Because I don't feel like writing 'chan' and 'kun' after various characters names all the time, this is a list of the following 'nicknames' I've derived from each character's name:
Hikari- Hi
Jyou- (none)
Koushiro- Kou
Mimi- Mi
Taichi- Tai
Takeru- Take
Sora- (none)
Yamato- Yama
Oh, and Jyou's brother Jim- since I don't know Jim's Japanese name, his new name is "Jimu".
~Thanks
Costume reminder:
Hikari- cat (like Gatomon)
Koushiro- pirate businessman (like an American?)
Mimi- geisha (for vanity's sake)
Taichi- Satoshi from Pokemon (Ash Ketchum)
Takeru- Ninja Turtle (Donatello; by accident)
Sora- angel (NOT a witch)
Yamato- warrior (does it really matter of what?)
Chapter V
Jyou sat at his kneeling table endeavored over his books. Study, study, study. It seemed like that was all he did anymore. Too bad they weren't back in the digiworld where he didn't study at all and freaked over not being able to. Well, no that wasn't true. He just had a lot to catch up on, then he'd have some free time. More free time...when did he EVER have free time? It was always school, juku, clubs, study. And the next day it was the same all over again.
Mimi's words rang in his head, "You study too hard"... She was right, but what other option did he have? If he wanted to get anywhere, even high school, he'd have to come out on top. There was always someone racing to beat him at it too. Jyou had to constantly prepare for Hell week if he was going to make it anywhere. He wanted to major in medicine, just like Jimu. "Hey, Jyou, why don't you take a break?" Gomamon said from the floor next to Palmon.
The other digimon agreed, Palmon saying, "Yeah, Mimi thinks you study too hard."
"I know, I know." Jyou said, buried in his textbook. "You don't have to rub my nose in it."
"Thanks again for letting us stay here until they get back from the carnival," Biyomon said, "but with you so silent studying like that it's almost as lonely as if we'd just stayed home."
There was a knock on the shouji (Japanese paper door or screen) wood, and it slid aside to reveal Jimu. "Excuse me, Jyou?"
"Yeah, what is it?" he turned on his knees.
"Um, could you..." Jimu hesitated, then spit it all out at once. "Provide entertainment for my guests tonight?"
Jyou's eyes widened. Oh no. "What, why?"
"Please?"
"But I've got studying to do!"
"You ALL could help with the party," Jimu gestured to the digimon. "It'll be lots of fun."
The digimon looked at each other, becoming excited. "Yeah, let's!"
"Come on, Jyou." Agumon encouraged. "It'll be good for you."
Jyou sighed, caving in. "All right..."
"Great! Hurry and get into the costume I bought for you," He smiled and paused, trying not to snicker," They'll be here soon."
The shouji closed, confining the room's occupants in privacy once again. Jyou's face fell in exasperation, "Why me?!"
The lights rose dramatically as the show ended. Hikari stretched her rested limbs. Her mind still seemed a little stunned by the entire spectacle of that grand show. It really had been AMAZING. It was a show she wasn't likely to forget. It hadn't seemed like an hour or so at all either. She almost expected...
more.
Hikari looked at the empty seat next to her. Where had Mimi gone?
"She's not back yet?" Sora said, thinking much the same thing.
Yasha shrugged, and offered his hand to Sora, which she responded to gladly. "Maybe she fell in."
"I hope not," Hikari replied, holding Sora's other hand. "They're all those gross port-o-potties! Maybe we should go see if she's okay?"
"I wouldn't worry about it. Besides, she knows where to meet, anyway." Sora said as the made their was to the center stairs.
Sora and Yasha talked then, about meeting at the cauldron. She told him about Taichi and Yamato. About Koushiro and Takeru.
The Hiei smiled and nodded, wishing to meet them. "Would it be alright if I came with you?"
Sora nodded. "Absolutely!"
She said some more things, but Hikari, being smaller in size, had trouble hearing all of it. Hikari smiled as she watched them talking, leaning close together just to hear each other over the noise of the crowd. They looked cute together. But if she knew her Taichi at all, Hikari well knew how jealous he would be if he was here seeing this. In fact, he'd probably talk up a storm and, Hikari giggled, TAKE Sora's hand first chance he got just to beat Yasha. And in doing so, he probably get clumsy and cause them both to tumble down the theater stairs or something.
The motley crowd intensified as they reached the floor.
Hikari looked about at all the costumed figures. Up on the center stairs she saw Taichi look up and stop as if he'd spotted her. He just stood there and stared a moment- Hikari was sure he saw her. He said something, and the others looked where he did.
