Digimon Adventure Chronicles II: Secrets Revealed

...chapter SIX ~ Tension

Koushiro reached out and dropped the crest into his open hand, which closed around it as soon as it came to a rest.

“What are you doing!” Jyou yelled, rushing forward to try and stop Koushiro.

“I’m returning what belongs to him.” Koushiro said sternly, watching Vamdemon for a reaction.

“That thing belongs to one of us, not him! Not that monster!”

“No...” Koushiro said quietly. “I’m pretty sure it belongs to him, but it doesn’t matter since it doesn’t do anything anymore. Whoever once held this perished long ago, so it matters little if Myotismon keeps it.”

Vamdemon tossed the crest around in his hand lightly. “Thank you…” He muttered.

Behind them Jyou growled. “I’m sick of this. I want to get out of here. Koushiro, what are you going to do? We’re supposed to be going out and we can’t leave him here unattended.”

“I'll stay...” Mimi volunteered quietly.

“Absolutely not.” Jyou said sternly, now pacing. “You came here from America, on your own time, your not going to waste it watching him.”

“Jyou, I traveled the digital gates...it's not that hard. Besides, who else is going to do it? You're obviously not interested.”

“We could bring him with us.” Kari suggested, causing Vamdemon to glare at her and Mimi to smile.

“NO!” Jyou said with annoyance. “I want him away from us, not with us!”

“Actually, that would solve our problems.” Koushiro said. “He would be supervised while we do what we planned, and if he gets out of line we could sick the angels on him or put on a leash.” Koushiro laughed and Vamdemon's unrelenting glare shifted to him.

Jyou let out a defeated sigh. “Or tug on that length of hair he's got tucked in his shirt. That's long enough for a leash.”

Vamdemon's glare melted away, replaced with a look of revulsion and his face paled once more. He had begun to relax but was tense once more. He clenched his eyes shut, attempting to rid himself of a bitter memory that was coursing through his mind. “Why can't you just leave me alone?” He growled, eyes still shut. “Let me go; leave me alone! Why must you trouble me!”

Koushiro quickly answered so that Jyou couldn't say something first.

“There are many reasons for that, Myotismon... Perhaps you don't understand, but it's morally and ethically wrong to allow a person to live in the cold outside with insufficient shelter, clothing, food, and water. No matter who they are or who they were, it's their right as a human being. Criminals are kept in a prison building and provided with sustenance despite the fact that most of them are murderers and thieves. It would be especially dangerous to release you in your current state. Your extremely malnourished, not only from not eating but from dehydration. Your arm is broken and your body is covered in bruising. If I were to let you go, you wouldn't survive.”

“In aiding me you will only accelerate your death.” He said coldly.

“That bastard!” Jyou growled and Koushiro restrained him.

“I can only imagine. That's another reason to keep you under our control.” He said, and Vamdemon's glare returned once more at the word. “ I'm curious as to how all of this happened, and who caused it. I want to solve this mystery, and I want to help you.”

“Why...” Vamdemon asked, exasperated. “I don't understand why you would put yourself in danger to help something as unimportant as myself...when my death would only make the rest of you happier...”

“I don't want to fight anymore, and it seems like you don't either. It would be better to figure out why we had to be enemies in the first place, and combat the root of that....which I'm sure is what threatens our lives, is it not?”

“It is...” He said, unwilling to reveal too much.

“Then it's settled, but that's a matter for another day.” Koushiro said, and glanced at the two girls. “Today, we have shopping to do!”

Hikari and Mimi cheered, causing Vamdemon to groan once more.

“That's exactly what I need. A bunch of clumsy idiots banging into me every step I take. I'd be safer up in my tree...”

“Which I highly doubt you could climb.” Hikari said. “ Broken limb, remember?”

He just grunted in reply, now staring at the dressing on his arm..

“Does it hurt?” She asked guiltily. He rolled his eyes at her. “Yes, it hurts, but I've endured far worse.”

“Right...” She said uneasily. “Well if it really gets bad, let me know. I can give you some pain medicine.” Vamdemon's face contorted at the mention of it. “I think that I would be better off without it.” He said, remembering the strange, unpleasant sensations his body had gone through earlier.

“Well what are we still waiting for?” Mimi said excitedly and Hikari grinned. “Let's get going!”

“Oh boy...” Vamdemon muttered, rubbing his temple as a dull ache crawled through it.

“It's not as bad as it sounds, honestly.” Koushiro reassured. “It'll be fun!”

“Fun... I'm sorry, but that's a word whose definition eludes me.” He said with an edge to his voice.

“How are we going to get there?” Kari asked. “I know we're driving, but there's only Jyou's car, and there's five of us... I mean, theoretically we could fit, but...”

“Jyou took me to pick up my car earlier, so we won't be as jammed together and tensions between some of us won't be as high.”

“As ...minimum three, right...”

