I know I've got 02 and 04 to update before this, but I'm having some inspiration issues with the other two so I decided I would work on something haha. 02 should be easy enough to get back into, but 04 and I are having some troubles at the moment. I don't think I'll discontinue it, but it might be a while before I get another chapter up (which honestly is no different from normal haha).
Nevertheless, I read through this chapter two or three times to edit it, only because I thought that I couldn't upload it here at my grandparents (happy thanksgiving, everybody!) but I was wrong :) So, here is the newest chapter! I hope you guys like it, and please leave a review if you've got the time! It's always appreciated!
(Also, if I use any Digimon that someone hasn't heard of before or can't find a picture of, just message me or something and I'll give ya a link to a good site. Having a clearer image might help with the chapter a bit, and I admit that I don't always go as in-depth as I should. Just let me know~)
Chapter 7: The Perfect Mistake
Damon paced back and forth across the room even more furiously than yesterday, his footsteps loud stomps due to his uniform boots. His arms were crossed tensely across his chest, the Digivice bouncing about whenever he paused and rested his hands on his hips. I did my best to keep him from noticing that I was watching him. He didn't show it if he had.
Agumon followed his partner about for a little while, but then grew too hungry to be worried about their impending battle. Instead, he started eating some of the sweet buns Miki had brought along to hopefully keep the two fighters calm. It was becoming more and more clear that her plan was only working on one of them. Marcus didn't cast one glance at his munching partner.
Three torturous days had gone crawling by since Sugiwara had drawn that horrible picture on the wall. The man had been allowed to go to his family to recuperate just this morning. He had been supervised constantly for the past couple of days under Sampson's orders, and everyone was glad to see him leave town.
However, he had composed himself a little before leaving and had told us a bit more about what happened to him. Not much was obviously helpful. "He never dropped a name and I never saw him, but…I-I don't think it was human," the pale, grim-faced man rubbed the back of his neck again, as if something was touching him and he couldn't stand the sensation.
The black stubble on his face made it seem as if he hadn't slept in ages thanks to that other entity. His tired eyes looked everywhere but at me. "There were some nights when I'd go to bed at home and wake up a few hours later back at my desk with a pencil in my hand and more drawings of those creatures all over the place. They were always fighting, too.
"My dreams were starting to get really messed up at that point. More monsters, more fighting, more loss. It wasn't on earth though, at least not the worst of it. But…everything was burning there, and…things were screaming and crying…" He paused, gloomy eyes closed and a hand over his mouth. I, the interrogator at the moment, kept quiet as he slowly regained his composure. "It was pretty bad, okay?
"I think the worst thing was that they kept asking for help—from me, too!—but I didn't know what to do. That voice told me over and over again that if I lent him my body for a while and stopped resisting, then I could do some good for them. He promised…" The man paused again, head tilted to the side and eyes squeezed tight like he was attempting to block something out of his mind.
After a quick shake of his head, Sugiwara looked at me uncomfortably. "Are you sure it's okay for you to be alone with me? Can't you get that Sampson guy or something?" A few moments went by with me assuring him that I could protect myself, and finally he relented and continued in a hushed, almost ashamed voice, "Well, that guy would say stuff about a gold ring, and that he needed the one who had it. He promised that the moment I got that thing for him, we'd be able to help his people. So I gave in."
He was quiet for a long while after this. When I didn't answer, but stared at him in shock and minute alarm, his head slowly fell into his hands and he didn't raise it. I left after a minute or two of silence, unable to be in the same room as him anymore. I heard him begin to sob softly the moment I left.
I was still thinking about that man's tears as Marcus wore a groove in the carpet and bothered most everyone by continually asking if there was a Digimon signal yet. He'd asked so many times now that Miki and Megumi were able to sense the second he opened his mouth, and they would shout, "No!" instantly. This did nothing to improve Damon's mood. Thomas was the only one able to completely ignore Damon.
"Marcus, stop pacing, you're giving me a headache!" Yoshi complained in an exhausted voice. She had a hand over her eyes, the other grasping an empty cup of tea. Next to it sat a bottle of aspirin that she'd downed with Sampson's help over the past few days. Sampson had left the room to hunt down another bottle or two. "When the Digimon shows up, you'll be the first to know. But until then, sit down!"
A chorus of agreement resounded in the room after she said this, given by Miki and Megumi mainly. Their chant was magnified tenfold and coupled with sighs of relief when Damon growled something foul and leaned against the desktop a few feet from his chair. He continued to glare at everything, not caring if anyone glanced at him.
Agumon had finished off the sweets and was back to watching rage animate his partner from his spot against the Commander's desk. He was clearly concerned by the unspoken thoughts casting shadows over his partner's face. Granted, all of the Digimon were watching him, but the yellow dinosaur was the most bothered.
Thomas continued to do some computer work as he asked over his shoulder, "You were getting bored before since there was no one to fight, so what's the problem? You were expecting something like this to happen. Or were you hoping for a stronger opponent than what MetalTyrannomon's going to be?" The blonde's tone was unconcerned, and he was the first who succeeded in getting Marcus to speak with words other than cusses.
The street fighter, arms crossed over his chiseled chest, said in a reluctant manner, "Yeah—well, no, but…this whole thing is…wrong. That picture Sugiwara drew…" he trailed off, and all of us felt the same sense of dread slip over us like a heavy sheet. One of the maintenance workers had washed the picture away, but the dark omen it represented still sat upon the building like a black fog.
No one was sure how the pictures of Digimon played into the scene Sugiwara had described. From what he'd told us, we were either looking for an inconceivably powerful human who could control another person's mind in every sense of the word or a Digimon with similar strengths. Both would be difficult to find in the human world. If not, then impossible.
