#au: healer firestarter

[higuchimon]

[fanfic] Garden Choices

 "Wormmon?"

The little Digimon perked up at the sound of Ken uttering his name.  Not that long ago he would have cowered down, or hurried to go see what the Kaiser wanted.  But now the Kaiser wasn't an issue anymore, and he wriggled over at the sight of Ken's gentle expression smiling at him.

"Yes, Ken?"  They'd done so much over the last few months, so much that Wormmon had almost lost hope in ever being able to do together, let alone do at all. 

"Want to go on a special trip with me?"  Ken offered his arms and Wormmon hurried up there to snuggle against him.  He could feel all of the warmth radiating from within his partner - more than that of a normal human, that of a Healer, one of the strongest Healers.  He would have lost himself in that bliss if he could.  So much strength, so much life - and it was Ken.  Not the twisted, broken, corrupt thing that was the Kaiser.

Though sometimes he did think he felt something underneath that as well, a well of deep darkness that was far, far different from the Kaiser.  He wasn't sure what it was or if it even really existed.  It might have come just from Ken's brush against the darkness before everything ended.  He wasn't sure and he didn't really want to think about it that much.

"Where are we going?"  Wormmon asked as they headed out.  Truth to tell he didn't care where, as long as he was with Ken and Ken continued to feel so good. 

"Tamachi Nursery,"  Ken answered at once, heading to the elevator.  "I'm going to work on my garden today and I want to get a few new plants if I can."

Wormmon's eyes widened. Ken hadn't properly worked on his garden in ages.  He kept it in order and properly growing but that was about it.  He wasn't even sure if this meant anything other than one more step in Ken's very long healing process, but he was more than happy to take that step with Ken.

"What did you want?"  Wormmon asked.  He'd seen a lot of beautiful flowers and plants in this world, some that he'd never seen in the Digital World.  Ken had had a garden on the fortress, but it hadn't been a good garden at all. He liked the one Ken kept now so much better.

"I was thinking perhaps some hydrangeas or some irises.  Maybe even some lavender if I can find any."

Wormmon nodded.  He'd seen pictures of those before and they all looked lovely, especially the hydrangeas.  He hoped the nursery would have some Ken could bring home with him - even better, that the plants would like him.  As far as he was concerned, all plants should like Ken, just like any other Healer.

The nursery wasn't that far, just about twenty minutes on the subway, and Wormmon wriggled in pleasure against Ken as they stepped into the large building.  He could see at least five or six rooms, if not more, with a thick layer of soil underneath their feet, and plants of every color of the rainbow and more besides, with more shades of green and brown that he'd ever known existed supporting them.  Flowers here, fruits and nuts here, shade trees and simple beauty everywhere. Ken drew in a deep breath, staggering a little, and closed his eyes, shivering. Wormmon snuggled harder against him until Ken steadied himself.

"Should you call Daisuke?"  Wormmon murmured.  "Do you need him?"

He wasn't sure that Ken had been able to turn so red.  But he did, even as he shook his head.  "No.  its just a little overwhelming.  I'll be fine."

It only took a few moments before Ken sorted himself and started off through the pathways of flowers and bushes. Long stretches of green unrolled before them, with every blossom turning towards them as Ken passed by.  Some of the trees shifted as well.  Healers and those who associated with Healers got used to that fairly quickly, but Wormmon didn't fail to notice that Ken's eyes flicked towards the shifting plant-life as if he hadn't yet adjusted.

Of course he hasn't.  He's spent months in the Digital World.  Anything that moved near him probably wanted to attack him.  Not that anything could have then.  The Kaiser hadn't ever gone anywhere without lots of Digimon to guard him, and whatever they couldn't handle, his own power did.

That didn't stop Wormmon from cuddling close to Ken and doing his best to comfort his partner.  Ken ran his hand over Wormmon's head and Wormmon purred happily at the caress.  Most of Ken's attention remained on the plants and flowers as he moved over towards one particular set of bushes - the hydrangea, Wormmon recognized it, in a beautiful shade of indigo blue that reminded him so much of Ken's hair.

Ken gently set Wormmon down on the soil and turned his attention towards the blossoms as they leaned closer to him.  Wormmon wished he could hear what Ken did, but he liked the way Ken smiled at them.  Slowly his partner reached out, not quite touching the blossoms, but waiting.  The flower's petals brushed against his fingertips and Ken smiled.

Wormmon couldn't hear him, but he strongly suspected he knew what was being asked there.  No Healer of good repute would ever take a plant home with them if the plant didn't want to go.  Even if he couldn't hear, so many of the people who wandered around here were Healers and they could.  Theft didn't happen in a Healer's Nursery. 

Sometimes theft attempts did provide fertilizer, though.  Or so Ken had told him once.

I'm looking to build up a proper garden,  Ken whispered to the hydrangea.  It's really only a little one, at my home, but I like you.  Would you like to come with me?

Several of the flowers seemed interested, but the closet one - well, even for a Healer, plants didn't have eyes, but he could feel the blossom's awareness on him, more so than the others.  This one paid attention. This one wasn't waiting for someone else.  This one liked him.

When?  The question was more of a sensation.  Plants seldom truly spoke in words the way that humans or Fire Cats or Healer Cats did.  But a Healer could understand them regardless. 

Soon.  I want to check other new additions before we go home. No Healer was ever certain if plants understood that certain things had to be paid for, if only for the upkeep of the Nursery.

 The plant relaxed, if that could even be said to be the correct word, and settled back.  It might not understand the concepts of money, but it knew that Ken would be back once he'd picked out a few more - or some of the plants had decided he was worth coming with.  Even Healers weren't always sure who picked who.

For now, though, Ken wandered through the garden, searching through a plethora of flowers and bushes.  He didn't have room enough in his garden for a proper tree - and he didn't want to set up a garden in the Digital World.  He didn't feel like it was right. He would protect it with everything he had, but it wasn't his place to put down his roots.

He paid no attention to the whisper of a voice that said he was wrong, that it was his, and he should claim it as he would claim everything sooner or later.

Instead, he made his way over to the seed selection and checked through them.  It required some effort to keep the seeds from bursting into life in his hands.  Ever since he'd stopped being the Kaiser, that had been an issue.  His power had always been strong.  Now he wasn't holding himself back as much anymore. 

Once he'd selected seeds - the hydrangea was the only one that he'd found sprouted and uninterested in anyone else - he was on his way back to get the blossom when Wormmon wriggled against him again. 

"Hm?"  He pressed a gentle hand against Wormmon's hide, checking to make sure that there weren't any old wounds there.  A Healer's talent worked best when a wound was fresh, but he would tend to whatever was necessary if he could.

"Look over there,"  Wormmon said, indicating a small area a short distance away.  Ken glanced over and blinked.  The Firestarter's rest area - a lot of them relaxed there while their Healers wandered around the Nursery if they'd come together.  He wasn't bonded yet -  which definitely earned him more speculative looks than he wanted.

Not that long ago he'd dismissed them all.  There weren't any Firestarters worthy of his attention, or so he'd thought.  Granted, there was one that he'd - but no.  He wasn't going to consider that.

But he also saw something else in the rest area - several rocks of varying sises, shapes, and colors, perfect for a Firestarter's rock garden.  There were even a few that had been shaped or set into a jewelry setting of some kind, varying from earrings to bracelets to necklaces to pins.  Some just lay there in piles, waiting for someone to come along and pick them out for someone else.

Ken's eyes fell on an oval shaped gemstone, mostly reddish-brown but with gray undertones.  it reminded him very strongly of Daisuke's hair, and his heart skipped a beat or two as he walked over.   The price was quite reasonable, and he took it to the clerk without a moment's thought.

The clerk eyed it, then him for a second, before a knowing smile appeared.  "Is this for someone in particular?"  The tone was that of gentle conversation and curiosity, nothing more, but Ken could feel himself turning red regardless. 

“He’s a friend of mine,” he managed, keeping his voice as calm as he could. “I think he’d like it for his rock garden.”

That got a quiet nod from the clerk as they checked him out, seeds and rock and the hydrangea. The clerk also threw in a special treat for Wormmon – some very tasty cookies.

“I’ve never met a Digimon personally before,” the clerk said, handing over the bag with the seeds and rock within them. “I hope you enjoy our Nursery.”

“It’s very beautiful,” Wormmon agreed, ducking his head. Humans who weren’t Chosen or related to a Chosen didn’t talk to him very often, Ken had noticed.

Once he collected the hydrangea, Ken started out for home. His garden wasn’t much larger than his own bedroom but he thought what he’d bought now would be an excellent start to it. He’d had a much larger garden that he’d tended as the Kaiser, with all manner of plant-life that he’d gathered up in various areas of the Digital World.

It probably doesn’t exist anymore. There was a vague thought in the back of his mind that he should go check one of these days. The one time they’d made a trip to the ruins of the fortress, when he and Daisuke had first Jogressed their partners into Paildramon, he’d not had the time or interest to go looking. Perhaps now, though -

No. Not now. Those plants had never truly liked him anyway. He’d known it then, only now it mattered. If they survived, then they were free to do whatever they pleased. If they hadn’t, better that than suffering in his cruel care.

And no, he would not listen to that other soft, persuasive voice that wished to insist he needed to claim the entire Digital World as his territory, as well as a certain feisty Firestarter…

“When are you going to give Daisuke the stone?” Wormmon asked, pulling Ken’s thoughts away from that enticing murmur he refused to pay proper attention to. Doing so would only make it stronger, and he’d had enough of listening to parts of himself that he shouldn’t.

“I’m not sure,” Ken admitted. He wasn’t sure of what Daisuke’s schedule was. “Maybe sometime this weekend?” The weekend would be free, he hoped. Perhaps he’d send over an e-mail and ask.

Your Firestarter? The hydrangea wanted to know, and Ken knew he was blushing again.

Not exactly. We’re not courting. Ken pressed his fingers into the soil the blossom grew in, so he could answer without worrying about people looking at him. No one would be bothered by a Healer talking to a plant, but he’d drawn more than enough attention to himself over the last few years.

You want to. You need a Firestarter. The hydrangea twitched, leaves rustling in the wind. You’re very strong.

Ken wasn’t sure of how many times he’d heard that. He knew it was true; the stronger a Healer was, the more that they needed a Firestarter, and vice versa. If he were going to be truthful with himself, he wasn’t going to argue that Daisuke would be an excellent match for him. After everything that had happened, he wasn’t sure if he could even ask for it, though, let alone get it.

