Author's Notes: I really have no excuses other than me being equal parts lazy and a bit lost on where to move on with the story. Up until now, a lot of it has been made-up on the spot so that makes me very unreliable, I guess, on when I'll update. But I'm getting better at mapping out this thing, so hopefully the next chapter will be up before April rolls on by.
[1] You might recognise elements from Digimon Frontier in several chapters, like vehicles and some Digiworld locations. If you don't recognise any of the Digimon mentioned in the story, you can just Google them in lieu of a mental picture.
[2] Thank you to everyone who has been so kind to read and review! You make my heart warm.
As they walked, Mimi tried to focus her attention exclusively on the paper in her hand. It was the list of supplies they needed to pick up in town, which was what she and Palmon had volunteered to do. Alone, without Yamato or Gabumon. Still, the young man walked placidly by her side, his hands clasped together behind his head as if he didn't have a care in the world, his Digimon partner happily keeping up the pace. It was a brisk walk into town, but the road was good and she welcomed the quiet and the exercise helped her muscles loosen up a bit. After the stress of the last few days, Mimi could use some loosening up.
She opened her mouth and was about to insist that really, they didn't need their help, when Yamato spoke. "We'll meet you at the plaza in one hour," he told her as the town grew bigger around them.
"You're not coming with us?" The question had rolled off her tongue before she had a chance to think it through. She looked away, embarrassed.
Yamato gave her a half-smile. "No, but don't leave without us."
"Good luck!" Palmon told them, waving happily at them. Yamato raised a hand in return, while Gabumon grinned widely and nodded. They disappeared easily into the town, leaving Mimi and Palmon standing amongst many different Digimon. By now, word had spread that the DigiDestined had destroyed QueenChessmon and the town was once again a free port. With new Digimon coming in and out, it was a great place both to get whatever supplies they still needed and find out what was going on in other corners of the Digiworld.
Mimi and Palmon recognised a friendly face in a Digitamamon not too far from them, setting up shop around the corner. With her list in hand and a smile on her face, Mimi marched towards him.
"Are you okay?" Gabumon asked, looking up at his human partner with some concern. The blonde shrugged, letting out a small sigh.
"I'm fine," he said quietly, but he wasn't. Koushiro hadn't been able to give them any new information in weeks, and the wait was making all of them very anxious. Yamato had been unable to sleep well since he'd run into the other Sistermon, too, and it was showing in his brittle patience.
"We're all doing our best, Yamato," Gabumon said with a frown, as if he knew what Yamato was thinking. "Koushiro, more-so."
He made a noncommittal sound and Gabumon did not press him.
He knew very well his irritation went deeper than he was letting on, but it was neither the time nor the place to dig into it. They continued walking long after they lost sight of Mimi and Palmon, who had disappeared into one of the busiest streets to find what Sora had indicated. Yamato tried not to think about her – either of them, as he walked, his eyes scanning the streets for the least populated corners. He had enough on his mind without adding those two to the mix.
"What are we looking for?" Gabumon asked.
"Information," Yamato said quietly. He stopped walking in front of a shady-looking business with signs claiming it was the best bar south of Folder. Yamato wrinkled his nose as he looked at the run-down place, but figured they had a decent chance of finding someone at least remotely useful in there. After all, he didn't expect just about any Digimon to be ready to spill the beans on what was going on. Koushiro had warned him about that before they left.
The place was about the most run-down hooch corner he could ever think of finding. It was dark and the ratty windows were dirty. The floor was covered in dirt that was only moved around, never cleaned. Yamato approached the bar with Gabumon close behind him. He flashed the suspicious-looking Mushmon a dark smile.
"We need to talk."
The Digimon eyed him with suspicion. "Digi-destined, eh?" he spat, "I ain't got no business with yer kind."
Yamato's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You know what we can do," his voice had gone very quiet. "We released this town from QueenChessmon."
"Pfft! QueenChessmon was the least of this town's problems," Mushmon said, cleaning a glass with a rag so dirty it made it even filthier. "All you managed with that little stunt was to piss 'em off. 'er, especially."
"Piss who off?" Gabumon asked, baring his fangs.
Mushmon looked at him as if he wanted to ask if he was frankly stupid, but one look from Yamato was enough to quell that curiosity.
"I meant 'er Holy Empress, o'course. Who d'ya think brought those goons o'er there?" he shook his head, placing a hand on the counter and leaning closer to them. "Y'all be wantin' ter leave this place soon. Y'all bring nothin' but trouble for us now we're a free port an' all."