Thomas had been scanning several strange newspapers, magazines, and websites that often mentioned odd goings-on, hoping to see something similar to our case. Damon had done the same when not awaiting the most stressful fight of his life. Yoshi, Miki, Megumi, and I had been sifting through all of the information on all of the Digimon encountered in search of one that would fit the bill.
But that wasn't all that we had to think about. Thomas had decreed a while ago that it wasn't possible that a simple drawing could bring a Digimon into the human world. He made it clear that opening a portal between the worlds was much more complicated than what Sugiwara appeared to have been doing. However, that still didn't explain all of the pictures.
But, with opening a portal out of the question and all other ideas debunked, there were only two other things they could be meant as: a threat or a warning. Or as Yoshi had figured: bait. The eldest of our quartette had made faint nods toward her opinion, mumbling, "He must've thought Masumi would do what he wanted if he tugged her heartstrings a bit…"
I'd been the only one to hear her, but I hadn't reacted to the statement. Fear and worry struck me every time that I thought about Damon and Agumon up against such a menacing opponent, especially when coupled with the picture's depiction of how the fight would go, but…I also had to put some distance between us.
I'd allowed myself to grow far too fond of the Marcus—that was becoming clearer now that others were beginning to notice our minute connection. The thought was hard to bring to mind. I knew it was simply because of the memories that I lacked; I knew I had no reason not to be friends with Damon. I knew in my heart that I wanted to be. But at the same time, I didn't want to take the risk.
Dracomon sat leaned up against my legs, sipping quietly and uncomfortably at his tea. We'd gotten into several arguments lately, all of them about Damon and my interactions with him. One such fight had taken place last night. The only words spoken between us so far today had been short and kind, the sort used to repair strained bonds.
The problem was simple: the Digimon was all for continuing the flirtatious atmosphere between Damon and me, and hopefully getting it to progress into something more serious. I about had a panic attack at the thought. Friendship was one thing, but pursuing an actual relationship? Something based entirely upon trust that could fall apart at any comment? It was a nightmare come to life!
But at the same time...
I looked up, having been playing with Dracomon's scarlet horns, and stole a secret glance at Damon, who didn't look any better than he had before. He'd begun tapping his foot now and was unconsciously gnawing the inside of his cheek. Megumi's hands were shaking as she attempted to beat down the urge to throttle the boy. Miki's glances were egging her on.
I hated seeing him so distraught, and all because of a drawing that may have only been a ruse to get the Holy Ring. It was almost disturbing to see him immersed in such dark thoughts, the course of which being simple to guess. I didn't like thinking about the approaching battle either, but everyone on the team was afraid of the outcome depicted. The last thing we needed was our flame to fizzle out.
With those thoughts and those thoughts alone in my head, I weaseled my way out from behind Dracomon and wandered uneasily over to the anxious brunette. He stopped glaring and watched me curiously when I jumped up on the desk beside him. I remained there silently for a long while, my feet swinging in the air, thinking of what I should do. Nothing was coming to mind very quickly.
Finally, I murmured so only he could hear, barely moving my lips at all, "A man rolls with the punches, doesn't he?" Marcus blinked and looked at me with a touch of surprise. I felt my face growing warm and plowed on hurriedly. "A stupid drawing shouldn't make you fight this guy any different than if you hadn't seen it. You're still the ultimate."
I was about to hastily slip Agumon in there somewhere to make it sound less affectionate, but I was stopped by Damon's pleased chuckle. "You're something else," he murmured with a smile so genuine that I felt about ready to run away—if my legs hadn't turned to goo. I didn't turn to him as he added in a gentle undertone, "I've always liked that."
At those words, every fiber of my being chose a side. One wanted to flee now and never have anything more to do with this human. The other's only goal, however, was to find out how soft that boy's lips truly were. It was hard to imagine a world where both reality and my dreams could coexist. Most of me knew that one of the two would have to go.
Just before the war between those two halves began in earnest, an alarm went off and a red light flashed. Sampson returned not a moment later (with more aspirin), and Miki quickly pulled up some visuals on the duo screens above us. Beside me, Marcus straightened and tensed; every trace of contentment was gone from his features.
"Is it MetalTyrannomon?" Several people had asked all at once. I stopped myself from reaching out and grasping Damon's shoulder like I wanted to. I yearned to keep him from going to fight the monster that sought him and his partner, but at the same time I knew I couldn't make it seem like I cared about him that way. It was true, yes, but…he couldn't actually know.
"No, it's not him." A sigh of relief filled the room, and Damon relaxed beside me. "But there's a Divermon in the harbor with a group of Penguinmon. It looks like they're fighting!" That calmness faded immediately when the screens showed four purple penguins doing all that they could to slow the advance of an amphibious Digimon. Though they were about the same size, the Divermon was clearly the stronger Digimon.
Marcus was the first to react, and it was in the way that everyone expected. He whipped around to face his Digimon, anxiety instantly gone. He grinned and chimed, "C'mon, Agumon! It's fightin' time!" The yellow-scaled Digimon jumped up in a hurry despite all the food he'd eaten not too long ago. I watched with a slight smile in my heart as the two made a dash for the door.
"Wait!" Sampson's call alone stopped the boy and his partner, and both turned back, prepared to protest. Their complaints were overshadowed by the Commander's voice, however. His eyes scanned the room, resting on Thomas and me as he said, "You two will go and deal with the problem in the harbor. Marcus, you and Agumon will stay here. You need to be around in case MetalTyrannomon shows up.
"MetalTyrannomon appears to be waiting for some kind of signal from the same being that was controlling Sugiwara. I'm sure it'll tell him the most opportune moment to enter the human world, and I would prefer that we weren't caught unaware when he does. Marcus, it won't be expecting us to put you and Agumon into the fight after seeing the sketch, so you two would be best for the job. Not to mention an Agumon is naturally a Tyrannomon's rival."
