Digital
Chapter 8 - Tomodachi
by Senashenta

Do I LOOK like I own Digimon or Lord Of The Rings? I didn't think so. :p

Chapter eight is dedicated to DracoStarbo!: Whee! Thank you for all your lovely reviews! I'm so glad that you like my story. ^^ I hope you still keep reading, despite how long I took to update last time! *hugs back* I love Aragorn, too!

~Digital~
~Chapter Eight~

 

"How's it going?"

"Huh?" Miyako looked up, blinking at Ken, and pushed her glasses up with a sigh. Next to her, Juri tiredly leaned her back against the rock. "I think the digitization of the Field that brought us here might have done something to the D-Terminal." She shook her head, looking frustrated. "And aside from that, there seems to be something about the caves that's screwing with reception."

"So that's a big 'not good'." Ken looked down. "Wonderful."

"Sorry."

A smile. "It's not your fault." Turning, the bluenette headed over to where Ruki was leaning against the wall; beside her, Legolas was still trying to fix her bow to a better standard.. "No luck." He relayed, "Miyako thinks that something's interfering with the Terminal."

"Fucking great." Ruki snorted, "so we're stuck here and we have to idea where the others are."

"Uh-huh." Ken agreed, leaning against the wall next to her, "so what now?"

Silence. The Child of Kindness closed his eyes and attempted to think things through, trying to get his thoughts past his worry for Takeru. He didn't like not knowing where the blond was or how he was doing.

<I think I hate Digital Fields.>

Sighing, he shook his head. Of course he was being silly- how could he hate something as simple as an incoherent cloud of smoke? Still....it was a Field that had grabbed them all and dropped them who-knows-how-far away, in the mountains.

"Mountains that didn't even exist yesterday...."

"What was that?" Ruki asked.

"Nothing." Ken pushed away from the wall and headed over to where Daisuke was sitting with Hirokazu and Kenta. "I'm going to check on your friend-" he ignored the annoyed snort that Ruki uttered at the mention of her 'friend', and sat down next to Hirokazu. "How're you doing?"

The boy shrugged, "could be better, could be worse."

"He's been whining ever since we got here." Kenta informed them.

Ken chuckled and held his hand out. After a second, Hirokazu rolled his eyes and offered his arm, a makeshift bandage was wrapped around his forearm, covering a deep gash that ran from his wrist almost to his elbow.

<He'll be fine.>

Still, Ken was concerned enough to occasionally check on his new friend, though the wound wasn't getting worse by any means. Sam's bandaging skills were wonderful, so Hirokazu's healing was coming along nicely.

<Of all the places for that stupid Field to drop us, it had to be near a freaking Orc nest.>

The Digital Field had deposited them near the mountains, close to the Mordor-ish land that Renamon had seen in her explorations, and the first thing they had encountered was Orcs. They had managed to escape with their lives, and had taken shelter in the nearby mountain caves. The Orcs had trailed them for a while, but eventually given up. Obviously they hadn't been trying very hard. Stupid creatures. Not that Ken minded their laziness....

"Looks good." Nodding, Ken let Hirokazu take his hand back. "You'll heal up and be fine."

"Cool."

"What about you, Ken?" Daisuke tilted his head to the side, stretching his arms up and clasping his hands behind his head. Nodding toward Ken, he motioned toward the bluenette's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

The Child of Kindness glanced down, his shoulder- ironically, the same one that had been injured on his prior visit to Middle Earth- had been gashed during the fight, though it was nothing serious. Sam had bandaged him up as well, and he knew he'd make a full recovery. "Me?" A shrug. "Sure, nothing to worry about."

"That's good."

"Yeah."

"So has Miyako come up with anything?"

"Unfortunately, no. Something's wrong with the Terminal. She's still trying to fix it and get in contact with everyone else." Standing, he sighed, "anyway, I'm going to head out and see if the Orcs are anywhere near here. If they are I want to move farther back into the caves to avoid them. Or maybe leave the caves all together. I can't decide which."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Daisuke demanded, "you're going OUT?"

"Hm. See you guys in a bit."