"Who?" Gabumon asked, "LordKnightmon?"
"Lord – Yeezy, how d'you manage ter defeat ol' crazy QueenChessmon with tha' brain o' yours? I'm talkin' 'bout them Twin Swords," he explained slowly, "an' I ain't sayin' more 'bout that. By now, they'll be scourging the whole Digital World looking for you lot. They'll have my tongue for talkin' 'bout 'em."
"Who on earth are these people you mention?" Yamato asked, exasperated.
"Not Earth, boy. Certainly not." Mushmon looked at him gravely, narrowing his eyes and dropping his voice an octave. "I'm talkin' 'bout the new big guns, boy. The ones who're responsible fer this mess. 'Er Holy Empress and 'er whole Royal Court. QueenChessmon and Lordknightmon were vassals, boy. You ain't seen nothin' yet." He took a deep breath and then yelled at the top of his voice, "Now if y'all not interested in buyin' nothin' then get the hell outta my joint!"
Yamato raised his hands in sign of withdrawal and the Mushmon slipped a note almost imperceptibly across the counter. He palmed it, nodded and left with Gabumon. He didn't open the note until he was well and away from the place and the prying eyes that he had felt during their time inside.
The note had one crudely written line:
You're being hacked. Get out now.
Yamato crumbled the note and threw it in the air.
"Gabumon," he called, and a jet of blue fire engulfed it, turning it into ashes before it touched the ground. "—let's get Mimi."
They found her and Palmon just as they finished their shopping, carrying their bags with their arms full. Yamato looked around before approaching them, taking some of the bags from Mimi without her asking him to.
"What – oh, thank you," she said, adjusting the rest in her arms. "Are we late?"
"No," Yamato assured her, "we figured you might need help, that's all."
"That's awfully nice of you," Palmon quipped, making Gabumon blush and Yamato chuckle a little as his partner said, "It's nothing."
They started walking, Yamato trailing Mimi very closely. While Palmon and Gabumon walked behind them. He could hear them laughing, and took the opportunity to draw closer to her.
"Smile," he told her in a low voice, "and pretend you're telling me a funny story."
Mimi raised an eyebrow, looking at him for only a moment, just enough to see him shake his head a fraction. Her lips broke into a bright smile.
"So," she began, "guess who we ran into. Digitamamon! It's not the same you met but they're close relatives, apparently, and …"
Yamato began murmuring very quietly, so only Mimi could hear him and any eavesdroppers would be drowned out by her chattering and their Digimon's laughter.
"We have to leave this place tonight. Make sure you spread the word without anyone but us hearing you. We're not safe here anymore."
Mimi laughed, pushing him playfully and slyly murmured: "You'll need to explain later."
Yamato offered her a grin and for a second it seemed to easy, joking and laughing with her. His smile diminished and he cleared his throat softly.
"Did you get everything on the list?" he asked.
"Mhm," Mimi replied, heaving her bag, "And then some. It was really smart of Koushiro to borrow some coins from Gennai, wasn't it?"
"Yeah," Yamato conceded dryly, "Really smart."
He was quiet the rest of the way, content to pretend to listen to her while he schemed on what he would tell Taichi and the others, and how. He trusted that despite popular belief, Mimi was very good at keeping secrets. She'd know exactly how to relay the information without endangering any of their friends. When they arrived at the fortress, they were met by the smiling group who rushed to help carry their bags. Mimi took her leave, holding Sora by the arm and dragging her along on the pretext of checking if everything she had purchased was okay.
"Take-chan, Hika-chan!" she called out, "Come help your sweet Mimi, won't you?"
"Of course, Mimi," Takeru said, gallantly sweeping in to take some bags in his arms, while Hikari did the same, following the older girls as they entered the room where they kept their belongings.
"Mimi, that's alright," Sora told her, slightly out of breath, "—we can check later, it's no problem."
But Mimi had already closed the door and was looking around the room.
"Tailmon, will you do me a favour? Take a nap near the door, will you?" Mimi asked her sweetly. "And Patamon, that tree outside the window looks like it has some nice almonds, mind checking it out?"
Hikari and Takeru looked confused, but Tailmon nodded, suddenly looking grave. "I do feel sleepy," she purred, settling by the door. Patamon followed her lead, flying through the window and settling on a low branch.
"Mimi, what's going on?" Sora asked, walking over to Mimi, who was emptying the bags and handing Hikari the list.
