dragonandtiger

[dragonandtiger]

Hey just wanted to say I love you two as writers and you should both do whatever you want/take as much time as you need to write what you want, both of your writing is well worth the wait and your personal loves/enjoyment of what you do is way more important than being fast

Thank you. We can't tell you how much we appreciate you telling us this.

Honestly, we felt guilty leaving DTR and all of our wonderful readers in limbo for so long. It means so much to have your support while we are spending time on self-care. Thank you again so much. We love you and everyone else who enjoys our creations, especially those of you who have followed us for so long. You really make continuing to tell this story for all these years so worth it to us.

#Ask #this ask meant a lot to both of us

[dragonandtiger]

Just asking to see if Yuki is alright given that it's been a while since we've heard anything. Hope both of you are doing alright.

Thanks for checking in. We're sorry that we haven't posted any updates or replied to any asks for quite a while.

Yuki is still not feeling very well and resting as much as possible. We would rather not go into detail about her health issues, but she is doing what she can to take care of herself.

We're sorry again that we've left all of you who enjoy our collaborative stories in limbo. The sad fact of the matter is that Yuki hasn't had enough energy to do much when it comes to Dreaming To Reality or any of our other big collaborative works. As much as the both of us want to see this story reach its conclusion, a passion project like this is best left when the creators have enough energy to push that passion forward.

We can say that the two of us are writing what we can, when we can. Chapter 33 has had progress, albeit slowly.

Dreaming to Reality is a huge story, spanning three separate anime (Digimon Adventure, Digimon 02, and Digimon Tamers), with a lot of moving parts. We've poured years into this story, with countless details and pages of notes. We love the story we've written, and intend to finish it one day, but in order for it to remain a story we feel passionate about, we need to allow ourselves to slow down and/or take breaks when necessary. Sometimes this also means writing for other stories that are in other genres/fandoms, particularly with lower stakes and less of a large branching narrative.

During this break, Mouko has written 30 chapters bi-weekly for her solo story, My Shizun, a fanfic of The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System. Yuki insisted to let you all know that she says it's a very enjoyable story even if you don't know anything about the source material, and she would like it if you'd send Mouko kind words if you're interested in giving it a read. You can check it out here if you'd like.

If you want updates about Yuki more directly, and are over 18, you can check out her personal tumblr. She tries to make posts when she can, which includes off the cuff rough rambles and snippets for fandoms that are strictly for an adult only audience.

Again, we're sorry for the long silence. Thank you for checking in and for being so patient with us.

#Ask #Status Update

[dragonandtiger]

just wanted to wish you two a late happy new years!

Thanks! Belated happy new year to you and to all of our followers as well! We hope you have a good year!

#Ask

[dragonandtiger]

Hey there! Hoping you both are doing well, and that Yuki's health improves <3

Hey there! Thanks for the kind words. It's very much appreciated.💖

Yuki has been doing a bit better and trying to increase her productivity bit by bit. She's also grateful that you were thinking of her. Thank you!

#Ask

[dragonandtiger]

Just wanted to say happy thanksgiving! Hope Yuki feels better soon

Thanks for the well wishes, and happy Thanksgiving to you and everyone who celebrates it!

#Ask #Happy Thanksgiving

[dragonandtiger]

Notice of Hiatus

Sorry everybody, but we'll be going on hiatus for an indeterminate amount of time. Yuki's health is going through another rough patch, and we want her to focus on resting and getting better. Thank you for understanding.

#Status Update

[dragonandtiger]

Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy Chapter Thirty Two - 06

“No, dearie,” Witchmon said. “Surprisingly, kitty-cat has not made an appearance. Seems Zhuqaiomon’s acting on his own.”

Osamu took a long drink of his juice before sighing heavily. “Look, Ken, before you think of sneaking off to help anyway, let’s keep some facts in mind.” He tipped his head back a bit, finally looking at his little brother as he raised a finger. “Zeed has not only brainwashed eight of us, but he’s got five Ultimates on his side with the ability to create more.” He raised a second finger. “Zhuqaimon will most likely use this as an opportunity to kill any human on sight.”

