SUZUKA AND KYO PROLOGUE PART IV
As usual, special thanks to Daneel for edits and extentions of the original draft.
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ôHumansà? What are humans doing here?ö muttered the Dracomon that had been kicked earlier before noticing his twin having a contemplative look as he considered the human girlÆs request. ôDonÆt tell them anything! ItÆs none of their business!ö
ôYou heard the little dragon pipsqueak, girl. IÆm not interested in wasting more time than we have to.ö
Suzuka ignored KyouyaÆs comments and put on her most pleasant smile, a smile that would send her fans into frenzy, for the Dracomon she had saved earlier. ôItÆs okay. Just focus on me and explain what exactly you two were fighting over.ö
A beat.
à
à
ôCripes, didnÆt I tell you thatÆs-ö
ôItÆs Blue Diamante!ö blurted out the weaker Dracomon, much to the boyÆs surprise.
ôWhat the fuck is that?ö
ôLanguage, Shiro-chan,ö said the twin-tailed girl.
ôLook, you idol ladyà itÆs gonna take more than that to-ö Wait a second. ôShiro-chan? What happened to Shiro-kun?!ö
Suzuka grinned as if she had been looking forward to that question. She always loved a smart audience.
ôItÆs a promotion! A sign that youÆre moving up in the world! Be proud of yourself, Shiro-chan!ö exclaimed Suzuka in that bright and bubbly tone that easily got under his skin.
Urge to face palmà risingà Kyouya paused a moment before taking a deep breath, not wanting to give the girl any more pleasure and amusement by seeing his reactions.
Deciding to hold off the teasing for now, the maiden turned towards the Dracomon who blurted out earlier. ôSo where exactly can you find this Blue Diamante? And whatÆs so special about it?ö
With the floodgates open, there was no shutting up the little dragon DigimonÆs mouth.
ôYou can only find them are in mountainous regions with very high altitudes. But trying to mine for them is tough because theyÆre rare gems! ThereÆs a rumor of a large deposit up in the hill over there.ö
ôAraà that looks like quite the long journey,ö murmured Suzuka, noting the dark jungle in front of them.
The other Dracomon wasnÆt looking too happy and glared angrily at his former victim. ôYou had to open your big, fat mouth, didnÆt you?!ö
ôThatÆs your own fault for not settling things before we came across the two of you,ö said Kyouya in a simple tone. ôBlame your own lack of strength for getting yourself into this mess. Really, what kind of fight was that?ö
ôShut it, human! Why donÆt you come here and see for yourself my ælack of strengthÆ?!ö
The boy put on a vicious smile and flexed the gauntlet on his right hand. ôAlright. LetÆs play. Troopmon, PawnChessmonà donÆt interfere with my fight. You too, idol lady.ö
She obviously didnÆt hear him as she was still contemplating just how long the trip to the region would take and whether it would be a worthwhile journey.
It didnÆt take long for the aggressive Dracomon to fly towards Kyouya. He began rotating as much as he could to maximize the amount of momentum into his attack. ôTail Smash!ö
However, the young human male maintained his ground as he weathered the attack. It was pretty hard hitting but then again, heÆs been able to take tougher punches, some that came from the victims who actually tried fighting back, which earned those boys and girls bonus scars. ôIs that all you got?!ö
Meanwhile, the teen idol nodded to herself. ôAnd, once again, my brain does not fail me. Sometimes IÆm so amazing itÆs scary.ö
The Dracomon by her feet blinked in confusion.
ôWha-what are you doing?ö
She gave that million watt smile to the passive Dracomon again. ôTo be honest, it makes little sense for you two little fellas to fight over a treasure you have not even found yet.ö
The Dracomon actually looked guilty and embarrassed of that little lapsus. The other one would probably share his feelings if he were not currently busy tryingùand failingùto bite KyouyaÆs arms.
ôSo, I think IÆll get that æBlue DiamanteÆ for you,ö Suzuka continued. ôIt looks like it might be something worth looking into. And along the way, we can get to know each other a bit more and deepen our bond of friendship!ö
ôYou really want toàbe myà?ö The thought of being associated with someone soàdazzling and courageousàit was a bit overwhelming for the rather ingoing little guy.
While he was in his daze, Suzuka called out to her other companion. ôShiro-chan, I have a plan!ö
ôBaby Breath!ö A small stream of flame erupted from DracomonÆs mouth and caught a little bit of KyouyaÆs red sleeve, forcing the youth to hit the ground and roll to put out the flame.
