I don't own digimon
Time, In Memoriam
"Let ME GO!" Taku shouted straining his muscles against the black chains that bound him to an invisible pillar hidden in the shadows that surrounded him.
"Oh we both, I can't do that." A light flickered on revealing a young man standing in front of Taku. Black hair was combed neatly on his head. He wore black clothes, and a long black trench coat. The young man walked forward, his steps echoing in the distance. "I need a body, you have a body. If I left you, then I'd have to find someone else."
"Who are you?" Taku growled, glaring at the young man from under his bangs.
"I thought it was clear." The young man said, smiling. He drew in close to Taku and with one finger drew Taku's chin up so Taku's eyes met his. "I'm Kurayami, Founder of Darkness, and you're new roommate…well…master."
"So you are the one that's causing all this fuss." Taku said, pulling away from Kurayami's hand.
"Yes, I suppose I am." Kurayami said, smirking and taking a step backward.
"Why?" Taku asked, glaring at the back of Kurayami's head.
"I have a score to settle." Kurayami said pulling back his duster slightly, revealing the hilt of a sword. "I shall purify this world with fire, burn it to its foundations, and rebuild it."
"In your image I suppose." Taku said, shaking his head. "Is that all you boss villains think about? How well your image will make the rest of the world look better? Have you ever considered the fact that maybe the rest of the world doesn't want your mug?"
Kurayami chuckled and turned around and walked up to Taku he smiled chuckling and put his hand on Taku's shoulder and leaned in close. "Hehe, you have a sense of humor…you're funny…" Suddenly Kurayami's fist drove into Taku's stomach and his face became like pale limestone his eyes looked into Taku's as the boy gasped for breath. They were like black coals set in his limestone features. Kurayami's fist pressed further into Taku's abdomen. "It's a pity, I used to like funny…"
"Bastard…" Taku groaned as he hung in his chains. "My friends…"
"Useless…" Kurayami said, turning away from Taku. "As usual."
"DemiDevimon…" Taku grumbled, standing up. "He won't let you win."
Kurayami shook his head and lifted his arm, snapping his fingers. A projector screen flickered into existence in the air above Taku. It showed a murky image, but Taku could make out the shadowy shapes hovering in the distance. One was Alphamon in his new form, the other was Omnimon.
"I don't think he had much of a choice." Kurayami said, snapping his fingers again and the screen disappeared. "I mean they even threatened your existence. Don't worry though; I got rid of them for you."
"Let me go! Let me GO!" Taku shouted, yanking against his chains. "You better not have hurt them!"
"Silence." Kurayami said, flicking his fingers back at Taku.
Taku suddenly felt some force smash him backwards, tossing his body against an invisible barrier. The chains clanked as he slumped forward, the pain in the back of his head blaring out anything else.
Lightning flashed through the blackened skies. The children looked up as bolts of energy lashed downward, exploding into the sea below. Taku's body, inhabited by Kurayami glided backward through the air as the lightning sliced, like a scalpel, across the sky.
The digi-destined turned from their friend as they heard the loud howls of great blasts of wind roaring behind them. Four lights burned in the acrid clouds that filled the skies. Blue, green, silver and red, streaks rushed towards them. The children cowed as the lights sliced past them, as if they were insignificant bugs.
The lights faded revealing massive forms underneath. The blue light elongated, its ethereal body uncurling and filling the sky, chains wrapping around its form. Lightning twisted around the blue dragon's serpentine body. Two pairs of glowing eyes glared down at Taku's body. One pair glowed with brilliant white light, the other pair with a yellow light.
The green light faded revealing a giant forest atop the back of a two headed turtle. The turtle was suspended in the air by large rolling clouds. Its underbelly was covered in tan scales whilst its dorsal side was covered with heavy bark-brown, fleshy plates. One of the two heads maintained a pair of slate-gray colored eyes that glowed fiercely. The other head held a purple pair of eyes glaring at Taku.
The silver light glinted unveiling a white tiger with lavender stripes – metal bands covered its rear ankles and heavy iron spikes arose from its spine. The tiger roared, thrusting its head into the air. Two orange and two blue eyes glared down at Taku as the boy merely smirked up at the beast.
The red light flared as flames spewed in all direction, unleashing a giant bird, with four pairs of wings. A jet engine was on its orange-feathered back and its masked head swept up as it screeched. Two of its eyes were green, and two of its eyes were mauve. The bird tilted its head down pointing its long sharp beak at Taku, and holding its wings out.
"Well, that's not fair at all." Taku's eyes scanned from one beast to the next. "You get four really awesome bodies…and all I get is this really crappy, cramped one."
"Then allow us the chance to free you of the burden!" The tiger growled with a pair of voices, its metallic claws curled allowing them to flicker in the flashes of lightning.
"Not yet, Dokyou, Kouyou!" The blue dragon said with a feminine voice. It turned its head to Taku. "Kurayami, you still have a chance to go peacefully back."
"Back?" Kurayami asked, a smirk splaying over Taku's lips. Those same lips then instantly thinned as Taku's eyes glared up at the beasts' and he shook his head. "Rather than unleash my retribution right here, right now, I have the marvelous opportunity to go back to…to…nothingness?" Taku's arms flailed as his body turned, under Kurayami's control, wheeling around as if presenting the world around him. "Please tell me, Hikari, what could possibly be behind door number three?" Kurayami suddenly spun around, pointing a finger at the pair of white eyes glaring at him. "Oh, I know, me, putting you in the Shadow Dimensions where you left me!"
"Same as always…" The turtle head with the purple eyes said, tutting softly and shaking its head.
"You'd think he'd learned his lesson by now." The slate-eyed turtle head said, agreeing with the first.
"Oh, I did." Kurayami said, lifting his hand pressing his fingers together as if to snap them. "The pain, the suffering, all that sorrow you unleashed into the world with your non-interference. There are a lot of digimon that scorn your self-imposed impotence. How many did I hear crying as they deleted, crying, 'Oh great Founders…please give me the strength…please!' 'Oh, help me so I can live…' and yet they came to me instead, mourning their deaths, seething with the hatred of you. Anger and rage unknown even to your unsympathetic eyes, came to me. It cried to me in the darkness, in the hopeless depths, in the loveless realms. It came to me afraid and ignorant, faithless and lost."
"What have you done?" The giant bird asked, its mauve eyes glaring down at Taku's body.
Taku's fingers slid across each other making a quick snapping sound. The skies split apart, and a horrible wailing screamed from the vortex formed. The beasts looked up at the darkness as something descended. "I bring to you my son. My great child of fortune, or…well, misfortune." Taku's lips curled into a smile as a spoked dodecahedron descended. "I give you Apocalymon!"