Ken sputtered. “But you just said-”

Osamu narrowed his eyes a bit and held up his other hand in a brief gesture to silence his brother. “I wasn’t implying they’re going to talk Zhuqiamon into anything.” He let out a frustrated snort as he turned back to glare at the screen. “The rest of the Chosen have a better chance of talking Zeed into getting the others out of harm’s way without us there because you know that damn bird is going to go berserk and unleash whatever weapon he’s kept in reserve to take on Zeed on us the second he sees us even if Zeed was waving his ass right in Zhuqiaomon’s face.”

Ken twisted his mouth as though he tasted something sour. It was hard for him to imagine Zeed as the more reasonable of two potential opponents, yet he couldn’t exactly refute Osamu, not after everything he had done as the Digimon Kaiser.

“We’re not gonna just… leave it alone, Ken-chan,” FlaWizarmon said, softly. “We’re still keepin’ an eye on things, and we’ll jump in the second it’s clear that the only way things are gonna go is south.”

Osamu held up a third finger. “Waiting until both sides get tired of fighting before jumping in saves us from wasting our energy. If we strike when they’ve worn out each other’s resources, we could take both sides out for good.”

“That’s true,” Ken muttered, his right hand reaching up to clutch the front of his shirt. “There’s no telling how long Zeed can hold out, given his current state. The Digimental of Light can’t help him here. It’s not a constant flow of energy, and Zhuqiaomon won’t be giving him any chances to rest.”

“That’s why we’re leaving it to the rest of the group to keep your friends safe,” Osamu finished as he held up a fourth finger. “I already sent an email letting them know what’s going on, so they’re probably teleporting into the temple as we speak.”

“The barrier might prevent that,” Ken said as he looked back at the screen, his eyes catching sight of Rosemon, then a massive golden beetle Digimon that he surmised to be Tentamon’s ultimate form. He imagined Gomamon’s form was still on the temple itself, as he doubted the water-specialized Digimon would suddenly have an evolution that could fly, or be mobile enough to keep up.  “Unless Ryo can power his way through. It is Miracles, after all.”

#Dreaming To Reality #oneiromancy #digimon #Digimon Adventure 02 #digimon adventure

[dragonandtiger]

Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy Chapter Thirty Two - 05

The question was cut off and answered by a massive beam of energy shooting across the sky, blinding even on the monitor screen. It narrowly missed Zhuqiaomon, burning off just the barest fringe of his flaming feathers. Instead, it struck a cluster of his troops approaching on a mountain peak.

In an instant the Digimon and the entire mountain peak they had been standing on were simply no longer there.

Ken looked as though he had swallowed a bug as Imperialdramon drifted into view, with Daisuke standing defiantly on his partner’s head, holding Imperialdramon’s horn to stabilize himself as his golden eyes blazed with hatred.

“Yes,” Osamu said before he popped another bite of cereal in his mouth.

Ken felt his blood run cold before he started to reach for his Digivice. “I’ve got to…” he faltered when he realized he didn’t have his device, then let out a curse. “We have to go right now-”

“No,” Osamu said, watching the screen. He didn’t bother to look back at Ken, but he could feel the way his little brother gawked at him in shock and outrage. “Especially not you.”

“What are you saying!?” Ken demanded to know. “I need to-”

“Get yourself killed?” Osamu asked.

Ken paused at that. “Huh?”

“That’s what’ll happen,” Osamu replied, impassively. “Zhuqiaomon wants you dead. He’ll kill you on sight. Same as FlaWizarmon and Witchmon, and me by extension.”

Ken faltered. “That… but I need to… we need to…”

“We need to stay out of this, if the others have any hope of talking their way out of this,” Osamu replied. “The very second we show up, that hope dies. There’s far too much bad blood on either side for peace to be an option.”

“This is Zhuqaimon, Ken-chan,” FlaWizarmon said as he glanced towards Ken. “And most of the Devas have been reborn, save for his three that Kaiser-kun killed in the Dark Ocean.” A thought struck him, causing him to pause, before his stitched mouth twisted in a grimace. “…Er, make that four Devas.”

Ken was about to open his mouth to question what that meant when the memory of Andiramon being devoured by the tainted Wormmon in his Armagemon form flickered into mind. He flinched and gave a small shudder, closing his eyes. After a moment, he slowly opened them to stare helplessly at the screen. “And Baihumon? Is he there?”

