Kidnapped!

Chapter 13

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Thank you so much for all your kind and encouraging reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with digimon. Therefore, I am grateful for such a thing as legal fanfiction.

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Everything seemed to be happening at once, with such confusion, that none of it made any sense. Thrown off by odd experiences, and confused from everything that had happened, Gallantmon just stood there and tried to take it all in. Was this what a real battle was like?

"Gallantmon!" Rika screamed.

That seemed to work, and Takato and Guilmon snapped out of it. There was fighting happening all around him….fighting that was taking place so that he could go destroy the D-Reaper. His resolve hardened. He wouldn't let them down.

With a mighty yell, he thrust his lance into one of the digimon, knocking another aside with his great shield. Both half-digimon stunned and winded, collapsed on the ground and didn't get up. Good. Takato didn't really want to kill any of them. Clash after clash of weapons against claws, he fought his way toward the door. Then, as suddenly as it all began, there was nothing left to fight.

He hesitated, looking around him in confusion.

Rika was panting, her sleeves torn and blood on her arms, standing in the corner with her cards and digivice. A couple D-Reaper-influenced digimon lay stunned at her feet. She was smiling grimly. Renamon appeared beside her, worried, and then waited for direction. "Gather up these digimon and put them back in the cages," Rika said, catching her breath. "If we can save them, it's for the best. But we have to lock them up so they don't come back to attack us."

The other good digimon around her nodded and quickly obeyed.

Takato, breathing a sigh of relief, walked over to where Takuya was staring darkly out at the sky. "Hey," he said quickly. He knew he had to leave, but he didn't know if he'd have this chance again. "Thanks."

Takuya gave him a lopsided smile. "What, you think I'm going to let you have all the fun?" he demanded. "I'll have you know, I'm not done yet."

Gallantmon grinned. "Glad to hear it."

"This isn't over yet!"

Everyone turned, edged and ready, at the sound of JagerLowemon's howl of rage, just in time to see him leap with outstretched claws and teeth at Yakihiro's throat. And if that wasn't enough, Agunimon and BurningGreymon also leapt into action, using the distraction to attack Takuya.

Yakihiro went down, the cat on top of him.

Takuya cried out in alarm, his two friends tearing at him.

Kouji mysterious vanished, Lobomon following him.

Midias whirled and threw his sword where Yakihiro had fallen.

And Takato….

He surged forward, an angry yell escaping his mouth again. Everything was happening too quickly! It was like watching a poorly made film, with everything falling from bad to worse! He shoved his lance under JagerLowemon and flung the cat backwards. It hit the cages and crashed ungracefully, yowling in rage. "Yakihiro!" he bellowed, bending down. "Say something!"

The man was stunned, teeth gritted together, a sword through his shoulder and pinning him to the floor. He looked up at Gallantmon with fire in his eyes. "Destroy Lucemon…" he forced his words out. "Save our world…..your friends can handle everything here….I'll be fine."

Rika was at his elbow in a flash. "GO!" she screamed. "I'll follow! We'll take care of this!"

Around him, the fighting continued….and Gallantmon staggered to his feet. Too much….this was all too much to take…..how could this all happen so quickly?

Don't worry, Takatomon….Guilmon said. Takato could feel his strength. He'll be okay. We can handle this. I promise.

"You're right," Takato croaked. He hurried out of the warehouse, glancing back once to see the enemy digimon faltering under the onslaught of the good digimon army. They were no match, in their weakened state. "We have a job to finish."

He lifted his lance and closed his eyes. Yeah he was weak and confused as heck. But he'd never give up. Never!

Light enfolded him as he remembered all the sacrifices that were made so that he could do this….and he smiled, tears slipping down his cheeks. "I wont fail," he whispered. He smiled inwardly at Guilmon. "WE wont."

The light faded, and Gallantmon Crimson Mode stood in his place. Spreading his wings and brandishing his sword, he flew off toward the portal to find Lucemon.

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Kouji slipped behind the corner, his eyes narrowed, and waited for Lobomon to arrive. Sure enough, the half-wolf digimon leapt at him with claws and teeth bared, ready for the fight he knew was coming. It could have been a long fight, with Kouji begging Lobomon to listen to reason and break Lucemon's control. But it wasn't. There just wasn't time for that. Angrily and impatiently, Kouji grabbed Lobomon's throat and threw him against the wall he'd slipped behind, slamming his partner's head as hard as he could.