The great block glided down hovering behind Taku's body like a giant aircraft carrier. The dodecahedron easily matched the beasts in size. The dodecahedron had spokes on it, and each spoke brandished a large chain of what looked like double-helix DNA. The chains ended with huge metallic claws.
"This…this is an atrocity!" A male voice called from the dragon, as the yellow pair of eyes flared.
"Listen to those words, my dear…" Kurayami said, turning to the cube.
Kurayami lifted Taku's body upward to the top of the giant block and gently alighted on the surface of the dodecahedron, walking forward to a dais. The floor of the dais hissed and opened and a humanoid form rose up from the innards of the massive object.
The children gulped, catching a glimpse of the creature. Its upper body was covered in black leather, and had singed, gray flesh exposed on the face, most of which was mercifully covered by a mask. Its lower body degenerated into a conflagration of hoses and cables that literally plugged the body into the dodecahedron. Its long arms ended in thin fingers with long red claws. A large cape unfurled flapping in the wind.
"A-a-atrocity…" The creature from the cube said, raising its hands up. "I am…an atrocity?"
"Those nasty Founders think you are." Kurayami said, pointing to the beasts.
"I'm…an atrocity?" The creature looked down at the cables rooting it in place. "They hate me?"
"Oh, yes, I do think so." Kurayami said, nodding.
"Why do they hate me, Papa?" The creature asked, tugging at its cloak as if trying to hide its body from the beasts.
"Don't think you'll win us any sympathy with this show!" The dragon growled, lightning fizzling on the dragon's chains.
"The answer to that is quite simple." Kurayami said, ignoring the dragon. "They hate you, because you came from me. They don't like things I make. They allow others to break them."
"Don't they like you, Papa?" the creature asked, looking down to Kurayami.
"No, they don't." Kurayami said, looking up at the beasts. "You see, they think they're better than us, and because of that, they think they can lock us away and destroy everything we liked. They think we're evil because we wanted a little justice in the world."
"Your digimon had committed grave crimes of morality!" The tiger roared, taking a step forward.
"And yours didn't?" Kurayami shot back, glaring at the tiger. "We should have interfered."
"We can't!" The dragon said, curling in front of the tiger.
"We…can!" Kurayami thrust Taku's arms forward and a black wave of fog, crackling with energy, flew at the dragon.
Chains flew from the dragon, crisscrossing in front of the fog, bracing against it. Lightning lashed across the darkness and then tore forward, clawing towards Kurayami.
"TAKU!" Ren screamed as she watched the lightning flash towards Kurayami.
"Lampranthus!" One of Apocalymon's DNA chains whipped forward and the claw opened as a bestial goat form bubbled out from within the claw. The goat's mouth opened and twisting, black flower petals flew forward exploding into the bolts of lightning. The dodecahedron pushed forward, the large chains of DNA flailing like a medusa's head. "No one hurts Papa!"
"Very good of you, Apocalymon." Kurayami said, gliding backward behind Apocalymon. Kurayami looked to the beasts. "You'll find that my son is encoded with the attack of every digimon that has passed through my presence. While that may not be enough to destroy you gods, it is quite enough to tear your bodies from you."
"Such impertinence, from a Founder nonetheless!" The giant bird screeched, flaring its wings. "Your puppet can't hope to defeat us! Blazing Helix!"
A twisting stream of flame fired towards Kurayami, but Apocalymon dove in front of the attacks, flicked a claw in front of the flames and released a tidal surge of water, dousing the flames. Four more claws rose up and opened.
"Crystal Revolution! Judecca Prison! Death Eye Arrow! Giga Sea Destroyer!" Apocalymon shouted as four different attacks flew forward.
The beasts howled as the attacks exploded over their bodies, pushing them backward. Apocalymon wasn't finished though and pushed his offense forward, lifting four more claws. This time a huge, claymore sized kunai flew forward. A crimson tornado joined the kunai as did a bola of electricity and a pair of energy cannon pulses. The beasts were tossed backward again.
"Black Hail!" The turtle spat, as black stones flew downward, pelting Apocalymon.
"We can't stay here…" Marine Angemon shouted, as the hail stones shot past his bubble.
"Aurora Undulations!" A stream of twisting spectral colors swooshed past the bubble.
"We can't leave." Kisho said, looking at Marine Angemon. He clenched his fists as the world around him exploding and fragmented, as the game of gods were playing, played out on a chessboard of real life. He closed his eyes as he saw Marine Angemon begin to retort. "I told Taku I wasn't going to leave him. He's part of us, he's my friend, and I'm not leaving him behind. I'm not leaving DORUmon behind, or Guilmon, or DemiDevimon or Agumon or Renamon. They are our friends. No, they are more than that, they are a part of us; they are our partners. I'm not leaving them, Marine Angemon. If you want you can take us back to that island, and leave, but we're not going to give up."
Marine Angemon looked at the other children. They were all looking at him, waiting for a reply. All of them were standing resolute behind Kisho.
"If you want this…" Marine Angemon said, as his bubble floated away from the bigger explosions. "Then I'll help you."
"We need to get our partners." Haru said, he turned looking at the fight behind them.
The four beast digimon were raging against the gigantic Apocalymon. The large dodecahedron body of Apocalymon buffeted against the offensive, but the near infinite amounts of claws he possessed rose to the challenge, spewing out dozens of counterattacks against each beast. All the while Kurayami, in Taku's body, was hovering behind Apocalymon.
"Omnimon!" Jiro shouted, dropping to his knees, and pressing his hands on the bottom of Marine Angemon's bubble. "Please, you have to get up! We need your help! Taku needs your help!"
"Screaming isn't going to help…" Marine Angemon grumbled, covering his ears.
"Maybe…Jiro's got the right idea." Ren said, kneeling next to Jiro and clasping her hands together. "Please, Omnimon. I could really use your help right now. We all could. I'm scared, and I'm worried about you."
"Alphamon…" Kisho said, looking down at the ocean below. "Come on buddy, you're stronger than this…"
"If you don't come back we can't get Taku back, we can't stop Kurayami and save everyone." Haru said, joining Kisho.
"Asking nicely isn't going to work!" Marine Angemon said, flying forward.
The children were silent their eyes closed and their hands clasped over their chests. Marine Angemon closed his mouth, light was emanating from their hands. The lights fired downwards piercing the black, fog-covered ocean. The ocean suddenly exploded upward, two knights rising up through the sea spray.
The children looked up and cheered as Alphamon and Omnimon hovered above them. The two knights looked at each other and then to the digi-destined.
"What happened, how'd we end up in the ocean?" Omnimon asked, shaking his head.
