Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Ethereal ❯ The Glittering Lake ( Chapter 16 )

Jyouto/Yamajyou fluff coming up!

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Chapter XVI

"Wow…how pretty."

Daisuke rolled his eyes at Mimi's comment. Sure, the lake was a sight for sore eyes, but all he could really think about was what sort of trap Piximon had waiting for them. His eyes roamed the glittering surface of the water warily. It was mid-afternoon and the sun beamed down on them unmercifully. He wiped away at some of the sweat gathering on his forehead and faced the others.

"I guess we can stay here for a bit before continuing," he suggested.

The others all nodded in agreement and immediately, Mimi and Miyako went off by the edge of the lake, squealing excitedly. Daisuke regarded them curiously before walking over to Ken, who was sitting on a boulder trying to cool himself with a large leaf he picked up from the ground.

"Trust me, pal. That ain't going to do shit against this heat," remarked Daisuke amusedly.

Ken glared at him. "I know that, Dais. But you can't blame a guy for trying, right?" he replied, sighing deeply as he shielded his eyes from the stark light that shone down on them. "Why is it so damn hot here anyway?"

Shrugging, Daisuke faced the lake again. "You got me," he retorted. The same question had been lingering on his mind as well. They were near water; that usually entailed cooler weather. Daisuke swallowed a lump in his throat as he watched the swaying waters. Something about it caused uneasiness in him.

"You guys should come on down here and cool off!" exclaimed Taichi.

He and a few of the others had taken to stripping down some of their clothes to wade off into the water by the shore. Daisuke narrowed his eyes and looked at Ken.

"What say you, my friend?" he asked.

Ken resisted a smirk. "Why not?" he replied.

Suddenly, both boys leapt to their feet and began running towards their companions, splashing water at the girls hazardously. Mimi in particular screamed the loudest when Daisuke waved water over to her. The only ones who didn't join them were Jyou and Yamato, whom were still sitting by the edge.

"They look like they're having fun," commented Jyou with a small smile as he watched Taichi lift Koushirou off his feet and drop him into the water. He looked at Yamato, who only stared back at the scene calmly. "Still worried, huh?"

That had managed to snap Yamato out of his reverie. "Can you blame me?" he replied. He then crossed his arms and stood up, looking into the distance. "It's nice here. But…I don't know."

Yamato's voice sounded clipped. His eyes retained a faraway look as he gazed into the horizon. Jyou watched him in concern. "What is it? Yamato?" he inquired sharply.

Suddenly Yamato looked at him, an apologetic look on his face. "Ah, sorry, Jyou," he said.

The latter frowned slightly and stood up, clapping down his clothes. "If you sensed something, you shouldn't ignore it," he advised. He then studied the water for a moment, crinkling his eyebrows as he did so. "There is something off now that I think about it."

Yamato gazed at Jyou questionably. "You feel it, too? Then why can't anyone else?" he asked, gesturing to the others who were still blissfully ignorant.

"Maybe it's because of our powers. I'm water, you're ice. And we're standing by a damn lake so I'm guessing we'd be more perceptive to anything off around here than them," remarked Jyou as he crossed his arms.

The lake appeared innocent enough. It stretched for several acres and was a simple, oval shape. The waters were a beautiful blue tone that reflected the sun perfectly. In fact, it hurt to stare at it too long. Jyou bit his lip. There was definitely something wrong with the picture, though. Underneath the water, he could sense a strong presence lurking about. Water was always able to mask a greater danger. He remembered Piximon telling him before-part of his powers was not only the elemental control, but to see through illusions. It was one of the attributes to having the power over water. Another was healing, though Jyou didn't quite understand that one. As far as he could remember, he never healed any one of his friends from their injuries and he himself healed at a normal pace like all the others. So what did Piximon mean?

"What's up, Jyou?"

Blinking, the blue-haired man faced Yamato. "Um…nothing. Just thinking to myself," he replied quickly, blushing slightly at having dazed off.

Yamato stared back at him darkly. "If both of us see something then shouldn't we warn the others?" he inquired, arching an eyebrow.

