"Koromon. Hey, come on!" Hikari looked over at her brother as he entered the living room. "Hey… Kari? If you see Koromon, can you tell him I had to go? I can't stay any longer. He's probably out with Gatomon anyway." She coughed and nodded, earning a guilty smile from her brother. "Feel better, okay? I'll see you later." He sprinted to the door and was gone.
She pushed to her feet and stepped to the balcony. A few minutes later, she saw Taichi running to the side walk and down toward the school until she couldn't see him anymore. "Koromon… where'd you go?" she rasped, grabbing gently at her throat.
Gatomon had only left a while ago. She hadn't seen Koromon when she'd woken up. Taichi had been looking for him since he'd woken up a few hours later. The Micro-Digi wasn't in the apartment. That much was certain. Koromon liked going to school with Taichi, even if he had to pretend to be a stuffed animal. It wasn't like him to just leave.
She coughed, forcing herself to sit down on the couch before she fell over. "Oh… come back…" she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself.
She woke up to the sound of kitchen utensils clanking lightly. "Oh! Sorry honey… I didn't mean to be so loud…" her mom's voice wafted over, just above a whisper.
She forced herself to sit up, wincing at how shaky she felt. "It's okay… mom? Have you seen Koromon?"
Her mom's hazel eyes met hers from the kitchen, confused. "Koro… mon?" Recognition sprung up a moment later. "Oh, that's that pink thing Taichi's been carrying around. He set it down somewhere. He asked if I'd seen it earlier, but it's not there, so he's obviously moved it again. It'll show up eventually."
"But…" she shook herself, wincing again. Of course her mom would answer like that. Everything from before was only a dream… Seeing Taichi and Hikari go to Digiworld… the outlandish weather… monsters… None of it was real to them. Upon their return home, it was as if nothing had happened. Reports of terrorists had swarmed the news with images of the destruction and hysteria… Nothing chronicled the occurrence of destruction in Odaiba. And after hearing one too many quiet comments about the Digimon, both parents had officially forced the topic to an end.
It had nearly sparked an argument with Taichi. 'You're too old to be playing make believe, Taichi. There were no monsters involved in the bombing. Do you understand? It's time to grow up, son.' Dad had said it so… antagonistically. And Taichi had faltered at first, blindsided. And Hikari had jumped in herself, saying that it had happened… and it had spiraled from there. She and Taichi had forever after only spoke of their Adventure out of earshot.
Come to find out later on… the only adult who seemed to openly accept the idea of Digimon was Yamato's father, Hiroaki. He not only spoke of "invisible monsters"… he openly discussed the chaos that was the Search for the Eighth Child and the repercussions of it all.
But her parents were nothing like Mr. Ishida.
"Hikari, you should lay back down. Your fever is still high. I'll bring some zucchini soup in a little while, alright?" Her mom's hands guided her to the room she still shared with her brother. Gatomon still wasn't here… Koromon wasn't here… and Taichi was still at school… This room was the absolute last place she really wanted to be. But… her cough reminded her why she was trapped.
When she opened her eyes again, her throat was scratchier than before… but she felt better. Her chest felt clearer and the throb that had been present before was now gone. And Gatomon was curled beside her. But it was dark, and she had no idea how long she'd slept for.
Attempting to keep from disturbing her partner, she peeled the blankets back and scooched over to the end of the bed. Gatomon's eyes glowed, even in the darkness. "I'm sorry… I have to use the bathroom. I'll be right back. Go back to sleep, Gatomon." She climbed down and felt her way to the door.
In the hall, she paused. Light filtered out from the master bedroom and she could hear voices. It was rare… to hear her parents talking about anything. She only stood in the hall for a moment, startled, but before she went to continue forward –
"- even had Hikari ask about that doll. Susumu, I'm worried about what it means. Taichi hasn't played with stuffed animals since he was six. Why do you think he's been carrying that around everywhere?"
"I'm sure it's a phase. He's in high school. Teens these days are crazy about plushies. You saw that blue haired girl the other day carrying that Pikaboo thing, right?" But there was a note in his tone that had Hikari on edge, bringing her back to that argument years back. "But you're right. I'll confront him in the morning. He should be more focused on school and soccer. Plushies and other fads are insignificant."