"I think we got it all and we got some extra stuff," she began animatedly, "but I thought you might want to distribute it, to be fair."
"Sure," Sora sighed, giving in. "Here, let me see what you brought."
She gave Mimi a significant look, and the girl nodded. "Your brother," —she looked at Takeru, "Seems to think we're being traced. He wants us to leave tonight, he's probably filling the rest of the guys in by now."
"What happened today? Did he find anything in town?" Takeru asked, frowning.
Mimi shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted, "he couldn't really tell me. But he must've found something."
"Taichi won't be happy about this," Sora sighed, sorting through the contents of one bag.
"None of us are," Hikari said, "it's too sudden and oh God, we shouldn't have stayed here."
"Hikari, stop," Sora chided her gently, "we had to stay. We needed to get back on our feet and we did – we are. Now let's pack everything quietly and —,"
Tailmon purred loudly. "You might want to pack later."
The door opened not long after that, revealing a pair of surprised Knightmon.
"Packing so soon?" one asked, his voice casual, "We were hoping you'd stay longer!"
"Just tidying up," Takeru brightened instantly. "Hey, what's for dinner?"
"Takeru, we just had lunch!"
"It was just a question Hikari, relax," the blonde laughed, helping put everything back in the rucksacks. "Where do you want these, Sora?"
"Just take them upstairs," she said dismissively, "Mimi and I will sort them out sometime, one of these days…" she trailed off, laughing and turning to the Knightmon. "You make it so easy, being here. Thank you so much."
"It is our pleasure, children," both answered. "Anything for the ones who rescued us."
They smiled. "It was nothing," Hikari assured them, "we're here to help."
They left with their arms full of bags and things, chatting animatedly about how they'd spend the rest of their evening, and whether they'd be able to trick Jyou into letting them bury him in the sand tomorrow morning.
Yamato, on the other hand, was finding a little more resistance on his front. Taichi was pacing up and down, deep in thought. Koushiro was tossed on the bed, a hand over his eyes while Jyou followed Taichi's movement from his spot on a wooden chair.
"No news?" Taichi asked. Koushiro did not move but they could almost feel him stiffen at the question.
"I can't get through to Gennai," he said, "I must be blocked. Or he was hacked. Or I was hacked."
"No, you definitely were," Yamato said, pressing an ear to the door.
"What do you mean?" Jyou asked. Koushiro had removed his arm from his eyes and was looking at Yamato with a mix of disbelief.
"You were hacked," he repeated, "I was tipped off earlier in town. That's why we need to leave now."
Koushiro's brow furrowed deeply and he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I can't believe they've managed to break through all the defenses me and Gennai put up," he murmured, "it's insane!"
"We can't leave just like that," Taichi said, "without even knowing where to!"
"Taichi, we're becoming complacent. This place isn't good for us." He turned to Jyou, who stood against the wall, arms crossed. "Do you think you can travel?"
He nodded. "Yes, of course."
"So what are you suggesting?" Taichi asked.
"We leave tonight. We should probably go around the beach to avoid passing through town at all, but we'll have to move quickly."
"You think they'll sell us out?"
"I'm not sure," the blonde admitted, "most likely, they don't know we're being targeted either. But we can't count on that."
Taichi pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. The news came as a bucket of ice cold water and immediately put him under horrifying amounts of stress, but he knew that he couldn't risk Yamato being right. "Fine, let's do it. I assume the rest already know?"
"I told Mimi, yes," Yamato muttered quietly, "they're probably getting everything ready as we speak."
"That's it then," the brunette stopped with a hand on the door. "Koushiro? We'll need you to figure out what's fucking with your system," he sentenced, "we can't risk getting tracked and caught."
The redhead sat on the bed, looking at Yamato from behind his lashes. "Are you sure of what you said?" he asked.
"Positive."
He sighed, "Then I think know where we'll need to be going."
Evening fell as it had the past days, with an easy, lazy lull after a splendid dinner Takeru had simply insisted they enjoyed. After all, he said, none of them knew when they'd next have delicious cooked food and warm beds. No one could refute this fact.
Covertly, they had come up with a plan. They'd leave each with their Digimon, every ten minutes, after all the lights were put out. This was intended to provide a sort of improvised radar, with someone ten minutes ahead and ten minutes behind at every moment. If trouble was encountered, they'd count on someone behind or ahead to bail them out. It was a very good plan, and Jyou felt especially proud of having come up with it.
