A Very Muddy Situation

As if Taru's muddy situation wasn't enough, it seemed her luck had continually failed her as she had wandered outside of the safe zone for civilians. Quite unknowingly far at that and due to previous weather, the ground had swallowed the Keep Away signs that had been previously put up. She was now in the hunting grounds of this area's apex predator and the unfortunate girl could hear thunderous footsteps approaching, the sound of trees snapping like twigs and falling to the ground resulting in a splash of muddy earth. Horrendous slashing of something, ching! Ching! Ching! The sound of shears as it grew closer. Within a few moments, glowing red orbs could be seen in the thickness of the brush; both imitating the very sun itself in it's fierceness. The great beast came into complete view, completely overshadowing the area, blocking the sun's rays that found its way from the canopy above. It's massive scissors were clinging together and it looked at the entrapped young girl and drool dripped from it's maw. The beast was the demon of the deep forest, Gran Kuwagamon. It began to move closer to her once it had noticed her here in this place. Gran Kuwagamon was not one to throw away a free meal, even something as small and unfulfilling as a human. It'd be able to swallow her whole without even a second thought.

He moved in shaking the earth with every step, his two hand-like appendages pulling away the trees. It did not need to speak to what was about to be a quick snack and so said nothing but let out low bellowing growls. At the very least, Taru would not feel pain, at least until she was being digested, curse her fate that her trip to this place would be her undoing. The very place she was so excited to see. It stood above her now glaring down, large globs of drool dripping into (and maybe even on her) the mud which encased her. It had stopped clanging it's massive scissors and prepared to bring it's head down and in one fell swoop, scoop her out and swallow. All she could hope for was that someone, anyone would save her but given her luck? Would such a thing happen in this moment? It opened it's mouth and Taru would find herself staring into the endless void of this demon's mouth. It was like glimpsing into a hellish, dark unforgiving place. The moment had come, the beast's head began it's descent. The light of Taru's world began to fade away, far away as it approached. Her final thoughts mattered little now, her world, her future was coming to a halt in just another moment. Soon. Very soon.

Taru could feel the mud shift around her body as what seemed to be a series of mini-earthquakes vibrated through the ground. It made her pause in her shouting, going silent so she could focus on the source of the sound. She stood as still as she could, knowing all to well what could be heading her way. Who knows, maybe it would be something kind enough to pull her out. Yet.. Something told her her luck wasn't going to be that good.

She held her breath as she heard the cracking of tree trunks and saw leaves and branchs falling to the ground. When the large insect-like beast finally came into view and locked it's eyes on its prey, Taru froze where she was. It's was the largest bug she had ever seen and as it pushed through the foliage of trees in its way, crushing the trunks like toothpicks, Taru's right hand started to move from the bank to her left waist. She dug into the mud encasing her, watching every movement the Digimon made as it now towered over her. A glib of droll dripped straight onto her back and she felt the urge to puke at the sensation.

Fingers grazed the object it was looking for and Taru immediately wrapped her hand around it and pulled as hard as she could. She felt it unsheath just a tad before being stopped by the foot of mud above it. It was obviously not coming out without more effort and Taru started to panic. She could hear the sound of her heart beat in her ears, painful against her chest as she continuously tried to pull it up, inch by inch. Yet the beast was coming down on her and she started to whisper to herself, words spilling out as quick as she could as tears starting to fall.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I love you Tattie I love you Mom I love you Dad Im s-sorry"

Despite her best efforts, Taru's attempt at self-defense would prove fruitless. The mud was too thick to move through. All she could do was look away and cry as the last bit of light was blocked out by the monsters closing jaws........


BOOM!!!!!


The sound echoed in the cavernous maw and would send a shock through Taru's body. In an instant, GranKuwagamon's head snapped back and away from her as it roared.

BOOM!!!!!

