FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

And here we are, once again, a new chapter in this random little thing that turned out to be more popular than I thought it would be. In regards to this, I have decided that if I am to continue this series, I need to work on giving it an actual story-line, instead of just letting it run randomly around my head doing what it likes. I have tried to do this in this chapter, as well as going a bit deeper into Craig's shady history, as he is actually an old character from another story I just tossed in here because I wanted to see how he'd cope. Now I'm going to be bringing in elements of the old story and more than a few twists and turns to hopefully get this story rally interesting! Anyway, enjoy!

An argument, a battle, and a figure from the past!

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Karen stared at Craig's back as they walked across the rocky surface of the mountain, unpleasant thoughts drifting through her mind. He had barely spoken a word to her since the night before, and even that had been more between friends than anything else. So lost in her thoughts, Karen didn't notice the small hole in the rock, shrieking as she tripped, her foot twisting painfully.

"Karen?!" Craig spun around immediately at her cry, suddenly appearing next to her, a worried expression on his face, "What's wrong? Did you hurt yourself?"

"No, no," Karen cringed as he gently lifted her foot from the hole, "I'm fine, seriously!"

"I think you only twisted it, but it could well be a sprain," Craig sighed, inspecting the digi-grade appendage, rubbing it gently, "We should head back to the cave and treat it...Karen? Are you...why are you crying?"

"No reason. It's nothing!" The fox-like girl sniffed, turning away from Craig as he tried to touch her shoulder, "Really, it's nothing."

Craig stared at Karen's shoulders as she tried to force back the tears, a strange anger suddenly rising up inside him. Karen gasped as he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tightly and pressing his face into the soft fur on the back of her neck. Unable to hold it back any longer, Karen let out a long wail, before breaking down into sobs. She cried for what felt like hours, until finally, she felt she had no more tears to cry.

"Karen," Craig spoke softly as her sobbing subsided, his soft voice surprisingly forceful, "What's wrong? I know that something is wrong, and I want to know what it is. Right now."

The anger was obvious in Craig's words, making Karen shiver in fear. Swallowing nervously she shook her head, "Nothing. There's nothing wrong."

The young digimon barely had time to blink as she was spun around, suddenly dangling off the ground as Craig gripped her shoulders painfully. She stared at the rage burning in his eyes, her body going slack as pure terror over-took her.

"Karen, you're starting to piss me off," Craig's voice was still low, and his words just as forceful as before, "I want you to tell me what's wrong, and you are going to do it!"

"Stop it!"

Craig gasped as the ball of fire slammed into his chest at point blank range, exploding between the two of them and throwing them apart. Karen cried out as she tried to land on her injured foot, collapsing in a heap as the pain stunned her. Craig, however, was instantly back on his feet, about to return to her side when he stopped, staring at Karen in confusion.

"Stop it!" the red fox sobbed, her hand held out towards Craig, the fire ball in her palm burning fiercely, "Just stop it!"

"Stop what?" Craig asked, forcing himself to calm down as he watched the distraught vixen pull herself up a small rock.

"Treating me like a child!"

"What?" Craig blinked in surprise, unable to understand what she was talking about.

"Ever since the Citadel, you've been treating me more and more like a little kit!" she sobbed, "And now it's gotten even worse! You nearly died, and the first thing you do is apologise to Namico! Which is fine, but then you have the nerve to act as if it never happened to me!"

"K-Karen..." Craig stammered as he took as step back, shocked by her words, "Oh gods, Karen, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry!"

"That's not enough! You think apologising now, when the pain is already there, will make a difference?" Karen screamed, tears pouring down her face as she watched Craig fall to his knees, a look of shock on his face.

"No, it never could," he muttered, staring at his hands as they shook uncontrollably, "Oh gods, I'm becoming just like him. I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry."

"Craig?" Karen paused as she watched the young man suddenly crumple, his shoulders slumping as he let his hand drop to the floor, "Craig, what's wrong? I'm supposed to be mad at you! Stop making me worry! Craig!"

"I'm so, so sorry. I'm just like him..."

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The stone cracked under the shrouded figure's large armoured boots, the chaos within the arena slowly subsiding as the other digimon noticed the new-comer standing atop the ruined balcony. A small object suddenly fluttered out from beneath the long cloak, the eyeball beating its wings madly as it darted through the air.

"Yes," the figure said, crouching as it ran a hand over the blasted stone, "This is where my foolish father died."

The figure suddenly stood again, making all in the arena cringe, cowering even more as it turned to face them.

"You were all minions of the one whom sired me, but now the fool is dead. So now, I offer you a chance. Prove your worth to me now! Find the one who did this! Find and crush him!"

The digimon erupted into frenzy, the figure smiling beneath its hood as it watched them.

