror on the table dully. Her head felt heavy with fatigue, but she was afraid to let herself drop off in this frightening dark room when that awful Shadowmagemon could come back any moment.
* She was standing in the desert, under the stars, with the other Tamers. That is to say, Takato, Jenrya, Hirokazu, who was sitting beside a down and out Guardromon, Kenta, a Ryou look-alike that she identified as Kai, the clone Ruki-chan had told her about, and a girl with short dark hair and bright green eyes that Juri didn't know, who was kneeling beside a silver furry creature that Juri could only suppose was her partner or something.
Megalo Growmon and Rapidmon were both hovering protectively in front of them. What they were trying to protect the young Tamers from soon became apparent, as Juri stepped forward. A massive Digimon in red armor, with a black and purple helm masking its face and snout, and terrifying glowing purple eyes, reared up menacingly to face the two Perfects. It was surrounded by a strange, fluctuating dark purple glow.
**
"It can't be," she heard Jenrya say in a tone of disbelief.
The monster smiled, revealing teeth that made Juri take several steps backward, "And yet it is."
"He's too strong," Juri whirled around at the sound of Takato's familiar voice; the brown-haired boy stood at the very front, just behind Megalo Growmon and Rapidmon, clenching his fists, "He took two of our strongest Digimons' attacks without getting a scratch. This doesn't look good at all."
"Takato-kun!" Juri gasped happily, "Takato-kun, it's me! Juri!"
She ran forward towards Takato, her arms outstretched, fully intending to jump on him and hug him with all her might. Takato didn't seem to hear her joyful cry; certainly he didn't react at all. Juri didn't take the time to think this over as she reached him.
"Huh?!" her hands had passed right through her friend, as though he was a ghost, "W-What's going on? T- Takato-kun?"
Takato and everyone else completely ignored the auburn-haired girl, as though she weren't there at all. As she watched in a sort of dumbfounded daze, the monster attacked.
"Devourer Claw!" deadly purple crescents flew out from the claws on the red- armored dinosaur creature's outstretched arms.
"AAAAAAAAH!" Rapidmon screamed as he plowed into the ground, hard. Jenrya's cry of pain rang out clearly over the crash as the blue-haired boy collapsed.
"Lee-kun!" Juri covered her mouth with both hands in horror, praying that her friend was all right.
"Jen!" Takato yelled at the same time, then Megalo Growmon gave an earth- shattering roar of pain as he was also hit by the enemy's continued attacks, "AAAH! Ooph!"
The brown-haired boy went flying backwards to land roughly in the sand.
"Takato-kun! NO!!"
Juri let out a horrified cry, and she ran to fall on her knees beside Takato, wanting to help him somehow, even though she knew it was impossible.
"Takato-kun, are you all right? Please be okay, Takato-kun..." she murmured anxiously, wishing she could somehow do something for him, wishing it with all her heart as she reached to prop him up.
Gently, Juri slid her hand under Takato's back, trying to help him up... and her fingers met the white fabric of his shirt. Takato's reddish-brown eyes widened and he propped himself up on his elbows, staring. Juri felt her heart leap as he hesitantly laid a warm hand on her arm.
"K- Katou-san...?"
"Takato-kun..." Juri's anxious face softened into a relieved smile, "You're all right!"
"Yeah, I'm just fine," Takato grunted as he sat up and smiled back, then, surprising both of them, he pulled the auburn-haired girl into an awkward hug, "Juri, I'm so glad you're okay."
Juri felt her cheeks redden as she smiled happily in Takato's arms, "I missed you, Takato-kun." *
She awoke with a start, and her chains clanged violently, startling Ryou awake and nearly scaring Ruki out of her wits, as she attempted to sit bolt upright, forgetting where she was. Juri hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep. Shaking her head, the auburn-haired girl smiled, remembering.
'That dream... It seemed so real...' Juri felt again the warmth of Takato's arms around her, 'Did Takato-kun... really... see me? - She smiled - I hope he did. I don't want him to be worried."
***
Jenrya struggled painfully to his feet, as did Rapidmon, and the green- armored flying cyborg Digimon swooped back into the fight, launching barrages of missiles at Karnodramon, which resulted in a huge explosion.
"You got him!" Jenrya cried.