It took Lobomon by surprise. He knew Kouji well, and he knew that Kouji didn't want to hurt him. Part of him was grateful, but the part that was being controlled wanted to take advantage of that. So for him to find himself being crushed mercilessly against the wall….it seemed to snap something inside him. He lay stunned on the concrete.

"I don't have time to fight you," Kouji growled, almost as though he were the wolf. "That cat is not JagerLowemon. It's a clone, and it has to be destroyed. The real one was too strong to be manipulated, and I hope for your sake that you are too." He spat the words out with such anger that it cut straight to Lobomon's heart. He lay there, unable to move or think. "I'm going back in there, and I'm going to kill that clone. If you value your life, you'll snap out of it and help me. I KNOW you're stronger than this."

He turned back toward the warehouse, then paused.

Lobomon rolled over, pulling himself to his feet in hesitation. His body fought the need to rip Kouji's throat out….tear him to pieces. It was all he could do to resist. But….

That look….of utter scorn…..it was more than he could take. Suddenly, as fast as Lucemon's hold had taken over him, it vanished. He lowered his head with a snarl, clenching his hands into fists. "I am not worthless," he growled. "I know that your anger for Kouichi is making you heart-hearted, but I know that somewhere in there, you still care for me. If our bond means anything to you…then you'll accept the risk and take me with you. I could turn on you…but you are the only one who can save me. I know that you still care!"

Kouji's eyes narrowed further, and Lobomon felt anger rising in him. How could Kouji do this to him? How could he hate him like this? It wasn't Lobomon's fault! Growling, the fur-like hair on his back and neck rose. Why, he aught to tear the worthless human apart right now!

Yes, destroy him! He doesn't care about you anymore! Even though you've freed yourself, he wont see it. You're worthless to him now, the arrogant piece of trash! Rip him to shreds with your teeth! Destroy him!

For a moment, all Lobomon could see was red, and Kouji's still, rigid form. The human's eyes were narrowed, and his face uncaring. He waited for the attack. Yes, he should be destroyed! He didn't deserve Lobomon as a partner!

The growl escaped the wolf-like digimon's throat, and he bent in a crouch with his hands to the ground, shifting his boots on the concrete. He was ready to pounce. But then he hesitated. He couldn't kill Kouji like this! Maybe the human didn't care any more…maybe he was a jerk who didn't deserve Lobomon's loyalty. But Lobomon never went against his word. He'd sworn to always be there for Kouji, no matter what. If he couldn't even follow his own convictions, then he was no worse than Kouji was!

He sighed, raising back up to his feet and lowering his head. "If that's the way it's going to be, then I will fight somewhere else," he said, closing his eyes in pain. Even as he said it, the last remnants of Lucemon's hold vanished….and a weight was lifted from his mind.

Suddenly, he felt Kouji's hand on his shoulder, and he looked up in surprise. There were tears in Kouji's eyes.

"That was the hardest thing I've ever done," Kouji whispered. He knelt down beside his partner, smiling painfully. "But I had to know….I had to see you break his hold because it was the right thing to do, not because I wanted you to. It was the only way….."

Suddenly it all made sense. Lobomon lowered his head, horrified that he'd let himself believe those lies. How could he have doubted Kouji?

Kouji threw his arms around him and hugged him, letting out a shaky sigh. But then he stood and turned back to the warehouse. "Let's go destroy that clone," he growled.

Lobomon's eyes lit up. "And save our world," he agreed.

They ran into the continuing battle.

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Kouichi took a deep breath, relieved that he could fill his lungs with air again. Lucemon's attack had left him so tired and stunned that breathing had become shallow and difficult. But now it was beginning to wear off. A grim, faint smile flickered on his face for a moment, but he quickly let it pass. He needed to work on the light/dark attacks some more while Lucemon was distracted.