Sampson looked to Yoshi while Thomas and Marcus were still working on dealing with the shock of the cards that had been dealt them. "Yoshino, if you can get a hold of any of the Criers it would be good to know if they've had any odd goings-on in their neck of the woods. If it's possible, see if you can get Keenan and Falcomon up here soon as well. I have a feeling we'll need the extra muscle."
Yoshi nodded and started hitting buttons on her ear phone while walking out of the room. Lalamon floated after her hurriedly, trying to catch up before the doors slid closed. I wondered why they were leaving the room at first, but then I realized how stupid it was to question such a decision when the shouting started.
Surprisingly, it began with Thomas. He jumped up from his chair and strode over to his commanding officer, the blonde's fair face appearing pained at the thought of being stuck training a lost cause. "But sir, she still hasn't gotten her charge yet! It won't be safe, she'll get in the way, and her being there will cause more problems than it'll solve!"
"Then I'll fight with her!" Damon was quick to elbow into the argument, coming over to stand beside his blonde friend before their stony-faced boss. His green eyes were all aflame again, burning with more passion than what the fiercest fire could ever have dreamed of. "Charge or no charge, we'll be great together! I can feel it in my gut, and a man's gotta trust his instincts!"
I gave a small sigh. I didn't want to get involved in this fight, but I had no choice. "Thomas is right, Damon. Without a DNA charge it's pointless for me to come along. I'm not going to sit there and be a cheerleader, let alone end up needing rescuing." The last word was uttered with disdain. I pulled my knees up and held onto them, staring at a bruise on one instead of the boy's displeased face.
Anyone else might've dropped the topic, but Marcus refused to let it end there. Ignoring everyone else, he spoke as if I alone could hear him. "Yeah, like I need a cheerleader. I want you to come with 'cause the fastest way to the heart is through your fist. Us fightin' might get to ya, and then you'll remember everything!" The teen's hopeful face could've lightened the midnight sky, and it certainly would when I recalled it later.
His words didn't comfort me much; however, I had to wonder why he was so hell-bent on retrieving my memories, almost more so than I was. I didn't get to think much about it before Gaomon, the blue, boxing-glove-clad canine beside Thomas, spoke up. "You say that like she's not capable of remembering herself. Did you accidentally wipe her memory when you were playing with your Memory Eraser?"
Damon's offended "I was not playing with it!" was overshadowed by the silent glance that Sampson and Thomas exchanged. And especially so when Thomas's tone became much lighter and he said, "She should come with me. She'll probably learn more about the charge with me than with Marcus, anyways." Thomas's sly smile wasn't shared by the brunette, who was scowling and clearly miffed.
Marcus was still mumbling obscenities about the blonde when the two of us left DATS. Since Yoshi was busy trying to get in touch with that other person that had been mentioned (Keenan, or something similar) Thomas had to give his chauffer a call. I spent the time we had to wait for the car wondering about that Keenan person and who he was.
I was amazed at how little time it actually took for the white-ponytailed man to show up in that sleek black car. I felt a little better about this ride, too, now that I was prepared for the cold shoulder I received from Thomas and Gaomon, who was back inside his Digivice for the time being. The silence, except for the hum of the engine, was almost enjoyable.
Dracomon was sitting between Thomas and me in the backseat. He didn't seem as comfortable as I was, though. The teal Digimon was clicking his claws, which he did often when he was nervous. "What's with you?" I leaned down closer to the petite dragon's ear, murmuring so not to distract Thomas from whatever he was looking at on his small laptop.
Dracomon shook his head, hoping to brush off my question. However, he caved after I gave him a stern stare for a few seconds. "Water…" he grumbled at me, a little red-faced, "…I don't like water." Eyes widening slightly, I leaned back while giving a small, enlightened 'oh…' sound. In my excitement over the new Digimon appearing, I'd completely forgotten about my Digital friend's phobia.
I didn't respond immediately. I had next to no idea what would help him when we would only be a few yards away from the thing he feared most. When I didn't say anything helpful within the next few minutes, Dracomon decided to ask the other DATS agent with us. I flinched as he said to the blonde, "You think a lot, Thomas. Do you have any ideas?"
The atmosphere changed around us when Thomas was brought into the conversation. The collar of my jacket seemed too tight and I tugged at it as inconspicuously as possible. My palms felt clammy and my heart rate grew higher. I refused to meet the blonde's gaze as he pondered Dracomon's fear, a flaw he'd clearly been expecting.
"Why are you afraid of it? Bad experience?" I drummed my fingers quietly on my crossed legs as Thomas's cold eyes attempted to analyze my face. Heat moved slowly over my cheeks and I shifted a piece of my hair to help hide myself from him. Was he trying to figure out if I was a part of the reason why Dracomon feared water? Or was he using this moment with my Digimon to his advantage somehow?
I kept my eyes averted, but prepared to listen carefully to the inflections of the genius's voice and the words he chose when he eventually did speak. But at the moment, Dracomon was the one talking. "I suppose. My family-group found my egg barely floating in a river of ice, and I almost didn't hatch. If it wasn't for me being one-hundred-percent Dragon, I probably wouldn't have made it." He looked expectantly at Thomas.
Thomas didn't need to think about that information for very long. "That's probably why, then. The cold affected the makeup of your data as far as the memory portion goes, and you're now combining that memory with everything that has to do with water. Many human children do that, but most get over it as they grow. It's odd that you haven't let it go yet, especially with the duty you share with your partner."
Something clicked in my brain then, and I felt a surge of heat begin deep within the core of my body, deeper than my soul. What was Thomas trying to say? Was this an indirect way of telling us that the reason I was unable to hold a notable charge was that my relationship with Dracomon wasn't strong enough? That our bond just wasn't enough?