“Well, Jyou is going to pick up Iori and Miyako, and I'm supposed to get Ken, so that puts four to a car.”

“So who's going with who?” Mimi asked, already getting her coat.

“You're going with Jyou, so Kari and Myotismon will come with me to get Ken, and we're all going to meet at the picnic area behind the mall.”

“Speaking of old reliable, where the heck did he go?”

“He stormed out while you were talking.” Vamdemon said. Mimi sighed and walked briskly out the door so that she wouldn't miss his ride. “I find it funny though...he's not the type I thought would hold such a grudge...” He shifted his gaze to Hikari. “You on the other hand...I really did think was out to kill me when you chased me earlier.”

“Sorry about that...I'm not sure what came over me.” She said truthfully. “I don't really know what I would have done when I caught up if Koushiro hadn't shown up...and I apologize for Jyou...he really isn't usually like this...but sometimes there are unknown variables in one's life...”

Vandemon rolled his eyes at her plagiarizing of Koushiro's earlier speech.

“You know, why don't you act like this to Mimi, Mm? You're sweet to her, but your so sarcastic towards me.”

“I don't like you.” He said simply and with a smirk. She frowned, and moved towards him, reaching forwards and grabbing at the back of his hair. From his shirt she pulled a long length of it out. Quickly she moved back so that there was a three foot distance between them and pulled it taut. Vamdemon's demeanor quickly changed. His smirk was irradiated and replaced with clenched teeth accompanied by a pair of wide eyes and a frozen body.

“I don't like you either.” She said, not realizing the shift in his mood. Koushiro chose not to interfere, instead watching in wonder.

“Let go.” He growled softly, eyes now shut as weel.

“Why should I?” She teased.

“Let go.” He said it louder this time, a more feral growl flowing from his throat His right hand was now balled into a fist over the crest he still held there. To Koushiro's surprise it had begun to emit a faint light She pulled tighter. “But it gives me control...like Jyou said.” She laughed, not realizing how angry he had become.

“I said let go of me, Brat!” He screamed, forcing himself up and backwards so the hair was no longer pulled tight. He twirled in place to face her and caught her wrist tightly in his hand, causing the glowing crest to press into her skin. She released her grip on him as he forcefully shoved her against a wall. He pushed his face close to hers and pinned her roughly to the wall with his hand and elbow.

“You listen to me, and you'd better listen good.” He growled, eyes flashing with an anger she had never seen. She let out a whimper at a strange burning she felt against on her wrist. “You have no control over me. You never have and you never will. You are nothing but an insect before me, and if you ever pull a stunt like that again, I WILL kill you. Do you understand me, Brat!” With a jerk he released his grip and the glow in the crest began to fade. Where it had been pressed against Hikari's hand there was a mark burned into her skin; the impression of the crest. She immediately brought it down to her level and closed her other hand over it to try and dull the pain.

Koushiro watched the fire in Vamdemon's eyes gradually subside in conjunction with the dulling of the crest's glow. Vamdemon swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. “I'm sorry.” He said forcefully and ran a hand across his hair nervously. “It's just that...” He paused. “It reminded me of something very unpleasant... I told you keeping me around would be dangerous.”

“It's okay...” She whispered, still staring at the burn on her hand. “I...I understand...”

“You could never understand...” He said, taking on a distant and pained look.

“You know this is what I meant before...” She said quietly. “ I try to...to help, or at least sympathize, but you just push me away.”

Vandemon remained silent, choosing instead to analyze the crest that had now completely lost it's glow but was still warm to the touch.

“That was interesting.” Koushiro said after a few seconds had passed.

“Why didn't you stop me?” Vamdemon asked angrily.

“I didn't think you would hurt her, though I certainly wasn't expecting that thing to go off.”

“The crest?” Hikari asked, glancing back to the mark on her skin.

“Yes, the crest.” Koushiro said. “I thought it's power had faded but it seems its still active in someway. Darkness must have filled you heart to cause it to behave like that.” Vamdemon turned his gaze away. Darkness had indeed filled his heart, but he wasn't about to tell them why. “I'm curious though if it would have burned anyone...or if its because Kari is the bearer of light. Yet another mystery to solve. Kari, are you okay?”

“Yes, I think so.” She said. “The pain is already gone.”

“Great, no harm done then.” Koushiro said, starting to leave. “Let's get going.”

“You aren't going to try and restrain me?” Vandemon demanded, taking a step after him. “What if I try to harm her again?”

“I believe that you wont.”

Vamdemon growled and turned on his heel, hair flailing wildly behind him. Quickly and without another word he stormed out of the house.

“What if he does try-”

“He won't, Kari, that much I am certain of. There is something different about him. Something is missing, and I don't think it's just his digital attributes.”

“I guess, but a lot of his words seem forced...” She said. “I'd stay on the lookout in case he's playing us for fools.”

“Yes, yes.” He said, ushering the girl out of the house as well and shut the door behind him.