Speaking of Lucemon, Kouichi turned his head to see what he was doing. The digimon was pacing back and forth, angrily, muttering to himself. Occasionally he would yell as loud as he could in fury, but then he would stop and smirk to himself, and begin pacing again. Always, when he was quiet and smiling evilly, that was when Kouichi felt the most hopeless.

Now is as good a time as any, Kouichi decided, sighing. He closed his eyes and concentrated, searching for the connections that bound him to Lowemon and JagerLowemon, and also to Lucemon. Somehow, he needed to use the light/dark attack to stun the D-Reaper…and sever his connection to Lucemon. Once he could do that, then there was a chance for a success. If he could not…

Well…he didn't really want to think about what would happen if he could not.

The air in the sphere rippled, and he took a shaky breath. Yes…he could feel the connection now…..so close….But he hesitated. He couldn't use the attack yet or he'd be stunned again. He had to just concentrate on how it felt. I may only have one chance to do this right….just one. I have to do it right.

So he lay quietly, breathing, concentrating on getting a feel for the attack. He couldn't let Lucemon know what he was up to.

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Fire engulfed him once again, blinding him from seeing anything. Claws ripped at his skin, and he cried out in anger and pain. "STOP IT!" Takuya yelled. Still, his partners fought him. "YOU NEED TO FIGHT IT! LISTEN TO ME!"

They couldn't hear him. Their eyes were red, their ears closed. Lucemon controlled them completely.

Takuya, still in Flamon form, jumped out of reach of their claws and crouched on the table, panting. There had to be some way to get through to them! But what? They couldn't hear his words….maybe his actions might speak to them. "Alright, if that's the way it has to be," he sighed, "then I'm not going to hold back anymore."

He leapt at them with the same fury that they attacked him.

Seconds seemed like hours, and each blow felt like he was weighed down by 200 percent gravity, but he pressed on with such fury that neither Agunimon nor BurningGreymon could stand before him. They were beaten back, weakened with every attack, until they could not rise from the ground even to plead for mercy. Only then did Takuya stop to take a breath.

It was quiet. Too quiet, as though everything just froze. Had he done too much? Worried, Takuya wearily pulled himself to his feet and glared down at his unmoving partners. He held his breath in terror.

"Are you….dead?" he whispered.

For a second there was no sign of life, but a brief flicker of a smile appeared on Agunimon's face. Then there was nothing again.

But that was enough. Takuya fell to his knees beside them, changing back into a human from the exhaustion, then scooped Agunimon up in his arms. "Agunimon!" he cried, horrified at his own devastating attacks. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" He set him back down and grabbed BurningGreymon, only to repeat the same words to him as well. "Please say something!"

They were quiet, barely alive. But Agunimon's eyes fluttered open weakly. "I thought…." He whispered, "…that you were going to…..kill me…I…..hated you…..for a moment…..so sorry…"

"Shut up!" Takuya screamed. "I never wanted to hurt you!"

"Know that…..now….." Agunimon's eyes closed.

"Don't worry," BurningGreymon managed to say. He tried to get to his feet, but couldn't. "Your attacks were so strong….we couldn't fight them. Made us remember what we were doing. Without that….we would have killed you." He locked eyes with Takuya. "You saved us."

Takuya shook his head, crying. "Don't die!" he begged. "I didn't want to kill you!"

"No way," Agunimon replied shakily. "Remember….we're still…..tied to you….your strength…..gives us strength….not going to die…."

"Don't worry about us," BurningGreymon agreed, sighing. He closed his eyes to rest. "Fight Lucemon like you just did, and nothing can stop you. Nothing."

Takuya stood, wavering on his feet, and gave a hesitant nod. "I don't know if I can," he replied, wiping his eyes. "I need you guys."

"So get your but out there and fight!" Agunimon spoke with more strength now, like he was already recovering. "Lucemon's hold….it's gone now…..it must be easier for us since we have you as a partner. The other digimon….they aren't so lucky. I think only the experiment Yakihiro was trying to do can save them."

"That's right! Yakihiro!" Takuya blurted, looking around. The fighting was still going, and Yakihiro was still pinned to the ground with a sword in his shoulder. From here, he looked unconscious. "He might be the only one to stop this!" Takuya shook his head at the irony. "And all this time, I thought he was the enemy."

