Series Title: Hidden Truths||Story Title: Taking Flight
Main Characters: Miyako, Jou||Minor Characters: Koushirou, Hououmon
Word Count: chapter: 4,131||story: 4,131||Chapters: 1/5
Genre: Adventure, Friendship||Rated: PG
Challenge: Diversity Writing Challenge, section J10, a multichap with no prologue or epilogue; Christmas Wreath Challenge; New Year's Mini-Advent 2015-2016, start a fic you have yet to post; Advent 2015-2016 Calendar, day #22, write an AU
Notes: This takes place about six years after the defeat of BelialVamdemon. It doesn't acknowledge the 02 epilogue or Tri. It also takes place in my breed-universe, while it is not connected to anything else I've posted related to said universe.
Summary: Miyako hasn't been feeling well lately. Is it just a common illness or could it have a more digital origin? And if the latter, how does she deal with it? And to make matters more complicated, a favor for a friend ends up unleashing a new enemy, sired by an old one.
Miyako rolled over, stuffed her head under the pillow, and tried her best to stay asleep. She didn't want to be awake, not with the way that her head hurt and her arms hurt and her back hurt.
Not her back, precisely, the logical part of her dictated. Her shoulders were where the pain centered. She wanted to take something for it, but nothing she'd tried worked. Even going to Jou hadn't done anything but produce a suggestion to not carry her books on her shoulders that much.
He'd tried. She knew he had; they'd both tried to figure out what was wrong, and that was the best that they could come up with. Granted, he wasn't a full doctor yet, but she didn't really feel comfortable going to a full doctor with just 'I hurt some' to tell them. It was so ridiculous. She was barely nineteen, she shouldn't be having problems like this.
Shifting onto her stomach eased the strain a little, enough so that she could start to relax. She needed that; she needed to rest so she could get back to her studies once she actually woke up.
Maybe I should take more online classes. That might help; she wouldn't have to worry about carrying books everywhere then. She hated the thought; it felt far too much like failure. But when she could barely study because of the pains in her arms and shoulders, what else could she do? Getting the work done meant the most, and if that was what she had to do so she could, then she'd do it.
Well, she'd think about it, anyway. If she made up her mind to do it, it wouldn't be hard to arrange, not with Koushirou to help her. He took plenty of online classes himself, though he did his mostly because he also spent plenty of time in the Digital World, for a multitude of reasons.
Miyako cracked one eye carefully to check the time, then slammed it closed again. She still had at least thirty minutes before she absolutely needed to get up. She wasn't going to waste a single one of those minutes doing anything but resting, especially now that her aches and pains had eased enough so that she could do so.
Unfortunately, the rest of her family hadn't caught word that she needed perfect peace in order to rest. They weren't making too much noise, but like it or not, she heard Mantarou humming a bit louder than she would've liked, and Momoe had some kind of music playing in her room.
That usually doesn't bother me, though. Miyako frowned at that, then dismissed the thought and screwed her eyes even farther shut. She didn't know if it were possible, but she did it anyway. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. She told herself that over and over, vaguely wondering if it might not be such a bad idea to try to grab a nap or two in the Digital World. It would be quieter, surely.
Somewhere she drifted off. Between one moment and the next, she found herself surrounded by the endless expanse of the sky, her arms stretched out to each side as if she were flying like in one of those old movies. There wasn't any sign of Hawkmon, regardless of evolution, around her. She flew completely on her own, ruling the skies.
Somewhere ahead of her was someone else, though, someone she knew and didn't know at the same time. In her dream, she knew exactly who it was, but the part of her that was aware of dreaming had no idea of who this might be. But she trusted whoever it was not to guide her wrong.
Come. Come to me. The voice rang no bells and held no compulsion. This wasn't a command, this was a request. Come, please, child. You'll need me soon. You'll need the skies.
Miyako's eyes flew open and she stared at her bedroom ceiling. She wasn't afraid. There'd been nothing at all of fear there, only of longing, of emotions that she'd never felt so strongly before.
To need the skies? But she flew a lot with Hawkmon. At least once or twice a week, just like Sora-san did with Birdramon. Both of them enjoyed flying with their partners. Sometimes Sora did it all on her own, and Miyako kept wondering what that would be like, to be able to fly.
The dream hadn't been quite like that. She'd thought… no, that was ridiculous. She shook her head and threw off the blankets, wincing as her shoulders ached some more.
I need to get going. As much as the dream and what it promised enticed her, Miyako knew right now she couldn't afford to drift off into fantasies. She had a lot of goals and she knew she wouldn't get to any of them if she dreamed about flying, no matter how much she wanted to.
But being able to fly would've been so useful. It would probably even make her shoulders feel better.
Maybe she'd ask Hawkmon for a lift to the campus.