He still had time, though, lots of time.

Ken greeted his parents when he entered, setting Wormmon down so the Digimon could go where he pleased, and headed to his garden. The moment he crossed into it, the tiny scraps of tension that had filled him faded away. A Healer’s Garden was their sanctuary, where they called the shots, and generally tended to be perfectly comfortable.

First and foremost – he set the rock to one side. He would make sure Daisuke got it sooner or later. The seeds could wait on being planted as well. First he walked the hydrangea around the garden, introducing the new plant to the existing ones, and the ones already there to the newcomer. Plants needed to be able to interact safely, and to know to share nutrients with one another.

One part of being a Healer that Ken loved the most was the feeling of life under his fingers. Even his experiences as the Kaiser hadn’t changed that. He chose a place that would be very good for the hydrangea, carefully prepared it, then transplanted the new plant in there, pressed his fingers deep into the earth, and transferred as much of his energy as he could. The power spread out from there to touch the rest of the garden, all of which purred soothingly and approvingly in those ranges only plants and other Healers could hear.

Ken leaned against his garden’s wall, one hand resting on Wormmon as his partner wriggled up to him, and closed his eyes. All that he’d done called for a nap and dinner later. And he still had to remember to e-mail Daisuke, and set up a meeting to give him the rock…

Between one thought and the next, Ken’s breathing deepened, his eyes closed, and he slept a deep restful sleep.

The End

Notes: I might do a sequel where Ken does give the stone to Daisuke. For the record, hydrangea’s color is affected by the acidity in the soil it grows in. It stands for heartfelt emotion, such as gratitude or apology. As for agate – the stone Ken got for Daisuke – it comes in many colors as well, including the shade of Daisuke’s hair. As for its symbolic meaning: it’s a stone of protection from bad dreams, stress, and draining of energy, which can also balance energies and awaken talents.

Or maybe awaken dark sides? The future will tell.

[ygobigbang-archive]

Rewards of Losing

Artist: @kestrelmakesart​ Full version here

Artist: @aerialartistic​ Full version here Writer: Higuchimon Status: Incomplete (Complete on September 21st) Rating: Teen Characters: Marufuji Ryou, Mizael, Yuuri, Chris Arclight, Vector, Dennis Macfield, Marufuji Shou, OCs Ship(s): Ryou x Mizael Content Warnings: Lies, spying, talking intelligent cats,  this is one branch of my Healer & Firestarter AU, Yuuri being Yuuri, Vector being Vector, fire, lots of fire, and eventually ice, makes sense once you read it Summary: Ryou thought he knew what his life would be like as a warrior of Fusion – endless victory. But one duel changes that, and ends up changing so much more. Available on AO3

[mysunfreckle]

Amis & Magical Realism

Because @jehanproufaery asked for magic and @fishandchipsandvinegar wouldn’t let me give up on this AU ❤

Combeferre: Was born with second sight and can see magical energy around people and objects. He has very good control over it, but overdoing it still gives him a headache. He's getting proper tutoring for his gift, but instead of letting himself be recruited into government security, he’s studying engineering, wanting to integrate magic and technology.

Enjolras: Was born with healing magic and can detect physical damage in people, but refuses to take tutoring to become a healer, because he’s studying law and politics and wants to make a difference that way. As a result he never trained his healing and when he does heal people, he drains himself in the process.

Courfeyrac: Was born with an affinity for emotional magic and perfected a memory prompting technique that allows him to ingrain the recall of a particular type of memory to an object, so that when someone touches it, it feels like they are back in that moment again. Has a tutor that is running out of things to teach him and studies psychology.

Jehan: Was born with the talent to sense and manipulate life force. There are two ways you can go with that, healing and necromancy. Their family are adamant it shouldn’t be necromancy. Never received formal tutoring beyond the basic levels, because of how controversial their gift is. Works in a flower shop with strangely unwilting flowers.

Grantaire: Has no talent for a specific type of magic, but his power is directly linked to physical movement. He was absolutely rubbish at magic until his tutor struck on the idea of teaching him sign language. When he signs Grantaire can cast extremely well and he’s learned that dancing is the best way for him to draw up a lot of magic.

Bossuet: Was born with emotional extension and managed to learn emotional reading as well, meaning he can feel other people’s emotions and extend his own emotions outside of himself to influence those around him. The first costs him effort, the last he does accidentally a lot, which is why he feels it his duty to go through life looking on the bright side, so the feelings he’s scattering around are at least positive.

Joly: Was born with a rare talent to amplify another’s magic. It takes its toll on his body, but as long as he’s touching the source of the magic he can extend and amplify it by startling degrees. He uses amulets a lot as they are much more powerful for him and generate steady magic.

Musichetta: Was born with a specific transmuting magic that allows her to alter materials. The smaller the change the easier, but she’s especially good at fabrics. She works as a seamstress, changing her plain fabrics into fine ones (law dictates they all have a label to mark them as a magical fabrication). Her magic is generally very safe, but when she falls asleep on a rough surface it does tend to soften a bit.

Feuilly: Has an innate ability to binding magic to objects and studied hard to learn as much crafting magic as he could. Makes the extremely reliable amulets and enchanted objects. He prefers working with natural materials, as they conduct the magic best.

Bahorel: Wasn’t born with any specific talent, but has such a passion for food that he learned to mix food and magic like the best of them. He specializes in putting emotions into food and drink. Is still torn between going to culinary school and just trying to start his own restaurant or café.

Marius: Was born with the talent and instinct to weave protections. They hang around him at all times, keeping him safe and when he’s anxious or affectionate towards someone they spread. Most of the people Marius cares about have protections clinging to them, he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it. Because his magic is so strong he has grown oddly indifferent towards his own safety.

Cosette: Intuitively good at spells that have to do with nature. Studies biology and receives very broad tutoring. In the places where Cosette lives dandelions seem to be breaking through the cracks in the concrete much faster than they should and moss grows on even the most barren roofs.

Éponine: Developed a great talent for written charms. Her magic is noteworthy because of how simple it is. She can get as much power out of plain French written in block letters as most casters struggle to summon with an entire incantation. Considering her childhood she has developed a considerable talent for protection charms.

Gavroche: He’s a firestarter, plain and simple. Considering his age he has rather good control over his gift, but he is less than scrupulous about when he decides to use it.

[higuchimon]

[chapters] First Steps To Flame

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh GX

Characters: Juudai, Shou, Manjoume, Asuka, Ryou, Chronos, others

Rated: G

Other: These chapters will be removed and the new ones reposted when I'm done. But this can give you an idea of what it will involve. This is YGO GX, but set in my world of Healers/Firestarters.

Status: On Hiatus/In Rewrites||Estimated Final Word Count: 200,000

Summary: It’s the day of the practical trials – a day of beginnings for everyone. Juudai, Shou, Asuka, Manjoume, and many others. A day written in life and burned in flames.

Chapter One

[higuchimon]

[chapters] Choice To Protect

Fandom: Digimon Adventure 02

Ship: Ken x Daisuke

Rated: PG

Other: These chapters will be removed and the new ones reposted when I'm done. But this can give you an idea of what it will involve. This involves my breeds and Healer/Firestarters, and is set post-02 but without epilogue/Tri/Kizuna.

Status: On Hiatus/In Rewrites||Estimated Final Word Count: 40,000

Summary: It’s wrong to bully anyone. If Daisuke has to burn that knowledge into people, he will. But Ken has other ideas.

Chapter One

[higuchimon]

[chapter list] Unholy Desires

Fandom: Digimon Adventure

Characters: Vamdemon, Chosen Children||Ship: Taichi x Yamato

Rated: PG-13

Other: These chapters will be removed and the new ones reposted when I'm done. But this can give you an idea of what it will involve. This one is set in the first season and involves my breeds (about half the Chosen being part Digimon or Digimon) and the Healer/Firestarter concepts, as well as being at their 02 ages.

Status: On Hiatus/In Rewrites||Estimated Final Word Count: 90,000

Summary: One quick bite was all that it took and not only do the Chosen have a new foe to fight, forged from one of their own, but Taichi must deal with an attraction he never expected.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

[higuchimon]

[fanfic] To Burn From Inside

Taichi kept on running, even with a sharp stitch in his side and his breath catching hard in his lungs. He didn’t know where Agumon was right now. He wasn’t even sure of where his other friends were. He did know there were three DarkTyrannomon on his heels and if he didn’t get somewhere safe soon, then there would be a pretty good chance of charred Taichi-burgers on their menu. I could take those flames. At least, he thought he could. There weren’t any flames that could burn a Firestarter. He’d been taught that since before he could walk. Only this was the Digital World, a place so very different from where he’d grown up.

But he’d heard the voice of fire here. He’d heard that every day of his life, back since before he could crawl. He’d even heard the voice in Agumon’s Petit Fire attack. So…

So he decided to take a chance. He had to do something. The DarkTyrannomon had attacked, driving the group apart, and unless he kept their attention, they’d wander off and hurt the others. That wasn’t going to happen. Not on his watch.

Taichi flexed his fingers, sparks dancing between them and his palms, then skidded to a stop and turned to face the three approaching monsters. One of them, who seemed to be the leader, roared, lurching closer.

Those things are big. Taichi tilted his head back, staring up at them. This was like being attacked by living dinosaurs. It wasn’t nearly as much fun as watching Greymon battle. But when he wasn’t sure of where his partner was, then he would have to do what he could.

“Give it your best shot,” he snapped, squaring up his shoulders and waiting. The first DarkTyrannomon roared again, then spewed a volley of flames towards Taichi.

That was its Fire Blast technique. Before they’d all lost sight of one another, Koushiro had mentioned something like that they could do. Somewhere in that had been the seed of what he did now.

Fire engulfed him, turning everything around him into an ocean of flames that he couldn’t guess how thick it was. It swept from his head to his feet, and Taichi knew very well that while he was immune to fire, his clothes had their limits – every Firestarter’s clothes were made of fireproof materials but nothing kept out everything forever.

Against his skin the flames danced, sinking down into him, flames the color of night and of darkness, edged in scarlet and blue, hot, hot, searing, burning, and Taichi drank it all down. He’d never felt fire this hot before. He’d never met a Black Flame and he wondered if this was what touching their flames would be like.

He raised his hands and closed them around the fire, pulling it in to himself, swallowing it, making it part of him. These fires were his fires now. They melted into his own and he groaned at how good it tasted.