Rapidmon nodded, "If he survived this one..."
Karnodramon emerged from the smoke utterly unscathed, "Uuuuh... Never mind."
"He's too strong," Jenrya muttered, "This is not going very well. Takato!"
***
He turned to see the brown-haired boy sitting on the ground behind him with a dreamy expression on his face. Slowly Takato shook his head and looked up.
"I saw Katou-san," the goggleboy murmured sadly, "She was right here."
"Huh?!" Jenrya and everyone else stared.
Kai, who'd missed nothing, just nodded thoughtfully.
"Wha-?!" Hirokazu shook his head, "No way! She's stuck in one of Shadowmagemon's dungeons, remember?"
Jenrya thought for a moment, "Who knows. Anything can happen here in the Digital World. Takato and Katou-san do seem to have a strange kind of link."
***
"Yeah, great, can we get back to the fight now?!" Rapidmon demanded as he wove and dodged among a hail of purple crescents sent his way by Karnodramon.
"Right. Card Slash!" Jenrya yelled quickly, "Offense Plug-In V!"
Megalo Growmon looked back, "Takato..."
Rapidmon charged the glowing dinosaur Digimon, only to receive a large wave of deadly red light in the chest, "AAARGH!"
Jenrya flew back and fell to the ground, clutching his chest. Takato finally snapped out of the daze that he seemed to have fallen into and leaped to his feet, running to his friend's side with concern in his face.
"Jen! Are you all right?" he knelt beside the blue-haired boy, who was grimacing in pain.
"I'll live," Jenrya got out through gritted teeth as Takato helped him up, "Rapidmon!"
"Jen, we've got to try something else, this isn't working!" the cyborg Digimon replied anxiously as he extricated himself from the smoking crater he'd created.
"He's right," Jenrya bit his lip, "But what?"
***
Impmon sat on Iodramon's gleaming golden head as the dragon Digimon undulated lazily through the air. The small purple Digimon was enjoying the gentle breeze that blew far over the desert wasteland. But at length he tugged on the red kerchief around his neck and scratched his dusty head as though something had suddenly come to mind. Iodramon sensed this and waited, his great curving horn-like ears listening carefully.
"So, ya big metal thing, what're we gonna do ta find Culumon?"
Iodramon ruminated for a moment longer, "I wish to start my search for the Digi-Entelechy near the south, for that is where the rate of digivolution has been strongest these days."
"Oh, yeah, Culumon can make Digimon digivolve, eh?" Impmon solemnly gave his approval in the form of a slight nod that Iodramon obviously couldn't see, "Pretty smart, for somebody who can blind half the population just by flyin' in the sun.
Iodramon sighed, but his piercing eyes twinkled in amusement, "Thank you, I suppose..."
"Hey, when's it gonna be nighttime in this place already?!" Impmon scowled, switching attitudes at the speed of light, "I don't wanna sit up here all day, it's makin' me head go all funny, sheesh!"
Iodramon sighed again, though this time he sounded like he was straining to repress an explosion of mirth, "This part of the Digital World knows no night."
"Wha-?" Impmon blinked, wide-eyed, as he tried to absorb the information, "... WHAT?!"
His carrier made a queer sound that came out as something between a gurgle and a sneeze, and was in fact a stifled chuckled. Impmon looked down at his mount in surprise.
"Hey, you feelin' okay?"
"I'm feeling perfectly fine, Impmon," Iodramon replied patiently, masking his amusement as he continued his relentless progress through the deep blue sky.
***
"Huh?!" was Ruki's reaction when Juri told her about the dream.
Juri sighed, "You don't believe me, do you?"
"I can't exactly not believe you," Ruki shrugged, "Who knows what can happen in this crazy world? So you say the others were fighting a huge red- armored dinosaur with a purple and black helm?"
"Uh-huh," Juri replied, "It was really strong, too."
"Doesn't ring a bell. And trust me, I know a lot of Digimon. Just how strong was it, exactly?"
"Rapidmon and Megalo Growmon could barely stand against it, let alone beat it. Guardromon was out. There was a new Digimon that I couldn't recognize, but it couldn't do much either," Juri told the tawny-haired girl.
"So, basically, they're toast," Ruki sighed, "Kuso!"