Jyou looked slightly startled. "Well…yeah, I guess. I mean we haven't-" he began before being cut off by a loud splash.

Both Jyou and Yamato looked up to see a large, dragon-like digimon glowering down at them menacingly. Jyou had barely registered his shock when the digimon made a sudden snap at him. A few seconds later, the blue-haired man found himself tangled on the ground with Yamato, who was glaring down at him angrily.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" he hissed bitingly.

Jyou blinked in surprise before catching a glimpse of the digimon behind Yamato. "Watch it!" he warned, rolling to the side with Yamato.

"What the hell is that thing?" muttered the blond as they quickly moved to dodge another one of its attacks. "And where are the others?"

A quick glimpse behind them and the two soon found their answer. The rest of the Destined were still wading waist-high in the water, except this time there stood a strange clown-like digimon before them, taunting them while he paralyzed all of them in place. Yamato cursed under his breath as he saw everyone looking at him and Jyou's direction in panic.

"The others are stuck as it seems," came the calm voice.

Yamato looked at Jyou incredulously. "Way to point out the obvious, Kido," he replied.

The blue-haired man shrugged and gestured to the dragon digimon before them. "I suggest we worry about him before we go over there," he said.

"Nice plan," remarked Yamato as he quickly dove to the ground when the digimon fired a small blast at him.

"Oh, this is just so fun isn't it, Metal Seadramon?"

Yamato looked at the clown digimon indignantly. Fun wasn't exactly the term he would have used to describe the situation. He glanced at Jyou and saw him smile helplessly at him. We're dead if we don't figure something out. Yamato looked around wildly to see if there anything he could use. All that stood between him and the two crazed digimon were twigs and a few bushes that weren't even tall enough to hide behind. Then there was the lake. He immediately dismissed that thought. Metal Seadramon already took up that element. Diving in there now would be suicide.

The blond narrowed his eyes. His power was over ice. Perhaps there was some way he could freeze the lake-but that took a lot of effort and he doubted he would be able to accomplish such a feat. Dammit. Yamato looked at Jyou, who was staring up at Metal Seadramon with a mixed expression on his face. There was, however, little fear. This surprised Yamato slightly.

"Have any more ideas, Jyou?" he inquired, grimacing when Metal Seadramon turned his eyes on him sharply.

The blue-haired man gave a small smile. "Only suicidal ones," he answered.

"Are these the supposed Destined? What's wrong with them? I thought they were supposed to be strong!" exclaimed Metal Seadramon condescendingly as he sneered at Jyou and Yamato. "Don't tell me you're afraid of little old me?"

Yamato bit his lip, trying to hold back his tongue. He would not reply to the digimon's words-it would only get him and Jyou into further trouble. He closed his eyes and thought to himself desperately. What could he do?

Metal Seadramon began gliding through the water, inching closer to the pair as he did so. His gaze on them never wavered and he thought it highly amusing when he saw Yamato flinch. Piximon had said they were a talented bunch. That was not what he was witnessing now. And quite frankly, if these were the humans that were supposed to save the Digital World, he might as well give up the fight against Pathogen and delete himself.

"Piemon, can I have a little fun with them?"

The clown digimon glanced at him calmly before smiling slowly. "Sure. Why not?" he replied, a glint in his eyes as he did so. The rest of the Destined within his control shuddered inwardly.

Metal Seadramon grinned and suddenly whipped his tail out from the water to grab hold of the blue-haired one. The man yelled out involuntarily as he was lifted to the air.

"Let him go!" cried Yamato in despair.

"How about…no," replied Metal Seadramon as he brought the blue-haired one, Jyou, closer to his face. He examined the wriggling human in his grasp interestedly. They were such a fragile-looking bunch of creatures, really. But Piximon had faith in them for some strange reason. Metal Seadramon thought to himself amusedly. Let's see how much these guys can take then. Tightening his hold on Jyou, he quickly threw down the man into the water.

"No!" shouted Yamato as he attempted to run before Piemon paralyzed him in his place.

"Now, now, now, don't get so hasty. Let's see how long that human can hold his breath shall we?" he said, smiling knowingly. Show us your power, Keeper of Faith. He crossed his arms in anticipation. He hadn't this much fun in quite some time. He was glad he agreed to help Piximon in his test.