"Wait-"

Ignoring the redhead, Ken laughed to himself and exited the cave. Behind him, Daisuke's cursing echoed though the cavern, and after a moment, during which Ken stood and breathed in the fresh air, his friend stomped out after him.

"Do you have a DEATH WISH?!"

Ken grinned, "of course not."

"Then WHY are you out here?"

The bluenette glanced at his friend, then motioned to the bow and arrows that were strapped to his back. "I'm fine. I'm just doing some scouting. I WAS planning on going alone," he paused, then, "unless you want to come with me?"

"Sure, I guess."

A blink. He hadn't expected Daisuke to agree so readily. "Um, okay." Glancing around, he tried to decide which was to go, and eventually settled on the generality of 'right'. "C'mon Dai... just... keep up and try not to call too much attention to yourself."

"Because...?"

Ken sighed tolerantly. "If the Orcs find us this close to the cave, the others will be in trouble. Back there, there's only Ruki and Legolas who can fight....and Renamon, but I don't know where she is right now."

"Scouting?" Daisuke ventured.

"Hm." Ken agreed, "probably. That's what she likes to do....she might even be looking for Takeru and the others." Shaking his head, he suppressed a worried frown. "I can only hope she finds them."

"You know," the redhead beside him observed, "I'm sure Takeru's fine, Ken."

"Huh?"

"Well, I'm just saying...." he held a finger up for emphasis, "if WE ended up being dropped with, you know, Ruki and Legolas and Hirokazu and Kenta and everyone, then the chances are that the others are together, too, right?"

"Um...."

"Come on!" Exasperated, he threw his hands into the air, his voice raising, "just work with me! We were probably dropped in two groups....I dunno' why....but if that's what's happened, then Takeru'll be with....well, that Aragorn guy, and the Dwarf, and Takato and Lee have their digimon with them too, so...."

"I think I get the point."

Daisuke grinned, "hell, Aragorn looks like he could take a whole army out by himself!"

"That he does....and has...."

Shock. "What?!"

"Nothing, nothing." Another sigh. "You're right Dai."

"Anyway, see, I figure they're probably better off than WE are!"

"I wouldn't go that far." Ken laughed, enjoying the feeling. He'd forgotten how Daisuke's pointless banter could always lighten a situation. <And God knows it's annoying sometimes, but I'm glad for it now.> He put his thoughts on hold and glances around, they had come to a hill of sorts, which looked out over the land. "Well...."

Daisuke followed his gaze.

Trees, and the occasional patch of prairie grass, were all that could be seen for what had to be miles in every direction. Behind them, the hill continued up into the mountains (in which their hiding-cave was situated) and in front of them, it sloped down toward a tiny valley, the floor of which was covered with a white mist.

Nothing else.

Tokyo was DEFINITELY different.

"I think we're fucked."

Ken sighed and glanced at his friend, "it certainly looks that way."

"So....what are we supposed to do now?"

"I have no idea." The Child of Kindness rubbed a temple and started down the hill, "I'm wondering about that valley, though. I think I'm going to head down and see what's there."

"Besides smoke?"

"It's mist, Dai."

"Mist, then."

"Yeah, besides that."

"Ah."

There was silence for a while as they walked, Ken taking the lead (which was somewhat odd considering who he was with) and Daisuke following close behind. The redhead was surprisingly fleet-of-foot, not making much noise at all. Ken had to marvel at it- Daisuke had never been so graceful before.

Maybe it was because he knew they were in dangerous territory.

<Well, he HAS grown up a bit since our Digital World escapades, too->

"Ahh!"

Crashing, and Ken turned just in time to catch Daisuke, who was in the process of falling flat on his face. He steadied the other boy, then shook his head while Dai sheepishly brushed loose leaves from his clothes and straightened his jacket.

"Oops."

<Then again....> he couldn't help but giggle, "are you okay?"

"Sure." A weak laugh, "I was just....testing your reflexes."

"Yeah?"

"Yup." Daisuke grinned. "They're fine."

"That's good." Pausing, Ken caught a sound on the wind and gestured for silence. "Shh. Listen...." after a few tense seconds, he was still unable to identify it, and the goggled-boy beside him was beginning to get annoyed. Ken pursed his lips and frowned, "it doesn't sound like Orcs, at least. Probably a deer or something."