"They shall do nicely," the figure said to himself, stroking the eyeball gently as his gaze fell on a particular pair of female digimon cheering in the back. Raising a hand, he snapped his fingers, his cloak suddenly billowing out, hundreds of the winged eyeballs flying out.

"Descend, my children. Descend and make warriors of them all!"

The cloud of creatures fell on the digimon below, several screams and howls being heard before silence engulfed the arena.

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"What did you do?!"

Karen yelped as Namico screamed at her, the feline halting mere seconds from attacking her as Craig shouted at her.

"Nothing! She did nothing! It was my fault! I'm just like him! Just like the bastard who spawned me!"

"Craig?" Namico and Karen stared at their Tamer as he sat in the middle of the cave in his human form, trailing a finger across the large diagonal scar on his chest.

"My father was a monster, and I'm becoming a monster just like him," Craig sighed, "It's no one's fault, it was all a matter of time."

"Craig, shut up!" Namico said as she sat next to him, "You are not a monster..."

"Yet," the boy barked, "But I will be. I'll become like that man without even realising it. That's the worst part, I won't even see what's happening to me, it'll be like it was always that way..."

The slap echoed in the small cave as Namico stared up at Karen in surprise, Craig simply dropping his head as his cheek turned red.

"I deserved that, and I'll probably deserve many mo-."

The second strike caught him off-guard, knocking him back as he blinked in shock, Karen staring down at him angrily as she balanced on her uninjured leg.

"Shut up," the words that oozed out of the vixen's mouth were so poisonous Craig felt as if they might burn the flesh from his bones, "I do not want to hear you, who single-handedly defeated the most powerful digimon I have ever seen, acting as if he has lost his will to live. Craig, I am still angry at you, but know this, no matter what you become, be it a monster or a hero, you are still you, you are not anyone else. And if you ever say you are, I will kill you myself!"

"Karen..." Craig stared at the furious girl in shock as she glared back at him, something suddenly occurring to him. Slowly, the digi-destined rose to his feet and stood in front of the scowling vixen, a slight smile on his face, "You're right. You're one hundred fucking percent right. I'm not my father. I'm not my mother. I am me. I am a digi-destined, I am The Reaper, but above all else, I am a lover and a mate, and I am a father."

Nee, who had been hiding in the back of the cave throughout the ordeal suddenly emerged, jumping into Craig's arms happily as he pulled Namico and Karen into a hug. The four of them stayed like that for a time before a loud cough broke them apart.

"Hey Smiley, if you're done having your breakdown, I got a few suggestions as to what we do from here on out," the girl chuckled as she stood in the mouth of the cave, her leather trench coat flapping in a an absent breeze as she grinned from beneath a main of crimson coloured hair.

"Luna?" Craig asked, staring at the now strangely confident girl as the demon digimon from before walked into view behind her, "How did you find us?"

"How d'yah think? We synced digivice, didn't we?" she asked as she stepped into the cave, grabbing Craig by the arm, "Anyway, we don't have much time! Something bad's heading our way, and we need to get outta here!"

"Wait, what?" Craig asked as he yanked his arm free, "Look Luna, I know you're a fellow destined, and I appreciate your concern but what are you talking about?!"

"That,"

Craig fell silent as he stared at the dark cloud that hovered menacingly in the air, its shadow seeming to ooze across the ground with a life of its own.

"They're digimon," Namico gasped, staring out at the mass of flying and running creatures, shivering as a strange presence seemed to wash over her.

"No," Craig growled, his mantle beginning to react, its form shifting as it began to flicker, "They're not just digimon, they're Dark Digimon."

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The figure watched in as the horde moved across the landscape, the vast number of digimon having quickly been able to find the killer. The figure took a step back, giving the horde one last glance before turning to go. Something, however, caught his eye. Turning back, he focused on the top of a low out-crop of rock, a wicked smile spreading across its hidden face as it spotted its target.

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Namico, Karen and Nee, and even Luna and Aerovex had to jump back as Craig's mantle suddenly exploded. The strange fabric flared out and wrapped around his body, becoming more like a thick liquid than anything else, taking a new form as the Tamer glared out across the horde, his eyes focused on a single figure standing atop the ruined arena.

The ragged looking trench-coat flapped in the breeze as Craig held out his arm, the sleeve instantly rippling, a stream of the black liquid gathering in his hand, stretching out and into the form of his scythe. Gripping the shaft tightly, Craig shifted his feet, turning his body as he prepared to attack.

"Art of Death, Three Pointed Star!"

The words echoed out across the barren landscape as the horde seemed to pick up speed, the voice of their target sending them even deeper into frenzy.

"What kind of attack is that?" Luna muttered, "I've never read or heard anything like it."

Craig snarled as he dropped to the floor, letting out an animalistic howl as the scythe burst into life, the slight glow around the scythe's blade now a shimmering light, flaring up as Craig sent his attack soaring into the sky. The three arcs of energy curved gently through the air as the horde approached, howling in triumph as their prey seemed to be attacking thin air.