But that wasn't possible. I didn't give my trust to many humans, the number of which able to be counted on one hand, but Dracomon had every bit of faith that I could give. He knew most all of my secret wonderings, dreams that I shared with no one, fears that no one else could know about, shortcomings and failures and regrets that I'd spoken of but once and only to him…
I trusted him with the entirety of my being. He trusted me just as much, didn't he?
I had half a mind to voice a question of my own when I was cut off by Thomas. "When, exactly, did you receive the Holy Ring from your father? Do you remember?" The bluntness of the question threw me for a loop at first, but then realization crashed down upon me, along with a new surge of anger. The blonde had only agreed to bring me along because he knew I couldn't evade his inquiries here in the car.
I ground my teeth as I hissed under my breath, "If I'd known that I was going to be interrogated I would've been less willing to come." Crossing my arms, I turned away from him, prepared to give him the silent treatment. I should've seen this coming. It should have been obvious by his change of heart back at DATS. Had I truly thought he hadn't minded having me along when I knew as well as he how useless I was to the team?
"I'm not interrogating you. You have the option not to answer the question. But if you do answer, then this'll be over a lot less painfully." Thomas paused for a moment, then sighed and added as a gentle afterthought, "Normally I wouldn't pry into the pasts of other employees, but it's necessary for the research Commander Sampson is having me do."
There was a long pause, and I could feel both Gaomon and Dracomon watching me decide. Thomas, on the other hand, seemed to be reasonably content with skimming something on his handheld computer while he waited. After a moment, hating myself for falling so easily into his trap, I snapped, "I don't remember getting it. I was really young when he gave it to me, I think."
The change in Thomas's tone was plain as day. He was quite pleased, but not surprised, that I'd ruefully agreed to be cooperative. His next question went a little deeper than the first: "Why do you live apart from your family?" He still didn't look at me, as if he honestly didn't like asking such questions. I looked at him curiously for a long while before thinking of answering.
"I had a falling-out with my mom and step-dad, Nemoto. We'd been sick of each other for a while already, so I guess I saw it coming. The final straw was a little after I decided I wanted to go: both my parents saw Dracomon." There was plenty more to this story, but I was unwilling to tell it all to Thomas.
"Nemoto about had a heart attack and my mom was even worse. Naturally, I tried to tell them about Dracomon but Nemoto kept saying all kinds of stuff…" I paused. My throat was getting tight, though I wasn't sure if it was because of guilt or fear. I'd only told this story once to Mrs. Sasaki, but even thinking about the scene depicted in my mind set me off.
Dracomon rested a reassuring hand on mine and I came back to myself, skipping over the difficult part. "Anyway, Dracomon and I ran out about then, caught a couple of train rides, and ended up here. We went to Mrs. Sasaki, a good friend of my family's, and she's let us stay with her ever since." I swallowed to get the vile taste of the tale out of my mouth. I didn't mention how difficult it had been to convince Mrs. Sasaki of Dracomon's goodness. Thomas could assume that himself.
Something crossed my mind then, and I faked a slight smile. Hoping to lighten the mood and keep Thomas from asking another question, I added, "Oh, and for the record, Mrs. Sasaki asks about you a lot. She thinks you're cute, and is very curious about whether or not you've got a girlfriend." I glanced at him. "If you ever come over again, try to tell her that if you do, it's not me. She thinks I'm lying."
Dracomon laughed; Thomas shook his head, but still smiled, though it was a little exasperated. "I'll keep that in mind," he said in a much brighter tone than before. For that minute moment, I thought that the two of us would progress into a polite conversation or comfortable silence. I wouldn't have minded that from him.
However, the darkness of his questionnaire returned after a minute or two of peace. "I've got one more question," he said steadily. I waited patiently, hoping and hoping that we would arrive at the harbor before he'd phrased it just how he wanted to. Alas, he finally turned to me and asked in a tense tone, "How much do you really know about the situation we're facing at DATS right now?"
This question was the oddest I'd heard. I turned and stared at the blonde, our eyes locking. The boy was the one who turned away first. "The Holy Ring's sudden appearance here has been drawing all sorts of Digimon, whether we've noticed their presence or not. The last time something huge was getting ready to happen, it started differently from this. The Digimon then were confused and just wanted to destroy everything, but now…it's starting to seem a lot worse."
He met my gaze again. The joking attitude was gone from the both of us entirely. "I want to know why some Digimon think they need to find you. I know you haven't gone to the Digital World, and I know that you don't have the power or the right connections to send someone else there for you. But that only makes knowing this more important: human or not, what do all these Digimon want with you?"
There was a long silence, and I couldn't have broken it if I'd wanted to. A form of that very question had come into my mind more than once, but never so boldly or clearly before. He was right: for some reason, there were Digimon out there who would go to different lengths to reach me. But why? Honestly, what had I done to make them crave an audience with me? It couldn't just be that I was human, but what else was the issue stemming from?
"It's the Holy Ring, that's all." Dracomon's voice startled the both of us, and we looked down at him with surprise as he continued, stony-faced, "Sumi-chan never meant the Digital World harm. All humans have been put into a bad light, all grouped together with that evil Kurata, and sadly sharing his fate in most Digimon's dreams." He paused. "They want the Holy Ring, but they can't have it."
"Why is that?" The prodigy had obviously not been expecting such an answer, or an answer at all apparently, and was very curious. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't intrigued either, but I shared Dracomon's viewpoint, even if I wasn't so informed on the Digital World. My real father wouldn't have told me not to remove it if he hadn't had a good reason.
"I can't. I won't," I said, voice filled with a conviction that even I didn't truly understand. "I won't take it off, and no one but me can." Thomas's train of thought hadn't been dampened by my words. I could see in his eyes where his mind was heading, and I was prepared to fight him all the way if I could. There was something…wrong about giving up the Holy Ring, a reason I didn't know for sure, but could certainly sense.