"Appearances can be deceiving," BurningGreymon sighed. "Go help him. We'll join you when we get our strength back."

Takuya nodded and hurried over to where the man lay. "Yakihiro!" he said urgently, tapping his face to wake him up without hurting him. Slowly, the man's eyes opened in confusion. "I need to you finish the experiment. Can you do that?"

The man shook his head. "Not enough digimon….equipment ruined…..Midias….." His eyes widened as he said the last one.

Takuya frowned, opening his mouth to asked "what about Midias?" when he felt a blade slice through his skin. His eyes widened, his mouth forming an "o" in surprise, and he slumped over to the side, his body in shock.

Midias, eyes red, smiled evilly down at both of them. "I think I'll take this," he sneered, yanking the sword from Yakihiro's shoulder and ignoring the cry of pain it merited. "And then I'll just give it back!" He plunged the sword back down, aimed for the heart.

A cry of anger and a blinding flare of fire escaped Takuya before he could realize what he was doing. Two seconds later, Midias burned away into nothing like he was never there.

The sickening smell filled the room, and Takuya gaped at the blackened spot on the ground in horror. As darkness finally claimed his mind, he heard himself mutter, "did I do that?"

But the darkness brought the sweet relief of silence.

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Ryo skidded to a stop right before falling into a huge crevice that had opened up in the ground, and felt Cyberdramon grab him around the waist. He flashed a quick "thank you" smile before turning and frowning at the mess before him. "The city is in ruins," he said, sighing. His eyes raked across the horizon, taking in the tumbled buildings, the flames engulfing them, and the giant rents in the ground like the one he'd almost fallen into. "It's worse than last time."

Cyberdramon growled, his back tensing, and he raised his head upward. Ryo followed his movements, and saw the form the D-Reaper had stolen, smirking down at them. "Let us destroy him!" he snarled, preparing to launch into the sky.

Ryo scowled, and nodded. "Alright, take me up to him. I need to talk to him first though, and find out as much as I can. Maybe we can get through to the guy who's been captured. If we can...and he can find a way to stop the D-Reaper, then we've got a chance."

The other digimon in Ryo's group all nodded in agreement. "We'll rescue all the people we can find," one of them said. "When you need us, we'll help you fight!"

"Sounds good." Ryo hopped onto Cyberdramon's back. "Take us up!"

They rose into the air to where the D-Reaper floated, in the shape of the one called Kouichi. Ryo could still remember the girl's sobs as she screamed out at him, wondering why her friend had attacked her. He shivered. Never again could he allow the D-Reaper to do this! If only he knew how to stop it!

"There is a way to stop the D-Reaper," Cyberdramon growled.

Ryo glanced down, surrprised. "How?"

His partner was silent for a moment. "The Juggernaut Program. In Terriermon's ear. He still has it."

Ryo's mouth fell open in horror. He knew it would work, as it had last time, but he also knew what would happen when it was all over. "No," he stuttered. "There has to be another way! I can't lose you again! None of us can!"

"You wont lose us this time."

"What do you mean? You'll start de-evolving again, and you'll have to go back to the digital world!"

"There isn't a digital world to go back to," Cyberdramon sighed. They hovered for a second, looking up to where the D-Reaper laughed at their futile attempts to stop it. "And besides that, most of the digimon have already changed. They wont de-evolve, and neither will we. We aren't inside the D-Reaper this time."

"No...but Terriermon will be," Ryo whispered. He shivered, then shook his head. "There has to be another way. I can't ask Henry to go through that again."

"You may not have to."

Ryo opened his mouth, then clamped it shut. Of course. The idea would have already occured to Henry by now. "It's his choice then," he sighed, his throat tightening at the thought. But he scowled in determination. "But you and I are going to find some other way before it's too late. We HAVE to stop it somehow. If Henry and Terriermon use the Juggernaut, and Terriermon starts to de-evolve...there wont be anywhere for him to return to. He'll...disappear. We can't let that happen!"

"We wont."

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The end...for now.

Sorry if that was too much. I am just trying to remind people that this is...well...a war. So it's going to be a little bit...violent, shall we say? Oh never mind.

Reviews, comments, critiques, etc. are nice...

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End