"Taku…well, Kurayami attacked you." Ren said, looking up at the white armored knight.
"That's right, Taku…" Omnimon said, lifting his right arm. The wolf's head's eyes glowing.
"First we have to stop that thing that Kurayami's pulled into this world with him!" Haru said, pointing to Apocalymon. "You have to help those four holy beasts!"
"We can deal with Kurayami after that!" Kisho said, nodding.
"Right." Alphamon said lifting his halberd. The black knight looked to Omnimon. "Are you ready?"
"Born ready." Omnimon said, lifting his Transcendent sword.
Kurayami smirked as he watched the blue dragon ensnared by thousands of black tentacles. The black turtle groaned under a volley of crystals that exploded around him. Bolas of energy smashed into the white tiger and the giant flaming phoenix. The Founders may have had near unlimited power; they were greatly restrained by the power their chosen bodies could take. Furthermore, the Founders' bodies had been severely injured by Apocalymon's power, Apocalymon was barely scuffed. Soon they'd be forced to return to the ethereal realms, leaving him to unleash his full power upon the Digital World.
"Supreme Cannon!" Roared a voice.
The hair on Kurayami's back tingled as a bolt of blue energy flew past his head, exploding in the back of Apocalymon's anthropoid body.
"Digitalize of Soul!" A green bomb of energy exploded upon the dodecahedron's surface.
Kurayami covered his face as energy rushed past him. He then turned around; the two knights he'd crushed earlier were hovering in the air behind him. Kurayami growled, gritting his teeth.
"Interfering insects!" Kurayami shouted swiping his hand out and releasing a black fog towards the two knights.
"Transcendent Sword!" The white knight lifted its sword and slicing through the shadows.
The black knight dove towards Apocalymon - the large wings on its back pressed against its black armor. It swung its halberd a green aura surrounding the blade. Apocalymon was still reeling from the first surprise attack. The Founders' bodies rose into the air, retreating as the black knight raged forward.
"Ultimate War Blade King Dragon Sword!" The black knight sliced forward.
"Reverse Digivolution…" One of Apocalymon's claws launched out of the dodecahedron, grabbing the knight.
The chains holding the claw writhed like a snake and then flicked forward thrusting its contents into the air. Two small rookies tumbled through the air, falling.
Kurayami lifted his hand and pointed at the two digimon. A bolt of black fired towards the defenseless figures. The dark god smirked in bemusement as the white knight dove in front of the blast, taking the energy bolt in the back.
Explosions erupted behind him and Kurayami turned to find the fight against the Founders renewed. Kurayami closed his eyes. The Founders' bodies were at their limit; soon they would be forced to leave. The game was coming to an end, and white was in check.
"What the heck was that!?" Haru shouted as he watched Apocalymon toss Guilmon and DORUmon towards the ocean.
A few seconds later Omnimon was diving down to catch them only to be struck by Kurayami's own attack. The knight survived but looked worse for the wear. Omnimon was soon hovering behind Marine Angemon's bubble, holding Guilmon and DORUmon in his arms.
"We can't give up…we can't." Jiro said, looking up at the fight. "Taku's still in there."
"He can drain revert our digimon to their Rookie form, but that doesn't mean we can't keep fighting." Kisho said, clutching his tags and crests. He turned to DORUmon. "Are you ready to try again?"
The purple fox dragon nodded sharply, clenching his clawed hands. "We have to save Taku."
"What good would it do?" Haru asked, looking back to Kisho and DORUmon. "Even if we evolved completely, Apocalymon would just revert you."
"Then we'll just have to digivolve again and again!" Guilmon said, standing up. "If we don't do anything the bad guys will win right? And Taku will be trapped with Kurayami and the Digital World will be erased. I'm not afraid Haru."
"Smartest thing that fool's said since the beginning." Omnimon said, with ExVeemon's voice.
"I need you, Haru." Kisho said, looking up at the blonde. "We need each other, we always have. We can't give in…"
"Right…" Haru said, nodding and turning around to look at Apocalymon. "We'll need to avoid those claws, it may be best to coordinate attacks with those beast digimon." Haru looked back at Guilmon. "Give him your best."
Seconds later Alphamon and Omnimon were going once again into the breach.
"I just realized something…" Ren said, looking up at the fight. "Those beasts hold the Founders, right?"
"Each set of eyes represent the presence of a Founder yes…" Marine Angemon said, looking to the brown haired girl.
"There's only four beasts…" The girl said, looking to Marine Angemon and then to the other children.
"Yeah so?" Kisho said, blinking and shaking his head.
"Kisho, there are only four beasts…that's eight Founders…" Ren said, showing the number by extending her fingers.
"And…" Kisho said, shaking his head.
"Kurayami makes nine…" Haru said, blinking as he looked up at the battle. "The crests we hold represent the Founders of the Digital World. There are ten crests…where's the last Founder?"
"Psst…" Something hissed in Taku's ear.
Taku slowly opened his eyes, blinking. There wasn't much to see in the darkness. He still felt the chains around his arms and legs.
"Psst…" The hiss whispered into his ear again.
Taku jerked away from the hiss, looking in that direction but seeing nothing in the blackness. Taku could hear the echoes of a great battle exploding around him, but the muffled echoes made the battle sound as if it was a million miles away. He continued to slowly survey the darkness around him in hopes of finding whatever it was that had hissed in his ear.
"Who's there?" Taku whispered, not sure why he was whispering.
"Shh…" hissed a voice.
Taku turned his head in the direction of the hiss. A crimson-pink glow reached out of the darkness, and slowly took shape. It was a womanly shape, with long draping, flowery robes that fell to the ground. The face was covered in rouge and white makeup and the black hair was tied into a bun.
"Who are you?" Taku whispered, looking to the person in front of him.
"My, what an unpleasant place…" The person replied, walking forward, grimacing. "So much coldness and darkness. So much pain and anguish. No wonder Kurayami took up shop here."
"Ok, what the hell?" Taku growled, yanking at his chains. "Is this some sort of mind game by Kurayami? Because I'm not getting it."
"Ah…now this looks about right…" The person said, bending down and reaching out to a small flower that was poking up out of the ground. It was a red rose and the stranger gently slipped their thin white fingers on either side of the stem. "Ah, it's built on guilt but it still has a modicum of purity to it…"
"Whatever, I don't have time for this stupid stuff." Taku said, as he turned his focus to the chains that were binding him.
"Kindness." The person said, their voice was very near now.
Taku looked up. The stranger's face was only a few inches from his. Taku instinctually leapt backward. The person's lipsticked lips shifted left and right as if the person was deciding.