Another impact sound rang out, and if Taru was looking up, she would see a blur of wood smashing itself into her hunter's face, almost as if the very forest was protecting her. This time, the impact caused GranKuwagamon to stumble back several paces, which given its size, would amount to roughly 150 feet between it and Taru. GranKuwagamon shook its head to get its bearings and let out a mighty roar that shook the ground. "DIMENSION SCISSOR!!" It began to bellow, but before it could complete the attack a series of six small, but powerful explosions erupted across its face, resulting in another several steps back, as well as its main jaws to snap off and dissipate into data, leaving bloody stumps behind. This was quickly followed by another blur of wood, which tore through one arm appendage, then boomeranged around to take out the other one, with the same result as the mandibles. A sudden downward swoop of brown from above the beast collided dead center of its back before shooting back up into the sky and away, and a massive explosion blasted through the abdomen, ripping the best in half. The rapidly moving brown blur would suddenly land a few feet in front of Taru, and then she would see it was a small wooden man. The flying brown blur she saw smashing the monster back followed closely behind and the wooden man caught it and place it on its back, revealing it to be a wooden cross used for marionettes. It watched as the crippled, dying monster slowly dissolved into data as it bellowed its death rolls. Moments later, a young man in a black biker jacket emerged from the trees and placed his arm around the wooden digimon. "Well done, Wyatt. Now, about our guest here...." he turned around and stared at Taru, to reveal deep grey eyes that matched his spiked grey hair.

Just as Gran Kuwagamon was sent pacing backwards away from the girl, a tall brooding man just as quickly jumped in front of the mud pit that encased Taru, he was smiling. His smile seemed innocent enough but the aura this person gave off had a hidden sinister feel to it. "Hi there!" He enthusiastically said "Strange place to take a mud bath wouldn't you agree? And with your clothes on no less! I think you're doing it wrong." He said giving out a laugh. "Please don't patronize the distressed Hadon. It's unbecoming." A bird-like digimon said hovering above her. Hadon grinned wide as his partner Karatenmon approached, "Should I get her out? Or you?" Shade, the aforementioned partner, asked. "I might make a big mess if I do it, you should." Hadon said turned around and facing the currently dying Gran Kuwagamon. "Very well..." Shade reached down and grasped Taru by her arms, "Excuse me." He said politely. He then very easily popped her out of the mud and he placed her gently on solid ground, landing next to her. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Shade the partner of the man who is standing there. He is known as Hadon. It seems you drew out our quarry, we thank you for being bait albeit unknowingly." Shade said. Hadon crossed his arms and sighed when the destruction of the bug was finally done, "I wish they'd put up just a wee bit of a fight. It's like this world is made of cardboard." Hadon said then turning around and looking at Taru. "So...who is this girl? Is she one of ours Kay Kay?" Hadon asked. This man was infamously known for giving nicknames to people.

"I do not recall dispatching agents to this location." Shade said. "You don't recall much of anything." Hadon said laughing allowed, "That is because I'm always babysitting you. Now shut up or I'll kill you." Shade responded to which Hadon smiled from ear to ear. "So, who are you anyway?" Shade asked.

The words that Taru was whispering continued, spilling out of her lips like they were the last thing she could ever hold onto. As the light of the sun was blocked out by the beast's massive jaws, her crying became worse, making her nearly sound sick as she stumbled over her whispering, her throat tight. It almost seemed like she was praying, her eyes squeezed shut as she counted down the few seconds left of her pitifully short life.

The sound of an explosion was what snapped her out of her reverie. The sound echoed throughout the beast's gaping maw and she soon felt the vibration of a large roar coming from its throat. Her hands instinctively went to cover her ears as the large insect snapped back its head and released the earth shattering sound. Even through her hands, she felt like she was hearing a freight train go by nearly 5 feet away from her. Opening one eye to the light of day, she was barely able to catch the brown blur of wood that rammed into the massive beast. The earth shook as it had to retreat a few paces back to recover balance and Taru's hand went from her ears to the bank, making another attempt to get out and run.

Before she could even begin pulling though, a man landed straight in front of her, smiling down at the young girl stuck in the mud. He seemed to of been making fun of her very deadly and muddy situation. Yet, his words barely processed in her mind as she was staring past him, watching as the great beast that had nearly made her it's lunch was torn apart by this small but fast wooden blur. It was when she felt talons grasp her arms that she woke out of her daze. A small scream came from her as she was pulled out of the muddy pool, legs kicking as she found herself above the ground. It would only last a few seconds however, until she was carefully placed on the solid bank. She wasn't standing for long, sliding downward until she was sitting on the ground, staring up at her two savors.