Hikari made an attempt to wave her hand at him when something slammed into her so hard she stumbled backwards, fell into another person; passed them, and fell on her tail.
"Sorry!" Cried an older boy dressed like a ninja. He ran threw the crowd in a rush for whatever reason. Hikari could hear him yell "Sorry!" several more times as he obviously bumped into others, and, unlike Hikari, his other victims had a few comments for him.
She stood abruptly, the stun of it passing. Sora was no where in sight. The crowd continued to move onward like flowing water. Hikari felt like a stone in the stream for the people moved around her, bothered not by her. Hikari looked up then to where she'd seen Taichi, but he was gone too, lost somewhere in this flow of bodies.
No matter. She'd find them all again at the cauldron.
Hikari joined the flow, only to be stopped again by some man.
"Excuse- excuse me. Would you please come with me, little girl?"
She nodded. "Okay. What's the matter?"
"I- I need some help with something."
Hikari took his hand, and the hunchback led her away from sight.
'When the moon turns black and the suns align. When the Moonstone exhibits a light not of its own. Then, will the resurrection begin at the cost of a soul... Only one of a perfect mind and body may inhabit the spirit of the one now lifeless...'
The Dark Master sighed. It just wasn't working anymore. He couldn't seem to get into the meditative state that he needed to be in. He felt impatient. Several questions plagued him: why hadn't he been informed recently? Surely something must have happened during all this time? Why hadn't the children been found yet? What were those imbeciles up to?
He breathed. Calm. He needed to be calm and collective or he was all for naught. He would be weak to give into such fool emotions as worry and panic; as impatience and fear.
He mustn't get angry either, but he needed something to cool his nerves, or else he WOULD lose his composure.
He needed to fly. Yes, that would be good for him. He could survey to crowd personally this way; assure himself that all was going well, and, even though he'd taken wing once already tonight, the activity was so calming to him. The cool wind in his face and his bird's eye view over everything. He was above the world, not only in terms now, but also literally.
Yes, a flight would most certainly do.
Using his skill, the Dark Master left his den of darkness.
He swooped down low in response to the demand of the air currents. Already he had been calmed; such was the magic of flight. The Dark Master heard then to his right the creaking of the Phantom Ferris Wheel, and the lively chatter and laughter of its riders. He saw a handful of children riding it- so carefree they were- and many more lined up at its base. Even under their masks and face paint he could see their little features clearly.
What he saw there put him to rage.
That fool messed up AGAIN!! Anger put fire in his chest, and his eyes burned. He landed at the back of the theater and entered its exit. He knew to find that stupid fool in there- he felt his presence within. He exploded through the doors, and the being therein jumped sky high. The hunchback lost his composure. He fumbled with the time piece in his hand, juggling it in effort to keep it, but the delicate instrument plummeted to its death, the glass of its face shattering.
He forgot the time piece momentarily for the fear he held in the presence of the master. "Master, master! What upsets you so?"
"You fool!" He roared. "The children here are all far too young! What do you have to say for yourself?!"
"Too...too...young, master? By whatever do you mean?"
"How do you expect to capture the digi-destined if they are not here!?" The Dark Master's voice could've crumbled the theater's thick walls. "Hypnomon, you completely messed up the TV add campaign! You hypnotized the wrong age group! Do you think the digi-destined who defeated our late king where so young?! Do you think it possible?!"
"Well, well, I-I-"
The Dark Master glanced at the youth standing before Hypnomon. "And what is this you are doing here? Have I not given you specific enough instructions to keep you busy?"
"I-I thought only to acquire some help..." Hypnomon cowered.
"Help?! HELP?! What more help do you need with the digimon whom I have put under your care?!" He roared. "No, Hypnomon. You have thoroughly drained my patience with you! There is little but my shear will holding me back from tearing you apart!!"
The Dark Master breathed, his body shaking with the force of the rage inside him. He turned to leave, saying, "FIX this problem. I want to see some major improvement by tomorrow night. If you haven't done so...you will be properly punished."
And he left from whence he came.
Hypnomon stared for a time after the Dark Master, alone now with only his doll to keep him company. Once the initial blank stun had left him, he turned his attention to the doll before him. Well, SHE was obviously too young to be one of them. Just as well, considering that that purple freak had confiscated his stone when he'd chased that geisha. That clown had stopped him and yelled at him for making such a scene. 'You could've just asked her aside to hypnotize her,' the clown had scorned, 'But instead you've been blundering around and chasing poor girls in some sort of sick fantasy of yours!' After saying that he'd taken his stone away from him, going on about Hypnomon not being suited for the responsibility of the task. The freak could do that too, considering he was Hypnomon's superior. Superior in title only. 'Serves you right she bloodied your face!' He'd laughed at him. Hypnomon would bloody HIS face if he wasn't careful!