"What about it?" Taku asked, his eyes flicking down to the crest on his chest.
"It tempers the blade of Darkness." The stranger said, lifting the flower up. "This is your kindness. You've hidden it in a deep dark place, but even that couldn't starve it. You've polluted it with guilt and suffering and rage and even that could not wither its leaves. You've even tried to ignore it, but it won't disappear."
"Yeah, whatever, if you can't help me get out of these chains, then I don't have time for you." Taku said, as his hands grabbed at the shackles around his wrists.
"Chains are easy to break; one only need find the weakest link." The stranger said, as he walked around the pillar that Taku was chained to.
The stranger's dark eyes flashed upwards and he lifted a finger gently tapping the air. The atmosphere wavered like a pool of water. Taku narrowed his eyes. A battle was raging. Four giant beasts against what looked like a Rubik's cube. Taku then saw Omnimon and Alphamon flying into the battle.
"I thought they had been…" Taku said, as he watched the knights drive towards the dodecahedron.
"They're fighting to free you, to save the world, to stop Kurayami." The stranger said. The stranger looked to Taku. "Kurayami isn't the kind of evil one can fight from the outside. In all actuality Kurayami isn't even evil, just poisoned, like you. Lost in his rage and guilt. Tragic really, he had such a beautiful intellect. If you play by his rules, you'll lose."
"Can you help me out of these chains or not?" Taku said, his attention dropping back to the metal bands that bound his hands.
"Yes, Kankou, surely you could break the ties that bind…" Kurayami's voice said.
Taku looked up finding the young man from before walking forward. The black trench coat fluttered in the breeze as he walked forward. The stranger took a hesitant step forward.
"Kurayami, you know I cannot allow you to do this." The stranger said, looking to the young man. "This is a sentient being; you can't just possess him without his consent."
"Then stop me." Kurayami said, and with a flash of movement the stranger was sent hurtling backward. Kurayami's arm was extended with two fingers pointed at the position that the stranger had been placed. Kurayami's eyes flicked over to Taku and a cold sneer trickled across the dark Founder's lips. "That other crest was useless anyways. It's a wonder you ever got it to glow. You're such a pathetic little thing, a being even a mother couldn't be bothered in bearing."
"That's not important, they love me now; I know why my mom wasn't able to have me normally." Taku said growling under his breath. "They still love me."
"And your brother?" Kurayami asked, smirking to himself.
"My brother is…" Taku started to say.
"Your brother is what?" Kurayami walked closer to Taku. "He locked you in closets, smacked you, stole your things, ridiculed you and hated you. He even sold you out to Matadormon."
"Katsuo…" Taku closed his eyes and dredged deep. "He was my brother, I hated him so much…but…I loved him, too!" Taku opened his eyes and glared up at Kurayami. "I felt bad when I saw him laying there filled with Matadormon's blades! He didn't deserve that! I don't care what kind of bastard he was…He didn't deserve what happened!" Taku clenched his fists. "No one deserves to be hurt like that."
Kurayami's eyes narrowed as he took a step back. His eyes bore down on Taku. Taku wasn't sure what was going on, but he felt that it must be something Kurayami was afraid of.
"You think this will change anything?" Kurayami asked, flicking a glance to the stranger. "Mmm, Kankou?" Kurayami's hand slid to his side. He drew a massive sword from the hilt attached to his belt. The blade burned with fire. Kurayami's black eyes glowed in the light of the orange flame. "The Flaming Sword of Vengeance, prophesied to burn the world to its core. Do you think you can stop it, Kankou, or do you think this puny little fearful child can stop it?"
Kurayami lifted the sword. Taku watched the weapon, stunned shocked into numbness by the spears of fire flying upwards from the blade. Taku felt his body scream in agony as the flames rose into the darkness.
In a blink, the blade was reaching out towards him. A second blink, the sword was holding its position, being held back. Taku took a gulp, and looked up. The sword, with Kurayami driving his muscle into the cut, was being held back by the sprig of rose held up by the stranger in the dress.
"Kankou, you fool…" Kurayami smirked as he pushed, driving Kankou to its knees. "You can't defeat me, you can't stop me…"
"My power is not yours; you cannot understand that which you do not possess, you know nothing of my power or the strength it has." Kankou said, straining its muscles against the sword.
"I know my power is greater than yours." Kurayami said, his eyes flared with orange flame. "Burn!"
A fireball engulfed the flower-dressed stranger. Kurayami pulled back and watched as the flames raged in all directions. The flames died down, leaving behind a horrible, red and black charred form, kneeling on the ground moaning softly as its hands lifted to its face, chunks of blackened skin crumbling and falling to the ground as ash. Kurayami sheathed his sword and walked forward, up to the burned stranger. The figure's face lifted painfully to look at Kurayami. Charcoal skin crumbling and crackling free from the shifting skin. Bare, exposed bloody flesh gleamed in the false light.
"Burn and rage all you want - hate and kill all you wish…" Kankou said, its parched lips cracking and bleeding as it did so. "You can't escape the fact that even in you, there is part of me…"
"Silence!" Kurayami backhanded Kankou, his hand smacking the raw, bleeding flesh. The dark Founder pounced on the burned and bloodied figure and raised his fists, drilling them into Kankou's scorched body. "You think you can stop me!? You think you have all this power!? You can't even free a single child! Powerless, impotent, little traitor!" Kurayami stood up and dragged Kankou up by a layer of dead, charred skin. "Where were you when they screamed for mercy? Where were you when they called for help? Where were you when they were tortured and trapped and killed?" Kurayami drilled a fist into Kankou's stomach. Kankou screamed, slumping down to the ground and falling onto his back. Kurayami lifted his foot and started stomping down on the fallen stranger. "You gave the Digital World suffering and pain with no redemption! So now you will feel that pain a thousand fold…" Kurayami shouted kicking and stomping the fallen form. Kankou cried, whimpering, screeching cries and Kurayami started to giggle gleefully as he watched his fellow Founder curl up into a ball. "Oh the sound of the suffering…when it comes to pain quality is so much better than quantity…"
"LET HIM BE!" Taku shouted, tugging at his chains.
Kurayami stopped, and turned. "Don't interrupt me when I'm eulogizing."
"Shut up!" Taku shouted, clenching his fist and thrusting meaningless punches in Kurayami's direction as he clattered against the chains. "You hurt him enough! You don't need to do this!" Taku's said, his breaths becoming short and heavy. "No one deserves this treatment! Let him GO!"
Taku thrust his arm forward and the chains snapped. The other chains broke exploding into rust and Taku leapt towards Kurayami. Taku drove a fist into the Founder's face, knocking Kurayami off his burnt victim.