She barely processed what they were saying, just barely catching their names in the whirlwind of thoughts that swirled in her brain. "I-I..." Her eyes traveled back to the bloody corpse that was slowly dissipating into data. Her ears caught the question of her name and, by instinct, she spoke out. "I...uh...T-Taru..." It was obvious she was in some sort of shock and as she attempted to continue, she could feel her abdomen convulse. "I...I..." She lurched over, one hand splayed in the mud while the other wrapped around her stomach as she hurled in front of the two, whatever contents that was in her stomach now mixing in with the mud.

She felt her head spin, the ground looking like those commercials when the kids took some drug like LCD, swirling the colors together. Her eyesight suddenly was ringed in black and she fell to the side, completely losing consciousness as she hit the earth. It was obvious enough that she would need a change of clothes and a shower, but, if the boys would notice the large amount of small cuts through the mud that caked her body, it would also be obvious she would need medical attention before they got infected.

The last thing Taru would see and hear before fainting would be the first man taking the wooden Digimon's cross and smashing it into the back of the one called Hadon's head. "I told how many times now not to call me Kay Kay. The name is Kevin." At this point, Taru would be completely unconscious. "Oh, nice job, jackass. Your rough rescue and sudden appearance made the poor girl vomit and faint. I hope you're proud of yourself." Kevin said to Hadon, and returning the cross to Wyatt.

Wyatt replaced his cross on his back and began to speak. "Well what now? We got this weak minion out of the way, but what of the one that sent him here? He escaped again. And now we have extra baggage to deal with here. What do we do with her?"

Kevin rolled his eyes and squatted down over Taru, examining her body. Brushing some of the mud off her arms, legs, and stomach, he could see that she was injured and dirt had entered her blood stream. "We can't just leave her here. She's injured and will be easy prey to a GranKuwagamon that actually belongs in this time period, or whatever else is roaming these marshlands. We should take her to the Medical Clinic on the Marsh's edge and leave her in their care. She can find her own way home from there. And if she can't, it's her own damn fault."

"Now, now, Kevin. Don't be so cruel," Wyatt chimed in. "She is just a human after all."

Hadon had looked down and noticed something shiny in the mud just as Kevin went to inflict harm on him "Oooh a quarter!" He ducked down causing Kevin to miss and Hadon completely tuned out Kevin's correction of his own name. "Oh it's not a quarter, just a shiny rock. I like shiny rocks..." Hadon said placing it in his pocket. "It's not my fault my manly wiles were to much for her to handle." Hadon said laughing. This caused Shade to face palm and shake his head, "In any case, I can't sense the time jumper in this area anymore. His ripples in the time-space have all but disappeared." Shade stated. Hadon placed a finger on his chin and thought, "Well based on the direction of the ripples, it seems he's headed for the desert. Let's go." Hadon said beginning to walk off. "Hadon, what about the girl? Kevin has a point, there are other predators in this forest. She's easy prey." Shade said. Hadon turned his head slightly so he could see behind him, "So? What of it? Her life has no meaning to me, what becomes of it I could care less. I only saved her because I thought she might have been a jumper or an agent dispatched to this area since she is neither, well..." His eye softened to a heartless icy glare. "Perhaps I should put her back where I found her?" Hadon said coldly with a soft tone. It even scared Shade a little, he hadn't seen that look in a while. Hadon then turned completely around, "I'm kidding! If Kay Kay says so, I suppose I can treat her wounds!" Hadon said with a wide grin.