"No… it's alright. I donated that toy this morning." Hikari gasped, shaking. "But he was so… worried about misplacing it. Remember when we took Hikari's baby blanket away? I feel like we just did that with him, but he's never been so attached to anything like that."
"Yuuko, it'll be alright. He'll get over it and be back to normal in no time."
She broke away, hurrying to the restroom. In her haste to talk to her brother and feeling almost like a criminal, she didn't dare flush and risk being discovered. She stumbled back into their room and her eyes fell on the bottom bunk. Taichi was curled in a loose ball, back to her, and breathing light. He'd wake up at the slightest noise, then. So she moved over to him and touched his arm.
Color was limited, but his brow furrowed and his eyes slowly opened. "Koromon?" he asked, looking at the spot Koromon usually slept at. At finding it empty, a look ghosted over his face she didn't need to see to identify. He looked at her. "Hikari? Are you ok?" She nodded, sitting down beside him and he sat up. His hand raised almost instinctually to her forehead. "Your fever's down. Feeling better after all of that sleep, huh?"
"Tai," she said urgently and he sobered. It was always a mystery to others just how well Taichi could understand tone better than simple words. Her use of his name could elicit three distinctly different people; first and foremost was "Big Brother".
Big Brother had several different emotive plays that counting them all was hard, if not impossible, to do. Second was "Friend Bear". Because no matter how other normal siblings acted, Taichi was her best friend, and he would provide a shoulder, an ear or help in that way friends were known for, better than anyone she knew. Playful and supportive, but behind the fine line of friend/family.
And then there was "Leader". The Taichi who'd lead seven other kids through the untamed Digital World against an evil force with only a vague understanding of the events while dealing with monsters and attacks and whatever else broke them apart for any given time. The Taichi who no lead a number one ranked soccer team and could handle Yamato's Band Manager when they as a group were trying to get together and the man stood in the way.
Her fear could have brought out "Big Brother", or her confusion may have seen "Friend Bear"… It was "Leader", who responded to her urgent undertone. His eyes narrowed slightly and he leaned forward. "What's up?" he asked, tone going low.
"Koromon," she winced. Her throat still hurt.
He shuffled so they sat touching side by side. "Whisper. What about him?" He tensed, ready to jump up at a moment's notice. "Big Brother" may have told her not to speak. She would have anyway.
"Mom… told dad she… donated him."
Stun and a myriad of other things filled the room. Dark as it was, she still saw her brother pale. "She… she got rid of him? Wh-when? Why?" He jumped to his feet and ran a shaking hand through his hair. "Gatomon, I need your whistle."
Hikari's partner blinked down at them from the upper bunk. "If it'll help," she said, pulling the string from around her neck and handing it down to him. He immediately passed it to Hikari.
No one would ever understand her like Tai. She placed it between her lips and blew gently.
Taichi was pacing. "Probably went to the same place she usually goes. Gatomon, can you head to Thrifts-R-Us? Mom probably dropped him there." Hikari accented his request automatically with a bubbly chirrup of the whistle. Gatomon glanced curiously at Hikari, then nodded. Gatomon could get there faster than either of them, and as much as she herself didn't want to admit it, Hikari would only further slow Taichi and Gatomon down.
Pew.
Taichi whirled around. "Hey now, don't be like that, Kari. Gatomon and I will bring Koromon home. Don't worry about it."
Pew.
"He doesn't move around as well as Koromon… and he probably has no idea what direction to go in… hopefully he's found the school route. He knows that. But I'll find him with my Digivice, Kari. Okay?"
Pew. Peeew.
The lights flicked on, and she blinked blearily, trying to assuage the stinging that assaulted her eyes. Taichi stared at her, stern, with a hand on his hip. "No. You may be feeling better, and your fever's gone down, but you are not coming out there with me."
Hikari was as stubborn as her brother. She stood swiftly, putting both hands on her hips in a pose that emulated her mother. Pew. Pew. Peeew. Forget her illness. Koromon was out there, by himself and probably confused and scared. She was not going to sit around and wait while her brother traversed the streets in the dark of night. No.