And now the Dark Master threatened him, possibly his life. It crossed his mind to turn to the enemy, but he was deathly afraid of the Dark Master, and sought only to secure his position in the master's favor. Hypnomon didn't hate the Dark Master like he did that purple freak; he was much too fearful to feel much of anything else toward the late king.
But what was he going to do about a stupid TV add gone wrong? He had to hypnotize the TV stations' producers just to run the commercial non-stop. How was he going to change a subliminal TV message over-night? Those things took time and hardship.
Now with his beautiful time piece broken, how was he to do anything? The thing was so fragile- as had just been proven- so he'd never set it down. Not ever. It was an effort to keep it preserved. Now, with the hands bent, the glass face shattered- what was he to do? It hadn't lost all its power at least, but even so...
He glanced up at the all-but-forgotten doll before him. She was silent as stone. Her eyes had dialated, and her expression was blank. It occurred to him that maybe they had met before?
Drat it all! He couldn't do a thing more with her. Not now. Not ever. When the master had entered he hadn't completed his mission of hypnotizing her into doing what he wanted her to do. She was just hypnotized, no objectivity in her. Just a lifeless shell, held firm by the remaining power of his time piece.
Maybe he could fix it. Restore it.
Yeah, whatever. He was Hypnomon the hypnotist, not Clockmon the clockmaker.
Depressed, Hypnomon waved off his witless disciple. "Go on, get out of here. I can't do anything more with you anyway."
As she turned and began to walk away, Hypnomon recognized her. She HAD been with that geisha!
He moved to stop her. He hesitated suddenly. She had been with that geisha...Hadn't she? But then, there were so many cats and the like running around, how was he supposed to remember who came with who? Hypnomon shrugged it off. She couldn't have been a digi-destined anyway; she was 'far too young'.
Taichi paced back and forth at the cauldron's base. Yamato leaned against the massive structure while Koushiro braved his rump on the wood protruding from under the cauldron. Taichi was agitated. While on their way out they'd lost Takeru somehow. The tiny turtle had been holding Yamato's hand, and then some kid ran into them. Yamato yelled at him, saying, 'Hey! Watch where you're going, you klutz!' Then he started yelling for Takeru, but it was so crowded they decided it was best to just head out to the cauldron. Takeru was old enough to take care of himself anyway. Mimi, Sora and his sister hadn't returned yet either, probably still with that guy in black. So they waited on the four of them, but Taichi was most anxious about Sora. He grew more impatient by the second, especially since...since...
"Calm down, Tai," Yamato said, his arms crossed. "They'll be here."
"Well, what's taking them so long?"
"I don't know, Tai." He replied non-chalant. "But they'll be here."
Taichi looked up as two figures appeared from out of the crowd. Speaking of the devil. HE was with her, carrying her tiger for her. Just the two of them; a couple. So where..? "Hey, where's Mi and Hi?"
Sora's eyes surveyed the small party. "I don't know. Mi went to go to the restroom, and Hi got split up from us in the crowd. Where's Take?"
Koushiro shook his head, thinking a loud. "That's probably the same thing happened to us."
"Huh?"
"Some jerk ran into us and I lost Take." Yamato explained.
"We waited outside for both of them for a while, then we just decided to head back." The small angel looked to the kid in black, remembering her manners. "Oh! And this is Yasha. Yasha, this is Taichi, Koushiro, and Yamato."
He waved, "Hey."
Yamato and Koushiro responded. "Hi."
"Hey." Taichi nodded.
Suddenly from Taichi's left burst a frail, huffing figure through the crowd. "There...you are! I've looked everywhere...running from a mad...hunchback and-"
Taichi stopped Mimi by her shoulders. "Whoa! Wait, what was that?!"
She let herself breath laboriously for a moment. "Oh,...I need...to sit down, my feet...are killing me...in...these things!"
Mimi sat down with Koushiro, letting the adrenaline shake her from a lack of bodily activity. "A mad hunchback...was...chasing me, and...I'm sorry I'm late...but I got lost!"
"Didn't you yell for help?" Sora asked.
Mimi nodded. "But they all...just stared at me like I...was crazy."
"Hmm." The pirate thought. "That's probably because you kept running unknowing that your tormentor had ceased."