For several moments there was silence. The other Destined were stunned where they stood, watching in horror as Metal Seadramon calmly held down a struggling Jyou, who they could neither see nor hear due to the water. There wasn't any thrashing in the water but the blue-haired man was probably already in too deep. Taichi shut his eyes away from the scene and balled his fists. He glanced over at Daisuke and saw the younger boy shuddering with rage. Mimi was nearly shaken to tears and everyone else watched with a grim sort of expression.

Yamato swore inwardly to himself. This isn't how it's supposed to happen. Piximon…don't you think this going a little too far? He felt deep fear. It angered him to see one of his friends tormented before his very eyes-it angered him even more that it was Jyou. No matter what, the blue-haired man had always been there for all of them. And now that it was finally his turn to need help, none of them could. Tears of rage crept up at the corners of his eyes. Dammit it all.

"Ooh…he's beginning to loosen up," remarked Metal Seadramon, feeling the man as he stopped struggling. "I think he needs air. What do you think, Piemon?"

The latter chuckled. "Are you being considerate, Metal Seadramon? I've never seen that side of you before," he replied, arching an eyebrow.

The dragon digimon let out a low growl. "Whoever said I was going to let him come up, Piemon? Honestly, you assume too much," he retorted with a snort.

"Let him go, you damn psychotic digimon!" cursed Daisuke suddenly.

The two digimon looked at him with some humor. Piemon uncrossed his arms and walked up to the dark-haired boy, lifting his chin up with a dagger to meet with his gaze. "Are you in a rush to die, my friend? Don't you want to watch one of your own go down first?" he inquired lightly.

Daisuke sneered at the digimon, not caring about the cold metal biting his neck. "Let him go," he repeated again, his voice hoarse.

Piemon grinned widely. "Ah, there's the spirit I was looking for!" he exclaimed gleefully before looking at Metal Seadramon. "These Destined aren't so much like dummies after all!"

The dragon digimon snickered as he slowly raised his tail out of the water. "Let's see how he faired shall we?" he commented.

Everyone watched in sick horror as Metal Seadramon lifted his tail entirely, revealing a very wet and unconscious figure in his hold. Daisuke held back a cry as his throat suddenly became too dry to speak. He could barely see Jyou's face due to his hair, but he could very well tell by his skin tone and stillness that he wasn't breathing.

"Look at this! Barely even in for five minutes and he's out," remarked Metal Seadramon with some disgust as he tossed Jyou carelessly back into the water. "So much for the great Keeper of Faith."

The others looked on in terror as Jyou slipped under the water. There wasn't a single word exchanged between them but each knew what the other was feeling-it was dread and absolute pain of loss. Mimi had tears running down her face but she couldn't move to wipe them away due to Piemon's spell. All the rest of the girls had tears running down their faces in fact, but none were quite so loud except Mimi, who was hiccupping uncontrollably as her shoulders shook.

In all the dangers they had faced before, they never recalled one being so treacherous. Never were they forced to watch as one of their friends succumbed to punishment. Never did the enemy know so much about them. Never were they ever so helpless.

"Aaw…and they shed tears for their lost ones. How sweet."

Piemon had soon begun his snide remarks as he gazed down at each of the remaining Destined. It was rather pathetic. He wasn't even using that strong of a spell to bind them down. They still needed a lot more training. Piximon and Wizardmon would have their work cut out for themselves. And he was still curious to hear about that Takeru boy. It would have been more interesting if Hope had been within their ranks-then Piemon could have played with him. The digimon sighed inwardly. Alas, that wasn't the case.

"Well then…whom do we play with now?" queried Metal Seadramon as he narrowed his eyes at Yamato. The blond was staring at the lake, a haunted look in his eyes. The digimon smiled. "Do you miss your friend? I assure you, you'll be joining him soon enough."