Koushirou looked over the reports on the health of each of the Chosen, a small frown tilting his lips downward. He looked up at Jou.
"You're certain about this?"
"Absolutely. I ran the tests at least three times." Jou hunched over on the couch, dark circles under his eyes. He spent at least twice as much time as he should trying to get all of his work done and helping Koushirou with his Digital World work as well. Koushirou kept trying to tell him to relax, but Jou refused to so much as consider it. He threw himself into his work without a bit of hesitation.
Koushirou suspected that he would regret that one day, and all he could hope for was that no one else would regret it either. Of them all, Jou, Yamato, and Ken were the ones who needed to keep a watch on themselves the most. Daisuke might in the future, once they unraveled the complete mysteries surrounding his existence, but at the moment, those three needed to watch themselves.
Being part Viral Digimon didn't have nearly the perks that some people might've thought it did. Koushirou almost wished it did. There should be some in compensation for the drawbacks.
But at the moment, they had something aside from the Viral-born breeds to think about. He looked back at the notes.
"So how do we explain this to her?" It hadn't been this difficult with the others. They'd all met their sires on one occasion or another, and at least in his case, those sires hadn't tried to kill them. But this was different.
Jou held back a yawn. "I don't know. I really should go. I need to get a report finished and some more research done."
Koushirou held out a hand to him. "What you need is to get some sleep." He'd lost plenty of that himself when hot on the trail and it was frequently Taichi who would tell him that he needed to take a nap. Not that he always did, and he wasn't sure how Taichi managed to sound so worried and caring at the same time. He certainly couldn't pull it off himself.
"I don't have time," Jou said, a small, weary smile on his lips. "I'll be fine, though. I don't need that much sleep, remember."
Koushirou held back a sigh by sheer force of will. Instead, he gave Jou a firm look. "And have you been taking care of that part of your diet?"
"Of course I have." Jou answered too quickly and Koushirou came to his feet without a breath of hesitation.
"Jou, don't lie to me. You can't let that slip." The last thing they needed was him going on a rampage of some kind because he'd neglected to feed.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. You know I don't need that much." Jou came up to his feet and tucked everything he'd brought with him into his bag. "I'll have something later. You worry too much. I thought that was my job." There was a faint trace of a smile about his lips and Koushirou didn't know if he wanted to smack it or not.
But before he could decide either one, Jou bid him farewell and was out the door. Koushirou sagged back into his chair and closed his eyes. He'd heard about herding cats before, but trying to keep tabs on some of the most headstrong people in two worlds made that sound easy.
Miyako traced her pen across the paper, trying to keep her focus on the teacher's words and take proper notes. Most of her aches and pains had eased for the moment, but she knew they'd come back. She hated worrying about that more than she hated the strain itself.
What did he say? She mentally winced when she couldn't remember. That wasn't like her. But the strain kept her distracted even when it wasn't there. She would have to talk to someone else in class to find out what she'd missed.
Thankfully class was almost done. Being cooped up inside grated on her more and more every day. The details of her dream drifted back to her, the voice murmuring how she would need the skies.
I kind of think I already do.
The thought of blue skies and fresh air, puffy white clouds all around her, the wind teasing through her hair, all of that swept so close around her that when class ended, she didn't even bother asking about what she might've missed.
As soon as she stepped outside and felt the wind blowing through her hair, some of the mild aches that threatened to spawn up again eased. She stepped out of the way of the milling students and breathed out a sigh of relief.
I really should go to the Digital World. She couldn't think of any reason not to do it. Her homework wasn't too intense, so far as she knew; she could finish it after she had a nice long flight with Hawkmon.
With little more than that, she headed for the family apartment and her nearest way into the Digital World. She checked her D-Terminal as she hurried along, hoping for some kind of a message from any of the others. Well, Jou in particular, in case he'd come up with anything that would help with her aches and pains.
Nothing. Well, Hikari wants to have a picnic this weekend, but other than that… Miyako shot off a quick reply as she hustled along, wincing when she put a foot wrong and stumbled. She threw her head back a little to compensate, and wished vaguely that she could just fly high above all of this.
Every single image in her head these days seemed to connect to flying somehow. She would've thought there was something special about it, if she didn't know better about her family. She'd seen baby pictures of herself from birth onward. No mysterious gaps for her.
Of course, Sora-san could say the same thing…
She didn't want to think too much about that. The idea of not being who she thought she was, of being something else altogether, sent dark chills through her.
Her lips pressed together. Maybe she should try to find out. It wouldn't do any harm to at least get herself tested.
The tests aren't always sure, though. Digimon genetics couldn't always be detected unless someone had spent a great deal of time in the Digital World. Ken's power had flared up late in his reign as the Kaiser, which hadn't made stopping him any easier.
Miyako preferred not to think about those days anyway. At least they had managed to win in the end, and things were so much better now.