Several of the creatures in the front faltered as the three slashes collided, the resulting blast of energy stunning them as they fell, only to be quickly trampled beneath the rest. Up on the arena, the figure smirked as he stared at the ball of glowing energy that had formed, wondering what his opponent had planned.

"Craig! What is that thing?!" Luna and Namico yelled together as the spinning ball whipped up the winds around the cave.

"It's not even half done yet," the boy laughed evilly, holding out his hands, "Just watch!"

The air shimmered as hundreds of thousands of needles appeared, the thin strands of energy quickly bundling together, forming larger and larger needles, until only a hundred or so of the arm thick rods remained. Closing his hand, Craig watched as the needles shuddered, suddenly reacting and embedding themselves in the ball of energy.

Namico watched as Craig's smile stretched further across his face, making him look half crazed as he slid his foot back again, the scythe in his hand beginning to glow unnaturally, the energy rippling along the entire shaft. With a final shout, Craig pointed the scythe up at the ball, a beam of energy blasting out of the end, slamming directly into the spiked orb.

"And now, my friend," Craig chuckled to himself, "Let us see who is the strongest!"

"Who is he talking to?" Karen yelled, the other all shaking their heads, just as confused as she was. They watched as Craig twisted the Scythe, the beam of energy linking it and the orb bending as he whipped it around, the wave flying up the glowing cord and slamming into the orb, the whole thing shifting in the air.

The figure stepped back as the orb was suddenly swung down, ploughing straight through the centre of the horde and slamming into the ground, data billowing out as light pulsed out from the object. The creature had to brace itself as the shockwave erupted from the orb, the ball of energy exploding outwards in a flash of light, the two blasts annihilating what was left of the horde after the first attack, those few remaining digimon, so lost in a literal sea of data.

The figure looked out across the swirling mass, staring directly into the eyes of the one who had vanquished his latest minions, a smile oozing across his face.

"He is strong," the figure cackled, "I shall enjoy this!"

Craig watched as the figure stepped back, his body reacting automatically as he lifted the scythe again, the shaft rippling as it had before, the energy bouncing back and forth within it, quickly building to an incredible level.

"Reaper's Arrow!"

The blast that erupted from the end of the scythe, much like the first, was immense; it soared through the swirling mass of data, dragging it with behind it. The figure standing atop the arena blinked as the blast arced past just next to it, shredding the side of its cloak. Turning in surprise, it stared out across the now raging data, lifting its own arm in attack.

A crack suddenly appeared in the rock beneath it, catching the figure off guard as it was forced to jump back, the entire section of rock it had been standing on suddenly rising from the ground, the data curling around, eroding away its very presence, absorbing the data that flowed off. Looking up, the figure grinned at the swirling mass that had gathered above them, the data on the ground and in the sky now eating away at the layer itself, becoming a destructive force the figure itself could never have imagined.

"Very well," it said, turning away as two figures approached it, "I shall take my spoils and leave."

The three were suddenly covered by shimmering purple light, vanishing.

Back across the sea of data, Craig was gasping as he watched the figure vanish, sweat pouring off his face as his mantle fluttered in the gusting winds.

"Craig! That stuff is destroying the layer!" Luna shouted, grabbing his arm as Namico lifted the other, "We have to get out of here! Now!"

"Digivice," the exhausted Tamer said, "Search for Data Beam energy signature, provide co-ordinates!"

The device on Craig's wrist squawked as a holo-screen appeared, a simple bar slowly filling up as the two girls tried to drag Craig through the billowing winds.

"It's taking too long!" Namico yelled, "Send out the Rider!"

"Hold on!" Craig gasped as the sea of data behind them began to churn, the waves that had been lapping at the edge of the mountain now slamming into it, "Almost there!"

"Craig!" Namico howled as the data smashed into the side of the mountain, soaring over head as the wave came crashing down on the rock, engulfing it almost instantly. The data flowed back slowly as the rock beneath it crumbled away, its data quickly absorbed into the raging swirls of the sea. The cave in which they had spent the night was all but gone, now barely an indentation on a small rock.

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Mary's eyes flew open as she leapt out of her bed, staring around the dark room as she gasped in fear. Sitting back on the bed, she looked around the large room she had been staying in, a soft beep from her digivice making the girl look down at it.

"Mother? Are you unwell?" the digital voice asked as the gently glowing form rose from the object on her wrist, "Your heart rate is abnormally fast, and you appeared to be having abnormal brain wave readings."

"I'm fine, Addy," the girl sighed, looking back as a soft yawn from Annalla caught her attention.

"Hey," the angel said, "You have another nightmare about Craig?"

"Yeah, but this one was different. It was too real."