Taku stood up, and instantly the world around him changed. A dark vortex hovered above him. A dodecahedron was struggling against four beasts, and Omnimon and Alphamon were darting around the genetic chains that flailed in all directions.
Taku blinked and then looked down. The world bobbed underneath him as he took a giant, terrified breath. He flailed his arms as he lost his balance and tumbled towards the fog-enshrouded ocean below.
He screamed as he fell, though his voice was choked out by the wind. Just as he was about to hit the fog bank the world jerked out from under him and he was thrust back into the darkness. A great strength swung him around and tossed him to the ground. Taku rolled on the darkened ground and looked up. Kurayami was standing over him, his tongue pressed against the cheek Taku had struck.
"So you think you can fight me?" Kurayami said, walking forward. His black coat fluttered with the movement. His eyes flickered softly in the gloom.
Taku scooted backward as Kurayami advanced on him. He wasn't sure how to fight him. He hadn't thought that far ahead. He glanced over to where Kankou had been. The Founder was still lying there burnt to a crisp like an overly done piece of barbecued chicken.
Kurayami swept his hand into his coat, pushing the jacket back to reveal the hilt of his sword. Taku's eyes widened as the blade was drawn its reddish glow flaring in the twilight of the world he was in. Taku's hand came down on something sharp and he fell backward falling on the ground. He turned his head to the thing that had stabbed him. It was a red rose, with a thorny stem. He looked up at Kurayami, the Founder was now nearly on top of him.
Kurayami lifted the sword – heat pulsed off of the orange blade. A crooked smile played across the Founder's lips. The sword dropped, blade slicing through the air and then stopped. Kurayami's eyes widened as he looked down.
Taku gulped, looking up. His arm thrust above him with the stem of the rose holding back Kurayami's sword. His palms bled as the thorns dug into his skin.
Kurayami growled as he pressed down against the flower. The Founder's arms trembled with the strain and he gritted his teeth, his fingers curling tighter and tighter around the hilt of the sword.
Taku rose up, slowly pushing against Kurayami rising off of his elbows and struggling to his knees, all the while pushing the rose against the blade of Kurayami's revenge. A smile of confidence grew as Taku pushed backed the god.
"Do you think this pathetic strip of kindness will stop me?" Kurayami growled, as his eyes flashed over Taku's face. "Your smile will crackle in the flames of my revenge!"
The sword pulsed, and the rose exploded. Each thorn erupted into a vine and within seconds Kurayami's blade was mummified in a thorny whip. Kurayami staggered in surprise allowing Taku to rise to his feet and push Kurayami back.
"Gennai was right, they were all right." Taku said as he pushed Kurayami back. "Darkness's sword can only be sheathed by Kindness."
Taku looked up the battle was still at a stalemate, but the rift above the fight, the rift that the dodecahedron had come from was widening. Taku's eyes returned to Kurayami as he continued to retreat against Taku's push.
"That rift will soon cover the entire Digital World, cutting it off from all other realities." Kurayami said, smirking slightly. "As the Beasts and your pets fight; the rift grows bigger, as it grows bigger more darkness will seep in and soon the entire Digital World will be bath in shadows my domain will be complete over the world."
"How do we stop it?" Taku growled, pushing Kurayami and knocking the Founder to the ground, pinning him down under the thorny sheathe of his sword.
"Apocalymon is the lynchpin. His entrance into the world catalyzed the barrier's deterioration." Kurayami chuckled, looking up at Taku. "And I am drawing the darkness out of the void strengthening Apocalymon. You can't defeat Apocalymon and you can't destroy me."
"No…but I can send you somewhere else." Taku said, gritting his teeth pressing the sword against Kurayami's chest.
"You wouldn't…" Kurayami said, wriggling under Taku's weight.
"I have to, don't I?" Taku said, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.
He could smell the salt air and he slowly opened his eyes.
Ren looked up. Taku was staring at them. She gulped as she watched him walk towards them. It was an odd, unpleasant thing to watch. She'd seen Taku fall the last time, but this was far more frightening as he walked on the air.
"Guys…" Ren said, pointing at Taku.
Taku's walk was stiff, and jerky as if he was struggling against something or being held back. The other digi-destined were now looking at him. Haru and Kisho had sober faces full of worry and anger. Jiro pushed forward.
"Taku!" Jiro shouted pressing his hands against Marine Angemon's bubble.
"Ji-ro…" Taku said, wincing as he spoke. His hand clenched and he slowly closed his eyes and furrowed his brows concentrating. "I-need you to do something…it won't be easy."
"Taku are you ok?" Kisho asked, looking at Taku. "Are you hurt?"
Taku closed his coal-colored eyes and pressed his hand against his chest. "I need you…to have Omnimon shoot at me."
"What!?" The children all said, eyes wide and jaws dropped.
"Why? No, wait, we're not doing that!" Ren shouted, glaring at Taku. "You'll get burned to ashes!"
"That's…the plan." Taku said, pursing his lips and slowly curling forward. "Kurayami is drawing power out of the rift above us…he's using it to strengthen Apocalymon…and Apocalymon's existence is widening the rift…"
"It's a giant positive feedback loop…" Haru said, looking at the others. Haru looked to Taku. "Even if this is true, shooting you won't help, Kurayami won't be destroyed by it…"
"No, but if he's like the others, then he needs a physical body to be here…" Marine Angemon said, hovering forward. "Without a physical body, he'll return to the ether where the other Founders can act upon him directly…"
Taku winced and nodded.
"Even so, we tried attacking him, he'd just deflect it!" Haru said, looking back to Taku.
"I'm…holding him back…" Taku said, the hand on his chest clenched against his shirt. "If you do it…he can't avoid it…"
"No, we won't do it!" Kisho said, closing his hand. "There has to be another way!"
"Don't chicken out now…just because it's hard." Taku hissed through gritted teeth. His eyes flared opened looking at Kisho. "Just do it!"
"No!" Kisho shouted.
"I can't hold him…forever…" Kisho said as he staggered backward.
"Taku!" Ren yelped, fearing the boy would fall backward.
"Ren…your family…" Taku whispered, looking up at the girl. He took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "If Kurayami gets his way darkness and despair will flood the world. Do you remember that nightmare Belphemon showed you? If Kurayami wins…that nightmare will become reality."
"We can beat him though!" Kisho shouted, clenching his fists. "You don't need to sacrifice yourself!"
"No, you can't." Taku said. "He's holding back, he's toying with us…only I can hold him and it's a struggle at that."
"Taku…" Jiro looked up at the boy; his eyes were welled up with tears. He sniffed as his nose ran. "This isn't fair. There has to be another way. You can't just give up!"