"Hawkmon!" She called for her partner the moment that she entered the apartment. "I need to go to the Digital World, want to come?"
Hawkmon fluttered out from where he'd been napping in her room. "Of course! Did you want to go somewhere in particular?"
Miyako worried at her lower lip briefly. "Somewhere where we can fly." She glanced at him for a second as she set her books down and fumbled for some paper to leave a note. "I've been wondering about something and I think maybe you can help." It wasn't the same as a test, but sometimes the Digimon could guess it anyway.
Hawkmon tilted his head to the side to look at her. She shook her head; now wasn't the time or the place. She didn't want to ask her parents, either. If she was right, then she wanted to know why they hadn't told her. If she was wrong, she didn't want to try to explain why a backache made her wonder if she wasn't their daughter.
Letting them know that she'd be gone for part of the afternoon, she headed right to getting her laptop and the gate going. Hawkmon followed her, clearly worried about her, and she wanted to get there faster, just to explain all of this. Or what she could, anyway.
She stumbled on the way, grabbing herself on the doorjamb, and breathed harder, trembling.
"Miyako?" Hawkmon peered up at her. "Are you sure that you're all right? Perhaps we should call someone..."
"No. No, I'm fine." Miyako shook her head and called up a smile. She'd never felt this unlike her usual energetic self, even though energy thrummed vibrantly under her skin. "I just need to get outside. In the Digital World."
Hawkmon stared more at her, with the kind of look she'd seen Gabumon and Wormmon give their partners before. "Yes," he said after a long moment which she spent trying to get herself together. "I think that would help you a lot."
She bit her lip again, not quite enough to draw blood, but getting there. "You're sure?" This wasn't quite what she'd envisioned when it came to asking Hawkmon what he thought of the situation but if he thought it would help, maybe he was right.
Which meant maybe she was right.
"I think so. I didn't really notice before, but you need the Digital World."
Neither of them said why. Miyako drew in a stuttering kind of breath, then moved over to her laptop, her D-3 out. "If I need it, then it's time to go." They could talk in more detail once they were actually there. It wouldn't feel right discussing it anywhere else.
Jou flopped himself down on his couch and stared up at the ceiling. There was an itch in the back of his mouth that he couldn't scratch. Itch might not have even been right word, but he craved and he was all out of blood to satisfy the craving.
Thanks a lot, Vamdemon. Jou seldom even thought about his 'father'. He much preferred the man he'd believed was his father for most of childhood to the digital vampire anyway. If 'father' meant someone who took care of you then Kido Akihito had done far more of that than Vamdemon had ever considered.
Though so far as Jou knew, Vamdemon had never cared about having children in the first place. Nor had Piemon. Their conceptions had been attempts to make tools, powerful warriors, nothing more.
He threw his arm over his head and tried to think of something else. Like if he had any blood in the fridge and if it would be fresh enough still to be useful. He really did not want to have to dial anyone up and ask if they could be a blood donor.
He kind of was annoyed at Koushirou for even bringing it up in the first place. He'd been so good at ignoring it until now, but once the redhead mentioned it, Jou couldn't keep the thought out o his head.
Maybe I should ask him. No, he'd just say 'I told you so'. What made it annoying was that he had.
Jou didn't usually neglect his needs like this. He knew that he was taking a very dangerous risk in doing so, but he needed to study. He had so much looming on the horizon and if he didn't push himself to the very brink, then it would all be for nothing. He was only part Digimon. He didn't need to drink more than a little bit every week or so.
I'm glad Gomamon's not here right now. That was a half-truth at best. He missed his partner, but at the same time, Gomamon would've prodded and poked at him to do something that wasn't studying and probably was finding out which of his friends could stand to lose a little of their blood.
Another sigh, and he knew that he couldn't push it off any further. If he didn't get something good and liquid in him, then he'd end up doing it the hard way.
He wasn't going to ask Koushirou. Tasting Yamato or Daisuke's blood wasn't a good idea; especially not Daisuke's. There was something about his blood that could very well tip him over the edge if he had too much of it. So rich, so full, so delicious…
Right. Not him. He squared his mental shoulders. He kind of preferred feeding off of the human Chosen when he had a choice, mostly because they could understand his need but he didn't take a chance on taking too much and causing problems with them or with himself.
So that left Takeru, Hikari, Taichi, Iori, Mimi, and Miyako. Most of those were busy so far as he knew.
Miyako. I'll ask her. He reached for his D-Terminal to send her a message. Despite both of them being Chosen for several years, the two of them hadn't really talked to one another very often, aside from the occasional medical request on her side of things. He knew she knew who he was, and what he was, but this wasn't something that he'd ever asked her before.