ôShiro-chan! Mouàö The girl sighed. ôBoysàö
Suzuka then noticed that KyouyaÆs device had fallen out from earlier. While the brawl continued in the background, she decided to take the opportunity to exchange contacts since she remembered seeing a text message function on her own device when trying to answer PrideÆs call.
A little bit of fiddling later caused a small pop up on the display screen of her own D-Synchro.
Vanity has been added to your contact list.
An amused little giggle escaped her lips. ôVanity? How cute is thatàö
ôEat this!ö shouted Kyouya as he thrust his clawed hand towards his opponent, managing to draw a little bit of blood thanks to Dracomon making a bit of a clumsy dodge.
ôCheà! How didà?ö The glint on the clawed hand was enough for the small dragon Digimon to figure it out. ôChrome Digizoidà? At least thatÆll keep things a bit interesting, if only for a minute or twoàö
ôYou talk big, little lizard!ö Kyouya taunted, grinning like a lunatic.
ôLi-Lizard!ö Apparently it was a severe insult. ôYouuuuuu! Human!ö
ôHaaàö Suzuka sighed at the brutish antics of the two. ôAt least they bonded easily enough. Now,ö she said, focusing her attention on the other, quieter Dracomon by her feet. ôWhy donÆt you come along and see how I direct my troops while we wait for those two? You might learn a thing or two.ö
ôUh, yes! IÆllà uhà lead the way, Madam.ö
The way he was fidgetingàit was rather adorable. ôItÆs Matsushita Suzuka, but thatÆs too long, so just call me Suzuka-sama.ö
He tried the name out slowly. ôSu-Suzuka-samaàö
It took all of her discipline not to go æKYAAAA~!!Æ on the spot.
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Suzuka could not deny her amusement as she watched Kyouya dash into the forest wearing an almost deranged smirk.
Seriously, were all men this predictable?
After watching her rather rebellious new minion depart with one of the Dracomon by his side, Suzuka looked down at the second one, who obviously did not look very happy.
After giving instructions to the Troopmon and PawnChessmon, Suzuka waited for the two brawlers to pause to catch their breaths. While Kyo had first ignored the girlÆs calls for attention, he immediately reacted when she brought up the word ôcompetitionö.
Basically, Suzuka had challenged the boy to take his new friendùsomething both human and Dracomon stubbornly deniedùand find the Blue Diamante before she and herùshe had already declared it her belongingùDracomon.
His bloodstream pumped up with adrenaline and his proud personality eager to beat his nemesis in frills, Kyouya eagerly accepted and departed, joined by the belligerent Dracomon, who only cared about finding the valuable gems.
ôYou donÆt look very happy,ö she finally said. ôWould you rather have gone with Shiro-chan?ö
ôAh? No! No, noàö the shy dragon immediately replied, shaking its tiny paws in front of his body. ôItÆs nothing to do with Suzuka-samaàitÆs justàö
The girl patiently waited for the Child Digimon to speak.
ôàIÆm just weak,ö he finished, clenching his tiny paws into tiny fists. ôHeÆs strong, and smart, and heÆll probably take the Blue Diamanteàö
ôHe definitely will if you do nothing but whine like that.ö
The small Digimon stiffened and further slumped down, as if acknowledging his own weak-mindedness.
ôVery well,ö Suzuka said, apparently uncaring of her companionÆs frail personality. ôStay with me, and while we make our way to the gems, let me teach you the Way of the True Warrior.ö
DracomonÆs eyes widened notoriously.
ôThe Wayàof the True Warriorà?ö
ôThatÆs what I said. So, shall we get going?ö
Upon making a hand sign, the troops standing nearby took to the gloomy jungle, quickly disappearing amidst the sea of trees and shadows ahead of Suzuka and Dracomon. The small Digimon was utterly impressed at how this human girl had the unwavering loyalty of so many Digimon.
ôYe-Yes! Suzuka-sama!ö
The girl smirked. She was really growing to like this æpartneringÆ thing.
**********
ôThat bitch!ö Kyouya howled while glaring at the obviously arrow-shaped mark carved on the tree in front of him. Dracomon was looking at it as well, trying to make any sense of it.
ôOf course!ö KyoÆs rant continued. ôWhy didnÆt I notice back then!?ö
There were only about ten PawnChessmon around when he left with Dracomon, and the Troopmon were not even around!
ôThe bitch sent them ahead to find the Blue-whatever!ö
ôDiamante,ö Dracomon finished.
Kyouya, however, was already planning. ôIt doesnÆt matter; we can move faster. LetÆs go, Dracomon!ö
ôUhh, sure.ö
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Some distance behind, Suzuka and Dracomon stood in front of a similar tree, sporting a similar arrow mark.