"Oh, thanks a lot!" Mimi breathed, misunderstanding. "I'm not...crazy, you know!"
"I didn't say that..."
"Then that must be why Hi and Take are still missing!" Taichi said, jumping to a conclusion, "We have to find them!"
The angel disagreed. "But how do you know that the hunchback is responsible, Tai?"
"I don't!" The Satoshi admitted. "But it's our best clue!"
"Don't jump to conclusions, Tai." Yamato warned. "Let's just go look for them."
The Hiei nodded. "I'll help. Sora and I-"
"Koushiro, Mimi, you stay here in case they come back," Taichi interrupted. "Yamato, you and Yasha-"
"No thanks, Tai," The warrior said, glancing at Yasha. " No offense, but I can take care of myself."
Yasha shook his head. "None taken."
Taichi watched Yamato head off, unsure with what to do with this 'new comer'.
The 'new comer' decided for him. "Tai, why don't you head off one way, and Sora and I will head off down another."
Taichi felt uncomfortable. Strangers where to use Taichi, not 'Tai'. The nickname was reserved strictly for his close friends and family. Taichi didn't really know this guy, so he couldn't say he didn't like Yasha. But this guy in black was cutting in on his territory- no. Taichi closed his eyes. No. 'Cutting in on HIS territory'... Sora was NOT property. It wasn't even like Taichi to think like that; so derogatory. It must've just been the stress of everything.
"Tai?" It was Sora.
TAICHI was leader here, not Yasha. Even Sora knew it.
"Let's the three of us go together," he decided finally, trying to be fair to Yasha.
Yasha was a rival, not an enemy. Taichi had no reason to hate him; just to beat him. Like he always did with Yamato.
He smiled. Like as with Yamato, and always win.
It was so dark! All the booths were empty and the lights out. The rides had stopped, becoming still as a cemetery. The only light for Takeru now was the moon overhead. A moon which could not be seen in the stretch of starless navy void.
That bad digimon could've been right behind him! He realized, suddenly catching his breath, and listened fearfully.
Nothing. All was quiet- like in the wake of death.
Takeru wiped the sweat from his face. He looked up to the navy void. There was no city scraping the sky anymore, either. The tall buildings had vanished, leaving only darkness.
So lonely.
No one would hear his cries when the purple clown attacked him next.
"Yama!" The Ninja Turtle called out as he took flight; his imagination having taken wing.
"Yam-!" He fell, his face slamming into the dirt. Pain shot up his nose, causing tears. He got up, needing only his big brother to protect him.
"Yama!" He cried, running again. If he could get to the cauldron- if he could just get to the cauldron everything would be alright because Yamato would somehow be there. Takeru was sure of it.
He wiped his eyes sending a flow of tears to stain his cheeks. He snuffled, "Yama! Where are you?!"
Takeru ran as fast as his tiny legs could muster, running blindly into the shadows.
Shadows which greedily concealed anything within them; even the frightening clown that haunted him.
"Yamaa!!"
Yamato strode up Pumpkin Main toward the theater; alone. He didn't bother calling out to Takeru, he'd never hear him with the noise produced by the masses. He probably just got lost, like Mimi did. Mimi. Thank goodness she was okay. He couldn't believe that someone tried to grab her. Yamato shook his head. Where was the security, for goodness sake? Weren't they supposed to prevent stuff like that?
A girl passed him, turned around, and nearly ran into him. "Oh sorry! I didn't see you!"
Yamato forced a smile. "It's okay, really."
That was the second time that night! Good grief, can't people watch where they're going? For crying out loud!
"Yama!"
He stopped dead in his tracks. Yamato spun swiftly, spying Takeru running. "Take?!"
"Yam-!" He fell on his face, kicking up a cloud of dirt. Yamato pushed passed some unobservant loiterers in effort to reach Takeru. But as he got closer, Yamato could see that something was wrong; wrong with Takeru.
The tiny turtle got to his feet, crying. He broke into a heated run, yelling, "Yama!"
Yamato gave chase, shouting at the top of his lungs. "Take! Wait, it's me!"
"Yama! Where are you?!"
"Take! I'm right here! Takeru!"
He just kept running. Hadn't he heard Yamato calling him? Everyone else did, but they didn't seem to see Takeru.
Takeru's form vanished, screaming, "Yamaa!!"
"Takeruu!!"
Yamato stopped where Takeru had...disappeared like vapor. He looked up, realizing he was back at the cauldron; in the shadows of the gift shop, Koushiro and Mimi staring at him wide-eyed.