Yamato didn't even hear Metal Seadramon's words. All he was focused on now was the water and that somewhere in its depth, Jyou was still there, possibly dead by now. He felt tears fall from his eyes. Why Jyou? His mind screamed at him. It was unfair-it was completely irrational. The way these digimon dealt with them was as if they didn't even care about life itself. To think they could just wipe them out slowly, one at a time, and think it was fun was sickening. Yamato closed his eyes. Jyou…you left before I could tell you anything. His thoughts grieved him. Was this really it? Was he giving up on Jyou already? It had been at least ten minutes now and the blue-haired man made no sign of making a reemergence. He was sure even Jyou couldn't hold his breath that long.

"Death's something you'll all have to get used to," came Piemon's voice, surprisingly calm and without its annoying charm.

"You bastards!" screamed Iori, surprising everyone with his boldness. "Death isn't a game!"

Piemon smiled down at him, though the image was thrown off by the ominous look in his eyes. "You're quite right, little one. But I tell you what-that doesn't mean we have to live by that statement," he replied, laughing merrily soon afterwards at his own words.

"Hey, Piemon, quit messing with them and just choose the next one to go down. I'm getting bored here," called out Metal Seadramon exasperatedly. Piemon played around far too much.

The latter rolled his eyes and snapped at Metal Seadramon. "Well, excuse me for liking to inflict mental damage!" he retorted.

"That's more of Pinocchimon's forte," commented Metal Seadramon.

Piemon thought to himself for a bit. "Well, who do you think taught him everything he knows?" he shot back, grinning widely. He then faced the Destined again. "He's such a good little pupil, you know."

"Fuck off," muttered Daisuke.

"What? Oh, don't tell me you're all resigning because of that Jyou! Come on! How anticlimactic! The only reason we killed him was to get you all boiled over and mad!"

That struck a deep nerve within everyone as they suddenly looked at him with renewed vigor. Piemon smiled to himself. Ah, that's more like it. Piximon, you're going to have fun with these kids all right. He suddenly waved his arms and everyone staggered slightly as the spell was lifted.

"I'll let you avenge your friend if you're up to it," he purred out silkily before going over to Metal Seadramon. "They're just so cute when they're mad," he whispered to the dragon.

"You sure it was a good idea to let all of them out?"

Piemon snorted. "Come now. We're both full-grown, ultimate digimon," he replied haughtily.

"Take this, you damn fuckers!"

Barely even recognizing the cry, the two digimon leapt away gracefully from Daisuke's attack, only to be blown away by an electric attack from Koushirou. Piemon applauded them on their strategy as he held an injured arm. He waited as Metal Seadramon surfaced from the water.

"Close one, Piemon," the digimon remarked, glancing at his wound.

"Now I can say this is getting interesting," said Piemon as he smiled wickedly.

The Destined had all regrouped, standing firmly together with fire in their eyes. Pain was still evident but they were determined as well. Piemon wondered faintly how much they were willing to risk in avenging their friend.

"That blond one looks traumatized doesn't he?" murmured Metal Seadramon.

Piemon faced him in shock. "Why, how uncommonly perceptive of you, my friend!" he exclaimed. "Perhaps we should play with him for a bit then?"

Metal Seadramon nodded slowly. "Leave it to me," he said before launching a missile attack on the group. They all dispersed in different directions and the dragon digimon snaked his way to the blond determinedly before a loose air attack hit him squarely in the eye, making him stop.

"You're not getting any closer to us!" shouted Miyako, who had uncharacteristically taken charge. Anger was written clearly in her eyes and that was enough to drive her to use her dormant powers.

Metal Seadramon was impressed. He had not expected the young girl to be awakened to her powers so early on in the game. It seemed Jyou's demise had entailed a greater challenge after all. He grinned toothily at her before snapping his jaws at her and quickly swiping her away viciously.

"Don't take us so lightly!" he exclaimed joyfully before he settled his eyes on Yamato.

The blond was staring at him with dead eyes. It seemed he had taken Jyou's death the hardest. But then again, he was the Keeper of Friendship-he was naturally attuned to everyone's feelings. Metal Seadramon almost snorted sympathetically. Yamato made no movement and one glance around the landscape told Metal Seadramon that Piemon was indeed having lots of fun with the rest of the Destined.