Sora and Piyomon were the first to leave. She heaved her backpack on and crawled outside, hiding behind one of the fallen towers in the courtyard that had not yet been cleaned up. In the cover of the night and without a full moon, it was easy for her to sneak out without being seen. Ten minutes later, Koushiro followed her. He retraced Sora's steps and as quick as she had, found himself creeping down to the beach. Takeru followed him, and Mimi came after. Then came Hikari, followed by Yamato. Taichi had insisted that the younger ones were followed closely by the strongest in the group and none could disagree with that logic.
When ten minutes passed after Jyou and Gomamon left, Taichi let out a small sigh. He checked the time on his Digivice and started making his way down with Agumon. The fortress was silent, peaceful. They'd made sure that nobody suspected they were leaving, and he dared to be hopeful of it. In quick and lithe movements, he and Agumon rushed down the pebbled path to the beach and left the fortress in shadows, running into the darkness of the night.
Eventually, they caught up with each other about an hour after Taichi had left the fortress. The decision to go by foot had been the same Jyou had made before, when he had split from the group: big Digimon moving in the night were harder to hide from sight than when they were in their Rookie forms. They had moved away from the sandy beach and closer to the tress, where the shore melted into the mainland. The first thing Taichi noticed were the little points of light ahead of him and he urged Agumon to run faster to meet them.
"Everyone made it okay?" he asked, a bit out of breath.
"We're all fine, nii-san," Hikari assured him. "Did you run into any trouble?"
"No," he shook his head, "I think we're fine for now."
"Well, let's try to keep it that way," Yamato said. "We can either cut go through the main road into the next town, or we can cut through here—," he gestured towards a point in the map he held, lighting it up with a flashlight, "or continue through this forest until we find the train tracks."
"Train tracks? Are you crazy?"
"The Digital World is highly organised and has very efficient public transportation, I'll have you know," Tentomon quipped, offended.
"Yeah, yeah," he waved a dismissive hand, "I thought we were trying to stay low."
"We're not actively running away from confrontation, Taichi," Sora said. "We're just avoiding being cornered."
"Koushiro?"
"Well, seeing as the train could take us to a possibly larger town, I'd have to hop in on that idea," he said, "I'd have better access to figuring out how the breach happened."
"Besides," Yamato said with a shrug, "it's easier to find information in bigger towns and cities."
"Then we should get going," Jyou said. "We don't want to wait until they realise we're gone."
They walked most of the night, but their meal and the adrenaline kept them awake and energized. It was nearly daybreak when they finally made it out of the trees after occasionally taking a wrong turn or two. They could still see the sea, but the fortress had been long left behind. Mimi stretched her arms over her head, yawning.
"Are we almost there?" she asked, making Jyou chuckle.
"Just a couple of miles, Mimi," he assured her, "I can already see the tracks."
Suddenly, Koushiro paused, retrieving his Digivice.
"Guys."
"Oh, not again," Taichi groaned. "Where to, now?"
Koushiro looked apologetic, at least. He looked down at his Digivice and frowned.
"Just down the tracks," he said, "opposite way of where we're going."
"Well," Taichi barked, "you heard the guy."
"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to go alone," Koushiro said, running his hand over the nape of his neck. "I'll fly over with Kabuterimon and meet you guys at the first station."
"What if you need help?" Mimi asked, "We can't just let you go alone, Shiro."
He smiled his lopsided smile. "Yamato did it," he pointed out, "I should be okay, too."
She looked uncomfortable, but finally shrugged. "If there's nothing we can do about it…"
He climbed on a newly evolved Kabuterimon and bid them good-bye, turning his back on them as he gave out crisp directions to his Digimon partner.
"Are you sure it's okay?" Kabuterimon asked. "Going off on our own, I mean."
"They'll be fine," he replied. "But I need to check out some things, away from them."
"About the breach?"
"Yes. I just need to put up a firewall that will hold for a while, just until I figure out where the bug is and can get through to Gennai again."
"You think he's okay?"
"I don't know," Koushiro murmured, and it shored him more than he could ever put to words. Lately, it was all he could answer. He was still shaken by what Yamato had told him and that, coupled with the fact that he seemed to have become obsolete overnight, weighed heavily on his mind.
They flew in silence and got there before the first rays of light touched the horizon. The place looked like a deserted shrine, surrounded by trees and nothing else much. Koushiro climbed down and approached it slowly and carefully, his eyes darting between the tiny shrine and the surrounding trees.