The earth shook as the DarkTyrannomon stalked closer. He didn’t move. He wasn’t sure if he could have. Fire and flame filled his vision and his heart and there wasn’t any time to be afraid and no room for it either.

DarkTyrannomon's head leaned down closer, sniffing, clearly curious as to why he still existed instead of being a pile of ash or data or whatever. Taichi grinned as he released the last of the flames from his hands.

“That doesn’t work on me,” he said quietly. “Haven’t you ever faced a Firestarter before?”

He wasn’t sure if these Digimon understood his words. But they clearly knew something wasn’t right. His heart beat a little faster, and he really wasn’t sure if that was because some part of him realized how utterly stupid what he’d just done ahd been or because of all the flames that tasted so good, unlike anything he’d ever encountered before.

The lead DarkTyrannomon snarled, claws darting forward, and Taichi jerked himself backward. Firestarters could still bleed, just like anyone else! Worse, their heads could come off just as fast as anyone else’s! The other two Digimon started to circle around, and Taichi realized with a very sinking heart that he was very much outnumbered and very much outweighed.

He still wasn’t going to run, not unless he knew it would keep his friends safe. He darted out of the little circle before they could get him penned in and raced up a small rise before he turned back to wave his arms wildly at the three Digimon.

“I’m over this way!” They couldn’t burn him but they could tear him apart, and if they kept him as their target, then maybe he’d be able to find Agumon.

There was a part of him – the eternal burning flame that was the core of every Firestarter – that insisted he do what came most naturally to him, and use his fires to defend himself. That was natural, that was normal, and it was practically expected that if a Firestarter were in danger, someone out there was going to get burned.

But he couldn’t bring himself to do that, not to these Digimon. He wasn’t sure if it was because they acted more like animals – if somewhat smarter than he was used to – or because he felt like Agumon should be doing this. It didn’t matter, he guessed, as long as they didn’t hurt people, and at least they couldn’t hurt him with their flames.

A few seconds later, Taichi learned that there were far more ways than one to be hurt, as the Digimon behind him breathed out their Fire Blast attacks in burning unison. For a few seconds he wondered if there was some kind of name to the combined attack, like Tri Fire Blast or something, but he quickly forgot that in favor of noticing how the fire set the world around him ablaze.

An adult Firestarter, trained and experienced in the use of their gift, would be able to take control of this fire and tame it down, bring it to their hand, and do so with little more than the desire for a hefty steak afterwards. Taichi was fourteen – and he knew damned well that he wasn’t experienced enough for this.

But as everything around him began to burn, he tried anyway, somewhat aware of the running of other smaller Digimon as their homes were torn asunder and set aflame, a few of whom fell victim to DarkTyrannomon's ravening maws. He didn’t have time to help them. All of his focus and energy went into sinking mental hands into the flames and trying to ride the wildest of wild stallions, a creature so wild it knew no laws and would not have cared if it did. The flame would not hurt him but right now it would not obey him, either.

Taichi couldn’t have said if he stood on his feet or fell on his face. What he knew was that he was alive and that he gripped the flames with mind and might and nothing more. He gulped down fire and breathed in flames, and strained until he wasn’t sure if he was made of fire or of ice or nothing at all.

Could he move? If he tried, he might fall. If he didn’t, he might anyway.

Carefully, mostly unaware of what the terrain was like under his feet and not able to see it for all the flames, he moved his feet just a little. He guessed, vaguely, that he stood on his feet, at least for now. Somewhere beyond the roar of the flames he heard the roar of DarkTyrannomon, and a thread of triumph wove through the sound.

He thinks that he got me. If Taichi weren’t a Firestarter, then he very well might have. Instead, Taichi grit his teeth, set his shoulders stronger, and tightened his grip on the flames.

Controlling them wasn’t an option. The fire was too strong, too fierce, and there was too much of it. The voice of the flame screamed in his ears, taking delight in devouring all that lay before it, and Taichi had to hold himself as tight as he could, to avoid being lost in the flame.

Always remember, you are the fire and the fire is you. But you are yourself. Fire has a will and a mind of its own and that is not you. Keep yourself separate from it. He remembered vividly what he’d been told in his training classes. Firestarters who overreached themselves had one of two fates – either enclosing themselves in ice, to be Frostflames and never again hear the song of the flames, or burning themselves out altogether.

This was a fine line to walk and beneath him there yawned an abyss of shadows and ice, beckoning temptingly.

I have to survive. Hikari needs me alive. So does Agumon. And all the others.

Besides, he hadn’t yet bonded. There was a Healer out there he might never meet if he didn’t survive.

A pair of blue eyes floated in the back of his mind. He knew them, of course – they were Yamato’s. He’d been seeing them every day since the group landed in the Digital World. He knew that Yamato was a Healer, and a pretty strong one at that.

Could he be – was it – he didn’t know and he didn’t have time to think it through, not when letting himself stray too far could end up with his death.

He breathed in flames – and breathed in smoke as well. He coughed, unable to hold it back, and stumbled, grabbing at what he thought were rocks. While the flames filled his ears, he could feel the shudder of the earth as the DarkTyrannomon approached. Perhaps they thought he’d be easy to chomp on now that he’d been roasted. If they even thought he’d been roasted.

Taichi’s fingers dug into his palms and he forced his eyes open. He wouldn’t burn to death; he wouldn’t even be scorched, but this wasn’t easy and it drained so much of his energy. He could still get eaten if he didn’t have the strength to move away from there.

The ground shook more and more and he raised his head to see the lead DarkTyrannomon in front of him again. He’d never seen such a smug look on anyone’s face as the creature started to turn around, though not for a moment did he think DarkTyrannomon was leaving. Not when he could feel hot breath on his face still, and that tail approached, far too slowly and too fast all at the same time.

A hand closed onto his wrist and yanked him away, pulling him up at the same time. Taichi found himself leaning forward, wrapping his arms around whoever it was, and coughed even harder, wanting to get the smoke out of his lungs.

“You are an idiot.” The voice was one that he knew, but it took him a few seconds to grasp who it was. Then he leaned a little more against his rescuer.

“Thanks, Yamato.”

The blond Healer snorted as Garurumon carried them out of the area. “That doesn’t mean you’re not an idiot. What did you think you were doing, letting them chase you like that?”

Taichi managed a small shrug. “It worked, didn’t it?” It wasn’t as if they’d had time to sketch out even a small plan. He’d just thought simply, if the DarkTyrannomon chased him, they weren’t going to chase the others. “Is Agumon all right?”

“Of course he is. We’re all fine. Sora and Koushiro are trying to get that fire under control and they could probably use your help. Are you up for it?”

Taichi breathed in cleaner air the farther away they went from where the DarkTyrannomon cornered him. That made him feel a lot better.

“Not a problem.” One Firestarter probably couldn’t handle a fire like this, but three? A lot easier to get a grip on it.

Yamato made a mildly annoyed grunt and kept on riding. Taichi didn’t loosen his grip, but enjoyed being that close to a Healer. It really wasn’t fair how good Healers smelled – or was it just Yamato? He chalked that up to something else that he didn’t know and probably wouldn’t find out for years to come.

But he did like riding with Yamato and kind of wished they could do it more often. Normally he never had the chance. Either they weren’t on their Digimon like this because their Digimon were in the middle of battle or he was on Greymon while Yamato was on Garurumon. Something a little out of the ordinary.

Ahead of them was a circular clearing, and a broad smile broke over his face at the sight of Agumon. As soon as he could, Taichi jumped down and ran over to his partner, hugging him.

“Are you all right?” Agumon wanted to know, claws closing on Taichi’s hands. Taichi nodded quickly, grinning.

“Three DarkTyrannomon? Give me a challenge, why don’t you?”

The sound of a throat being cleared came from nearby and he glanced over to see Sora there, her arms crossed.

“We need to get this fire under control before it burns the whole continent up. Come on.”

Taichi nodded. “Do we know just how big it is?” He really thought three Firestarters could get it taken care of, but it already had had time to spread. Who knew how big it was by now?

Koushiro tapped a few keys on his laptop, then turned it around so everyone could see. It wasn’t the most perfect of representations but Taichi got the gist at once. A mass of green that was the forest, rapidly being overtaken by a mass of red.

“The scale isn’t entirely accurate,” Koushiro admitted, “but it should be within our joined capabilities.”

Taichi nodded, shooting a glance at Sora, who gnawed at her lower lip while looking at the image, before she spoke.

“Let’s split up,” she said at last. “I can come from up here,” she gestured to the sky, “and you two go to each end, and we sort of fold it up?”

Taichi ran the play over in his head. It sounded pretty good and he nodded. “All right. You guys ready?”

Yamato rolled his eyes a little before he looked to Jou and Mimi. “Are you ready to deal with them afterward?” His tone made it pretty clear he had very little expectations they’d all come out of this completely unmarred.

“Of course!” Mimi declared, eyes bright with glee. “Let’s get this done and get moving!”

Jou adjusted his glasses. “Please, no one do anything too reckless?”

“We’ve got Taichi on the job. That’s already taken care of.” Yamato muttered. “He was standing right in the middle of that smoke when I got there.”

Taichi brushed the rest of what Yamato had to say away and turned towards Agumon. “Ready, buddy?”

“Ready!”

Taichi’s Digivice flashed, and moments later he was perched on Greymon's back, striding back to where the DarkTyrannomon had been. And probably still were; who knew?

Agumon can handle them! Taichi held absolute confidence in his partner.

Together they crested a hill and Taichi looked down into the area that had been burned. He couldn’t see any of the DarkTyrannomon from here, but the footsteps echoed, and he knew they couldn’t be that far away.

Greymon drew a deep gulp of air, then waved one claw ahead of them. “They’re that way. I think they’re trying to get some roasted food.”

Food? There was food there? Taichi’s stomach grumbled. It was personal now! “Then let’s go interrupt dinner!”

Greymon chuckled before he started down the slope, running ahead even swifter than the flames had once done. Soon enough they were on the edges of the fire, and Taichi reached outward with his gift to seize hold of them once more. He didn’t have to do it all this time – he could already feel Sora and Koushiro gripping on their own portions, hauling them in and keeping them under control.

Three certainly was better than one in this case. Taichi wasn’t as lost in the flames this time as he’d been before. He could still taste the fire in the back of his throat, but that was normal. Now he could focus on the voice of the flames, which sang a glorious song about how much fun it was to dance and weave and burn all that lay before them.