The car came to a gentle stop then. Glancing out the window, the harbor and grassy parks framing it engrossed my vision. A very light breeze blew, and it ruffled my hair as I got out of the car with Dracomon, thanking the driver before closing the door. The sun was far lower in the West than I recalled, a very faint darkness beginning to seep into the clouds. The crescent moon was already visible, framed by a lavender-patched sky.
The five Digimon were nowhere to be seen.
Thomas took note of that as well. As the car trundled away, the blonde started forward into the grass with Gaomon in tow. He paused and turned halfway around to look at me, apparently leaving the previous conversation behind. "I hope you follow orders better than Marcus did as a greenhorn. But if not, then the plan is simple enough: they'll be coming through any time now, so you'll be waiting right here to draw them in. Gaomon and I'll come in from the right. They're all relatively low-leveled, so it shouldn't prove too difficult."
I nodded and tried to avoid meeting his eye. I was going to brush past him in search of a good spot to await the Digimon's ambush, but I felt his eyes on me as I passed. I couldn't help but glance at him. My hair was blown by a sudden gust of wind, leaving both our faces bare to the other person. Our gazes locked for a second, and I sensed something in the stillness of his stare, the hidden intention and strength.
I moved on quickly, Dracomon hurrying to keep up, not needing to be in the Digivice due to the slope and how tall the grass was. He stayed quiet, tense due to my disturbed mood. I didn't notice until a few minutes later that my fists were clenched, my knuckles white as wool. I wasn't sure if it was Thomas or if it was what he made me think about that made my head pound harder.
Finally, Dracomon said in a light, joking tone, "So, you don't like Thomas very much, huh?" He gave a small chuckle, but stopped when I didn't share in his humor. My thoughts were revolving too intensely around our last conversation in the car to be able to register much more. It was a struggle to respond to Dracomon even now.
"I don't know," I said after a long moment. "But I don't think he likes me very much." I was prepared to leave the conversation at that until Dracomon murmured almost inaudibly behind me, "He just doesn't trust you because he can tell you don't trust him. He thinks you're hiding stuff from DATS." I ignored the small sound of clicking claws, pretending I couldn't hear it over the grinding of my teeth.
The comment sent steady pangs of irritation through me every second that I didn't respond, and I soon turned on him and growled, "I'm keeping a comfortable distance, okay?" Turning away, I gave a huff and tugged my hair over my shoulder to keep it from blowing everywhere as we continued our little trek down the hill.
The wind wasn't the only sound for once. The rustling of the grass and the crashing of the waves accompanied it, and all of that mingled with the cries of the gulls as they fought over dead fish scraps. I glanced up as one flew over us, drops of water falling from its wet wings like a tiny raincloud. I watched it fly away until it was so small that it looked like a tiny white flower fluttering away instead of a bird.
When we came to the base of the hill, I stood in the open a few yards back from a sidewalk parallel to the water, the two separated only by a railing. It was a short drop to the sea from there, maybe a foot and a half at the most. Dracomon kept back in the grass another couple of feet behind me, and I could feel his eyes searching my stance for any hint as to what I was thinking about. However, nothing but the thought of those Digimon was going through my mind. I was trying not to let anything else get through.
The minutes crawled on and on, and I glanced in the direction that Thomas had gone in several times. The last time we'd seen the fight it had been vicious and didn't look like it would stop without an intervention. So why in the world was it so…calm? The salty breeze was making the waves grow higher but there was nothing out of the ordinary. It was as if the Digimon had disappeared.
Dracomon noticed the same. He poked his head a bit further from the grass and glanced about. "Maybe they got sucked into another portal," he suggested. "Or else Thomas's driver could've put us in the wrong spot and Thomas hasn't noticed yet. He's a genius but he's not perfect." I didn't say it out loud, but I highly doubted the last part of that statement.
"No," I moved closer to the water's edge and leaned against the chilly railing. Dracomon stepped forward with a claw raised, about to speak, but I didn't see him. "I don't think we're in the wrong spot. Thomas changed the coordinates a bit 'cause of where the Digimon were headed, but that shouldn't have made us lose them—"
"Sumi-chan, I don't think it's a good idea to be that close to the water!" Dracomon cut me off warningly, taking another step forward and raising a hand as if to draw me back. I watched closely as the fear danced in his ruby eyes, which kept glancing between me and the gray harbor. A sense of uneasiness fell over me at the sight of his panic. He was rarely this afraid, even of water, and it was making me nervous.
Attempting to fight back the fear he was planting in me, I forced a small smile as I chided him softly, "Dracomon, the weather's not that bad and I know how to swim. Even if I do fall in, I'll be fine. You're getting yourself worked up over—" My comforting lost its effectiveness when a loud squawk came from behind me. I was sent flying into the grass, landing with a pained grunt when something heavy flopped onto my gut.
I could barely hear Dracomon calling my name over the sounds of the Penguinmon that was crushing me. After I'd shoved it off of me (only somewhat, and with a lot of help from Dracomon), I stared dumbstruck at the purple-and-white-feathered creature at my feet, which was gesturing crazily with its huge, clawed wings. Dracomon and I glanced at each other, both lost.
The Penguinmon pointed, still squawking, to the sky, then to the water (which was beginning to churn as if something was moving around rapidly beneath the surface), and finally smacked the side of my head so hard that my ears started ringing. The squawking stopped. The bird panted as it stared at me, waiting for my equally animated response. It looked disappointed when all I did was mutter, as bewildered as a first grader in Calculus, "What?"
It gave a loud wail that sounded an awful lot like a curse before it began to croak at me again, this time much faster than before. The creature hopped off of me and tried to grab my arm so that it could drag me away from the water. I resisted, mostly out of confusion. Dracomon snapped his jaws at the being's hand and it gave a cry of fright; however, it continued to try to get me to follow it.