"There isn't time." Taku said, taking another big breath. He turned and started to walk away. "Just…do it."
"We can't do it!" Kisho and Ren shouted.
"We won't let it happen!" Ren shouted.
"Coward!" Kisho shouted.
Haru held up his hand. The blonde looked at the two older children. "We're in a crunch."
"But, Haru…" Jiro looked up at his brother. "Taku is our friend we have to protect him, no matter what."
"We have a bigger responsibility to everyone else." Haru said, looking up at the battle raging above them. The crack in the sky reached out towards the horizon. "Taku, is holding Kurayami back, we can't give in to Kurayami. Taku's put faith in us."
"You can't even be considering it!" Ren shouted, grabbing Haru by the front of the blue shirt he was wearing.
"Taku's not in a position to make a good decision!" Kisho said, looking at Haru. "We have to protect him from himself!"
There was a loud roar. The children looked up. The blue dragon was being pummeled by Apocalymon and the other beasts were being beaten into submission. Omnimon and Alphamon were struggling to hold back Apocalymon's attacks.
Jiro closed his eyes and lifted his digivice. "DemiDevimon…I'm sorry…"
Taku crumpled to his knees as the inner turmoil boiled under his skin. He could feel the heat of Kurayami's sword pulsing through the vines of the rose. His hands felt as if they were on fire, and he could barely hold conscious control of Kurayami's power without losing control to the Founder. His body felt like it was tearing in two like his mind. He couldn't hold it much longer. His head felt heavy and it took a lot of effort to lift it and open his eyes.
Apocalymon was slowly gaining the upper hand over the four beasts. The digi-destineds' partners were barely making a difference in their fight with the giant dodecahedron. They just kept fighting on and on.
He could hear in the background of his mind Kurayami's laughter. The voices whispered in the back of his mind. The doubt was building 'What if they didn't do what he asked?' 'What if Omnimon refused?' 'What if this didn't work?'. The fear burned against his hands as Kurayami's struggled even more.
"Hurry…" Taku hissed under his breath. "Please…"
"You know they won't do it…" Shadows filled in along the periphery of Taku's vision. "Part of you doesn't want them to, and that part of you makes me stronger, that selfish fear."
The shadows continued to swallow the world and Taku's vision. Taku closed his eyes and he felt the heat pulsing in front of him. Taku opened his eyes. Kurayami was under him, pinned by his own blade. The vines wrapped around Kurayami's blade were black, as tongues of flame flicked out between the tendrils of blackened-green. Taku closed his eyes straining as a pulse of warmth lashed out at him, tingling his cheeks.
"I…I…" Taku's muscles tightened.
"You're weakening, you don't want to die." Kurayami chuckled, as the flames rolled free from the botanical sheathe. "Least of all do you want to force them to kill you…see what kindness does?"
"It's too late." Taku said, opening his eyes. The world around him and Kurayami blazed with blue light. It was cold, not like Taku had expected. He felt his skin explode as the ice crystallized around him.
Kurayami glared at Taku. Taku dropped the rose.
"This body? But they are killing you!" Kurayami roared, grabbing Taku's falling form. "You're dying, idiot!"
"Yeah, and soon enough there won't be enough of me left to keep this little mind universe thing up…and you'll end up wherever you end up going." Taku whispered, his eyes fell to his feet and he saw the little particles spilling away from his body. It was just like how the digimon deleted.
"Must find a body!" Kurayami shouted, dropping Taku and spinning around looking frantically. "A physical form, anything!" Kurayami looked up and turned. "There that!"
The Founder leapt forward and melted into the air as Taku watched the last of his torso dissolve into particles.
"Omnimon, what have you done?" Alphamon shouted as he looked over at the white knight, the icy frost hissing off his cannon's barrel.
The blue blast flew towards Taku's body. The blue flared into bright white explosion. The knight lowered his cannon and looked down.
"I did what I had to." Omnimon's voice said, the multi-toned voice leaning heavily on the paired voices of Metal Garurumon.
"You shot Taku!" Alphamon shouted flying towards Omnimon. "Your partner!"
"I know that!" Omnimon glared at the black night one blue eye glowing. "I didn't want to, but…I could hear him calling for me. Jiro said that Taku said to do it…to save the world. He was holding Kurayami. It was the only opening."
"There had to be another way!" Alphamon pleaded, looking at Omnimon for some sign of sympathy.
"I said the same thing, to myself." The knight glowed splitting into WarGreymon, Magnamon and DemiMeramon. The little fireball growled and glared at Alphamon. "Do you think I wanted to kill him? Do you think I wanted to shoot? I regret the decision, and maybe if I had another chance, I'd make a different choice, but it was my choice, I made it! Because Taku wanted it."
"Do you think, Taku would make the same choice as you, if the situation were reversed?" Magnamon asked, looking at the fireball.
"We won't ever know now." DemiMeramon said, as he looked up. The beasts were leaping upon the distracted Apocalymon now. "Stupid Taku. I always hated him…such a stupid idiot human!"
"TAKU!" Ren screamed as she watched Omnimon's icy blast from his Supreme Cannon envelope the boy's body. She spun around and grabbed Jiro. "How could you turn Omnimon on him?"
"It was the choice that needed to be made." Haru said, his eyes didn't meet Ren's.
"There had to be another way!" Kisho said, clenching his fists.
"Look!" Marine Angemon flew forward, pointing upward.
Apocalymon froze in the air. The four beast digimon leapt at the opening. The dragon, phoenix, tiger and turtle concentrated and together fired a focused beam of energy against the dodecahedron. The power built up against the unshifting shape and then with a collective roar the beasts thrust themselves forward and the dodecahedron was pushed into the rift. The black crack in the sky retreated and sealed itself up as Apocalymon fell further into the abyss beyond the breach.
"It's over…" Haru said, as the last sliver of the darkness thinned into nothing.
"It's cost too much." Kisho said, gritting his teeth. He turned to Marine Angemon. "Take us up there. I want a word with those 'Gods'."
"I…well…" Marine Angemon looked away from the children and then sighed. "Ok…"
Marine Angemon's bubble hovered in front of the four beasts. The giant digimon filled the sky above the children. The digi-destineds' digimon were on either side of the bubble, with DemiMeramon hovering slightly behind Magnamon's left leg.
"The Human's Children are indeed more powerful than I expected." The blue dragon said looking down at the bubble.
"Only four." The phoenix said, glancing of the children.
"Aye, one of the little tykes was Kurayami's vessel." One of the giant turtle's heads said.
"Then that means…" The other head took a deep breath.