Fire. Always the same, no matter the world.

Carefully he slid off of Greymon’s back once his partner reached their chosen place, and set himself to corralling the fire. Greymon stalked the area, the ground shaking under his feet as he did, and Taichi found comfort in that. He wasn’t alone, not this time. Not that he’d ever been, but they were there now.

Together, he and Sora and Koushiro divided the fire into thirds, then began to calm it down, soothing it, using techniques that they’d only read of or heard of, but which Firestarters had used in their world for centuries to keep fires controlled and not causing rampant destruction.

By the time they’d finally brought the flames to heel and the fire eased off from an inferno into a quiet healthy burn, then slowly drained all of its energy and let it sleep again, Taichi wondered if it would be possible to just fall over and stay where he was for a while.

Unfortunately, fate had no such goal in mind for him. He took a mere three steps towards Greymon, when a powerful series of roars erupted, and those same DarkTyrannomon that had started the whole situation by thinking the Chosen were a good option for lunch forged their way into the area.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this!” Greymon declared, rearing his head back and blasting forth with a Nova Blast. Taichi would have done what he usually did and increased the strength of it – three against one wasn’t great odds – but he had no more strength right now. He wrapped one arm around the nearest tree and let it support him while he watched what was going on, hoping that Greymon might not need the assistance. He usually didn’t.

But he also didn’t fight with the odds stacked against him that often.

The first Nova Blast knocked the lead DarkTyrannomon back only a little, while the other two began to circle around. Whether they wanted to take Greymon from behind or find Taichi, he didn’t know. Regardless of how tired Taichi was, though, he didn’t even think about finding somewhere to hide. Even if he had, there wasn’t any use to it. The fire had burnt almost everything that could be used to hide in.

So he started to drag himself forward, tiny flickers of flame ghosting about him. Greymon was going to be busy. He needed to do something to keep his fight fair.

We can’t keep getting separated. He’d be able to handle this so much better if he had a Healer. He’d never used his powers as much as he had since coming to the Digital World. Now he really understood, in the deepest part of himself, why a Firestarter needed a Healer.

His legs shook and he grabbed harder onto the tree, glad that he hadn’t gotten past it yet, and even more so that it had somehow survived the destruction. Taichi breathed hard as he faced the other two DarkTyrannomon, noting that Greymon was doing a very good job beating the first one down.

But these two seemed intent on stopping that. Taichi pressed his lips together and tried to smack them both away with a lash of flame. He’d done it before, but this time, all that appeared were a few sparks.

Then a very familiar hand, that he’d already felt once that day, landed on his shoulder, and Yamato spoke in his ear.

“I could have guessed you were trying to burn yourself up.” The blond Healer shook his head. “You’re an idiot.”

Taichi liked to tell himself there was a hint of fondness in the tone. There had been something between the two of them since shortly after they met – mostly starting when they’d been in the snowy area after Devimon split up File Island. He was the Firestarter, but Yamato had been so warm then.

Just like he was warm now. Taichi had to hold himself back from leaning into Yamato, no matter how much he wanted to.

He wasn’t sure if Yamato realized it either, but from the way those blue eyes glinted at him, he had to wonder -

Yamato rolled his eyes and glanced over to Garurumon, looming behind him. “Think you can take care of them?”

The giant wolf eyed the two DarkTyrannomon and flexed giant claws. “That’s not going to be a polymer. Greymon’s almost done with that one anyway.”

Taichi’s attention flicked away for a second to see that was true. Greymon had the DarkTyrannomon down and – well, he wasn’t going to keep looking. Greymon could handle this pretty well.

While the Digimon dealt with the battling, Yamato tugged Taichi away just enough so they could still see what was going on with their partners and not have to worry about being attacked themselves.

“Mimi’s checking on Sora, and Jou’s keeping an eye on Koushiro,” Yamato told him as he settled Taichi down and rested his hands on Taichi’s forehead. Golden Healing energy flowed into him, and the brunet drew in a pleasant breath. He already felt better.

“Where’s Takeru?” Not that he thought Yamato would leave Takeru anywhere unsafe.

“Over there.” Yamato nodded to one of the rare areas that survived the flame onslaught – a small cave that had once been covered with moss and flowers and now had been burned down to stone. If Taichi stared hard, he could see a tiny flick of yellow and orange in there- Takeru and Patamon. They were safe.

Yamato didn’t let him stare for long, though. “If you’re going to keep trying to burn yourself out, then I guess we’re going to have to bond.” He sounded more or less annoyed by the prospect and Taichi blinked a few times, trying to get his head wrapped around what he’d just heard.

“Bond?”

“It’s either that or you burn up, and you don’t want that, do you?” Yamato glowered at him, and Taichi forgot how to talk.

“You want to bond with me?”

“You think there’s anyone else who’s going to put up with you?” Yamato snorted. “We can sort it out later, though. Come on. They’re done over there.”

Taichi mentally gibbered. This wasn’t what he expected at all.

But he did think he liked it.

The End

Notes: I don’t give up on projects, no matter how long it takes me to complete them.

[higuchimon]

Making plans for rewrites (what else do I do these days?) & a small stumble came up, so I decided to ask you.

Which type(s) of soulmate AUs do you want to see? This is specifically for Digimon, because of one aspect. So, here we go.

[higuchimon]

[announcement]

Starting on January 1, 2023 and ending on December 31, 2023, every Sunday I will post a fic or a chapter set in my YGO GX Reversal AU. Starting on January 4, 2023 and ending on December 27, 2023, on every Wednesday, I will post a fic or a chapter set in a different AU for a different fandom. At the moment, my choices will be drawn from this list:

Game of Life: Digimon Adventure 02: breeds AU

Angels, Demons, & Deciding Factors: YGO Arc-V: angels/demons AU

Godslave: Digimon Frontier: fantasy AU with Lucemon as god-king

Cry of Vengeance: YGO Zexal: supernatural creatures AU

Replacement Vampire: Digimon Adventure 02 & YGO GX: alternate timeline

Dark Brotherhood: Digimon Adventure 02: breeds AU

Dead Weight: YGO GX: zombie AU

Course of Events: Digimon Adventure: breeds AU

Stirring Shadows: Digimon Adventure 02: status of AU kept secret for now

Hunting The Great Game: Digimon Xros Wars: rewrite of Hunters & parts of Xros Wars

No Good Choices: Digimon Adventure 02: Kaiser & Daisuke

Blood of His Blood: Digimon Adventure 02: breeds AU

Strike Hard, Strike Fast: YGO Arc-V: vampire AU

Collars and Keeping: YGO Arc-V: captive Shun AU

Fragmented Memory: DIgimon Adventure 02: memory loss AU

In Space In Light: YGO GX: Juudai possessed by the Light of Ruin AU

Confusing: YGO Arc-V: memory manipulation AU

Destructive Flames: YGO GX: combination Reversal & Healer/Firestarter AU

Hell's Ice: YGO GX: Ryou as a Seven Star/Hell Kaiser of Ice AU

Scars of Victory: Digimon Adventure 02: Kaiser defeated the Chosen AU

Bonds & Bondage: Digimon Adventure 02: captive Daisuke from episode 2 AU

Bridges: YGO GX: Juudai is the incarnation of Light AU

In The Shadows of the Fae: YGO GX: Juudai as the Fae King AU

World of Fusion: YGO GX: Brron fused all twelve dimensions AU

Shadow Demons: YGO GX: Juudai as the king of demons & hell, Ryou as a demon prince, Yuusuke as a shadow mage AU

Dragonflame & Nature's Spark: YGO Arc-V: Healer/Firestarter AU, featuring other legacy characters such as Ryou & Mizael

Division of Destiny: Digimon Adventure 02: Vamdemon defeated the Chosen AU

Bitter Bargain: Ken x Daisuke: Kaiser blackmails Daisuke for sex AU

Forgotten Families: Digimon Adventure 02/Tri: alternate ending to Tri

Those are the options from series I've already posted. I am not ruling out fics that I have yet to post. One thing they'll all have in common: they'll all be on the darker end of the writing spectrum. What I enjoy writing the most.

[higuchimon]

This is my master Bad Things Happen Bingo post, which will be updated whenever I post a fill. So, here we go.

Hunger For Vengeance: Deprived of Food As Punishment: requested by SilvorMoon

Compelling Voice: Daisuke x Ken, Apocallymon, breeds AU: requested by illumi-knight

Blindfolded: Juudai x Johan: Reversal AU: requested by anon

Appendicities: Yubel x Juudai x Johan: post-canon: requested by kathyrnelizabth

Good Intentions, Bad Results: Yubel x Juudai x Johan: YGO GX/YGO Arc-V: requested by anon

Chained To The Wall: Juudai x Johan: Reversal AU: requested by anon

Common Cold: Yubel x Juudai x Johan: post-canon: requested by anon

Brainwashing: Ryou: Healer/Firestarter AU (?): requested by healingmichiko

Damaged Wings: Yubel x Juudai x Johan: Sky Stories AU: requested by anon

Magical Curse: Taniya x Misawa: fantasy AU: requested by SilvorMoon

Collared & Chained: Yamato x Taichi: breeds AU: requested by olivethundar11

Forced To Beg: Yamato x Taichi: breeds AU: requested by olivethundar11

Nightmares: Asuka: Reversal AU: requested by anon

Angry Mob: Yubel, Rune: Reversal AU: requested by anon

Grabbed By The Chin: Yuuya, Yuuri: requested by anon

Shock Collar: Edo x Ryou: requested by anon

Gilded Cage: Ken x Daisuke: Take To The Skies AU: requested by anon

Soup For The Sick: Yuuri x Dennis: requested by anon

Ambush: Jim, O'Brien: Reversal AU: requested by anon

Captive Push: Jim, O'Brien, Johan: requested by silverwolf9898x

Made A Slave: Alit: requested by SilvorMoon

Forced To Kneel/Bow: Juudai x Johan: Reversal AU: requested by anon

Minor Character Death: Juudai, Johan, Rune, Yubel: Reversal AU: requested by anon

On A Leash: Juudai, Shou: Healer/Firestarter Reversal AU: requested by healingmichiko

Conditioning: Johan,Yubel: requested by anon

These will become links as each fic is written and posted. Some may relate to others if possible. All will be finished before posting, if chaptered.