Shade sighed but he knew he was serious moments before, he really would have left her had Kevin not been here. Hadon walked over to the unconscious woman and threw her over his shoulder and began walking towards a cave they had passed on the way. Once inside, he laid her our on a slab of stone; Shade stayed outside to stand guard. "The mud acts as a natural coagulant, none of her cuts are bleeding thanks to it. She also has nothing seriously wounded so I wouldn't worry about her infection. Her digisoul will take care of any bacteria." Hadon said then realized something. "Wait....she doesn't have a digisoul...so she is a commoner...." Hadon said. "Leave it to Kay Kay to fall in love with common folk." Hadon teased, "Hadon, without proper medication, we cannot help her if she does have bacteria flowing in her bloodstream." Shade said. "Hmm....well I could always inject her with a bit of my own. That should make her right as rain." Hadon said with a smile. "Yes but if you inject to much, she will quite literally pop like a balloon." Shade responded. "I know what I'm doing. Maybe." Hadon said, he lifted a finger and infused the top of it with his digisoul. He proceeded to press his finger into one of her wounds and infused her bloodstream with his digisoul. He then removed it just as quickly. "Hadon, what if her body rejects your digisoul?" Shade asked. "We give her a burial?" Hadon questioned, "Or perhaps Kay Kay could have some private times." Hadon made a stupid face and giggled like a school girl. Shade looked at Kevin, "You're beginning to know my agony." He said.

Kevin face palmed himself as Hadon once again called him Kay Kay. This was getting tiring. Maybe having Wyatt string him up by his ankles for a few hours would make him come around. In any case, Kevin watched the interaction between Hadon and his partner. He was very familiar by now to Hadon's callous ways, and yet still surprised by how quickly he would change his demeanor to be a kind person, even after all the years they worked together.

Kevin and Wyatt silently followed Hadon into the cave and cringed as he charged his digisoul and stuck it into Taru's unconscious body. After Hadon's quip about Kevin would do to Taru's corpse, in addition to calling him Kay Kay again, Kevin went to knee Hadon in the head. Hit or miss, he would grumble to himself and watch to see how Taru responded. Despite what Hadon said about his love interest, a thought occurred to him.

"Hadon, if she survives this, what do you plan on doing with her? Someone who can withstand even a fraction of your power is no one to trifled with. She is armed, so she clearly knows how to protect herself. Think she could be of some use to us? Should we bring her home?"

Kevin wondered. Taru reminded him of someone from his past. A long time ago.....

Something burned... And it was racing through her body while getting ever more hotter.

It seared through her veins from the source of the open wound and, for once since she passed out, the boys had gotten a reaction from the girl. When Hadon pressed the tip of his finger into her bloodstream, Taru would noticeably flinch, sucking in air through her teeth like she was being pricked with a needle. Taru's muscles clenched at the sensation of the energy racing through them, burning through any harmful bacteria that resided in her bloodstream. In her nearly blank mind, she could feel her heart beat quicken and the girl was quick to regain consciousness.


Her eyes would quickly open and she would suddenly sit up on the stone slab, breathing heavily as it almost felt like her body was vibrating yet she was sitting perfectly still except for her heaving breathes. "O-Oh God... Wh-What did you... did you do to me..." She glanced over at the two older men, her pupils dilating like she was high on adrenaline. "I-I...." Moving her gaze around the cave she was in, she bounced a bit on the slab and some instinct told her that she should try and run off this massive energy searing through her body at the moment. "I... I gotta go!" With that, Taru made an attempt to run past the guys but she moved to fast for her recovering mind to keep up. Before she could even get off the slab, she stumbled and fell to the stone with that same small yelp she made before.

For some reason she didn't register the pain of the fall but she continued to sit there, looking back up at the two. "My body feels like its on fire... What's happening to me? What you do?" She seemed to be shivering where she was, or it was more likely she was trying to adjust to the foreign substance in her body. "I...I feel like I'm on Overdrive."

Hadon did not dodge the attack from Kevin and took it clean to his face, he dramatically through his own head back as to streams of blood shot into the air. Shade responded to it with a thumbs up, "Kay Kay-chaaaaaaaaaan that huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurt!" He said plugging his nose. Before Hadon could respond to Kevin's question, their damsel in distress had come to. She was all jittery no doubt from the surge of power coursing through her veins, Hadon watched in amusement for a while removing the plugs from his nose. "My body feels like its on fire... What's happening to me? What you do?" she would say after a stumble and fall. "I...I feel like I'm on Overdrive." Hadon rubbed his chin and then spoke up, "So I was able to use just the right amount. I didn't think you would live honestly, but since Kay Kay was so worried I attempted to save your life and gave you a fingertips worth of my power to kind of jump start you." Hadon explained. "That sensation your feeling is just that, my power coursing through your veins, merging with the cells of your body. Don't worry, you'll be dead in the next fifteen minutes anyway if you're getting this sort of reaction." Hadon said. "Right now you have a huge adrenaline rush, soon after that you'll begin to experience muscular pain that will last for a few minutes until my power rips through your muscles and makes them utterly useless. That will be followed by excessive bleeding from you orifices and a pain you will never have experienced before. In the last few precious minutes of your life, your organs will fail one by one by either being shredded to pieces or popping all together. It's quite a worse way to go now that I think of it....I probably should have left you to be eaten in the swamp." Hadon said, as he explained the situation of Taru's life he seemed to be enjoying himself. He had the worst mean streak in the world after all. Shade knew this would happen, his partner always had a hidden agenda. He would not save her unless he got something out of it.