"Wait—wait—Dracomon, come on, help me out! What the heck does he want?" I turned a perplexed, uncomfortable face to my partner, who looked just as bewildered as I did. The flightless bird-creature grew more panicky the longer we ignored it, and despite fearing Dracomon, it tugged on me again. It was holding my right hand.
Dracomon moved his mouth a bit as if searching for something, anything, to say, but he never actually did speak something wise. He shrugged as he said apologetically, "I don't understand Penguinmon, Sumi-chan. I've never talked with one before now. I don't think he even knows what he wants." He gestured to the crazed Digimon pulling desperately at me, and I saw that he had a bit of a point.
Turning my attention back to the large purple Digimon, I grasped one of its flipper-wings with both my hands. Surprised, it paused. I didn't waste any of the time it had given me; who knows how long I had before it started screeching again. "You need to calm down," I told it softly. "Slow down, and my friend and I might be able to help you, but we can't understand if you talk this fast. Now, start at the beginning, but slowly this time, okay?"
The Digimon, glancing between me and the water unsurely, seemed to try to compose itself. It was about to start its tale all over again, but then something caught its eye and it burst into fearful squawks once more. Before I could look to see what the new issue was, I was shoved to the ground behind the Penguinmon, who immediately began shooting ice shards from its beak at several things bursting from the water.
Three Digimon broke through the surface. Two were the Penguinmon and the last the Divermon, though I remembered there having been four of the bird-Digimon. That mystery was solved when Dracomon made a small noise, and I saw him staring at a robin-egg-blue Digi-Egg floating near the railing. The sight of it brought a strange feeling to me, one I was unable to name at the time.
The three Penguinmon were all shooting sharp pieces of ice at Divermon, but if they hit him they barely caused him damage. He crouched upon the steel rail like a vulture, panting but otherwise unaffected by their assault. The amphibian's jade green eyes were cloudy, but focused easily on me amid the chaotic ice storm.
Noting his gaze, Dracomon got so close to where I'd fallen upon the ground that he was almost on top of me. A bright light was beginning to glow from deep in his throat and a snarl turned his pupils to pinpricks. The Divermon was unfazed, however, and gripped a harpoon a little tighter in its hand. Its mouth twitched slightly, and Dracomon inched a little closer.
Moving like a viper, Divermon jumped up to avoid the violet slaps of the Penguinmon's wings. Once out of their reach, he chucked his harpoon straight at Dracomon and me. The horrified squawks of the Penguinmon were the only things that I could hear, and they made the next five seconds difficult to register.
The second the weapon left the amphibian's fingers, a huge blue dog-Digimon tackled him, snarling and growling as the two hit the sidewalk and began to fight. In that same moment, the Penguinmon that had first tried to talk to Dracomon and me jumped between the two of us and the impending harpoon. He attempted to destroy it with his icy attack, but failed and was pierced through the chest. The cry of pain it made before disappearing in a flash of yellow echoed in my ears.
I was lost to the world when his Digi-Egg thumped into the grass beside that steel spear. Another voice resounded in my mind, the deepness of it familiar and yet not. The pain that laced it was far too difficult to listen to for me to be able to tell whose it was. Something crackled in the distance; perhaps a bonfire. His screams and shouted words were joined by many others who were crying and shrieking, and I trembled as they got louder and louder—
"Sumi-chan!" Dracomon was shaking me, face frightened and bewildered. The fight between Gaogamon, Divermon, and the two Penguinmon was still going on. My hands were over my ears. It took a moment for me to realize that I'd imagined that entire scene. It had been nothing. "Sumi-chan, what's the matter with you? Thomas needs us our help! The Divermon's stronger than he thought!"
His words took a moment to sink beneath the thick layer of indescribable guilt that had been drawn up from the deepest recess of my mind. I wasn't sure what it was because of, but it was so strong that it made it hard to stand without shaking. "…Yeah…right." I stood and stared at my hands, covered with dirt now. I had to blink a few times before I could feel myself again.
I tried to focus on the strongest emotion I felt at the moment, anything but that nameless, pointless guilt that had no reason to be troubling my mind or my heart. But it was there, and I knew better than to try to get a charge out of it. So instead, I did what I could to focus on my desire to help Thomas, to protect those last two Penguinmon. It was clear they were on our side.
But it didn't matter how strong my will was or how moving the emotion, because nothing happened. There was no charge, no flicker, no light, no nothing. Anger surged through me then, and I clenched my fists tightly. Why was this effort always pointless? I'd never wanted anything more than I wanted that charge—why was it so difficult for me to achieve? Why did this just refuse to work?
While I was busy within my own mind and soul, troubled by guilt and anger and confusion, Thomas and Gaogamon were overwhelmed with the situation at hand. The Penguinmon were beginning to realize that he was on the same side as me, and the two who were left were swarming Gaogamon, trying to explain to him the same thing that the first had tried to explain to me. They distracted him from Divermon, allowing the amphibian to leap from the ground and back into the safety of the water.
I heard Thomas shout something at me when the green-eyed Digimon disappeared. There was a touch of fear in his voice, maybe because of how Gaogamon was unable to get the Penguinmon away from him long enough to solve the problem himself. I was far too enveloped in my own affairs to notice the steadily growing issue. In the end, the one I had made powerless had to pay the price.
Divermon springing suddenly from the gray water to the grass beside me nearly snapped me out of my rage and guilt-induced daze. Not comprehending the situation through my fog, I didn't try to get away. We stared at one another. There was something in that gaze that I knew I couldn't forget, though it didn't stick out in my mind until later. The thought of danger, as well, didn't cross my mind until it was no longer directed at me.