Edit: 12/6/2023: New goal is to finish this card before the end of 2024. I will be rewriting Hunger For Vengeance and then continuing with the others.

[higuchimon]

[fanfic] Stressed Bond

He wasn't cold.  If someone had asked him what he thought it might be like to have this rage inside of him, he would have thought cold.  He would have thought that his flames would frost and he would become like Hell Kaiser, a Frostflame. 

He should have known better.  He should have known much better.  Being cold inside might have changed how he went about matters.  He'd always had a heat burning inside of him, one that had never faded no matter what happened.  Flickered a time or two perhaps, but never faded, never waned.  Even when he hadn't been able to see his monsters, his fires burned bright and strong in his deepest heart.  They still did even now.

A Black Flame couldn't frost over, after all.  They stood at the very top of the Firestarter rankings, unable to turn to ice.  He'd always sort of considered that neat.  Interesting.  It hadn't ever been of importance because he'd never thought that he would want to frost over.  He'd never thought that he'd be cold or that he'd even want to be cold.  The closest he'd ever come to being cold was when he'd been near Hell Kaiser, but he made everyone cold these days.

Not like him.  These days, whenever Haou's attention rested on someone, he could tell they felt the flames of his unending rage.  That was just fine as far as he was concerned.  The more they feared him the better. 

Though if he were willing to admit it to himself - and Haou could just barely be honest enough with himself to do this, if to no other - there were two who didn't fear him.  Both of whom regarded him as if he were somehow more exasperating than anything else.  They never disobeyed him but he could tell they did not fear him.

What would he have done with himself if Theodis had broken their bond and departed, like Shou had?  He refused to even think about it.  He might have frosted over then, Black Flame or no Black Flame.  But the Healer Cat stayed by him, supporting him, even as he began his conquest.  She did not agree but she did not prevent him, and he accepted that from her when he would from no other.

Wolf was much the same way.  Saved from hunters who'd sought him for his pelt, the Duel Spirit pledged allegiance to Haou and stayed by his side once he'd recovered from his injuries.  He and Thordis spoke often with one another, and Haou might have feared sedition if they were not the two beings he could trust to stand by his side no matter what.  They were not human, or close to it.  They could be trusted, and no others. 

They hunted together now.  Somewhere; he wasn't sure of where.  But he trusted them to return when they were done.  Perhaps they would even have interesting news for him.  Thordis wanted to find Shou for him - he suspected that she suspected doing so would influence him to be more like he'd been before. 

I do want him around.  The biting words Shou had said, repudiating Juudai as the Firestarter that he'd courted and been courted by for the last couple of years, as well as his best friend and aniki, those still resonated in Juudai's heart.  But perhaps if Shou were there, then he would be able to convince Shou that what he did now was for the best.  Having lost the others remained horrible.  Juudai would never deny that.

But if he ruled this world, then he would be able to ensure that no one else fell to the same fate, not without his permission.  Which meant that no one would ever harm Shou.  Surely Shou could understand that.

And if he couldn't - Haou wasn't sure what to do then.  But he'd figure it out when that happened.  Because he would.  No matter what.  His servants weren't just looking for evidence of Yubel or Johan's deck or places for him to conquer. They looked for his Healer as well.  Shou wouldn't be able to hide forever. 

The End

Notes: I have far more fun ideas than I could express right now for this!

[higuchimon]

[fanfic] To Save A Brother

 He has the other half.  Darkness's fingers brushed across the medallion that hung around his neck.  He wanted to duel this person.  He could sense other things as well - this carrier of a Spirit Gate Key was a powerful Firestarter as well as -  he frowned, taking one more step forward.  Perhaps being closer would tell him if he read this correctly.

Oh.  He was.  It wasn't something he'd expected, not here and not now.  Darkness did not like this.  The bearer of the Gentle Darkness, here and now?  That would make for an excellent duel without a doubt, but it would stand a risk of awakening the power itself should it still sleep.  He didn't want to take the chance on facing his old adversary without being properly prepared.

A movement in the shadows caught his attention.  Someone walked towards the dorm building - Osiris Red, he knew from the memories of his current host - though it didn't seem that this person belonged there.  They wore a blue uniform, and though he was too far away to see the tab on their collar, another part of him whispered strongly that they too were a Firestarter.  Perhaps not quite as strong as the one who wore the other half of the medallion, but still quite strong.

His host twitched harder inside of him.  Darkness took a better look at this new person as they came closer to the dorm.  He had access to all of memories of his host and it took a few moments to click.

Well.  It seemed that this was the sister of his host.  How interesting.  He'd been aware that his host had a sister, who was a Firestarter, but he'd never thought that he would encounter said sister on this mission.  He considered for a few moments, then made up his mind.

Power stretched outward, encircling both the girl and those in the building who he could sense as being awake.  There were only four of those, and one of them was the other Key Carrier who wore the half-medallion.  Once he disposed o the girl, Darkness, decided, he would duel that one as well.  If they knew one another, then seeing her defeated would dishearten him and give him a better chance to win without awakening the other Darkness.

Not to mention, he just couldn't resist the urge to cause despair and heartache no matter what.  The thought of doing so to his host and his host's sister at the same time was far too tempting to resist.

Asuka had been on her way to talk to Juudai, worried that he would be the first one targeted by the Seven Stars.  After all, he was an Osiris Red, and while he'd proven his talents more than once over the last handful of months, these strange evil duelists might not be aware of that.  She fidgeted with the Key that hung around her neck, wondering again what it would be like to duel in one of these Duels of Darkness.  She'd heard they weren't the sort of duel that Duel Academia had all the time, but she wasn't certain of what they would be like.

The circle of dark energy engulfed her without warning.  She'd barely even reached Juudai's door when it swept over her and into the room beyond.  When she could see again, she stood on a silvery disk, and she wasn't where she'd been before.  It took a moment to grasp where that was - at the volcano.  Right over the lava, in fact. 

"Asuka!"  She jerked her head around to see Juudai, Shou-kun, Hayato-kun, and Theodis-san a distance away, also on a disk like hers, but theirs was more enclosed.  The Healer Cat sniffed around, tail lashing, clearly uncomfortable without solid ground underneath her.

She started to take a step towards them.  But before she could, lava leapt up all around, arching in graceful smooth arcs over the shining disk beneath her feet.  The lava shaped itself into something that resembled dragons, roaring fiercely before they splashed into one another and out of the lava there stepped a new figure.  He stood taller than Asuka, with brown hair tinged by the light of the lava. 

Most of his face was hidden behind a black mask that resembled a dragon's features.  Around his neck there hung a medallion similar to the one Juudai had taken to wearing after their experience in that other world.

"You're one of the Seven Stars,"  Asuka declared, staring at this stranger. He smiled - it wasn't a smile that fit on his features.  What little Asuka could see told her that he should smile freely and happily.  This near-smirk wasn't his at all. 

"I am Darkness,"  he introduced himself with a tiny nod of his head.  "And you are one of the Keepers of the Keys.  I challenge you to a duel."  Before she could answer, he raised one hand, and a card flickered into existence there.  "The loser will have their soul sealed into this card."

Asuka tensed herself at once.  She'd not thought that she would be one of the first challenged.  But she'd been entrusted with this key and she refused to let it go without a fight.

"If that's what you want, then I'll fight you!"  Asuka declared. She glanced once again to where her friends stood surrounded by lava.  "But when I win, I want my friends released!"

Darkness chuckled, a very low, dark, smooth sound.  It didn't fit him any more than the smirk did.  "Of course.  But the question is, can you win fast enough?"

No sooner had he asked that then Shou yelped, and Asuka looked in time to see him pulling his hand away from the lava.  It didn't look as if he'd been more than mildly scorched but she could tell Juudai was the only one who might be enjoying the heat.  She squared up her shoulders - time to fight.

"I will take the first turn,"  Darkness declared, shuffling his deck.  Asuka got ready.  This wouldn't be an easy duel at all.  "I summon Spear Dragon, in attack mode, and set one card face-down."  Spear Dragon appeared, mostly brilliant blue wings and a long sharp beak, pointed towards her.  "Turn end.  Do make this interesting, Tenjoin Asuka."

How does he know my name?  She hadn't mentioned it.  Perhaps they all somehow knew the Key-Keepers?  She didn't have time to worry about it now.  Instead, she drew her first hand and checked it out.  She could work with this.

"I summon Cyber Gymnatics!"  Before her there appeared one of her favorite monsters, clad in a tight-fitting black outfit, well-muscled, and long blonde hair.  She didn't have the highest attack but what she had to make up for it was her effect.  "I activate her affect by discarding one card from my hand.  I can destroy one face-up attack position monster my opponent controls - in this case, Spear Dragon!"

Cyber Gymnatics leaped upward and spun towards the far side of the field, slamming one foot hard against Spear Dragon's neck.  The dragon let loose a cry of pain before vanishing in a spray of light.  Asuka wasn't done yet, though. 

"Now that you don't have any defenses, Cyber Gymnatics attacks you directly!"  Once again her monster leaped forward, and this time slashed her hand directly into Darkness, who barely flinched back.  He chuckled as the attack ended and Cyber Gymnatics returned to Asuka's side of the field.

"Is that all you're going to do?"  He asked.  Asuka didn't like the way that he smiled. 

"I set one card face down and end my turn,"  she said.  Whatever he tried on his turn, she'd be able to handle it.  This wasn't as terrifying as she'd feared it might be.

But Darkness quickly disabused her of that.  "I activate Call of the Living Dead, summoning Spear Dragon back from my graveyard!"  Once again Spear Dragon appeared before him.  Asuka tensed even more; he could have done that earlier and prevented all damage to himself if he had.  What did he have in mind? 

"Next, I summon Mirage Dragon!"  The second dragon appeared there now, this one a half-see through creature of gold scales and silver hair.  "While Mirage Dragon is on the field, you cannot activate trap cards during the battle phase."

Asuka's eyes widened and she took a step back.  Her eyes fell to her face-down card - Double Passe.  If she couldn't activate that, then she would have to revise her strategy and fast. 

Darkness laughed.  It scraped against her soul, like a sound that she knew should be pleasant and yet it had been warped beyond all understanding.  "Are you afraid?  Do you understand that you're going to lose now?"

"Don't listen to him!"  Theodis snapped, voice rising above the sound of the lava.  "You haven't lost yet!"

"She's right!"  Juudai agreed wholeheartedly.  "You can take this guy, Asuka!  We all believe in you!"