"This child the one that bore Kurayami, must have been a great hero…" The tiger said, looking up at the children. "To be able to hold back the powers of Darkness for so long, to be able to protect Kankou…"
"He was a selfish coward." Kisho shouted, glaring up at the beasts. "He got himself killed! He didn't let us try to help him!"
"Kisho…." Marine Angemon hissed as the four beasts glared down at Kisho.
"Would you rather have let Kurayami escape and destroy the world?" The phoenix grumbled, its eyes narrowing in Kisho's direction.
"There should've been another way." Ren said, looking up at the orange feathered bird. "We shouldn't have been made to make that kind of decision…No one should!"
"The world is not a place of happy endings, the shadows of darkness blend and merge with the light." The turtle said, the two heads looking down at the children and speaking in unison. "A clear cut victory can't always be made."
"But you're gods!" Haru shouted, the other children looked back at the blonde as he walked forward. "Surely those of such great power, have the ability to…"
"Such an act is not permissible!" The phoenix snarled, flames flooding from its splaying wings. "Those that die; must remain dead! It is our greatest tenet even greater than the one of non-interference!"
"But…he sacrificed everything for you!" Jiro said, looking up at the beasts. The little boy's eyes fell upon the eyes of the dragon. "We've done everything we could, we've saved this world, fought the monsters…" Jiro sniffed and he closed his eyes as tears streaked down his face. "We only have this little thing to ask of you? What kind of gods are you if you can't grant one prayer?"
"There can be no debate!" The phoenix growled, glaring at the other beasts.
"Everything has a time…we cannot change that." The tiger nodded in agreement with the bird.
"Ach boot he's gone and given his life for us." The turtle said, both heads looking to the children with long faces. "If it weren't for our interference he would be alive."
"It doesn't matter!" The phoenix replied looking away from the children and to the other beasts. "The human's time was over, we cannot change that."
"Perhaps…" The blue dragon glided forward. "He was lost too soon, lost before his time. After all, it is our interference that has changed the human's destiny."
"Hikari! You can't be proposing…" The phoenix flashed a glare up at the dragon. "Yuubou, even you, most lax of us, must know this is only a route towards trouble!"
"Dokyou, even you must realize that we must have courage to break our own convictions when the time and the situation proves those convictions in err." The dragon said, looking back to the other beasts.
"No, we can't!" The phoenix shouted.
"I, Hikari, am the leader, the decision is mine to make." The dragon said, looking back towards the bird. The dragon's eyes fell back to the children. "This festering war has caused too much death, too many have fallen, brand new creatures, wise old men, and age old enemies from the dawn of time. And I, for one, will not allow this death to stand. No, this time we must stand against the inevitability and rise to our rightful place as gods of the world, as Founders of reality!"
"You're going to bring Taku back!" Ren cheered.
"No." The dragon said. "We'll simply give you your time back; return your fate to you."
"What's that mean…?" Haru said, looking up.
The four beasts' eyes glowed. The glow exploded forward, engulfing the sky around the children, and blurring out Marine Angemon and their partners. Each one of them slowly faded in the white light of the blur, the light splitting them apart.
"Hey, Kisho!" shouted Ren as she ran forward. She was wearing a maroon skirt and top. She had a bag and a purse over a shoulder.
Kisho turned slightly and waved at Ren. "Hi Ren, are you ready for your trip into the mountains?"
Ren stopped mid-step and looked at Kisho. "Mountains? How do you know about that?"
"You must have told me." Kisho said, smiling dumbly. He rubbed the back of his head, tussling his spiky brown hair.
"Impossible, my Grandmother just told me this morning…and I haven't told anyone…" Ren said, looking up at Kisho.
"Oh well, lucky guess I suppose." Kisho said, smiling and laughing to himself. "Well, I'm…"
"Going to go help your grandfather on his fishing boat." Ren said smiling.
Kisho blinked, his mouth agape. "That's just…just…weird…" Kisho walked forward and inspected Ren.
The girl took a hesitant step backward and frowned. "GAh! Personal space!"
"How did you know?" Kisho asked, blinking at Ren. Suddenly, he felt something, up his back, he jerked his head up towards the sky.
"What is it?" Ren instantly jerked her head up at the sky. "There's nothing up there."
"It feels like there should be…" Kisho said, scratching his head as he looked up into the sky. Kisho looked down at Ren. "I've had a weird feeling all day…like there was something missing," Kisho reached up to his chest and closed his hand over his heart as if grasping a locket, "like there's someone's name I'm supposed to remember, like I have to do something important but…I can't…remember what…"
"I have those all the time." Ren said, smiling and waving her hand dismissing the thought. "Usually it's because I remember a dream…it's probably that."
"Yeah…" Kisho said, looking to the sky again. He took a deep breath and ruffled his hair once more. "Though I keep thinking of this one name really clearly…Taku…"
"Now, that's odd." Ren said, taking a quick breath. "I've been thinking of that name too…"
Kisho shrugged. "Maybe we're just a couple of oddballs."
"Yeah…" Ren said, furrowing her brow.
In the distance a set of bells went off, school bells probably. Kisho looked up. "I have to go, Grandfather's meeting me at home!"
"Have a good summer, don't get too seasick!" Ren shouted, wondering how she knew that.
Kisho stopped, turned to look at her and then blinked and ran off down the street. Ren sighed and shifted her bags on her shoulder and then continued homeward.
"What did you do?!" Magnamon shouted. His golden armor glowed and he reverted to a dinosaur.
Alphamon glowed as well returning to his original forms, Guilmon and DORUmon. WarGreymon's armor flared and she returned to her Rookie forms. DemiMeramon looked over his fellow digimon. The five digimon were enveloped by a lavender bubble and Marine Angemon was hovering above them.
The blue dragon looked down at them. "We have shifted them, returned them to their fate, before our interference."
"Where are they?" Renamon asked, looking up at the four beasts.
"The Human World." The dragon said as a blue planet shimmered into existence between the beasts and Marine Angemon's bubble. The globe started to spin backward, streaks of lightning flared over the surface of the world. "We untilized the power of the world, and drew the Human World backward, shifting away from the Digital World, time wise. The digital gates are closed. This world will remain as it was, as it is, and as it will be. But the Human World, those humans, will be allowed to live their lives, as fate will dictate."
"What of the crests?" Marine Angemon asked, looking up at the four beasts.
"They have all been returned to Gennai's people." The blue dragon said, looking to the west. "All but two. One is the Crest of Darkness, which will remain hidden where it lies. Kurayami's frantic escape proved to be his prison, and he now trapped within its confines. The other is the Crest of Kindness. The crest's tag has been destroyed and Kankou has been severely injured in his struggle against Kurayami…it is a miracle he survived the experience."