"I'll admit you guys weren't too bad. If you were all able to use your powers, you might have even been able to defeat us-but that's a very slim chance. We are, after all, not just some brainless digimon," taunted Metal Seadramon as he closed in on Yamato. "Ready to join your friend?"

Yamato finally stirred. He looked up at Metal Seadramon with hate in his eyes. "I don't plan on dying yet," he muttered between clenched teeth as he brought a glowing hand before him. Metal Seadramon regarded him with some surprise before looking down at the ball of light in man's hand. He suddenly leapt back into the water.

"Ice! So you managed to bring out your power after all!" he exclaimed.

The light in Yamato's palm intensified until it was a brilliant icy blue shade-the temperature around him dropped several degrees and the ground he stood on began to freeze up in patches. Metal Seadramon narrowed his eyes. Piemon, you're missing one hell of a show right now. He waited patiently as the blond called up more of his power. A swirl of chilling air blew around him, making his skin paler than it already was and his eyes glow in stark contrast. Suddenly a direct wave was launched at Metal Seadramon. A mass of ice particles and arctic winds hit the digimon squarely in the chest and he howled in pain as he felt the cold taking over his body.

His power is astonishing. I didn't think he would be able to control this much at once, thought Metal Seadramon with a rueful smile. But it still isn't enough, not yet at least. Before the ice crept its way throughout the rest of his body, he dove quickly into the water, its warmth engulfing him completely and quickly thawing out the ice. Even Yamato didn't have the power to freeze the lake.

But I do.

Metal Seadramon snapped his head around in the darkness, wondering faintly where he had heard that voice before suddenly finding himself caught in a whirlpool that was rapidly ensnaring him to the center. The dragon digimon let out a shout of surprise before quickly rising out of the water, sneering at the lake as he did so.

"Water would betray me?" he roared out angrily before a sudden funnel of water rose from the lake in an attempt to capture him. He quickly dodged it, but not before a second one caught him from behind. Metal Seadramon was in rage. "Who would try to use water against me?!"

"Me, of course."

Gazing down before him, Metal Seadramon witnessed a sight that would have had any other digimon cowering in fear. Near the surface of the water, a small wave was rippling out, and a young man was sitting on top of it, trying to catch his breath. Metal Seadramon hid a smile. So he did manage to call upon water's aid after all. Feigning a sneer, the dragon digimon glowered at Jyou dangerously.

"You'll regret doing that soon enough," he warned darkly before diving into the waters.

Jyou sighed miserably and looked for the rest of his friends. They were still battling against Piemon, who was cackling with great enjoyment as he watched them try to attack him. He narrowed his eyes. They hadn't noticed him yet. Well, that was not surprising. He was supposed to be dead. Swimming was never his strong point and being under water for fifteen minutes was an awfully long time for an inexperienced person. Jyou thought to himself. He wasn't even sure how he managed to stay alive. The water just surrounded him and instead of feeling panic, he felt sereneness like none other.

Now he felt edgy. He looked down at the water. Somehow, without him knowing why, the water was empowered completely by his will. He could feel every wave, every fish that swam deep below. And he could feel Metal Seadramon. The digimon was gliding about lazily, waiting for the right moment to attack-Jyou could feel this-the restlessness in the digimon's frame, the defensive stance he had taken up.

"I'm not letting you take me by surprise," murmured Jyou as he concentrated on the water underneath.

He imagined vibrations that moved the water, making Metal Seadramon confused. He imagined them moving faster and faster until it finally forced the digimon to seek refuge on the topside. And sure enough, after a few seconds, the dragon had emerged. Jyou closed his eyes in on him. Go to him. Surround him. Trap him. Don't let him escape. These short commands were issued from his brain and the waters complied without fault. Huge waves suddenly rose up from all around Metal Seadramon before completely washing down on him, trapping him within a cylinder of water. Movement wasn't even allowed for the water pushed down against him so heavily, he had to struggle to maintain breathing.

Jyou sighed deeply as he looked at the digimon before him. They were standing in the middle of the lake-a good distance away from the others. At least now he didn't have to worry about Metal Seadramon.

"You can't help them. Piemon is too strong," came the dragon's voice inside his head.