"If you want, I can end it quickly...so you don't have to go through such agonizing pain. I'm a nice guy after all." Hadon took out a knife from his sleeve. "You won't feel a thing I promise." Hadon's eyes softened and that cold hearted stare returned. "Although....if life is important to you.....you can do just one thing to save yourself...." Hadon said taking out a cloth and polishing the blade of his knife. "You must take that digisoul I gave you and make it your own. It's the only way to survive. If you fail to do that, well....maybe sing your favorite song for the next fifteen minutes. Try to get some enjoyment before you kick it right?" Hadon smiled as he spoke with a sinister tone. "I'd decide quickly...you have thirteen minutes remaining, I'm pretty sure your muscles should be acting up about now." Hadon sat down on the stone slab, his knife in tow, and crossed one leg over the other. Shade remained silent and closed his eyes as he awaited the end result of everything. "Some advice for you, trying to mutate my digisoul isn't easy. It's all about the strength of your will. What drives....Taru....Kirsten..." Hadon said expressing the last four words with a soft-spoken tone that could send chills down the spines of Yukidarumon.

Kevin was shocked when Hadon explained what was happening to Taru. "Hadon Shaddoc! How many times do I have to tell you to stop killing innocent people just for the hell of it!?" Kevin went to smash Hadon in the top of his head with his fist. If it connected, the ground beneath them would crack slightly. "Goddamnit, man. Ok, then. Now I have to fix your mess. Again," Kevin turned to his partner and began giving directions. "Wyatt, I need you to gently wrap some wires around her wrists and ankles to stop her from hurting herself but still allow her to move freely. Shade, I know you're not my partner, but could you please use your power to monitor to spirit and energy levels to make sure she's heading in the right direction? Now, Taru," Kevin said finally turning towards the distressed girl. "Here's what you need to do. Calm your mind as much as you can and accept that this is going to hurt. Hadon doesn't exactly have a delicate touch, as the trail of corpses he leaves behind him demonstrates. This next part is up to you."

While Kevin spoke, Wyatt began tying his strings around Taru's wrists and ankles as instructed. He made sure that she would be able to move her in a free range of motion, but he could be able to step in and restrain her if she was going to hurt herself. Kevin never broke his stride while this happened. "Now, the power coursing through you is called a Digisoul. It is a natural bond that connects human and digimon. All humans possess it in minute traces, but usually not enough to have it register to any degree. This is why your body is rejecting it. This Digisoul answers to Hadon and no one else. But it also responds to the will of its host. What you need to do now is tame it. You must burn off the excess energy that is ripping you apart and control what's left to follow your commands. Make it work with you and make you stronger. Your senses will heighten and your reaction time will be faster. It will make you stronger. Fail to do this, and it will rip you apart and disperse. It will be trying and may become extremely painful, but I believe in you, Taru Kirsten. And if he were here, I know that Tatsu would believe in you, too. Just think of him." Kevin backed off now, and sat on a rock to watch. Wyatt would maintain a loose grip on Taru and let her flail and kick if needed, but not harm her in anyway or restrict her movements unless those movements would cause her severe harm. 