"Kari, no. You're going to stay here unless he comes back. He's probably been moving since he was dropped off. He really could arrive home at any time. If he-"
"I'm going." Her voice was rough and stung with use… but she was adamant. She would slow him down… but she couldn't sit here. Her worry would only increase, minute by minute. And she wouldn't be falling asleep anytime soon. Not now. "Please, Tai."
Her brother was a big softy. He worried more over her when she was sick… for good reason, too. He'd been left in charge of her care often when they were little… to the point it was a wonder no one looked into their home life. After all… she could remember when she was three, Taichi made her meals while their parents were out at work and doing errands. And they were both sure that that was how they'd come to hatch the Digi-Egg that evolved to Greymon at Hightenview Terrace.
The pre-disposition to watching her played in her favor here. He would keep an eye on her, and be better able to respond if she got worse again. She saw him waver; almost visibly weighing the two options in his head. And then he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Kari… Fine. Get dressed in warm cloths, ok? We have to be quiet when we leave."
Pew. She pointed to Gatomon, who was watching the interaction still from the top bunk, looking like she wanted to object, but was far too engrossed to do so. Every blow from the whistle intrigued her partner more, especially as it seemed like Tai was carrying a conversation without her speaking much at all.
He looked at Gatomon, then at the window, and shrugged. "Well… why not? Gatomon comes and goes from there enough…" he muttered. He grinned, turning to the cat. "If she Digivolves, Angewomon can carry us out and we won't run as high of a risk being caught." Gatomon twitched an ear.
"You want me to Digivolve?" she asked. Hikari nodded at her brightly and turned to her dresser, pulling a long sleeve shirt and a pair of jeans from various drawers. Tai did similar and crept out into the hall to utilize the bathroom while Hikari changed. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Kari, you were so sick earlier… And it's cold outside."
"It's okay, Gatomon," she whispered, pulling the shirt over her head. "We'll find him. And come home." She pulled the pants up over the leggings she'd been using as sleepwear. "I'm ok." Except her throat. Because that part of her really was upset at being used so much.
A few minutes later, Taichi reappeared, a bundle of clothing in his arms that he dumped on his bed. He closed the door as quietly as he could with his foot, and pulled his sleepwear from the pile and threw them on the floor. Their mom would have scolded him had she seen it. But he pulled her jacket and scarf from his own and laid them out to the side. He grabbed a sweater from their closet and shrugged it on and tossed one to her.
Normally, bundling this much meant they were going to play in the snow. There wasn't any snow, being mid-September… but it was windy and only just above freezing temperature-wise. Still… she would have scowled on a normal day at needing to wear the extra sweater. But as Tai put one on himself (some form of psychology, she was sure… and he probably didn't even realize it. He always did what he wanted her to do, with her, so that she didn't feel singled out), she didn't say anything.
After a moment, they were both bundled and ready to go. Tai clipped his Digivice to his belt as she took hold of hers with a quick look at Gatomon. And then Tai bent down and snatched his discarded clothing like a non-sequitor, and both she and her partner blinked at him. He didn't look at them as he moved to the door and dropped the clothing, pushing the pieces into the crack of the door. Only then did he turn to them, grinning. "So the light doesn't draw notice."
Which made sense. Digivolving put off a lot of light. Izzy always called it "Interesting", but never went further on explaining why it did so. With a smile, she turned to her partner, who jumped over to the window and slid it open with practiced ease. And then jumped to the floor, and the pink light of her ultimate form erupted from her and Hikari's Digivice.
In such close corridors, Hikari could feel the brush of feathers from Angewomon's wings as the light faded to normal. Her partner stood in the center of the room, suddenly taller than both of their parents, and looked down at them both. She smiled, and leapt like a dart at the open window, her wings spreading past the threshold.
Sometimes Hikari wondered what the neighbors would think if they happened to look outside at the right time. Their next door neighbor would probably choke, seeing a beautiful angel hovering just outside a window. It hadn't happened yet, but if the need arose for Metal Greymon or War Greymon… the reaction would probably be a lot more severe. Angewomon was the safer way to go for the collective mental health of the apartments surrounding them.