#Dreaming To Reality #oneiromancy #digimon #Digimon Adventure 02 #digimon adventure

[dragonandtiger]

Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy Chapter Thirty Two - 04

Ken groggily rubbed his eyes as he walked through the hallway towards his central observatory center. Or rather, what used to be his, before Osamu had taken it over. Semantics aside, he still remembered the path by heart that he was able to follow it despite his brain not fully being awake.

“Good morniiiing…,” Ken drawled as he entered the room, greeted by the sight of Osamu in his chair - Ken’s old chair - while eating a bowl of cereal. All of the miniature screens slotted together to create one massive screen that Osamu, Dracomon, FlaWizarmon, and Witchmon were watching with rapt attention. The Chosen of Kindness paused at that before staring up at the screen himself, searching for what the others were staring at so intently. “Huh?”

“Good morning,” Osamu replied, his voice muffled by his latest mouthful of cereal.

“Mornin’, Ken-chan,” FlaWizarmon chirped, his arms crossed.

“Morning, dearie,” Witchmon said as she turned to smile at the Chosen of Kindness. “Ready for breakfast or need a few minutes first?”

“Oh, uh, not yet, thank you. I’m still waking up,” Ken said as he blinked at Witchmon, then looked back at the screen. “Is something… happening?”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Osamu replied as he scooped another spoonful of cereal. “I'm taking care of it. Go ahead and get some breakfast.”

Ken frowned, as Osamu’s non-answer immediately answered his question. He stared hard at the screen, trying to get his brain functioning enough to recognize what he was seeing. It was filled with Digimon - angry Digimon - as they seemed to be marching towards somewhere. It was then that a very familiar Digimon came into view, his flaming wings flapping furiously as he marched with a mission alongside his army.

Horror and outrage shook him at the sight of the Holy Beast, swiftly followed by panic that kicked Ken awake stronger than any shot of caffeine. “Is that… Zhuqiaomon!?” he shouted, his eyes shooting up to his hairline.

If that spiteful, manipulative, monster Zhuqiaomon was finally on the move, it could only mean terrible things were happening in the Digital World.

“Yep,” FlaWizarmon said, with a nod. “Looks like he’s finally had enough of squatters muckin’ around in his master’s temple.”

“What? But that…,” Ken trailed off as he furrowed his brow, the gears churning in his brain. Obviously, Zhuqiaomon’s master could only be one person, which in turn meant only one thing. “Wait! If he’s going after Zeed, aren’t Daisuke and the others still under his control!?” His brother had explained the situation up to that point, and what he had missed while he was running around under his trauma hallucinations. “Doesn’t that mean-”

#Dreaming To Reality #oneiromancy #digimon #Digimon Adventure 02 #digimon adventure

[dragonandtiger]

Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy Chapter Thirty Two - 03

“We are sorry.” It was the cold male voice again. Neither the Digimon nor the human seemed to hear it, but he could. It rang inside his head, even as his own thoughts grew dim. “This was the best that we could do for you, after everything you did for us.”

“This is goodbye for the final time, even though I doubt you remember us enough at this point to even understand what we mean,” the melodic female voice joined in. “Just the same, we wanted to thank you… and we wish that your next life will be far happier and far more peaceful than the one you sacrificed for our sake.”

He frowned, or at least gave the mental impression of one. His face seemed to be unresponsive, or possibly missing - much like the rest of his body. Yet, in spite of that lack of a body, it didn’t stop a foreign pain from clutching his soul. Something painful, and yet precious, that was beyond his grip and yet still lingered.

“Thank you… and goodbye.”

Slowly, the pain faded, and with it his thoughts. In its place a sense of peace washed over him. Before everything disappeared, his final thoughts were that he hoped to see these precious people again.

 Ryo jerked awake with a start, and a gasp. He stared at the wall as he panted, his eyes blinking blurrily, before he became aware of the fact that he was crying. The Chosen of Miracles paused and reached up to touch his cheek, wiping at the tears he felt there before staring at his fingers.

Elsewhere, at the Temple of Miracles, Zeed had a similar rough awakening. Though, he unfortunately had considerably less margin for error on his bed than Ryo did, and the Dorumon found himself falling onto the floor with a squawk. He grimaced and gave a small shake of his head, then stopped and noticed as tears streamed down his own cheeks, moistening his fur.

Zeed didn’t have much time to dwell on it when suddenly Mimi burst into the room, Palmon hot on her heels.