"Oh, no," Juri said softly, "Are they going to be hurt, Ruki-chan?"
"I don't know, Juri," Ruki scowled, "I wish we could help them, somehow. STUPID chains!"
Juri recoiled as Ruki fell forward, straining against the hated metal objects. Her reddish hair fell in her face, tickled her nose and mouth, as Ruki twisted in her shackles like a wild animal.
***
Ryou, who'd been listening to their conversation without a word, spoke up in his grave voice, "Calm down, Wildcat. - Ruki quieted and stared at him at the use of his nickname for her - I think I know whom they're fighting. - He paused - But that's the good news, I'm afraid. That must've been Karnodramon. He's one of Shadowmagemon's best."
"How strong...?"
Blue eyes met violet, "He's a Perfect."
Ruki bit her lip, "From the sound of him, they're gonna have to evolve to Ultimate to beat the guy."
Ryou's cerulean eyes bore into her own, "Even that may not be enough."
"What... What do you mean?" the tawny-haired girl whispered, eyes wide, "Tell me! What are you talking about, Ryou?!"
***
"Hey, Silvemon, you okay?" Miki asked her partner.
"Never better!" the winged silver Digimon replied cheerfully, now on her feet and flexing her wings, gazing toward the fight with narrowed eyes, "But they aren't. I've gotta help, Miki."
"But you haven't got enough strength," Miki argued, "You're just a Child, and he's a goddamned Perfect. You can't hope to beat him."
"No, but I've gotta try!" Silvemon ran forward, faster and faster, till she was nothing but a blur, streaking toward Karnodramon.
"No, wait!" Miki yelled, scrambling to her feet and running after her partner, "He'll kill you!"
"Lightning Scythe!" Silvemon ignored her, and, with a deft whip of her long tail, sent white-hot projectiles whizzing toward Karnodramon.
The Perfect was hard put to block the unexpected assault. He growled as they left bloody scratches in the exposed areas of his flesh. Silvemon landed before him, twitching her wings and pawing the ground as she readied her next attack.
"Not so cocky now, are you?" she mocked, "Lune Gale!"
Karnodramon blocked the attack easily, "No little Child taunts me!"
"Oops, looks like I broke the rule," Silvemon continued, sending another wave of her tail projectiles toward Karnodramon, "What are you going to do about it?"
***
"C'mon guys, while Silvemon's distracting him, we can hit him with everything we've got, and catch him off guard!" Jenrya yelled, searching through his deck feverishly.
"Uh-huh!" Takato extracted two cards from his deck.
"Triple Card Slash!" Jenrya had opted for three cards, "Offense Plug-In V, Seraphimon, Power Charger!"
"Double Card Slash!" Takato followed, "Offense Plug-In H, Boost Chip!"
"Seven Heavens!"
"Atomic Blaster!"
The four screamed out the attacks in perfect unison, and the seven balls of light (A/N: That's what Seven Heavens looks like, right?) merged with the powerful beams of red, shooting towards Karnodramon and about to hit him right in the face.
***
"Silvemon, look out!" Miki yelled at the top of her lungs.
"Whoa!" Silvemon quickly darted out of the way, and Karnodramon found himself facing the monstrous combination of Rapidmon and Megalo Growmon's attacks.
The dinosaur's dark eyes widened and he held his front claws over his face, trying to protect himself against the inevitable blow. At the last moment he smiled, reared back, opened his jaws and roared out a wave of red... mixed with deep purple.
"Crimson Fury!"