ôSupermarkets make money by selling shelf spaces to the different brands to place their products in.ö
Dracomon stood at attention at the sudden call. So far he had been bombarded with so many concepts and ideas that he would have developed a serious migraine if he were not so amazed by everything he had learned.
A methodology of combat beyond sheer physical might; that was SuzukaÆs ôWay of the True Warriorö. The very basics of strategic thought; so simple, yet so alien to most of the Digital Monsters. Dracomon listened and memorized, not yet sure of how to use that knowledge, but with the certainty that it was important for him to remember everything.
ôThe most expensive spaces are those at a height equivalent to the average adult humanÆs eye level, because it is easier for visitors to notice products placed in those spaces and thus more likely to purchase them.ö
ôHmmàwhatÆs a supermarket, Suzuka-sama?ö
The girl paused at that.
ôHmm. Wrong example, I guess. LetÆs seeàö
ôHumans, at least, usually tend to see only what they want to see. In other words, once they find what they wanted to see, their full attention falls on that one thing, to the point that everything else is mostly ignored.ö
ôBasically,ö she continued, crouching down to examine the base of the treeÆs trunk. ôOnce humans see what they want to see, theyÆll only look at that, even if that prevents them from looking at the real truth.ö
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ôAaargh, damn it!ö Kyouya growled. They were at the base of the hills, but he doubted the gems would just be laying around on the ground. There had to be a cave or something of the sort somewhere. ôAny luck, Dracomon?ö
ôHavenÆt found any more of those marks!ö
ôTch. What the hellà?ö
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Dracomon looked at what the girl was also looking at: a similar, arrow-shaped sign, pointing in a different direction. However, this one was not carved on the bark. Instead, it was made of strips ofàsomething. Whatever it was, it was firmly stuck to the tree and colored red somehow.
ôI knew the duct tape would come in handy, but who would have thought IÆd be using lipstick like this?ö
ôSuzuka-sama?ö
ôAh, nothing, nothing. LetÆs go, and make sure to look very carefully for more like this.ö
ôYes!ö
ôYou as well, PawnChessmons.ö
ôYes, General-sama!ö
**********
An hour or so later, Suzuka and Dracomon were walking up the slope of a small hill. Some hundred meters ahead, the rest of her troops stood in wait.
ôNow, if thereÆs something you should get out of this game, make it this.ö
ôThe True Warrior does not need to cheat, but excels at distracting his opponent.ö
ôThe True Warrior ignores his anxiety, and plays with his strategic resources to accomplish his objectives.ö
ôWhen he feels his strength is coming to its end, he makes the enemy think he is not in a hurry.ö
ôWhen he has to attack from the right, he moves his troops to the left.ö
ôWhen he intends to initiate hostilities immediately, he feigns sleepiness and pretends to ready himself for sleep.ö
After commanding the troops to stay on the stop instead of follow, girl and dragon stepped into a cave with a high ceiling. Suzuka guessed a truck would fit comfortably inside. It was disturbingly dark, but there was an eerie yet inviting blue luminescence coming from the cavernÆs depths.
ôHe will be called a coward. He will be called hopeless, careless, uninterested, prideless and dishonorable.ö
The cavern ended in a large, roughly circular chamber; far wider and taller than the passage they came from. Little light reached this deep into the rock, but what little made it was reflected and refracted countless times by the countless tiny crystals embedded against the rock walls and ceiling, creating an otherworldly mantle of light like fog.
DracomonÆs big pupils, too, reflected the beautiful blue aura of the chamber as he watched in amazement.
ôThe True Warrior always knows what he wants,ö Suzuka concluded. ôAnd he does not need to justify anything to anyone.ö
Dracomon exploded in glee.
ôBlue Diamante! We found it! ItÆs here!ö he exclaimed as he jumped all over the place, examining and sniffing the pale blue gems embedded on the rock walls. ôI canÆt believe it!ö
ôIs it really that unbelievable?ö Suzuka argued, as if bothered by the DigimonÆs choice of words. She shrugged and assumed an uncaring expression. ôIf itÆs for something as simple as finding these gems, this amount of success is possible for Matsushita Suzuka.ö
With that said, she turned towards the mouth of the corridor they had come from.
ôWhat do you think, Shiro-chan?ö
The man and his Digimon companion were panting some yards in front of her, hands on their knees as they glared at the victorious duo.
ôHate you,ö Kyo uttered between pants and wheezes. ôSo much.ö
Suzuka just smiled.