“Zeed-chama!” Mimi cried out, panic clear on her face. “Zhuqiaomon is attacking!”

“With a massive army!” Palmon chimed in, waving her hands frantically.

Zeed paused to banish the tears from existence so that no one could see them before he narrowed his eyes. Straightening up, he turned to meet Mimi halfway through the room before striding past her, purposely. When the Chosen of Purity stopped to look at him, he did not turn to meet her gaze.

“Call the others,” Zeed growled, his lips curled up in a snarl. “We end this - now.”

---

#Dreaming To Reality #oneiromancy #digimon #Digimon Adventure 02 #digimon adventure

[dragonandtiger]

Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy Chapter Thirty Two - 02

With him was a little boy with similar wild short brown hair and blue eyes, wearing blue pajamas with little red stars on them. However, he could tell that the boy was not the same as the Digimon that held the child’s small hand.

The boy was human.

The little human stared at him, with a smile that revealed one of his missing one of his front baby teeth. “Good morning~!”

Adorable.

The little human paused before he furrowed his brow and looked up at the Digimon beside him. “Did it work?”

“Yes,” the Digimon said as he leaned down slightly, touching the child on the shoulder gently. “Look at how his egg is glowing now. He heard you calling him, and he came to see you.”

He bristled slightly, a feeling of anger and indignation swelling up inside of him. Who gave you permission to touch someone so precious, you insolent cur!?

No one should touch anything precious to him. He remembered little except that one desire, to end those who would steal away and harm those who were precious to him.

The boy was his. He didn’t know how or why, but deep in his code, something told him that the boy belonged to him. They were connected somehow; the same power within him was flowing from the boy, which was what had drawn him to this place.

He didn’t know what that power was. He didn’t even know who he was. It felt like there was a lingering memory, but like a stone trapped in an ocean, all recognizable marks had long been eroded away by the waves. However, there was one thing he did know - the human was special and he needed to be treated as such.

“Can he hear me now?” the little boy asked as he glanced between the Digimon and him.

“Yes, he can,” the humanoid Digimon replied as he looked at him, seemingly oblivious to the anger directed towards himself. “He’ll be sleeping for quite some time as his body grows safely inside his egg, but once he’s ready, he’ll hatch and you can be friends.”

Sleep? Grow? Hatch? The words felt like they should mean something, but he couldn’t quite make sense of them. Instead, he felt tired - unbelievably tired - as a grogginess began to settle in. It sent a surge of panic through him, as thinking became much harder.

“Okaaaay,” the little boy said before he turned to smile at him, which soothed the distress he had felt but a moment ago and replaced it with a warm and fuzzy happiness. “My name is Ryo! I can’t wait to meet you!”

#Dreaming To Reality #oneiromancy #digimon #Digimon Adventure 02 #digimon adventure

[dragonandtiger]

Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy Chapter Thirty Two - 01

Darkness roiled about, like water churning due to a powerful undercurrent. Faint whispers and sobs echoed all around, coming from seemingly nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Time had no meaning, no clear beginning or end, as eternity stretched on in absolute darkness.

Until finally voices pierced the veil. Different from the typical wails and whimpers, they were bright and powerful. They were full of life. Even the usual crowd went quiet, drowned out as the new voices grew clearer by the second.

“…any lingering doubts… now is the time…” A female’s melodic, warm voice.

“…Far too late… come this far… if we are to be damned… so be it…” A male’s stern, cold voice.

“…indeed… may hate us, but… he will be…” the female’s voice again.

“…gladly bear their grudges if…” the male responded in kind.

A golden light began to glow within the darkness. Startled screams and cries marked the quick departure of creatures that had long since forgotten the light, fleeing fearfully into the depths.

He didn’t, however. He stared, mesmerized by the light. So familiar, so warm, and it was calling him, like he was being pulled towards it - into it. There was resistance at first, not from him but more from around him. It was though he was in something that didn’t want to move, that couldn’t move. It resisted, like chains intent on keeping him shackled.

But the golden light was stronger, more demanding. Soon, even that which had weighed him down gave in, releasing him so that he could drift towards the light through the suffocating currents.

He glanced back briefly to see what had held him, and his gaze fell upon a massive body - a corpse. Draconic gold scales marred by grime and filth, and a multitude of sightless eyes that stared at nothing. It looked familiar, painfully so, but he decided that ultimately it was of no consequence. It was broken, discarded and empty, and it had nothing to do with him.