***
~CLIFF! :P Will Karnodramon be destroyed? Or is he still too strong? Will Impmon and Iodramon succeed in finding Culumon? Will Ruki find a way to escape from Shadowmagemon's castle? What will come of the meeting between Shuichon and Takato's cousin Kai? Find out in Part X of Shadow Realms! Finally, Part IX is done! It's a lot better than it was originally, I'm amazed at how long the part on Shuichon was. Probably 'cuz it had Takato's cousin in it. Amazing how easy that guy is to write. Cute, too. But I do have a problem. Can anyone come up with an idea to distinguish the two Kai's from each other?! I can't exactly call them Kai 1 and Kai 2. That'd just sound weird. So... any ideas? * looks around pleadingly * Or does Kai (the one that's Takato's cousin) have a different name in the Japanese version? Originally I hadn't planned to have Takato's cousin in the story, but I just 'couldn't' leave him out, for some reason. Anyway, please review! I'd like to get your opinions on whether I should bring more people into the Digital World. I'm planning to, but there are already quite a lot of kids there, so... I might make a third group, but... Give me your opinions on the matter! Anything but flames is accepted (those will be happily shredded in my pet blender Zew and the pieces incinerated by my good ole dragon Spew), constructive criticism and corrections are appreciated! I've been slacking off lately, I admit it. I haven't written a new chapter for a while. But review and maybe that'll get me going.~
Reviews:
Bakura's Angel - Thanks! I'm really trying to keep 'em in character, but it's getting harder and harder every time. * sigh * Anyway, glad you like it!
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The Shadow Realms: Part IX - Dream Come True
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Lee Shuichon bit her lip and sighed as she stood at the window of the new Hypnos building, contemplating the nightscape over Shinjuku. One by one, like dying fireflies, the lights of the city winked out, until all that was left was a mass of shadowy forms. Shuichon longed for home, for her beloved, familiar room to sleep in.
'Onii-chan is more important than sleeping in your room,' she reminded herself sternly.
Since Lee Janyu was already working with Yamaki and the Monster Makers full time, the Lee family had been moved into the new Hypnos headquarters, a tall, modern building made of steel and many sunglass windows, reflecting the light in day like a giant mirror.
Shuichon walked back to her bed and flopped down onto its cold, unwelcoming sheets. At night, the building was completely dark, still and lifeless. It wasn't at all like her cozy home, where the floorboards squeaked and her good old mattress made odd noises when she shifted in her sleep.
'It's no use,' Shuichon thought, shaking out her long loose dark hair as she got back up from where she'd been lying, eyes wide open, on the bed, 'I'm never gonna be able to get to sleep in this horrid dead office building.'
She crept out of her room and through the hallways, until she came to the main Hypnos lab, where they kept all their complicated computers and monitoring equipment. Seating herself before one of the screens, she watched the data fluctuations without much interest. The building was totally silent. Wait... was that the sound of footsteps?
***
"Hey," the soft voice nearly scared Shuichon out of her wits.
She gasped and jumped around, and saw a boy standing in the shadows behind her.
Shuichon's immediate impression was, 'Whoa! Has Ryou's hair grown longer or what?! (A/N: That was actually my first impression of. well, you'll learn who he is soon enough.)'
She realized the absurdity of that thought and shook it off, 'Sheesh, Shuichon, what's gotten into you?! Ryou's in the Digital World with the others, remember?'
The boy was fairly tall and very tanned, which might have explained why she'd mistaken him for Ryou at first sight. He had spiky dark hair tied in a sort of ponytail at the back of his head. It looked ridiculously like Ruki's current hairstyle, but Shuichon decided to ignore that. He also had dark eyes and a cocky grin.
" 'Don't' do that again," Shuichon gasped, clutching her chest.
The boy cocked his head, "D'I startle you?"
"You sure did," Shuichon smiled to show that she wasn't angry with him nevertheless.
"Sorry, 'you' almost scared the living daylights outta 'me'," he grinned, "I thought you were some kinda Digimon ghost killed by that Shaggai thing, roamin' the headquarters."
The magenta-haired girl suddenly became serious, "It's not a joking matter."
He looked at her in surprise, then quickly sobered up, "Nope, it's not."
Shuichon couldn't tell whether he was really being serious, or whether he was just pretending. She then realized that she'd never seen this particular boy before. Usually when Onii-chan's friends came over to visit she was in the living room playing on the rug or the sofa and so got introduced. She looked more closely at him. Why... Why did he look so familiar?
"I've never seen you before in my life. Who are you, anyway?" Shuichon inquired, then wanted to strike herself in the head, 'Shuichon, that was the stupidest possible way to ask for someone's name that you could've come up with.'
"True, haven't introduced myself," the boy winked, "Name's Kai. I'm Takato's cousin."
"Takato's cousin," Shuichon stared. So that's why he looked so familiar. His eyes... they held the same openness, the same simple warmth as Takato's did.