He could feel his Digivice growing hotter and removed it from his belt, holding it in one gloved hand. He stepped before the shrine, smiling hollowly at the engraved crest. He heard the distant hum of Kabuterimon's wings before he touched the wooden frame. Koushiro felt nervous, though he could hardly think why he should. Yamato and Jyou had gotten theirs, it wasn't that big a deal, was it?
The wood, old and weathered, gave way to the oblong object that shone with a dark light. He had yet to see any up close and when he did, he forgot that he already knew what was going to happen. The thing's outer shell shattered, giving way to an object that fit his hand. He held it until it became too hot and he had to drop it, blowing on his hand as it registered inside his D-terminal.
When he was about to leave, he saw her. The girl that they'd encountered before, with the bunny klobuk – Sistermon Blanc. She was looking at him from behind a tree, her eyes were shining.
"You don't know where you're going," she said.
Koushiro looked at her, frowning. "Do you know what's going on?"
"You're walking into a trap," she continued, as if she hadn't heard him.
"Will you let us help you or are you going to run away again?" he asked.
She shook her head, smiling sadly. "You can't help me. You don't even know what's happening to you or your friends."
"I'm working on it, I'll figure it out just as I have all those times before, I—,"
"Must be hard for you, being the Bearer of Knowledge and all… it's certainly hard on the others."
He stopped to look at her. She looked like such a small girl, and yet he knew she was not. A chill ran down his spine as she voiced out what Koushiro had been too much of a coward to admit to himself, much less others. The fact that everyone seemed to find the answers he simply couldn't see – even Mimi had been right about her theories! Koushiro shook his head, feeling ashamed that he should feel resentful of his friend for that small incident. But truth be told, it still stung.
"I'll figure it out," he repeated quietly, but there was far less conviction in it.
"You're going to fail," she declared, "and there's nothing you can do about it."
He heard the roar of Kabuterimon and she started, disappearing into the trees. He thought about following her but decided against it, instead turned to exit and find his partner. He'd had enough of cryptic warnings and threats – enough of all this mysterious bullshit.
"Is everything okay?" he asked, laptop in hand. Kabuterimon turned his big head towards him, his jaws snapping nervously.
"You were gone for a long time," he admitted. "I worried."
"Oh. Forgive me," Koushiro said with a little bow, "I got distracted by the whole thing."
"Are you hurt?"
"Just a little burnt," he said with a shrug, "Jyou'll have something for it, I'm sure."
Kabuterimon raised his head and hummed (or at least, Koushiro thought he was humming). "Was there anyone else in there with you?" he finally asked.
The redhead didn't look at him, busying himself with his laptop and typing away codes in an attempt to finish the firewall he'd been working on. He thought about Sistermon Blanc and her chilling words, and that was enough to make him shiver.
"No, of course not," he lied, "it was just an old, empty shrine. Why do you ask?"
His Digimon partner seemed to think for a moment. "I thought I heard something, but I couldn't be sure. Must've been in my mind."
"You're tired," Koushiro said, "you'll feel better once we sleep for a bit."
He made a sound that was vaguely like a yawn and Koushiro ran the program. It wasn't perfect but it was good enough to stand a substantial cyberattack, at least once. He closed the laptop and placed it back inside his backpack, climbing on Kabuterimon's back.
"We have a lot of ground to cover, come on."
They arrived much faster than the first time. They flew high up and could see the empty train station where his friends were resting. It didn't seem like an abandoned building at all – in fact, it looked rather new. But there were no Digimon in the station, only the children and their partners. Exhausted, Kabuterimon reverted back to his Tentomon form, collapsing into the ground.
"You're back!" Patamon exclaimed, waking those who were asleep. Mimi and Sora beamed at him, Hikari smiled widely and Takeru snored a little louder before drowsily smiling. Jyou offered a hand gesture from the front desk, where he was currently engaged in a phone conversation with a very uncooperative operator.
Taichi had been sitting with his head between his knees and gave him a tired smile as he approached. "I'm glad you're back," he said, and he meant it. "Did you get it?"
Koushiro nodded, raising a burnt palm that caused Sora to sigh as she dug in for the necessary supplies. He sat down, letting her busy over him as he looked around.
"What's Jyou doing?" he asked.
"He's trying to book the tickets by phone," Yamato answered lazily. "I don't think it's working very well. Hey Jyou," he called out, "why don't you look around the counter? The machine's probably working."
The blue-haired youngster apologised into the phone and jumped the counter, going straight to the machine. It must've worked because they heard an ecstatic 'eureka!' coming from him just a few minutes earlier. Then he pressed the green button labelled "PRINT" and jumped again towards the phone, dialing the accurate numbers.