As the light engulfed him, he was immediately greeted by the sight of a test tube filled with golden liquid, and a room he wasn’t familiar with. A Digimon stood in front of the tube, watching him with clear anticipation in his blue eyes. He looked humanoid with short, spiky brown hair and a long ponytail that dangled behind his neck to his shoulders, wearing a cream-colored robe with brown trim.

#Dreaming To Reality #oneiromancy #digimon #Digimon Adventure 02 #digimon adventure

[dragonandtiger]

Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy Chapter Thirty One - 21

Regardless, it seemed like it would surely go on indefinitely, when suddenly Keiko’s eyes widened as her expression shifted to a look of confusion, and shock. She hesitated before she glanced down at her hands. She stared as she noticed that they looked different, fluctuating in and out. It was similar to Zeed’s occasional glitch, except far more stable and - if his reactions were anything to go by - far more painless.

The Chosen of Darkness frowned, then turned to look at Nyamon to see if her partner saw the same thing.

…Except that Nyamon wasn’t there anymore.

Zeed frowned as he watched Keiko, as his confusion grew just as hers did, but for different reasons. His eyes darted down at her hands, then where Nyamon had been, before going back to Keiko. As realization appeared to dawn on her face, bewilderment appeared on his. Obviously, there seemed to be some meaning to what was happening, but damned if he knew what it was.

When Keiko turned to flash him a smug grin - far too smug for his liking - it made Zeed shoot her a piercing stare in response. However, not even that was not enough to dampen the Chosen of Darkness’ mood.

“If you really love Ryo like you say you do, then start actually looking at him instead of yourself.”

With those final words, Keiko was gone.

Zeed practically jumped to his feet, though they weren’t fully able to handle the sudden movement so he nearly stumbled off the altar instead. Thankfully, he was able to catch himself before he tumbled to the floor; and even more thankfully, he had no audience to witness said clumsiness. He gave a small shake of his head before he sat back down on the altar and gave a quick look around the room to confirm he was truly alone once more.

Zeed waited for several moments to see if either the dead girl or her dead partner would return. When neither didn’t, it only served to increase his sense of unease rather than erase it. In the end, however, he gave a mighty snort.

“Well, no matter. Goodbye and good riddance,” he muttered, before he flopped back down on the altar and made himself comfortable, turning his back to where Keiko had been moments before.

Zeed tried to dismiss the final words the Chosen of Darkness left him with, but they continued to linger like a ghost.

As the Dorumon settled he hesitated before he gave a snap of his tail, with a sharp note of finality as he did his best to banish the entire incident his mind. Whatever just happened, wherever Keiko had gone, and especially everything she said… it all had nothing to do with him.

It couldn’t possibly be anything important.

#Dreaming To Reality #oneiromancy #digimon #Digimon Adventure 02 #digimon adventure

[dragonandtiger]

Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy Chapter Thirty One - 20

Keiko clamped her mouth shut so that her lips formed a thin line. Her words from earlier rang loudly in her head, feeling all the more appropriate. Everything was a total mess, and nothing ever went smoothly when Zeed was involved.

Especially when Zeed was involved.

Zeed narrowed his eyes as he watched the emotions play out on Keiko’s and Nyamon’s faces, emotions that he couldn’t quite get a read on. After a moment, he let out a low snort and flopped back down on the altar, his chin resting on the Digimental of Light once more. “Then again, I suppose there’s no point in us having this conversation, is there? It is not as if he can hear any of your complaints, hm~?”

Keiko turned her head slightly to glance at Nyamon, who met her partner’s stare with one of her own. The two lapsed in silence for several moments before the Chosen of Darkness turned to face Zeed once more. “I’m still waiting for your answer.”

Zeed paused at that and blinked before he turned to stare at Keiko. “What?”

“Ryo wouldn’t want his partner doing such things,” Keiko repeated, slowly. “Would he?”

The Dorumon’s mouth pulled into a tight-lipped frown, his ears canting back. His tail gave a mighty smack against the altar.

“If you really want to be Ryo’s partner…,” Keiko let her words hang in the air for a moment. “Maybe you should start asking yourself what he wants for a change.”