"I don't hear anything."

The bluenette gestured to his pointed elf-ears, "remember?"

"Oh yeah."

Ken chuckled and started forward again, continuing toward the valley floor below. Daisuke jogged a few steps to keep up, then paced beside him, looking like he was deep in thought. Surprise must have showed on Ken's face- Dai was NEVER pensive- but if it did, he didn't say anything, and Ken chose not to bring it up.

"Say, Ken, what's it like being an Elf?"

"Being an Elf?" He echoed.

"Hm." The Child of Courage and Friendship agreed, "isn't it weird?"

"....no...." Ken considered, then, "it seems....right....to me. But, I spend a good six months as an Elf before, so I'm used to it. But the thing is, when I first got turned into one, I didn't feel strange about it then either."

"How come?"

A shrug. "I don't know, really."

"What about Takeru?"

"He didn't seem too bothered by it."

"Oh." Daisuke wrinkled his nose. "Is it anything special? Do you have superpowers and stuff?"

"And stuff?" Ken chuckled, "no, but Elves seem to have a particular talent when it comes to archery, and both Takeru and I, as well as Ruki, inherited that. We also had more stamina-" Dai opened his mouth and Ken cut him off before he could make a crude comment about that, "-when it came to the journey, Dai! We could walk farther and travel more before having to rest, and we were stronger."

"Sounds cool."

"Yes, but....there were down sides."

The goggled-redhead looked confused, "like what?"

"We can't cry."

A blink. "What?"

"We can't cry." Ken repeated, his eyes on the ground, "even when Gandalf...." swallowing, he shook his head, "never mind."

"Who....who's Gandalf?"

Ken gave him a weak smile, "he's....WAS....a friend in Middle Earth. He died saving us all from the Balrog....a demon....in the Mines or Moria. We saw him....yanked from the bridge....and swallowed up by the Earth...." taking a breath, he waved his hand, "in any case, he's gone now."

"And you couldn't cry?"

"Not until we were human again."

Dai was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry."

"No problem." Ken assured him, "it's not your fault. You didn't know."

"Yeah...."

They were both silent for a time, Ken lost in memories of Gandalf, the quest, and the others, and even of Boromir, whom they now knew hadn't made it. Daisuke was simply contemplating what his friend had said, working it through in his mind.

They continued to walk.

It took them about a half an hour more to make the trek (though it wasn't much of one, compared to what Ken had been through before) to their destination. Silence echoed through the forest, only broken occasionally by the call of a bird (an eagle, once) or by the snapping of twigs as the two boys walked.

Daisuke slipped three more times, but only actually FELL once.

"This sucks." He whined finally, rubbing his elbow and pouting childishly. "I like my bed and my house and....and I don't like this stupid forest! It's just trees and rocks and dirt, and there could be those fucking Orcs anywhere!"

"Complaining won't get us home," Ken pointed out logically, suppressing a smirk, "so suck it up, or whatever the saying is." Pausing, he added, "you don't see me complaining about my shoulder, do you?"

"But you're some kind of super-kid!"

Ken sighed, "two things are wrong with that sentence. One, that was all because of the Spore, and it's inactive now, and two....I'm not a kid anymore, remember?" He eyed Daisuke, who was still rubbing his arm with a pathetic look on his face. "And neither are you, Dai! I mean, after all we went through in the Digital World, you're going to let a scraped elbow get to you?"

"It huuuurts!"

"You'll never accomplish anything with an attitude like that." Ken pointed out, "be tough to achieve your dreams."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Dai demanded, "and what does being tough have to do with owning a noodle cart with V-mon? I can be as much of a wimp as I want, and still sell great noodles! You're making no sense!"

"Am I?" Ken smiled, "maybe so, but you've forgotten about your elbow, haven't you?"

"I- fine. Shut up."

The Child of Kindness was about to say something in reply, when his ears began to pick up a sound....the same sound as before, actually. He still couldn't identify it, though, and as he motioned for Daisuke to be quiet again, he strained to hear it better.