"And what of you?" Guilmon asked, in his childish voice, putting a claw innocently to his lips.
"We Founders will return to our plane of existence, Kurayami is contained. Apocalymon is in his place." The blue dragon said. "We must have hope that Kurayami will one day repent."
"Yeah, because that worked so well the last time." DemiMeramon grumbled glaring up at the beasts. "It worked so good we lost our partners, we lost connection to the Human World…all so we can say we won…"
"We will leave these four beasts as new digimon to guard this world." The blue dragon said as clouds swarmed around its ethereal body. "They will be our emissaries to you, and will love you with all their hearts."
"What of us?" DORUmon asked, looking up at the four beasts. "We have no partners. What shall we do now? What's the meaning of our existence now that the world is set right?"
"We had not considered that…" The blue dragon whispered, looking to the other beasts.
"They will live, yet." The phoenix said, looking down at the bubble.
"Is that the existence they want?" The turtle asked.
"We would like to live with our partners." DemiMeramon said, gliding close to the edge of the bubble. "But someone made that damned well impossible!"
"You begged us to let them live, we did!" The bird retorted growling down at the small fireball.
"It would be unwise to risk them falling into the hands of Apocalymon…" The white tiger said, looking down at the group of five. "If they continued to live as they are, they will succumb to the depression; such a set of events could be disastrous."
"Then the decision is made." The dragon said, looking down at the digimon. "We will grant you the chance to sleep, to dream, to rest your minds and humors. We'll take you from this world and put you in a higher place, a better place where pain does not hurt and happiness is reality."
The dragon closed its eyes and suddenly the world disappeared. It was replaced by a new world of shapes and lines and streams that flooded the sky and then that world changed and they were standing next to their partners.
Haru walked down the street quietly. He grumbled slightly. Jiro was dancing around behind him. His short, blonde hair was hidden under a green hat. He was wearing a blue windbreaker and grey shorts. It was the last day of school. Summer was beginning.
"Summer! Summer, it's summer!" sang Jiro, off key. "You don't know how wonderful it is until its summer!"
"WILL YOU Stop…!" shouted Haru, but he stopped feeling strangeness in his chest and a bubbling sensation in his mind. The small boy stumbled forward in shock.
"I'm sorry, Haru," said the boy said quietly. "It's just…that it's…" The boy blinked, putting his finger to his lips. "I've…what's that feeling."
"Déjà vu." Haru said, he felt a cold chill flash up his spine and he turned looking to the sky.
"What is it?" Jiro asked, looking up at the empty, blue sky.
"I don't know…" Haru said, whispering quietly, as he looked up at the sky, expecting something anything to come out of the blue. Haru turned and looked at his brother. "Just weird huh? Let's go home."
The two brothers walked forward. They saw a boy staggering out of an alleyway. The boy fell onto Jiro and, knocked into Haru and then jumped to his feet, looking at the two. He wore black jeans and a black shirt. His skin was pale, against the dark clothing and against his black hair and dark colored eyes.
The world seemed to pulse as the brother's looked at the boy. As if the universe had convulsed, flipped over and then reoriented in a split second. The feeling dove through the brothers' bones as they looked at the boy in front of them.
"I'm…I'm sorry." The boy said, staggering backward as if in terror.
"It's ok." Jiro said, standing up and brushing his pants off. "What's your name?"
The boy's eyes widened and then he gulped. "My name's Yamada…Taku…"
"Weird…" A voice behind the boy said.
The two brothers looked beyond Taku to a young man in a maroon school uniform, carrying a bag. A few seconds later a young girl in a similar dress and uniform walked up behind him.
"What are you doing here, Kisho?" The girl asked, looking at the boy in the maroon uniform. "I thought you were…"
"I was…but I got all turned around, lost…it was weird and then…" Kisho looked up at Taku. "Then I was here and…that boy just said his name was Taku."
"What?" Taku gulped, looking at the kids around him. "I don't know what kind of weird joke this is…but…it's not funny."
"It's not a joke." The girl fumed, narrowing her eyes.
"Ren…" Kisho breathed through his teeth.
"Hey, Taku, do you like sweet buns?" Jiro asked, hopping forward, taking the darkly clothed child's hand.
Taku blinked, looking down at Jiro and his smiling face. "I…uh…guess so…"
"Then come home with us, my mom made some for us." Jiro said with a beaming grin.
"Jiro, I think Taku might have to get home…" Haru said, flicking a glare in Jiro's direction.
"Ah, come on…" Jiro said turning to his brother.
"Man I could go for some sweet buns…" Kisho said, sighing deeply.
"Don't invite yourself it's rude!" Ren said, smacking Kisho on the shoulder.
Taku flicked his eyes back to the girl and the boy and watched as Kisho impotently defending against the whaps he was getting from the girl. The brothers were arguing about inviting people home and Taku was in the middle of it. He couldn't help but feel a smile and laugh building up inside of him.
The other children looked at Taku as he started to laugh at their antics.
"I don't see what's so funny…" Haru said, crossing his arms.
"But it feels right." Jiro said, and started to giggle too.
"Now, I have to know more about this guy…" Kisho said as he walked towards Taku.
"Wait…" Ren said following the brown haired boy.
"Haru, please…" Jiro asked, in the middle of his giggling. "Can we have them over?"
Haru took a deep breath and pushed his lips to one side and then the other and finally nodded. "Yes, I suspect so, if only to find out why this all feels so weird."
And so, that was that. Taku protested weakly to the suggestion and though Ren and Kisho had further engagements, those engagements were hardly as enticing as something sweet to eat; they also acquiesced to Jiro's pleas.
Epilogue:
However, we all know that the Digital World was never the same. The Founders' interference would, in the end, draw the attention of Milleniummon, whose presence would create a small crack between Apocalymon's void and the Digital World. Furthermore the egress of the wicked-god to another universe with a different set of digi-destined would leave giant wakes that tore Guilmon and DORUmon from their eternal slumber in the realm of dreams.
Their stories are therein chronicled in other places, as are the stories of the resultant battles after Apocalymon, and the revival of the Crest of Darkness. However, it is the adventures of these five that was the catalyst of the other adventures…the genesis of those adventures.
AN: This is the end of this story. Tell you the truth this didn't come out as I had hoped, or thought. I had initially just planned to kill Taku outright. However, I felt that was too much and over stepping the line. However, I didn't want to poof and making him alive again. There had to be a cost to be paid, and I think the epilogue (Which having the Genesis Guilmon and the Genesis DORUmon be the same Guilmon and DORUmon as in Tamers and X-Evolution was always part of the idea) does this well enough.