Zeed’s scowl darkened as his tail whacked against the Altar of Light with increased frequency and intensity. Then, after the tension had become almost unbearable, the Dorumon finally spoke. “I know what Beloved wants. I don’t need you to tell me that.”

“Do you?” Keiko challenged, her red eyes narrowing into sharp slits.

Zeed glared at Keiko as his tail gave a mighty snap against the altar. If it had been any other material, it surely would’ve cracked, but the altar emerged unscathed from the strike.

Keiko didn’t look away, and her stare pierced deep, judging Zeed for every wrong he committed against Ryo and countless others. Zeed in turn met the stare with outright defiance, lifting his head slightly so that he could sneer down his snout at her. Wordlessly, he rejected her judgment out of hand, as his posture made it clear what he thought of it.

Unstoppable force, met an immovable object. Neither was willing to back down, staring at each other with intense hostility. The tension grew thick, lingering over the room like a suffocating cloud. It was enough that when Demon passed by on his nightly patrols to check on his master, he took one look at the glaring Dorumon and quickly made himself scarce.

Or perhaps it was simply the fact that his master was glaring at empty space again, and he knew better than to get involved with any of that.

#Dreaming To Reality #oneiromancy #digimon #Digimon Adventure 02 #digimon adventure

[dragonandtiger]

Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy Chapter Thirty One - 19

“Right,” Keiko said flatly.

Zeed’s ears canted back as he side-eyed Keiko in silence for several moments before he fixed the Chosen of Darkness with a glare. “If you are entertaining any foolish thoughts about some perceived weakness that you might be able to exploit, I would strongly warn you against it. I am still more than capable of causing unimaginable damage that you and your little friends won’t soon recover from.”

Keiko opened her mouth, but stopped before spitting back the barb that hovered on her tongue. For a long moment she stood there, staring hard at Zeed with her eyes narrowed into slits and her mouth drawn into a thin line. The look she gave him pierced through him, judging him and his past actions, but in this new light of knowledge cast on him.

Zeed was arrogant and dangerous, but he was Ryo’s partner, and everyone now knew it, especially Ryo.

“I’m sure you could,” Keiko said, slowly. “But we both know Ryo wouldn’t like it if you did. He wouldn’t want his partner doing such things.”

Zeed’s eyebrows shot straight up at that before his eyes narrowed. “How… do you know about that?” He hadn’t seen the girl follow him to show off his human body to Ryo. Did that mean that he had briefly lost his sight? Had the glitching progressed that far? The very idea of it made his skin crawl.

“What?” Keiko blinked at that.

“How do you know about Ryo offering me the position?” Zeed demanded sharply, his tail giving a mighty smack against the altar. “You weren’t there, were you!?”

Keiko gaped at the Dorumon, stunned. It was true that she hadn’t followed after Zeed, as she couldn’t track where he had gone. She didn’t have his ability to sense and track gates - certainly not intuitively like he could. Judging by what he had said, she now knew exactly where he had gone - which in hindsight she should have automatically guessed - but the words coming out of his mouth made no sense. “…What?”

“Listen, girl. Regardless of what you may think, it is not your decision to make. The decision belongs to Beloved and Beloved alone,” Zeed growled, the hair bristling along his spine. “So stay out of it!”

Nyamon furrowed her brow before she turned her head slightly to glance at Keiko. “…Does he not…?”

Realization dawned in Keiko’s eyes as her shock became evident on her face. Zeed didn’t know he was Ryo’s partner. It seemed so impossible to her. Shouldn’t he have known, if not consciously then instinctively?

…Or perhaps was that why Zeed was always so obsessed with Ryo? A deep, unexplained love - a need - that he didn’t understand? Only knowing that he wanted him - needed him - and chasing after him for years without any comprehension as to why.

#Dreaming To Reality #oneiromancy #digimon #Digimon Adventure 02 #digimon adventure

[dragonandtiger]

Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy Chapter Thirty One - 18

Keiko didn’t know what to think anymore as she watched her greatest enemy slumber. Even in sleep, he looked worn down, and sometimes there was a small flicker about his body, a glitch that hinted to her that something was wrong deep down in his code.

When Digimon went through that sort of error, it was always a precursor to death, as entropy had fragmented their data to the point of corruption. Eventually, they would stop functioning altogether and would go through the process of being reborn.