It only took a moment to send it, then he leaned back and relaxed again, as much as he could. He had to hope that Miyako would agree, or he'd have to start talking to other people that he'd prefer not to bite on. Shuu and Shin had always said if he needed them they would help him. Shuu even said it would make an excellent paper, how vampire reality compared to myth.
So far as Jou knew or cared, the reality … well, for lack of a better word, it bit. Hard.
When he got the message that Miyako would gladly agree to his request, he breathed out happily and headed for the nearest laptop. She would open the gate from her side, and then he'd have some dinner, and probably feel up to getting his homework done. Finally.
At the moment, his hunger curled and roared to the point where he forgot just what it was he'd talked to Koushirou about where Miyako was concerned.
Miyako hadn't been flying for all that long when her D-Terminal beeped at her. She and Hawkmon hadn't spoken much about what they wondered about her, not yet anyway. She wanted to get her head clear first, and she'd spent as much time as she could de-stressing so she could get her thoughts together. And then the e-mail came.
Should I tell him what I'm thinking about? She hovered on the mental edge of a knife here. On the one hand, he needed the help. On the other, if she and Hawkmon were right, what could it do to him?
Telling him seemed like the best choice. He might even have something to say, once she said it out loud.
They settled down beside a television portal and it didn't take too long to connect it to the signal from Jou's Digivice. Soon enough, the oldest of the Chosen stood in front of them. He looked about the same as he had a couple of days earlier when Miyako wanted to get some help for her aching back and arms, save for a slight bit of weariness around her eyes. She understood that very well herself.
"Thank you," he said, before she'd even begun to do anything. "You don't know how much I need this."
Miyako summoned a small smile, more nervous than she really wanted to say. "It's all right. But before we do anything, I think I should tell you… Hawkmon and I have been wondering… and I think you should know, because you're about to drink some of my blood and we don't know what it could do to you…"
Jou blinked a bit, then shook his head. "We can talk about it later. Trust me, your blood's not going to hurt me. But I think I know what you're thinking about and you might be right."
Miyako's mouth opened a little, but she said nothing at all, too nervous to even consider it. Jou, on the other hand, settled near her and slipped a small penknife from his pocket.
"Do you think you can do this yourself or would you like me to?" he asked. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and started to reach for it.
"I think I can. But are you really sure?"
Jou nodded. That was good enough for her; she trusted him to know what he was talking about. She looked at the penknife for a heartbeat, steeled herself, and pressed it into the tip of her index finger until skin parted and several drops of blood sprang out from the small wound.
The moment the blood was shed, Jou seized her hand and brought it up to his lips. His eyes dilated and he licked his lips before he leaned forward and started to lick up the blood.
Miyako had read a few books with vampires as main characters over the last couple of years. They'd all enthused about what it was like to be bitten by a vampire. At the moment, Miyako was ready to tell them that they had no idea of what it was like. It just felt normal, as if she'd cut herself – which she had – and Jou was just helping her clean up the blood. Admittedly, this wasn't the most hygienic way to do it, or the way she would've preferred overall, but it just wasn't at all like any book she'd ever read said.
Jou tilted his head back as he finished the last of the blood, his eyes glimmering brighter than she'd ever seen them before.
"Delicious," he murmured, and was there something off about his voice now? She'd never heard him right after feeding.
Her head spun a little; she might not even be hearing it right. Everything could be fine with him.
When she could think clearly again, he still was next to her, watching her quietly, a hint of worry in his eyes. She rebuked herself at once for even the faintest hint of uncharitable thoughts. Then she remembered what else he'd said before this.
"Jou-san," she asked, sitting herself up a little more, and wishing she had a cup of very strong tea. "You said that I might be right?" She really wished now that she'd taken the time to chat with Hawkmon about this. He stood next to her, not taking his eyes off of Jou for a moment. That kind of worried her too.
"Now that I've tasted your blood, I know you're right." Jou smiled and Hawkmon shifted closer to her. She didn't have to ask why. That smile spoke of danger. "You are part Digimon. Very powerful Digimon, at that. I would put you at least at a Perfect level. Maybe more." He licked his lips again. "I haven't tasted enough Ultimate to know one by taste alone. Unfortunately."
She tried to sit up and found she could do it. "Jou-san, I hate to say it like this, but are you all right? You sound kind of strange." There were times when being as straightforward as she was had its drawbacks. She didn't think now was one of them. Now could very well be a time when that was necessary.
"Hm?" He turned to look at her. "No, I'm fine. It just takes me a while to calm down after I've had some very good blood, and yours is much better than I expected. I might have to ask you again some time."
Miyako looked at Hawkmon and Hawkmon shook his head the tiniest bit. She began to open her mouth, only for Jou to interrupt her, a smile on his lips that sent chills down her spine.
"In fact, I think I'd like some more. Right now."
To Be Continued
Note: Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.