Hearing Dracomon's small roar as he rushed to defend me, the wetsuit-clad monster spun on a dime and caught him, holding the shaft of a new harpoon under his chin. Divermon sprung back then, and horror struck me with a deadly force when Dracomon's shout was swallowed by the dark water. The splash they'd made was the slap in the face that pulled me entirely from my trance.
Fear kept me from thinking of a good plan right off the bat. "Dracomon!" I shouted, voice hoarse, as I ran to the railing. Bubbles were floating to the surface in a flurry, but they were beginning to lessen. My first reaction being to jump in after them, I took a few steps back. I broke into a run to be sure I cleared the railing when I dove in, but Thomas appeared out of nowhere and grabbed me by the arm, keeping me from doing anything at all.
I was about to shout for him to let go, but he once again cut me off. "Have you forgotten everything that we talked about before?!" His yells didn't deter me. I struggled against him, anger and bitterness filling me steadily. "That Divermon wants you in the water—you can't fight him off there, that's his turf! He's trying to use your Digimon as bait because he knows you'll fall for it, but you can't! Don't you get it? You're playing into the enemy's hands every time you don't think things through!"
"I won't let my friend drown just because you think that a piece of Digital gold is the reason all hell is breaking loose!" A strange feeling began to creep up my spine, a tingling sensation that felt like a shudder right before it actually comes. I couldn't shake it, and I couldn't ignore it. It traveled up one arm and down the other, racing back up and repeating the course throughout the rest of me. My head started to throb with a vengeance, but I tried to fight through it.
I was about to yank Thomas's hand off of my wrist when I noticed something odd. He was staring at our entangled arms. Intrigued by his shock, I looked down and gasped: a blue light surrounded my hand. The glow was warm and pulsed as if it had its own heartbeat, though it was out of time with mine. I smiled a little at the way it tingled so delicately. But none of those details meant more to me than the knowledge of what had happened somehow.
I had finally gotten a DNA charge.
Turning away from the blonde, his hands falling limply from mine, I held my glowing hand up to the darkening sky and watched it pulsate, completely enchanted. However, that captivation fell away from my mind when I recalled my previous conviction. Dracomon still needed my help! Snapping around to look into the water, I saw that the bubbles had ceased.
But suddenly, that didn't bother me. Without hesitation, I slammed my palm down on my Digivice. I can do something for him now, a voice within me said, a sense of empowerment beginning to seep into my veins as it did. And I can fight alone. I don't have to be afraid anymore. I don't have to try.
The device absorbed the light without hesitation, though the feeling of it reminded me of having blood drawn. It wasn't painful, but it had that sense of something being taken from you in an almost unnatural way. I shuddered the second it was over, but I couldn't keep the pleased smile from my face. I had no doubts at this point, and wasn't sure what I would do if something went wrong.
But I was not disappointed. While Gaogamon, the Penguinmon, and Thomas had all fallen still and silent, a blinding yellow light began to shine from deep beneath the waves, turning the entire harbor into a sea of gold. Not five seconds later, the earth gave a tremble. The water churned as if a terrifying storm had blown down out of nowhere. And then he broke the surface with a roar that shattered windows and my expectations.
Dark blue scales lined every part of the huge dragon except for its wide throat and chiseled underside, which were covered instead by thick white scales. His breaths were gales of steam and blue flame, teeth pearly and dagger-like. Several magenta horns adorned his immense head and traced his spine. Huge, dark wings were spread over the water, casting shadows like thunder clouds. Divermon clung to one of them with fear in his cloudy eyes.
Thomas spoke then, but his eyes were dazed and his voice was barely audible. "That's…CoreDramon…" He went on then to ramble a bit about how impossible this was and several other things of the like, but I was far too excited to pay attention to him. If anything about this was weird, I was sure the prodigy would point out every extraordinary point later.
CoreDramon turned his massive head in my direction. Two red eyes locked on me, and I felt small and immense in the same second. Steam was beginning to billow off of his skin and the water around him was beginning to bubble due to his incredible body heat, a characteristic of Dracomon's that I barely thought about anymore. I could hardly believe that this gigantic creature was still my little friend.
But the next words that entered the air proved that very fact to me. "Permission to brag, Sumi-chan?" A powerful voice rolled into the air, its message reaching my mind though all my ears heard was a rumbling growl. Something about it was ancient, a treasure, but I wasn't sure why I thought that. It was ingrained in my brain, that much I knew.
I laughed a little. "Yeah, 'cause I'm gonna be, too," I joked, though the only person I might really show my joy to would be Mrs. Sasaki, "but we've got a little job to take care of first." I pointed to his wingtip, where Divermon was still hanging on for dear life. CoreDramon got the point. He curled a lip back in a dangerous smile.
A tiny swat of his hand sent the creature flying, and a short, powerful blast of blindingly blue flame turned the Digimon back into an egg. Divermon hadn't cried out when he was deleted, and that struck me as a little bit odd. I didn't think about it though, happy enough that CoreDramon had thought to catch the delicate thing before it hit the water.
Still a little shocked by the simplicity of the battle (amidst many other ponderings), I almost didn't notice when CoreDramon came over and held the egg out in his three-fingered hand. I took it, and he went about finding the other Penguinmon's egg. Every step he took caused gigantic waves to splash around him and onto the bank. If he noticed, he didn't care, however.
I was still staring in awe after the three-story-tall creature when Gaogamon walked over to me. "Thomas wants to talk," he said before picking up the first Penguinmon's Digi-Egg with his mouth. He walked off without a glance and without another word. His fur was ruffled wildly by the wind, red scarf fluttering here and there as well. His body language showed me no insight into his thoughts.
However, the sight of his partner crouched upon the ground inspecting tow pale blue Digimon Eggs mystified me more than the Digimon's stoic nature. Puzzled by the intense concentration furrowing the boy's brow, I got up and went over to him. The Divermon's egg was still safe in my hands. I wasn't sure, but it felt like it was trembling.