It should have been good news for Keiko - it should have been good news for everyone - but she could only wonder how Ryo would feel when that happened.

“Nothing can stay simple, can it?” Keiko muttered. “Everything just has to get so… messed up.”

Nyamon gave a small nod of her head as she stood beside her partner. “From the very start… it’s been an absolute mess,” She flicked her ear as she looked at Zeed. “And I can’t help but feel it’s about to get even messier. You know what they say about ‘best laid plans’… and if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that nothing will go smoothly when Zeed is involved.”

Keiko made an imitation of a sigh, though there was no breath to go with it. “Especially when Zeed is involved.”

Zeed’s ear flicked with each mention of his name. Eventually, it reached a point where his slumber could no longer drown out the conversation, or at least make him unaware that he was currently being talked about even if the words themselves hadn’t filtered in yet. The Dorumon groggily opened his eyes, furrowing his brow, before they darted out the room. They immediately settled on Keiko and Nyamon, and even the exhaustion on his face could not hide his irritation.

“Do you truly not have anything better to do than watch me sleep like a pair of voyeurs?” Zeed asked, an edge in his voice. “I understand that my brilliance tends to draw all eyes upon me, but it is a privilege strictly for my Beloved and not the two of you.”

“Someone’s a little grouchy tonight,” Nyamon said with a crooked smile. “Feeling a bit under the weather?”

Zeed’s eyes narrowed before he let out a snort. “Children have bedtimes, you know. Staying up too late can lead to poor health.” His lips curled up in a fanged sneer. “Well, I suppose it might be a bit too late for you…”

“Funny,” Keiko said, her expression deadpan. “I was thinking the same thing about you.”

Zeed blinked at that before he frowned. It was clear on his face that he had a suspicion of what Keiko was referring to, and he looked more than a little uncomfortable by that implication. However, he quickly schooled his features with a mask of impassive indifference before making a dismissive noise in the back of his throat. “I know not what you mean to imply.”

#Dreaming To Reality #oneiromancy #digimon #Digimon Adventure 02 #digimon adventure

[dragonandtiger]

Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy Chapter Thirty One - 17

“Against our master’s legacy?” Baihumon narrowed his eyes, his lips curling up in a snarl. “My pride wouldn’t dare be so foolish as to claim anything less.”

“Because of our master’s legacy, we must still try!” Zhuqiaomon insisted. “That… abomination cannot be allowed to continue! Better that he rot in the Dark Ocean for eternity than live with such… such desecration!”

Baihumon let out another snort through his nose. “I wonder if you would be so quick to say that if your soul was on the line. It is quite easy to speak platitudes about the misfortunes of others.”

“Enough!” Zhuqiaomon screamed, before he began beating his wings furiously. “Enough, enough, enough, enough! I have had enough! If you are too cowardly to do what needs to be done, then I shall do it myself!”

“What a wonderful idea,” Baihumon said, dryly. “Go to your death, by all means. I am sure that the little tyrant boy will be only too glad to trap your souls with Xuanwumon and Qinglongmon, leaving me to manage this world by myself.”

“Keep that thought in your mind, burn it into the deepest recesses,” the Sparrow snarled, his eyes blazing. “So that you will remember it when I emerge victorious, without your assistance! Let us see then where we stand, with I the savior of our master and this world, and you a miserable coward who has abandoned both!”

Zhuqiamomon gave a mighty flap of his wings and thrust himself skyward with a burst of fire, leaving the ground singed all around him. The tiger Digimon gave a small sneeze from the smoke and cinders, blinking his eyes, before he looked up after his seething compatriot.

“No, Zhuqiaomon,” Baihumon muttered. “We will see that I alone am apparently the only one capable of learning.”

--- 

It was hard to imagine that Zeed could find any comfort in the position he was sleeping in. Sprawled across the top of the Altar of Light, using the Digimental of Light as a pillow, one would think the Dorumon would at least find the sharp bits on the top to be too uncomfortable to rest his chin upon. Yet, rest he did, slumbering deeply save for the occasional twitch of his tail or ears. Perhaps he shared something in common with cats, who could sleep in any position no matter how awkward.

Or perhaps he was simply too exhausted to care.

#Dreaming To Reality #oneiromancy #digimon #Digimon Adventure 02 #digimon adventure