Angewomon held her arms out for Hikari, and she pulled herself up onto the desk and jumped. Angewomon caught her with one arm, and Hikari hooked her knee around the angel's own leg, earning another small smile. "Alright, Tai. Come at me," she said playfully, offering her palm.
Taichi climbed up on the desk and shuffled to the window. He looked at her, frowning slightly, but got to the edge. "What's easier for you? Want me to jump?" He looked down at the street far below. Which was strange. Taichi wasn't scared of heights.
"I'll catch you."
His carefree grin returned, and he followed Hikari's example. Angewomon's arm caught him under the arms and across his chest. But the three of them suddenly pitched for the ground. The feeling of weightless falling tickled Hikari's stomach and she gripped tight at her partner's arm. Likely, Taichi did similar.
Angewomon shifted them both, and twisted. Her wings flared. Her hold on them tightened, and she coiled like she was about to spring, easing the sensation of sudden freefall. When it became clear that the Digimon wasn't going to plummet further, nor would she drop them, both Hikari and her brother loosened their grips. Angewomon chuckled, "You've both grown since I've last carried you. Taichi, you've put on a lot of weight."
He grinned at her, "Must be all of those chilidogs. I'm a growing boy. Gotta eat right!"
"Eat right. That stuff hits the gut like a rock," Hikari groaned, glad the two were joking.
"Breakfast of champions. True story."
Angewomon angled away from the apartments and out over the city. She knew the city better than the humans did. They flew well over the streets… a bird's eye view only lucky few could say they'd enjoyed. And the city was quiet, this time of night. Peaceful.
She dropped gracefully in front of the thrift store, setting them down gently and stepping back to look around. No one around. Hikari bit her lip. No sign of Koromon. It was nerve wracking, and she shook. Angewomon took notice, wrapping her arms around her.
Taichi was staring at his Digivice, pressing the face buttons. The devices were mostly intuitive. If separated from each other, they'd start beeping, especially if that particular device had been separated for a long time (and the beeping grew a lot faster in those cases, the longer it'd been since united with the group). But Hikari couldn't remember a time they'd ever tried to use it to locate their partners… Sure, it'd been used to find her before they'd known she was a Digi-Destined… but their partners?
It blipped.
Taichi turned a random direction and started walking. Angewomon gave a final squeeze, and left Hikari for the air to start an air search. Hikari waved, then ran after her brother. He turned down the next street, and stopped. Spinning in a low circle, he was using the Digivice as both a radar and a compass. She glanced at hers, pink and shining that it was, once again awed at the marvel they each were gifted.
Walking, walking, walking. Taichi never got very far ahead of her. He didn't look at her, but she knew he was watching her closely. Last time they'd been walking and she was sick was in Digiworld… and she'd collapsed… he'd been focused on just taking steps, and not on her, and so, hadn't realized right away that she'd lagged behind and fell. She didn't blame him… it'd been hot, and they were all tired...
He was focused on his Digivice and her. Neither of them realized they were no longer alone until Taichi was suddenly suspended a foot off the ground by two large, muscled arms. His Digivice clattered to the ground, dormant. Hikari gasped, seeing her brother held tight by a large man neither of them knew, his arms trapped under the arms at his sides. The man was strong, judging by how easily he'd picked Taichi up, and was grinning like it was his lucky day.
"Well well. Lookie here. Two teenagers are out past curfew." Grossly yellow teeth bared and the man almost sounded like he was purring. Taichi grimaced, likely at the breath that blew across his face. "You should know better 'n to wander into some people's territories. Now, what've you got for me? You don't want me to hurt you, after all…"
Hikari blew her whistle. Hard. Taichi growled, swinging his head back and connecting with the other's jaw. Startled, the grip lessened, and he slid free, kicking for good measure. His kicks were strong and the man learned this as he howled, falling to the ground as his knee went out from under him. Taichi snatched his Digivice from the ground and rolled away.
He snatched her hand and pulled, and they were suddenly running. "Tai, slow down!" she wheezed, holding his hand as tight as he held hers. He was cursing quietly, and she felt guilty. If she hadn't been along, his attention wouldn't have been as split as it was, and he may have avoided that man all together.