She'd never known Takato had a cousin, and it must have shown in her face, because Kai chuckled and said, "Oh, I see he's never mentioned me. Well, ya can't have everything in life."
"Pleased to meet you, Kai, I'm Lee Shuichon," she proffered her hand and Kai shook. His handshake was firm and honest.
"What a weird day," Kai chuckled, "First I learn my cousin's disappeared 'cuz o' some giant black an' white sunflower and then I meet a pretty girl in the middle of the night!"
Shuichon blushed. He was talking about her! She blushed even more when she realized that she was in her nightdress and that he was as scantily clad as she; he wore only a pair of shorts. She felt her eyes widen. She'd been talking for the last ten minutes with a bare-chested guy and she hadn't even noticed. Shuichon's face felt like it was on fire.
Kai, noticing her reaction, puzzled over it for a moment, then noticed his own lack of clothes. But he was less modest than Shuichon and it bothered him little. He just grinned at the poor girl's discomfort.
"Well, be seein' ya tomorrow, Shuichon!" he called as he disappeared out the lab, "Ja ne!"
Shuichon stood there for a full minute, face still the color of ripe cherry, before she suddenly blinked and called into the empty hallways, "Goodbye!"
From somewhere far off she heard the distinct echoing sound of an answering chuckle.
***
Ruki looked wearily over at the chocolate-haired boy beside her. He was still asleep, the dolt! Over on her other side, Juri was silent, apparently lost in thoughts that Ruki couldn't even begin to fathom.
The tawny-haired girl sighed, suddenly feeling somewhat alone, 'I wish they'd talk or something. Heck, are they gonna sit there all day?!'
Ryou shifted slightly in his sleep, then became still once more, his head drooping onto his chest as he snored gently.
'. Guess so,' Ruki heaved a sigh, staring at the grimy stone floor, 'There has got to be a way to get out of here. somehow.'
***
Culumon was currently in the middle of a forest, sitting on the large round rocks next to the bottom of a roaring waterfall, laughing and rolling about as the cool water and mist were sprayed into his face.
"Yay! Culu, this is so much fun, culu!" the little white Digimon whooped, spreading his large purple-lined ears and bouncing into the river, "Ooh, that's cold, culu. Cold, cold, cold!"
He continued to chant happily in a singsong voice as he did all sorts of fun things in the water. One moment he floated on his back with his stubby little purple paws behind his head, and then he flipped over, and, using his ears to propel him into the air, jumped into the air and plunged back into the water with a satisfying splash. Bobbing back up to the surface, the little white Digimon giggled as he attempted to tread water, using his ears as floaters.
"Hey," Culumon cocked his head, his huge, innocent green eyes fixed on the foaming madness where the rushing waterfall clashed with the calm, flowing river, "Do you wanna play some more, culu? Huh?"
With that he launched his chubby little body at the foam, but a moment later scrambled back out, choking and spitting out water. He flew to a rock on the other side of the river and sat there, shrinking his ears and checking for damage.
"Ouch. That wasn't a very nice waterfall, culu. I could've gotten really hurt," Culumon stuck his little tongue out at the waterfall, "Bad waterfall, culu! I'm not gonna play with you no more!"
His face scrunched up in a frown, Culumon jumped off the rock onto the grass and ran off into the forest. Within moments, the incident had fled from his mind and he was singing happily at the top of his lungs.
"Culu, culu, who's the best friend around? Me, culu! I play games, I love water, I love mushrooms with jelly and butter! Culu! Culu!"
***
Juri contemplated the bright scrying mirror on the table dully. Her head felt heavy with fatigue, but she was afraid to let herself drop off in this frightening dark room when that awful Shadowmagemon could come back any moment.
* She was standing in the desert, under the stars, with the other Tamers. That is to say, Takato, Jenrya, Hirokazu, who was sitting beside a down and out Guardromon, Kenta, a Ryou look-alike that she identified as Kai, the clone Ruki-chan had told her about, and a girl with short dark hair and bright green eyes that Juri didn't know, who was kneeling beside a silver furry creature that Juri could only suppose was her partner or something.
Megalo Growmon and Rapidmon were both hovering protectively in front of them. What they were trying to protect the young Tamers from soon became apparent, as Juri stepped forward. A massive Digimon in red armor, with a black and purple helm masking its face and snout, and terrifying glowing purple eyes, reared up menacingly to face the two Perfects. It was surrounded by a strange, fluctuating dark purple glow.