The blue-haired man looked at him piercingly. "No? Well, the least I could do is try," he replied out loud as he closed his eyes, forcing himself to sit upright. Water still ran down the side of his face from his dripping hair but that did nothing to distract him.

He was calling upon the entire lake now. Spin into a narrow point and hit Piemon with everything you have. The water around him began to sizzle loudly, as if some underwater volcano was about to erupt. However, there was no heat and only Jyou's mind. All the water then rushed forward, blending in specifically to gather at one point until it became as sharp as a tip. Metal Seadramon watched on in awe.

This one turned out to be the most surprising of all.

The attack moved swiftly and as unobtrusively as possible towards an unwary Piemon. Metal Seadramon narrowed his eyes. Watch out, you stupid clown. His warning fell upon deaf ears, though. The water hit Piemon directly in the back, driving him straight to the ground. But the water didn't disband, much to Metal Seadramon's amazement. It stayed together and spun around wildly, drilling Piemon deeper into the ground. The rest of the Destined lingered farther back, watching on in bewilderment.

Eventually, the water let up and Piemon was found to be imprisoned in a water cone much like Metal Seadramon's. The latter snickered. We underestimated this guy. I should have knocked him out from the start. His gaze intensified on Jyou. But what a display of power. He doesn't even need much training. The blue-haired man sighed and the small wave he was sitting on glided over to the shore lazily until he was able to walk himself. He looked at the others, whom were staring at him in a mixture of grief and fear.

"What? Did you think I was dead?"

A sudden outburst of cries and shouts was sounded and Jyou soon found himself buried under a pile of hugs and kisses from the girls.

"Oh, Jyou! We thought you had died! Don't ever do something like that again!" wept Mimi as she clung onto the man's shoulders despite his wet clothes.

Taichi was grinning from ear to ear. "She's right, man. No more scares like that from now on, okay?" he agreed.

A few more comments were showered from here and there and Jyou could only smile and laugh. In truth, he was relieved himself. If his element hadn't been water, he would have been done for. Suddenly, the group dispersed and Jyou was left facing Yamato, who was staring at him so intently, that the former found himself blushing lightly.

"Um…" he began before suddenly finding himself silenced by Yamato's lips on his own.

Jyou faintly heard a round of snickers but didn't pay any attention to them. And when Yamato pulled away, all he could see was the man's eyes gazing deeply into his own.

"Don't you ever do that to me again," came the blond's hoarse voice, still managing to sound threatening even when he had tears in his eyes.

Jyou smiled. "Hey, if it managed to get that kind of reaction from you, maybe I will do it again," he replied jokingly before Yamato made a swipe at him that he quickly avoided. "Just kidding, just kidding!"

"It's nice to see you two kiddies finally opened up to your feelings. It's like watching a damn soap opera with all the waiting you did," remarked Taichi, grinning widely.

Yamato looked at Jyou calmly. "Well, when you think you lost something, you tend to realize things a lot quicker," he said quietly.

"Um, sorry to be the mood breaker, but Piemon and Metal Seadramon are gone," quipped Iori out of nowhere.

Everyone looked down at him for moment before suddenly looking out at the tranquil lake. Instead of seeing two ultimate digimon entrapped in cylinders of water, there was nothing. Jyou narrowed his eyes. It was impossible for them to leave-he had made sure of that. Someone else must have come for them.

"Hey, as long as they don't come back, I'm happy," said Sora, crossing her arms. "I don't know about you guys, but I've had enough of this place."

The entire group nodded. "Likewise," they responded unanimously.

"Let's get out of this place then," remarked Taichi as he turned away and started walking in the opposite direction. The group followed cheerfully, their spirits uplifted despite the fact that their enemies had escaped. At least they got back their friend-that was more than enough.

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TBC

And we have the yaoi-or at least some of it. Sheesh, I believe this was one of the longest parts I've ever written. It was great fun writing it, though. And next we have Takeru again! What has happened to him and the Thynnosmon? We shall see!. ^_^ Well, I hope you all enjoyed this part. Stay tuned! Hopefully, the Takedai stuff will be coming up shortly. >.<