Hadon moved his head very slightly to avoid Kevin's punch, and waited for Kevin to order Wyatt and give instructions once that was completed however, Shademon drew his weapons and cut Taru free from Wyatt's wiring. Hadon glared angrily at Kevin, "Do not interfere. If you stand against me, I will not be held responsible for the events that follow." Hadon looked at Taru, "It is for her to choose to live or die. I will not allow you to stand in the way of that. If my digisoul that was meant to save her, consumes her, then she is simply unfit to live." Hadon said fiddling his knife through his fingers. "Do I make myself clear.....second-hand...?" Hadon said. Shade stood in front of Wyatt with his weapon at the ready staring down at the wooden puppet. "If you wish to assist, then control your partner...otherwise I will." Shade said to Wyatt. "The choice is still yours to make. Taru, I see three laid out in front of you." Hadon said gripping the hilt of his knife tightly.

Taru's fingers gripped at the cave floor, closing into a fist as she attempted to hold back the shaking that was wracking her body. Once Hadon explained how he had attempted at saving her life, Taru's attention was fully on him. Was this a side effect? Would it just pass if given enough time? She was starting to feel hopeful before he continued and she swore she felt her stomach do a flip. With every word he used to describe her death, she could feel her heart beat harder and her breathing became even more erratic. "I-I..." The gleam of Hadon's knife made her move backwards about a foot more away before her eyes started to water. "I-I don't wanna diiiieeee." The last word was a drawn out whine as, once again, the poor girl was driven to tears for the second time today. She tried to stop, a hand coming to her mouth so she could press her teeth against it, a futile attempt to stop the wracking coughs that came with her emotional and physical state. Everything that Hadon said seemed to fade in and out of focus in Taru's mind and it worsened her condition seeing as she barely understood the words she did catch. "I-I don't...u-understand..." In her state, she didn't seem to realize he knew her last name without her even telling him. She cringed as she could feel the blazing energy slowly tear through her body's defenses one by one, arms wrapping around her stomach as she attempted to ignore the pain.

The poor girl nearly jumped five feet in the air as she felt wood brush against her skin, wire wrapping around her joints. It made her freeze up and listen carefully to the other man, who seemed to be kinder then the eccentric one with a knife. His words calmed her and she nodded to his instructions. In her clouded mind, he reminded her of her brother and, for that reason, she seemed to relax ever so slightly as he spoke. It didn't last long however, a wave of pain searing through her body like a shock wave, making her cringe and wrap her arms tighter around herself. Part of her wondered where Kevin was able to acquire her twin brother's name. "H-How..." She started to say before the thought disappeared from her mind as pain ripped through her. She squeezed her eyes shut and rolled onto her side, curling up in a tight ball as she whined.

The rest of the two's interactions were barely caught as she mentally closed herself off from the outside world. She wouldn't respond to the two but they would hear her whispering to herself on the cold cave floor. "I-It...hurts..."

Distract yourself...

The voice echoed in her head, so warm and familiar against the burning cold of the DigiSoul. "I-I...can't..." Her fingers scratched at the rough surface of stone, twitching as she fought for control of her own body.

Crumple it up... And throw it away...

"I..." Her fingers curled into a fist, tightening until her nails were digging into her palms. "I'm...not gonna...die..." She forced herself up onto her hands and knees, one arm wrapping around her stomach while the other acted as a pillow between her forehead and the ground. Her breathing was still heavy but it seemed, by now, Taru had controlled it to a point where it wasn't erratic anymore. She stayed like this as she concentrated on the memory that was giving her motivation. In her mind, she could almost feel herself gather the energy together in her hands, fighting against her every move. Hazel eyes opened to stare down her arm at her closed fist, cloudy from the pain that was running through her body. Something started to glow a silver color in her palm, shining between each individual finger. "I-I'm not... Letting you...kill me..."

She opened up her hand, the light spilling out like a liquid before it dissipated into data upon not having a host to go to. Once that was done, her breathing started to normalize, Taru rolling back onto her side as she closed her eyes again. For the next few minutes, she concentrated on the minute amount that was left in her system. The pain was still there but after she released the main amount, she would attempt to control what was left. It was...easier without the extra tearing her body apart. Her shaking would soon stop as she suddenly felt much to exhausted to even move. Her eyes opened slightly before they would close and, before she would even tell her watchers about her mental and physical victory, Taru would quickly pass out as the newly formed DigiSoul worked on recovering her body from the ordeal.