**
"It can't be," she heard Jenrya say in a tone of disbelief.
The monster smiled, revealing teeth that made Juri take several steps backward, "And yet it is."
"He's too strong," Juri whirled around at the sound of Takato's familiar voice; the brown-haired boy stood at the very front, just behind Megalo Growmon and Rapidmon, clenching his fists, "He took two of our strongest Digimons' attacks without getting a scratch. This doesn't look good at all."
"Takato-kun!" Juri gasped happily, "Takato-kun, it's me! Juri!"
She ran forward towards Takato, her arms outstretched, fully intending to jump on him and hug him with all her might. Takato didn't seem to hear her joyful cry; certainly he didn't react at all. Juri didn't take the time to think this over as she reached him.
"Huh?!" her hands had passed right through her friend, as though he was a ghost, "W-What's going on? T- Takato-kun?"
Takato and everyone else completely ignored the auburn-haired girl, as though she weren't there at all. As she watched in a sort of dumbfounded daze, the monster attacked.
"Devourer Claw!" deadly purple crescents flew out from the claws on the red- armored dinosaur creature's outstretched arms.
"AAAAAAAAH!" Rapidmon screamed as he plowed into the ground, hard. Jenrya's cry of pain rang out clearly over the crash as the blue-haired boy collapsed.
"Lee-kun!" Juri covered her mouth with both hands in horror, praying that her friend was all right.
"Jen!" Takato yelled at the same time, then Megalo Growmon gave an earth- shattering roar of pain as he was also hit by the enemy's continued attacks, "AAAH! Ooph!"
The brown-haired boy went flying backwards to land roughly in the sand.
"Takato-kun! NO!!"
Juri let out a horrified cry, and she ran to fall on her knees beside Takato, wanting to help him somehow, even though she knew it was impossible.
"Takato-kun, are you all right? Please be okay, Takato-kun..." she murmured anxiously, wishing she could somehow do something for him, wishing it with all her heart as she reached to prop him up.
Gently, Juri slid her hand under Takato's back, trying to help him up... and her fingers met the white fabric of his shirt. Takato's reddish-brown eyes widened and he propped himself up on his elbows, staring. Juri felt her heart leap as he hesitantly laid a warm hand on her arm.
"K- Katou-san...?"
"Takato-kun..." Juri's anxious face softened into a relieved smile, "You're all right!"
"Yeah, I'm just fine," Takato grunted as he sat up and smiled back, then, surprising both of them, he pulled the auburn-haired girl into an awkward hug, "Juri, I'm so glad you're okay."
Juri felt her cheeks redden as she smiled happily in Takato's arms, "I missed you, Takato-kun." *
She awoke with a start, and her chains clanged violently, startling Ryou awake and nearly scaring Ruki out of her wits, as she attempted to sit bolt upright, forgetting where she was. Juri hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep. Shaking her head, the auburn-haired girl smiled, remembering.
'That dream... It seemed so real...' Juri felt again the warmth of Takato's arms around her, 'Did Takato-kun... really... see me? - She smiled - I hope he did. I don't want him to be worried."
***
Jenrya struggled painfully to his feet, as did Rapidmon, and the green- armored flying cyborg Digimon swooped back into the fight, launching barrages of missiles at Karnodramon, which resulted in a huge explosion.
"You got him!" Jenrya cried.
Rapidmon nodded, "If he survived this one..."
Karnodramon emerged from the smoke utterly unscathed, "Uuuuh... Never mind."
"He's too strong," Jenrya muttered, "This is not going very well. Takato!"
***
He turned to see the brown-haired boy sitting on the ground behind him with a dreamy expression on his face. Slowly Takato shook his head and looked up.
"I saw Katou-san," the goggleboy murmured sadly, "She was right here."
"Huh?!" Jenrya and everyone else stared.
Kai, who'd missed nothing, just nodded thoughtfully.
"Wha-?!" Hirokazu shook his head, "No way! She's stuck in one of Shadowmagemon's dungeons, remember?"
Jenrya thought for a moment, "Who knows. Anything can happen here in the Digital World. Takato and Katou-san do seem to have a strange kind of link."