Shou nodded, casting repeated nervous glances to the lava.  Juudai had slipped himself in the front of the little group, one hand resting on Theodis' head, staring at the duel displayed before them, as if he weren't surrounded by boiling lava.  Asuka wondered for a heartbeat if he could hear the voices of the lava.  Any Firestarter could hear the voice of fire, but lava was another thing altogether.  She knew she wasn't that strong, but Juudai wasn't a normal Firestarter at all.

She shook her head to clear it, focusing back on what was happening before her.  Darkness wasn't finished at all.

"Battle!"  Darkness declared, pointing towards her.  "Spear Dragon, take out Cyber Gymnatics!  Spear Crash!" 

At once the blue dragon surged forward with a mighty flap of its wings and stabbed that long sharp beak right into Cyber Gymnatics' heart.  Asuka screamed as pain racked her, flowering outward from her own heart.  She didn't fall but only by sheer stubbornness.  Slowly she shook her head again, trying to think instead of just suffering.

"Wh-what was that?"  She murmured.  Darkness chuckled. 

"This is a Duel of Darkness.  The pain of your monsters - that's your pain too.  You'll feel every bit of damage done in this duel.  And so will I, of course."  Darkness waved one hand casually.  "But I think you'll not enjoy it the way that I do."

Had he felt this when she'd attacked him directly?  He hadn't acted like he did.  Was he lying about that?  Asuka couldn't even begin to guess right now and had no time to think it over. Not when Darkness hadn't finished his Battle Phase.

"Mirage Dragon!  Attack her directly!  Mirage Crush!"  Forward it surged, claws raking her from head to toe.  Asuka screamed, falling back again, dropping down to one knee as her life points dropped to thirteen hundred.  She almost expected to see blood when she looked down at herself, and only when that didn't happen did she remember that to some extent, these were still holograms.  They weren't solid - yet she'd felt the weight of the claw sinking into her flesh and ripping through her.

"If you want to surrender,"  Darkness told her, "then I will take your Key and seal your soul into this card.  The pain will end.  You'll know nothing, ever again."

Asuka's eyes narrowed.  Slowly she pushed herself to her feet, swaying ever so lightly as she did.  She'd never heard the voice of the lava, but the fire it sparked called to her.  The volcano had always been friendly to the Firestarters of Duel Academia and now wasn't any different.  She could also hear the voices of her friends, Juudai and Theodis, Shou and Hayato, demanding to know if she was all right, encouraging her to keep on going.

For his sake,  she told herself.  I can't find my brother if I don't keep on going.  If I lose this fight, I'll never see him again.  She'd waited too long, searched too long.  She wasn't going to let that happen.

She glanced towards Darkness, and thought she caught a glimpse of brown eyes behind the mask.  The light of the lava made her uncertain of what she saw, but - was it?  Fubuki wasn't the only person with brown hair and brown eyes in the world.  But he did play a dragon deck.  It had been a long time since she'd seen her brother duel, so she couldn't be certain.  But - she pressed her lips together.

"Is that all you've got?"

Darkness laughed, and the heat around him rose, to the point even she noticed it.  That was wrong by itself; Fubuki was a Healer, not a Firestarter.  This heat felt wrong.  Not like a Shadow Flame; but something else altogether. Asuka had no names for it, but she knew wrong when it presented itself to her. "Turn end.  Do your best."  Darkness taunted her.  Asuka fully intended to.

She drew her card for the turn and relaxed a fraction.  She had cards enough to deal with the situation but this would make it that much easier.

"All right, Darkness, you'll see just what my best is!  I activate Cyclone, targeting your Call of the Living Dead!  When that goes to the graveyard, it takes Spear Dragon with it!"  And that removed the strongest monster from Darkness's side of the field.  All she needed now was a way to get rid of Mirage Dragon - and she had that already in her hand.

"Now, I summon Cyber TuTu!"  Before her there appeared the low-level ballerina, who spun into place delicately and fiercely, regarding the dragon before her without a scrap of fear. 

Darkness chuckled as he regarded her.  "She's not very powerful, is she?  I don't think my dragon has anything to fear from her."

"No, your dragon doesn't,"  Asuka agreed, allowing herself a grin.  "But you might.  I'm not attacking with Cyber TuTu.  She's not here on the stage for long.  I brought her out in order to call someone else!"  She flicked out another card.  "By the effect of Prima Light, I sacrifice Cyber Tutu!  Cyber Prima, dance on in!"

A tight silver bodysuit covered her new monster, along with golden hoops that hovered at her hips, and smaller ones in the form of bracelets at her shoulders and wrists.  A fall of silver-white hair gleamed bright in the lava-light, and she stood fiercely in front of Asuka, ready for battle.

"Cyber Prima!  Take out Mirage Dragon!"  This wouldn't cause nearly as much damage as she would have liked, but even seven hundred was better than nothing.  She couldn't guess yet what his ace card might be but the sooner she finished this duel the better.  If she kept feeling the same damage that her monsters did, then she wasn't sure of how much more she could take.

Mirage Dragon vanished in a puff of sparkles as Cyber Prima slammed into him, Darkness's life points dropping down to twenty-five hundred.  Still a long way to go, but Asuka believed she could do it.

Darkness brushed it off easily though as she set her last card face down and ended her turn.  "You're not that bad.  I might almost regret finishing you off - but probably not."  He regarded her thoughtfully before he drew his own next card and then pointed towards her.  "Do you hear the cries of those dragons that you've destroyed?  They shriek from the graveyard, demanding vengeance for their passing!"

"You're getting into this a little much,"  Asuka muttered.  She'd never been fond of those who were too over-dramatic in duels.  Spirits or no spirits - and she hadn't made up her mind on that - it was still a game.  Though a very deadly one right now.

But Darkness continued as if she'd not said a thing.  "You will suffer for what you've done! The souls of the dragons demand it!  Now it begins!  I summon Black Dragon's Chick!" 

In front of him there now appeared a large red egg, From the egg there burst a small dragon, not quite small enough to hold in one's hands. It glared at her and Cyber Prima, hissing in anger as it did.  Darkness wasted no further time.

"I send Black Dragon's Chick to the graveyard and summon Red Eyes Black Dragon from my hand!" 

The chick explode into light and that light coalesced into a gigantic dragon, sleek and black of scale, with sharp red eyes that peered as her as if she were the source of all it hated in the cosmos.  Asuka's attention shifted from the dragon to Darkness's mask and back again.

It's the same.  He's wearing the Red Eyes Black Dragon Mask.  Something else clicked.  She couldn't see his face properly still, not with the mask there, and the shadows cast by the lava made it even more difficult to be sure.  But the more she listened to his voice and the more she stared at him, the more certain Asuka became.  She wasn't sure at all of how or why, but - but she'd done it.

She'd found her brother.  Now she just needed to find a way to find him inside of whatever it was that used his body.  She didn't know how this Darkness entity did it, but he wore her brother like a suit, and that wasn't going to happen any longer if she had anything to say about it.

"Your dragon only has a hundred more points than Cyber Prima,"  she pointed out.  "That's hardly anything at all."

"Oh, you're quite right on that."   All around Darkness, shadows cast by the lava stirred and twisted and rose upward, dancing in a frenzy that sent chills down Asuka's spine.  "Therefore, I send Red-Eyes Black Dragon to the graveyard to summon Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon!" 

The shadows converged on the great black dragon, wrapping all around it and blocking it from sight.  When they pulled away, the dragon looked larger, but slimmer, with a sense of intelligence that Asuka didn't find reassuring in the slightest. 

"Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon draws power from every dragon that's been sent to the graveyard," Darkness declared.  "With Spear Dragon, Mirage Dragon, Black Dragon's Chick, and Red-Eyes Black Dragon, that makes his attack 3,600!"  He regarded her carefully.  This strike would finish her, taking her last thirteen hundred life points in one fell swoop. "Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, attack!  Bring me the victory with Darkness Giga Flame!"

"Not so fast!"  Asuka declared, gasping the words out as quickly as she could.  "I activate my traps!  Spirit Barrier prevents me from taking damage at all, and Doble Passe allows me to make this attack on my monster a direct attack on me - and then I can directly attack you with Cyber Prima! Go! Closing Reverence!"

Even as Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon blasted a stream of intense black fire at her, Cyber Prima leaped over the flames, dodging them gracefully, and landed in front of Darkness, striking at him with all of her might. Darkness fell back a step himself, his life points dropping to a mere two hundred, and he snarled, eyes flashing like red coals.

"You won't do that again next turn,"  he promised. Asuka knew he was right.  Doble Passe would go to the graveyard at the end of this turn.  Spirit Barrier would remain, being a Continuous Trap, but it required her to have a monster on the field.  If he could destroy Cyber Prima, then she would have no defense whatsoever. 

If this were her brother - if he used Fubuki's deck - then she knew that in that deck rested cards that could either destroy Cyber Prima, destroy Spirit Barrier, or inflict effect damage, which Spirit Barrier wouldn't negate. 

He wasn't done with her now.  Two more cards remained in his hand.  He tugged out one of them.  "I activate Fire Dragon's Blazing Bullet, and choose the effect of dealing eight hundred points of damage to my opponent!"

Asuka had time to think of how petty this was before fire engulfed her.  Firestarters weren't burned by fire, no matter how weak they were, and she'd always been one of the strongest.  For the first time in her life, she knew what it felt like to burn, and not in that glorious way that Firestarters did.  She screamed, falling face forward, trembling from head to foot.

Firestarter.  Firestarter.  Another voice whispered to her.  She flinched at first, but then others joined in.

"Asuka!  Asuka!  Stand up!  You can do this!" 

"Yeah!  You've got this!  He's only got two hundred left!" 

"Idiots."  That voice cut over the other ones.  "She's lost already.  All she has to do is stop breathing.  Then I will duel you, Yuuki Juudai."

Slowly Asuka's head cleared.  She dragged in a breath.  The fires called.  She glanced over to where her friends were and saw that whatever it was that protected them from the lava had drawn backwards. They'd not fallen in yet but it wasn't that far away.  So she needed to finish this.  She needed - she didn't know what she needed.  All that she could think of right now was to win, to overcome that dragon and destroy those last two hundred life points.  But Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon had thirty-six hundred - even with Cyber Blader, she had nothing that could top that.

Wait - wait.  One card. One hope. 

"So you don't want to peacefully lay down and die?"  Darkness taunted her as she swayed to her feet, small flames of her own beginning to dance around her.  "I'm going to extinguish those fires of yours!"