And the apparent gang he was a part of. Who melted from the shadows of the street, each angrier than the last. "Damn…" Tai muttered, eyes narrowing.
Hikari stared open mouthed at them. She hadn't thought they'd wandered into danger… And these people were serious. They stared at them like they were cuts of meat. It was disturbing. Part of her wanted to scold them, and part of her wanted to plead with them to leave them alone.
She didn't have to do either.
Something small darted past her and her brother, launching at the man that was stepping closer and closer, latching to his face. The man groped at the new addition, shouts muffled. The others in the group stared, part confused and part horrified. After all… while Taichi smirked and Hikari let out a sigh of relief, normal people really didn't have a clue how to classify Koromon. Small, pink and round. And Koromon was growling cutely.
Not that the gang saw it that way. One of them inched away and another stepped toward his fellow member with a crowbar. Koromon hopped free just as the crowbar swung, flipping over the human's messy brown head and bounced his way to land in front of Taichi, who took on a defensive stance behind he partner. "Hey buddy… Nice to see you again," he said quickly. "Sorry…"
"Hi, Tai! You okay?" Koromon sounded bubbly and happy, not at all put off by being relocated. Tai grinned down at him goofily. Both refocused on the gang as two stepped toward them. "You better stay back!"
"What the hell is that thing?" someone asked, gruff. "It speaks!"
"It's a stuffed animal with a voice box. Get 'em!" another growled.
The man Koromon had attached himself to earlier looked down with an ugly expression. "I want that thing. Grab it, boys."
Hikari's Digivice vibrated, and she looked at it. It was still glowing pink, but the vibration had stopped when she'd split up from her partner. Now it was back. Grinning, she looked up just as the familiar voice wafted strongly from above. "You boys sure are dim, aren't you?"
Startled, the gang looked up and gawked as the angel descended upon them. Several fell backward in fright. Angewomon paid them no mind as she landed, back to them, in front of Hikari, Taichi and Koromon. "Hi Angewomon!" Koromon called, his tendrils dancing as he bounced up to her eye level. "Boy, am I glad you all showed up. I was lost!"
Angewomon caught the pink ball-mon. "I'm glad you weren't terribly hard to locate. Look for trouble, and there you are." Koromon grinned broadly. "Are you both satisfied? Let's get you home."
Hikari ran to the angel, hugging her. "I know I'm ready to go home. Come on Tai!" Taichi snorted, waving at the gang as he stepped to the angel as well.
"W-wait!" someone shouted as Angewomon again took to the skies.
Koromon rode on Angewomon's shoulders. "That was fun! Those people almost wet themselves when you showed up, Angewomon."
Taichi laughed. "Probably thought she was the grim reaper or the Holy Ghost! At least they left us alone so we could leave. Any longer, and they'd have been sorry!" he boasted, genuinely happy for the first time that day. His mood immediately darkened, "Hey, Kari? Remind me I have to talk to mom about moving my stuff. What she did was definitely not cool."
She nodded slowly, blowing a long Pew from the whistle. She and Taichi would BOTH talk to their mom. Last thing Hikari wanted was a repeat… And the best way to make sure it wouldn't happen was to team up. They were formidable together, and their mom usually acquiesced if they both teamed up on her.
As they snuck back inside and Angewomon reverted to Gatomon, Hikari and Taichi initiated a group hug on Taichi's bed. It was then that Hikari realized exactly how tired she was as she nodded off, basking in her brother's arms with her partner and his tangled between them.
=/=/=
A/N: Not the best ending… but my One Shots usually don't have good endings (I'm a multi chapter writer… my one shots often threaten multiple chapters).
I needed something to break me out of my funk. I had a hard month in September and have been struggling ever since to regain my momentum. Now that I'm finished with a work project and I'm mostly past the depression I hadn't realized entirely I'd sunk into, I've been stuck with picking up again on Prisoner. This was begun months ago… it was initially supposed to be Prisoner-verse… but it doesn't have to be, as, it's not connected verbally or otherwise.
Kari's whistle... Inspired by the origin movie as well as the episode Kari collapsed in Digiworld (she clutches the whistle like a lifeline). Head canon says she probably used it to communicate when she was little.