***
"Yeah, great, can we get back to the fight now?!" Rapidmon demanded as he wove and dodged among a hail of purple crescents sent his way by Karnodramon.
"Right. Card Slash!" Jenrya yelled quickly, "Offense Plug-In V!"
Megalo Growmon looked back, "Takato..."
Rapidmon charged the glowing dinosaur Digimon, only to receive a large wave of deadly red light in the chest, "AAARGH!"
Jenrya flew back and fell to the ground, clutching his chest. Takato finally snapped out of the daze that he seemed to have fallen into and leaped to his feet, running to his friend's side with concern in his face.
"Jen! Are you all right?" he knelt beside the blue-haired boy, who was grimacing in pain.
"I'll live," Jenrya got out through gritted teeth as Takato helped him up, "Rapidmon!"
"Jen, we've got to try something else, this isn't working!" the cyborg Digimon replied anxiously as he extricated himself from the smoking crater he'd created.
"He's right," Jenrya bit his lip, "But what?"
***
Impmon sat on Iodramon's gleaming golden head as the dragon Digimon undulated lazily through the air. The small purple Digimon was enjoying the gentle breeze that blew far over the desert wasteland. But at length he tugged on the red kerchief around his neck and scratched his dusty head as though something had suddenly come to mind. Iodramon sensed this and waited, his great curving horn-like ears listening carefully.
"So, ya big metal thing, what're we gonna do ta find Culumon?"
Iodramon ruminated for a moment longer, "I wish to start my search for the Digi-Entelechy near the south, for that is where the rate of digivolution has been strongest these days."
"Oh, yeah, Culumon can make Digimon digivolve, eh?" Impmon solemnly gave his approval in the form of a slight nod that Iodramon obviously couldn't see, "Pretty smart, for somebody who can blind half the population just by flyin' in the sun.
Iodramon sighed, but his piercing eyes twinkled in amusement, "Thank you, I suppose..."
"Hey, when's it gonna be nighttime in this place already?!" Impmon scowled, switching attitudes at the speed of light, "I don't wanna sit up here all day, it's makin' me head go all funny, sheesh!"
Iodramon sighed again, though this time he sounded like he was straining to repress an explosion of mirth, "This part of the Digital World knows no night."
"Wha-?" Impmon blinked, wide-eyed, as he tried to absorb the information, "... WHAT?!"
His carrier made a queer sound that came out as something between a gurgle and a sneeze, and was in fact a stifled chuckled. Impmon looked down at his mount in surprise.
"Hey, you feelin' okay?"
"I'm feeling perfectly fine, Impmon," Iodramon replied patiently, masking his amusement as he continued his relentless progress through the deep blue sky.
***
"Huh?!" was Ruki's reaction when Juri told her about the dream.
Juri sighed, "You don't believe me, do you?"
"I can't exactly not believe you," Ruki shrugged, "Who knows what can happen in this crazy world? So you say the others were fighting a huge red- armored dinosaur with a purple and black helm?"
"Uh-huh," Juri replied, "It was really strong, too."
"Doesn't ring a bell. And trust me, I know a lot of Digimon. Just how strong was it, exactly?"
"Rapidmon and Megalo Growmon could barely stand against it, let alone beat it. Guardromon was out. There was a new Digimon that I couldn't recognize, but it couldn't do much either," Juri told the tawny-haired girl.
"So, basically, they're toast," Ruki sighed, "Kuso!"
"Oh, no," Juri said softly, "Are they going to be hurt, Ruki-chan?"
"I don't know, Juri," Ruki scowled, "I wish we could help them, somehow. STUPID chains!"
Juri recoiled as Ruki fell forward, straining against the hated metal objects. Her reddish hair fell in her face, tickled her nose and mouth, as Ruki twisted in her shackles like a wild animal.
***
Ryou, who'd been listening to their conversation without a word, spoke up in his grave voice, "Calm down, Wildcat. - Ruki quieted and stared at him at the use of his nickname for her - I think I know whom they're fighting. - He paused - But that's the good news, I'm afraid. That must've been Karnodramon. He's one of Shadowmagemon's best."
"How strong...?"
Blue eyes met violet, "He's a Perfect."