"My fire will cut through your shadows to what lies beneath, Darkness!"  Asuka shot back.  "All I need is one card to finish you off!"

"Try your best!" 

Asuka drew her card.  "I activate Pot of Greed, and draw two more cards!"  She knew how slim her odds were, but if she were going to go down, then she'd go down fighting every step of the way.  She smiled at the sight of her two new cards - exactly what she needed.

Juudai always thanked his deck when he got a good draw.  Asuka wondered if she should start doing the same thing.

"I summon Cyber Petit Angel! When this card is successfully summoned, I can add Machine Angel Ritual from my deck to my hand!"

She'd only recently added Ritual monsters to her deck.  Perhaps this was why she'd wanted to do so.  Regardless, it was time.  Cyber Petit Angel wiggled little metallic wings and the card she needed appeared in her hand from the deck.  She moved on; better to get this done before Darkness could counter her.

"I activate Machine Angel Ritual!  By tributing Cyber Prima and Cyber Petit Angel, I Ritual Summon Cyber Angel Dakini!"

A tall armored woman spun into existence before her, blue-skinned and red-haired, with armor of gold.  The top two of her four arms held swords while the bottom two held a long staff.  "When Cyber Angel Dakini is summoned, then you select and destroy one of your monsters."  Asuka smiled a thin-lipped smile.  "And you only have one monster."

Darkness jerked in surprise as Dakini struck his mighty Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon with her staff, and it exploded into a pile of scales and dust that faded away a breath later.  She could see his eyes widen as he understood what was about to happen.  Asuka didn't give him time to fear it.

"Cyber Angel Dakini!  Direct attack!"

At once Dakini leaped forward again, this time swiping both of her swords across him.  His life points drained away entirely, and he fell, screaming, the card that he'd declared would hold her soul on her defeat now glowing ever so softly.  Asuka wasn't sure how she stayed on her feet, but she tottered towards him, even as light flared up around them.  When that light cleared, they weren't over the volcano anymore, but on the side of it.  Her flamelets faded away and she collapsed next to the black-clad body.

"Asuka!  Asuka!"  Ryou hurried closer, Misawa and Professor Chronos with him.  Juudai, Shou, Hayato, and Thordis hurried as well, coming to check on her.  She didn't care; she was fine.  But she pulled the body into her arms, noticing vaguely that he still breathed.  She slipped the mask off of his face, hardly able to think or breathe right now, especially as she saw that it was Fubuki, it was her brother, he lay there unconscious, but alive.  Tears coursed down her cheeks and she didn't care.  She'd held those back far too long over the last two years.

Slowly she looked up at Ryou, the only other person who might understand how she felt right now. "It's him,"  she whispered.  "It's Fubuki.  That other soul - Darkness - it's gone now."  She could see the card discarded to one side.  There was Darkness, staring back at them through the chains. Maybe 'gone' wasn't the right word, but it would do.

Asuka closed her eyes and let herself slump forward, her mind going dark and restful.  This time when she woke up, Fubuki would be there, and she could get answers on what happened, how he'd vanished and why he'd vanished, where he'd been all this time, and why he worked for these people wanting powerful and evil cards. 

She'd done it.  She'd saved her brother.

The End

Notes: Okay, let's face it. Asuka was robbed when it came to her search for Fubuki. All it really did for her in canon was get her kidnapped by Titan (an event I can assure you didn't happen in this AU), and then after that she just kinda floats around uselessly in the plot. She wasn't even allowed to be the one to set Fubuki free. No, that had to take second place to Juudai and his eternal need for fun duels! Not this time, though. Also, I mainly set this in my Healer/Firestarter AU for the grins and giggles. This might not be the best duel but I think it works.

Lastly, I sorted out this duel and wrote it all today. The idea has floated in my head for ages and it just slammed in that this would be perfect for today's prompt, even though I had my other fic ready anyway. Meh, ideas.

[higuchimon]

[fanfic] Taken Away, Taking Up

 His brother was gone.  Shou didn't want to believe it, but it remained true.  Ryou fled from those weird men who'd come to the door, keeping them away from Shou.  Not quite everyone believed that was why he ran, but Shou believed in his brother, and he trusted that one day, Ryou would return.  Somehow. 

He stared down at the earth in the garden beneath his feet.  Tiny plants unfolded themselves at his glance and he reached out to touch them ever so lightly.  He couldn't yet hear their voices, but he had an idea of what they'd say  - to stay strong, to believe that his brother would return.  He could do that, whether or not the plants told him to.

They weren't going to stay here.  He'd already heard his parents and their bond-mates talking about it.  All of the adults had made the decision.  They didn't know who had taken Ryou, but it was better to go somewhere where they'd be safer.  Shou wasn't happy about that at all.  What if Ryou tried to come back and they weren't there anymore?  But while they listened, they still hadn't changed their minds.

"Don't worry,"  his father assured him, patting him on the shoulder.  "When he comes back, the Guild will be able to tell him where we are.  He'll be back with us soon."

Shou truly wanted to believe that.  But he made up his mind about something right then and there - he'd heard Ryou talking about how to respect one's opponents.  He wasn't sure exactly what Ryou meant by that but he would figure it out and he would do that.  He would make sure that when Ryou returned - and he would never, for a single moment, think of it was if Ryou returned, because his brother would come back - Ryou would be proud of him.

There wasn't any way that Ryou couldn't be found.  Ryou might only be seven years old but he was the most powerful Firestarter that Shou had ever heard of.  He'd heard many stories about how perfect Ryou was.  He wasn't sure if he understood "perfect" but he knew what being the best was, and Ryou was the very, absolute best.  He could already talk to the flames, so the flames would end up finding him.  It wasn't as if someone could go somewhere that didn’t have fire or plants willing to talk.  Or a FireCat or a HealerCat could find him. 

There were too many ways that Ryou could be found, and Shou refused to give up faith for so much as a breath that it would happen.

Even as the days turned into weeks, the weeks to months, the months to years, he hoped.  His brother was out there somewhere, and if no one else did, Shou would find him personally.  He needed to learn how to be strong, both in dueling and in the skills of a Healer, and he could do that at Duel Academia.

The End

Notes: I know who has Ryou, and why, and when he’ll return. And what he’s doing.

[higuchimon]

For the five sentence prompt: Daisuke x Ken: Why is the stove on fire?

“Why is the stove on fire?”

Ken threw a quick look over his shoulder before he jerked his attention back to the stove. “Because I can’t cook,” was all he had time to say before he tried and failed to save dinner.

Daisuke walked over and gently nudged Ken off to one side. Ken went without protest. His talents were impressive – even if he didn’t think of them that way – but in certain cases, Daisuke outstripped him without effort.

He’d hated that, once upon a time. Hated that Daisuke could be so effortlessly enticing, that no matter what he’d tried, he’d never been able to physically hurt Daisuke. If he’d ever managed to so much as tear Daisuke’s clothing, it would have been a cause of celebration for weeks on end.

Now he knew better, of course. Now he could see Daisuke simply sternly regard the blaze on the stove and it quieted down at once. Daisuke scooped the now-tiny fire up into the palm of his hand and cooed over it before he glanced at Ken.

“Can you clean that up while I take care of this little guy?” Daisuke asked, running his fingers through the flickering flmae. Ken nodded a bit humbly; if Daisuke hadn’t shown up, he wasn’t sure what might have happened.

Frankly, it would be embarrassing for their apartment to get burned. Daisuke ranked in the top five strongest Firestarters in Japan – if not the entire world. He hadn’t checked the most recent rankings.

Even if Daisuke hadn’t been a Firestarter – and Ken couldn’t imagine him as anything else – he was also not actually human. Being the crafted offspring of Apocalymon came with some perks, such as being practically indestructible. He could have scooped up the flames then just as he did now, though he might not have been cooing adorably at the flame as it busily danced and wiggled on his open palm.

Ken worked on scrubbing the stove clean, trying hard not to stare too much at Daisuke as the other stepped to the balcony, where a few of his other fire-pets happily danced and glowed in their lanterns. He guessed, without having to look, that Daisuke slipped this little one into a lantern and set it with the others, allowing it to burn cheerfully without hurting anyone else.

“There,” Daisuke declared with a satisfied smile as he closed the door again. “It’s going to live out there.” His smile turned a trifle teasing as he approached Ken. “You didn’t have to get me a new pet, you know.”

Ken sniffed. “I wasn’t trying to.” He knew Daisuke loved flames of all kinds – it was part of being what he was. But he hadn’t been trying to do that.

Daisuke’s arms slid around Ken’s waist and he tucked his head against Ken’s shoulder. “I know. You were trying to cook dinner.”

“I should be able to do that,” Ken said. He glanced again at the stove, now perfectly clean. “Order takeout?”

“Good idea.”

The End

Notes: Written for a tumblr prompt starting with the first line.

[higuchimon]

[fanfic] Arising

The needle slid into his arm, carrying with it the load of drugs. The official name was something tame and ordinary – but he’d heard it called something else by the officials here. Something that twisted at his heart even as the drug seared through his body, cutting off his ties to the earth and his hidden garden.

They called it Weedkiller – the opposite of Firedamp, the drug that sealed away a Healer’s powers. He wanted to fight, but two things kept him from moving. One was the sedative they’d injected just before this – one of the more powerful ones. The other was the fact it didn’t matter. Thick depression wrapped around him, keeping him dragged down and unmoving.

“Think we should bring him a cactus?” One of the guards joked as Kiryu was dragged back to his tiny, dingy cell. “Might cheer the place up a bit!”

The other guard laughed as well. Neither of them were Healers or Firestarters. None of those were allowed to work in the prison here. The few rumors he’d heard – all before he came here – leaned to the thought that Healers or Firestarters were simply too kind-hearted and too delicate to work in such a place.

That was, after all, one of the reasons why Healers were forbidden to live in Satellite at all. Those who had the gift were quickly located whenever it displayed – children weren’t very good at hiding what they could do – and taken out of there. Rumors about that abounded too. About how the children were drugged and brainwashed to forget their past and given to new parents. Sometimes they were even given entirely new names, to make the break complete.

Kiryu never knew if he should have believed that or not. Part of him didn’t want to. He was – had been – a Healer himself, and he’d Budded at an early age. But he’d kept it secret, refusing to let anyone else know what he could do.