It sounded like....

....footsteps?

<There's someone out there....in the valley? Maybe....that seems to be where it's coming from.>

"What is it?"

Ken's lips thinned and he gestured for Daisuke to stay low. "I'll be back. I have to check on something."

"Something? What?"

"Just stay here!"

"Okay, okay...."

Crouching a bit, the now-Elf crept forward, his ears tuned for anything out of the ordinary. The footsteps- and he was sure, now, that's what they were- had stopped, though the shuffling of feet against the grass of the valley remained.

<And I hear....voices? Yes, yes I think I hear voices. Whispering, but they're there. So who-?> at the same time as his mind was working that out, he was realizing that the fog which coated the valley floor was all too familiar. <Another Digital Field, I think....what....is going....on...?>

He was halfway into the tiny valley, waist deep and lost in the fog of the Field, when something grabbed onto him from behind, pinning his arms to his sides and holding him in place. Growling in his ear....

"Ahh!"

Daisuke's voice, echoing from the forest, "Ken! Are you all right?!"

Growling, still....

<It's okay....breathe, breathe....I'm not dead....I'm not dead....yet....>

"KEN!"

Crashing sounds, and he knew that Dai was coming toward him.

"Dai, stay-!"

The growling grew in volume, and he cut off his sentence.

<Please, Dai, stay where I told you to!>

"Ken! What's going- AHH! WHAT THE FLYING FUCK IS THAT?!"

A snarl, and whatever was holding Ken threw him to the side, whirling on the redheaded boy who had come up behind them, Ken landed with a thump and was instantly on his feet, his mind racing through the options....

....Orcs? No, it was too bright out....

....Goblins? No, it was too subtle....

It certainly wasn't a Balrog.

Right...?

"Dai!"

"Ahh!"

The creature that was lurking between him and Daisuke was familiar- dragonish with long claws and an angry snarl. It's eyes narrowed and flicked toward Ken before focusing again on Daisuke, who was cowering on the ground, having fallen backward in his haste to scramble away.

<I need to....> Ken reached for his bow, unslinging it and locking an arrow in a single movement. Readying himself, he closed one eye and prepared to launch the arrow, even as the creature was reaching for his friend. <One, two->

Then....

"Cyberdramon! Stop it!"

<What-?>

The creature snarled, and whip of red snaked from the fog to lash around it's arm, pulling it back from Dai. A second later, it had (grudgingly, and growling the whole time) stepped back, and a figure emerged from the fog beyond Ken.

"Down!"

The boy seemed about their age, with short brown hair and kind eyes. In his hand he held a D-Power that was similar to Ruki's, only a different color. He looked from Ken to the creature in front of them....a digimon, it seemed....and then toward Daisuke before turning back to the dragon-ish thing.

"De-evolve! Now!"

A disgruntled snarl, and a flash of light and it shrunk....

"Dai! Are you okay?!"

The goggled-boy groaned and stood shakily, casting wary glances toward the now-smaller and purple-colored digimon. "I....think so." He looked past Ken to the other boy, "who the hell are you?!"

The other boy regarded Daisuke, then turned his eyes to Ken.

A glimmer of recognition, and Ken frowned. <I....know him....>

"Well?!" Daisuke demanded.

"Well," he repeated, "I'm Ryo Akiyama, and this is my partner, Monodramon."

__________

Me: Hm. Not too pleased with this chapter.

Ruki: Me neither! WHY does RYO have to be here?!

Me: Um, because I like Ryo?

Ruki: *mutters about him being an egotistical jerk*

Me: ^^;;

Daisuke: Why's he familiar to Ken?

Me: Oh! That's because I'm using the idea that he used to traverse the Digi World with Ken before Ken became the Digimon Kaiser. *whispers* (In case anyone's confused, Ryo appeared briefly in Digimon 02, during the sand-storm scene in Ken's flashback. He used to travel the Digital World with Ken. His partner was a V-mon, and he was Ken's Jogress Evolution/DNA Digivolving partner before Daisuke. I believe there's a video game about that as well, but I could be wrong....)

Daisuke: What was that?

Me: Oh, nothing!

 

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