Ruki bit her lip, "From the sound of him, they're gonna have to evolve to Ultimate to beat the guy."
Ryou's cerulean eyes bore into her own, "Even that may not be enough."
"What... What do you mean?" the tawny-haired girl whispered, eyes wide, "Tell me! What are you talking about, Ryou?!"
***
"Hey, Silvemon, you okay?" Miki asked her partner.
"Never better!" the winged silver Digimon replied cheerfully, now on her feet and flexing her wings, gazing toward the fight with narrowed eyes, "But they aren't. I've gotta help, Miki."
"But you haven't got enough strength," Miki argued, "You're just a Child, and he's a goddamned Perfect. You can't hope to beat him."
"No, but I've gotta try!" Silvemon ran forward, faster and faster, till she was nothing but a blur, streaking toward Karnodramon.
"No, wait!" Miki yelled, scrambling to her feet and running after her partner, "He'll kill you!"
"Lightning Scythe!" Silvemon ignored her, and, with a deft whip of her long tail, sent white-hot projectiles whizzing toward Karnodramon.
The Perfect was hard put to block the unexpected assault. He growled as they left bloody scratches in the exposed areas of his flesh. Silvemon landed before him, twitching her wings and pawing the ground as she readied her next attack.
"Not so cocky now, are you?" she mocked, "Lune Gale!"
Karnodramon blocked the attack easily, "No little Child taunts me!"
"Oops, looks like I broke the rule," Silvemon continued, sending another wave of her tail projectiles toward Karnodramon, "What are you going to do about it?"
***
"C'mon guys, while Silvemon's distracting him, we can hit him with everything we've got, and catch him off guard!" Jenrya yelled, searching through his deck feverishly.
"Uh-huh!" Takato extracted two cards from his deck.
"Triple Card Slash!" Jenrya had opted for three cards, "Offense Plug-In V, Seraphimon, Power Charger!"
"Double Card Slash!" Takato followed, "Offense Plug-In H, Boost Chip!"
"Seven Heavens!"
"Atomic Blaster!"
The four screamed out the attacks in perfect unison, and the seven balls of light (A/N: That's what Seven Heavens looks like, right?) merged with the powerful beams of red, shooting towards Karnodramon and about to hit him right in the face.
***
"Silvemon, look out!" Miki yelled at the top of her lungs.
"Whoa!" Silvemon quickly darted out of the way, and Karnodramon found himself facing the monstrous combination of Rapidmon and Megalo Growmon's attacks.
The dinosaur's dark eyes widened and he held his front claws over his face, trying to protect himself against the inevitable blow. At the last moment he smiled, reared back, opened his jaws and roared out a wave of red... mixed with deep purple.
"Crimson Fury!"
***
~CLIFF! :P Will Karnodramon be destroyed? Or is he still too strong? Will Impmon and Iodramon succeed in finding Culumon? Will Ruki find a way to escape from Shadowmagemon's castle? What will come of the meeting between Shuichon and Takato's cousin Kai? Find out in Part X of Shadow Realms! Finally, Part IX is done! It's a lot better than it was originally, I'm amazed at how long the part on Shuichon was. Probably 'cuz it had Takato's cousin in it. Amazing how easy that guy is to write. Cute, too. But I do have a problem. Can anyone come up with an idea to distinguish the two Kai's from each other?! I can't exactly call them Kai 1 and Kai 2. That'd just sound weird. So... any ideas? * looks around pleadingly * Or does Kai (the one that's Takato's cousin) have a different name in the Japanese version? Originally I hadn't planned to have Takato's cousin in the story, but I just 'couldn't' leave him out, for some reason. Anyway, please review! I'd like to get your opinions on whether I should bring more people into the Digital World. I'm planning to, but there are already quite a lot of kids there, so... I might make a third group, but... Give me your opinions on the matter! Anything but flames is accepted (those will be happily shredded in my pet blender Zew and the pieces incinerated by my good ole dragon Spew), constructive criticism and corrections are appreciated! I've been slacking off lately, I admit it. I haven't written a new chapter for a while. But review and maybe that'll get me going.~
Reviews:
Bakura's Angel - Thanks! I'm really trying to keep 'em in character, but it's getting harder and harder every time. * sigh * Anyway, glad you like it!