At least, they didn’t know what he could do and kept on living. He’d killed more than one person who found his secret garden. The garden that he wasn’t even certain existed anymore. How could he tell, when the earth didn’t speak to him and the plants did nothing at all?

This was all Yuusei’s fault. He’d thought at one point they might bond – he’d wanted that so very much. So had Yuusei – or so he thought.

He could never, ever forget seeing Yuusei standing next to those officers, one of them patting him on the shoulder, saying something Kiryu couldn't hear thanks to the rain. Probably praising him for what he’d done. Maybe even offering him a place in the city one day.

That didn’t happen often. But Yuusei was a very strong Firestarter. If anyone could find a way to make it out, it would be him. Probably he would bond to a rich Healer and live out the rest of his days in luxurious comfort, forgetting everyone else, especially Kiryu. Perhaps even laughing at that foolish Healer of his youth.

The guards tossed him onto the bed and headed out, locking the cell behind them. They didn’t give another look as they left. Kiryu didn’t move. He saw no reason. He had nothing – no cards, no duel disk, no plants, no friends, nothing at all.

He didn’t even have light in here. There was supposed to be a light bulb, but it was burned out more than it wasn’t. Right now was a burned out time. But he didn’t care. Darkness was better. Darkness filled the entire room, such as it was.

Yuusei. Yuusei. Yuusei. There weren’t many drugs that could hurt a Firestarter, but Kiryu could easily devote months to developing one that would rip Yuusei inside out – slowly. He didn’t think of much these days but he thought about that. About how much he hated Yuusei and what he would do to gain his revenge. It would happen someday. Somehow.

Kiryu daydreamed of having Yuusei bound up in the thickest, tightest vines that he could nurture, with long and sharp thorns that would sink into Yuusei’s most tender parts and then slowly, ever so slowly, he would torment him to death. A quick death wouldn’t do it – not when he’d been forced to suffer like this. Yuusei wouldn’t have it any better.

I like the way that you think.

A voice as deep as the earth, as old as time, that shook him from the inside out. Kiryu wished he had the energy to sit up. But perhaps he didn’t need to. The shadows wrapped all around him and sank deep into him and he wasn’t sure if they kept him from breathing or if he just hadn’t been since he laid down.

You haven’t been. You are dead.

… dead? He’d died? But he was still there. Still in the cell. He knew it. He tried to move and nothing happened.

Your heart is full of hate. I approve. I call to you – I choose you, above all others.

There wasn’t a face there. There was merely an awareness that something looked at him, and approved of him.

Your touch will bring death to all who stand against you. No longer can death touch you, for you are mine, and I will not have it.

Kiryu couldn’t ask a question. No part of him would move. But whatever this creature was, it knew what he thought.

I am Ccapac Apu. You seek vengeance – you seek death for all those who have harmed you.

He couldn't deny that. Hadn’t he just been thinking the same thing?

I will grant you that vengeance – for a price. You will belong to me. You will duel as I wish, against the Signers.

Kiryu didn’t know who those were. But he didn’t care. He saw no reason not to do as Ccapac Apu wanted.

New strength burned through him even as the acceptance crossed his mind. He slowly pulled himself to his feet. He blinked – the shadows hadn’t changed, but he could see through them, as if they weren’t there. He wasn’t wearing the simple pants and shirt that he had been before. He felt different. As if he were a new person.

A person who could feel the call of the Earth underneath his feet, but it didn’t sing among in his blood the way that it had before. He slowly walked to the cell door and opened it. It had been locked. Now force flared along his arm and perhaps “opening” wasn’t the right term.

Perhaps “tore it open” would have been better.

Kiryu smiled. On his arm there glowed a strange new mark, one that formed the shape of a man. His mark – that of Ccapac Apu. He could feel the God’s strength inside of him, enabling him to do as he pleased. As long as he obeyed, he would be maintained.

That was fine with him. He would be guided to his revenge. This was only the beginning.

Lights and noises, alarms, rang out as he walked out of the cell, and the sound of scurrying booted feet resulted in the guards appearing around the corner. They pitched to a halt, staring at him.

“No way,” one of them whispered, the one who made bad jokes about bringing him plants. “He was practically comatose!”

Something about the expression that turned Kiryu’s lips upward – he wasn’t sure if it registered as a smile – sent them stumbling back as he moved forward. They pulled their guns and started shooting without another word. Kiryu didn’t even flinch. The bullets hitting him caused no pain at all. He’d already died. What could they possibly do to him?

He sank his fingertips into the neck of the other one, who’d only laughed. He liked the sound of the guard’s neck snapping and the way he went limp before Kiryu threw him across the hallway and turned to the other.

“What do you want?” The guard babbled, trying to fire again and not succeeding. “What do you want?”

“Revenge,” Kiryu answered simply. “But we’ll start with my deck. I want it. Now.”

The guard trembled, gun falling from his useless hand. Kiryu ignored it, stalking closer to the guard. “Give me my deck.” This had been the one who had taken it. He remembered. He remembered everything.

“Will you let me live?” The guard squeaked. Kiryu smiled his sweetest smile.

“No. But there’s a difference between dying fast and dying slow. I can show you that.”

His grip tightened around the guard’s neck. “So show me.”

He didn’t ask again. He didn’t need to.

What he did need to do was meet with the other Dark Signers. He didn’t know who they were, only that they existed somewhere out there. Ccapac Apu would show him, he knew. And perhaps he’d blow up a few things along the way.

It would do to send a message. Kyosuke Kiryu lived again – and soon Fudo Yuusei wouldn’t.

The End

Notes: Kiryu died of starvation, being beaten, and an overdose of a drug meant to keep a Healer’s powers blocked off. Frankly, the guards didn’t care enough to make sure they didn’t overdose him. Just sedated him and shot him up and that was it. I love world-building in my Healer/Firestarter Aus! Anyone curious to see what else would happen in this world in that AU?

[higuchimon]

[fanfic] Knight of Black Flames

Shou didn’t want to look at the destroyed Digimon mini. Doing so meant yet another stab of pain to his heart. It was all his fault. If it hadn’t been for him – if he hadn’t been so Weak - then Peckmon would still be – still be there.

If I could do more than spark - He stared down at his hands. If he focused hard enough, tiny sparks ran over his hands. He was a Firestarter – if one wished to be technical about it. A simple level Red – someone who could be useful as a hot water bottle on a cold winter night, but not much more.

Not like Blue or higher levels, capable of incinerating people in a single breath, or even the legendary Black Flames, those who scorched so hot that they could not turn cold.

If he’d been stronger, he could have protected Peckmon. It was all his fault… all his and no one else’s.

“This is not so, Kahara Shou.” A deep, rich voice spoke. Shou’s head jerked up; he wasn’t in his bedroom anymore. He didn’t know where he was; he’d never seen a place like this before. What he could see of the walls revealed them to be of magnificent workmanship, as if he’d been suddenly transported to a castle or palace. Everything else he could see of this place continued the theme. A palace of some kind – but how had he gotten here?

Then his attention focused on the person who stood in front of him – if person were even the correct way to describe him. Whoever they were, they towered over him, and Shou thought they would have even if he were an adult. Roughly humanoid, in the sense of having one head, two arms, two legs, and a body, they gave the sense of being an old man, helped by the long beard and wise eyes that stared down at Shou. In one hand was held a long staff that Shou couldn’t see the shape of very well, and the other hand looked more like a large claw than anything else. Two slender scarlet wings rose up from behind the stranger.

All of this Shou took in during a single heartbeat. He swallowed and tried to steel himself.

“Who are you? Where is this place?” More sparks fluttered over his hands – then without warning, the sparks roared into a virtual hellfire. Shou leaped back in shock, eyes rounding. A strange new strength sang under his skin, pulsing as nothing ever had before. “Did you do that??” He didn't think this was a Firestarter. Even someone as weak as he was could have sensed that – maybe.

“No, Kahara Shou. You did. This is my gift to you – the first of many, I believe.” The stranger smiled down at him. “I have fanned your flames from the mere coals they were into a true hellfire, worthy of my Knight.”

Shou’s gaze flickered from his own hands to the fire and then up to the stranger. “What?”

“I am Barbamon – soon to be master of the Digital World. But I have need of a warrior to strike on my behalf. Many such warriors exist in the Digital World, but I will also need one who can exist in the human world. For that purpose, I have chosen you.”

Shou didn’t think he could believe his ears. “What are you talking about? Digimon – Digimon are data.” They were data that should be loved and cherished like anything else, not carelessly discarded or destroyed, but -

“Perhaps in your world that is true. But we are in the Digital World, where Digimon are as real as you. Allow me to present my second gift.”

Barbamon twisted his hand and between one breath and the next, Peckmon stood next to Shou. Not just a digital image, but Peckmon, real and solid, as large as Shou himself, and reaching for him. Shou’s fingers landed on his neck, and the solid reality of him was there, life throbbing under his touch.

“I was able to rescue him from the Dark Area,” Barbamon revealed. “It wasn’t an easy task at all. But for you, my Knight, it was one I performed gladly.”

Shou jerked his head to stare at Barbamon. He knew tears spilled down his cheeks and he didn’t care. “What do you want me to do for you?”

“You now possess the power of a Black Flame. You share in my power because of this.” Barbamon moved his staff in front of him, fingers flexing over the top of it. “There are certain items known as the Digi-memories that I desire. Peckmon, it seems, has one of them. Your first task, after you’ve completed training, will be to gather them for me.”

All of this spun through Shou’s head endlessly. He wasn’t sure of what to think about any of this – except that he could call fire stronger than anything he’d ever seen before and Peckmon leaned against him, strong and alive, and …

And if he said no, then Barbamon would take all of that back. He would be a common Red Firestarter again. He wouldn’t have Peckmon anymore. At best Peckmon could be a digital image on a device, not the living, breathing creature that leaned into him and whispered encouragement and support.

“What do you say, Kahara Shou?” Barbamon asked. “Will you be my Knight and assist me in the rebirth of the Digital World? Shattering the bonds between human and Digimon, for the greater good of Digimon.” A sly smile flickered over his lips. “Your bond with Peckmon would remain, of course. You have proven that you deserve it, as no others have.”

Something about those words made up Shou’s mind for him. He squared up his shoulders and faced his new master.

“Yes, Barbamon-sama. I’ll do what you want.” For the Digital World. For the Digimon.

The End

Notes: I have other thoughts concerning how NEXT plays out like this. But all in good time.