I looked around as I stopped a little ways away from the blonde. "Where are the Penguinmon? There were two left last I saw." The question seemed innocent enough to me, but Thomas didn't look up or answer immediately. Nor did he note the fact that the egg Gaogamon had brought him was slick with sticky saliva.
Laptop in one hand and the other upon an egg, he heaved a sigh and closed his eyes. "One left, actually. Another was deleted by Divermon a minute before he grabbed your partner. Which—" his computer snapped shut, "—I have no idea why he did. Obviously he was trying to trick you into getting into the water, but for the entire world I couldn't tell you why. Many Digimon have Holy Rings, so yours isn't that special—"
"It can heal people," I interjected, deciding at the last minute that I should probably mention it. It wasn't a huge secret, and perhaps it would assist him in whatever 'research' he was doing. At this point, there was no doubt that it was about me, so why not add more for him to snoop about it in, right? "It's why Mrs. Sasaki was back on her feet so quickly."
Thomas pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes still closed tightly. "I know. Marcus mentioned it in passing a day or so after you told his father. But from what he said, it's easy to assume that that power is inconsistent. If any kind of close emotional bond is needed, not just any Digimon will have a use for it. Most probably won't even know about that little quirk, either. Therefore, it doesn't matter.
"But the point I wanted to make is a bit more unbelievable than that Ring's parlor trick." He looked at me then, icy eyes sharp. "The second Divermon was destroyed, that last Penguinmon howled, fell backward, and turned back into a Digi-Egg. Gaogamon didn't touch him, and your partner was nowhere near him. I've never seen anything like it before." He stopped for a moment, the enigma of the deletion keeping its citing brief.
His face was alert, shrouded by mistrust. I thought I caught a threatened glow appear for a minute in the boy's eyes as he continued, "And then there's the incident with your charge…" He trailed off before I'd expected, but I still didn't pick up his unfinished words. There was nothing I could add even if I would've been willing to. My guess was as good as his.
The only thing that it could've been was my want to help Dracomon. It was the only plausible answer. It definitely wasn't too outlandish of a guess, and there was no reason to question it. And yet, something about it just didn't fit. I'd wanted to help Dracomon far before the charge appeared. Why hadn't it come sooner?
"My trying to stop you might've been the final step you needed to get it," Thomas stated, as if reading my thoughts. "A lot of people need a very stressful situation to get them going the first time. And as far as the color goes, it doesn't really matter much. Some think it's a tiny window into the connection between humans and Digimon, like a universal aura, but that's never been proven.
"Many people have the same shade, though it's normally a family thing." I was glad he hadn't asked too many questions about what had been going through my mind just before I got the charge. I didn't want another interrogation session. Still, it was odd how interested he was in the color. "Commander Sampson will want to know more about this."
I grunted, far more interested in watching CoreDramon de-digivolve and return to the smaller, more familiar form of Dracomon. He had the fourth Penguinmon's egg in his hands. After he'd set the egg down before Thomas, the teal creature looked up at me. We exchanged a silent smile before I playfully shoved at his horns; he laughed. No words were able to express either of our emotions at the moment.
The thing that first came to my head was that now we both had some peace of mind. However, for me, that wasn't all. There was a sense of loss chilling the core of my heart; all of this fun with Dracomon wasn't true. Those Penguinmon had been different from all the other Digimon that I'd come into contact with. They'd tried to tell me something important, and the fact that I hadn't understood still bothered me some.
Nevertheless, there was nothing that I could do now, sadly. Thomas hadn't mentioned their message, either, so it probably hadn't been as significant as I'd thought. Most likely, they'd been trying to tell me how they'd gotten to the human world. The smack in the face must've been some kind of warning about Divermon, too. I didn't speak Penguinmon, so maybe it made sense to them. Somehow.
After Thomas had finished giving the eggs a short check-up (all but one of the Penguinmon were pretty good, and the Divermon wasn't so great), he gave his chauffer a call and we started heading back up to the street. Each of us had an egg; however, I was stuck with two due to the odd number. At the top of the hill, the Digimon stayed back in the grass while Thomas and I sat on the curb to wait.
During that time, the slightly older agent gave headquarters a quick call. From the half of the conversation that I heard, nothing much had gone on while we were gone. Damon was still waiting for MetalTyrannomon to show and Miki was trying to tell herself every reason why she shouldn't tie him down to keep him from pacing. Apparently the only thing keeping her from leaving to room to find some cord was Sampson.
Yoshi was having luck, however. Megumi told us that she'd gotten in touch with the Criers quickly and that Keenan was going to come by as soon as he could. They hadn't gotten many specifics, however, though they doubted that he'd take longer than the next day or so. If we were lucky, he might even show up some time today still, despite the late time.
The partial moon was clearer now, much brighter and more brilliant when it could be seen. The sky had turned an inky black as the last of the sun's rays faded and night grew bolder, the blanket of clouds assisting in bringing the darkness on faster. Stars were noted as rarely as the moon the clouds were so thickly painted across the sky. The breeze hadn't let up, either, and it was rather cold now.
It seemed like an eternity before the car returned. We hurried to place the eggs securely in the trunk before piling into the backseat. Thomas and the two Digimon weren't that chilly, but I was the most disadvantaged due to the shorts we female DATS personnel were issued. It took half the ride for me to warm back up, and that was with the always-warm Dracomon pressed up close to my legs and the heater on.
Finally getting the feeling back in by toes, I was about to state that if anyone wanted to they could turn the heat back down, but I was cut off by both my and Thomas's phones ringing. They sounded oddly persistent. The boy beside me seemed to think the same. We cast each other glances before answering.
Neither of us got a word out before Megumi cried the words we'd all been dreading: "Get back here fast! MetalTyrannomon's signal has started popping up! Sampson says he's looking for a way into the human world!"