When he hung up and joined them, he was smiling tiredly. "The next train should be here in about twenty minutes," he said, taking a seat.
'The next train' turned out not to be a train at all, but an Angler Trailmon. It arrived right on time, wheezing loudly and coughing a little, releasing a spout of hot steam that startled them momentarily.
"Sorry about that, fellas," it said cheerfully. "Thought I was running a bit late for a while there."
They watched him in amazement and slight fear (just very slight) but recovered quickly; after all, talking trains was not the worst thing they had encountered in the Digital World so far.
"When did this happen?" Takeru asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Couple years ago, I guess," Patamon answered doubtfully, "The Digiworld's always changing, you know. It's hard to keep up."
"Alright then," the Angler Trailmon said, "if you're ready, we'll be departing in five minutes. Just take your tickets to the machine over there—," he gestured towards an object near the main doors, "and we'll be ready to go."
Each took a ticket from Jyou and one by one they introduced them into the machine, who let out a cheerful beep and a green light that signified they could board the Trailmon. Jyou, who was the last to board, stayed back to ask where exactly they were headed.
"This line's running straight into Toy Town," it explained cheerfully. "Happiest place in the Digiworld and such. I heard ol' Monzaemon's doing reaaally well down there, you'll have to tell me how it goes!"
The inside of the Trailmon was large, spacious and very, very comfortable. The seats were covered with plush cushions, the windows let in plenty of light and a healthy breeze and they could even see air conditioning up in a corner. They all collapsed happily into their seats, making themselves as comfortable as they could. With the whole wagon empty for them, that meant a lot.
"Well," Jyou sighed as he flopped down onto a seat, "at least we know Toy Town."
Yamato was looking at a map, his expression serious. "It's pretty far from where we came, so that might throw them off our tracks for a bit."
"You still have a lot of explaining to do," Taichi said, crossing his arms and looking at the blonde expectantly. "What did you find out?"
Mimi stopped sighing, eyes open and fixed on Yamato, as were everyone else's.
"I may have an idea who may be responsible for this entire mess."
"What?" Taichi asked, "Who?"
Koushiro's ears perked up.
"Someone they call 'her Holy Empress'," Yamato said.
"Her Holy Empress?" Hikari repeated slowly. "That sounds remarkable like…"
"Digimon Kaiser, yeah," Takeru finished.
"Do you think it's possible that another human…?"
Yamato shook his head. "I don't know. Could be. She's not working alone though, whoever or whatever this person is, she's the one who set QueenChessmon on us."
Taichi sighed profoundly, leaning back on his seat. "Did you find anything else? Who told you this?"
"I heard from a Mushmon in the stinkiest place in that God-forsaken town," Yamato grimaced. "There might be at least two more agents after us, he called them 'Twin Swords'? Something like that."
"I don't like this," Hikari murmured quietly. "It's like someone's purposefully keeping us in the dark and I'm afraid when we find out who…" she stopped talking, but it was as if she had voiced all of their fears at once. The uncertainty of their situation was making it very hard for everyone, including her, to remain optimistic. This wasn't like last time, where everything had gone alright with relative ease. The danger felt more real, more close to home.
And Hikari was scared.
Koushiro shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the weight of his newly acquired Digi-egg crushing him from the inside. He closed his eyes, leaning back against his seat and trying to find something, anything that he may have missed before. But no matter how he looked at it, he always arrived at some dead end. Without Gennai's counsel and guidance, he was starting to wonder if they'd get anywhere at all.
"Tai. Taichi. Will you listen to me, you insufferable goggle-head?"
He did turn, then, surprised that he'd almost fallen asleep on the ride. The lights were dimmed in the hallway and he could see night had already fallen outside. Most of the children and Digimon were asleep by now – Agumon himself was snoring loudly next to him.
"What is it, Mi?" he yawned, peeking out one large brown eye to look at her.
Mimi was peering at him from behind her seat, and she beckoned him closer. "I need to talk to you," she murmured softly. "Come here."
Taichi slid as gracefully and quietly as he could out of his compartment and into hers. Palmon, he noticed, was not there. He was about to ask but Mimi beat him to it.
"She's sleeping with Sora and Piyomon," Mimi sighed, "she has this annoying but highly convenient habit of knowing when I need some privacy."
Taichi opened his mouth to say something, but then thought better of it. "I bet Yama will be thrilled," he joked instead.
"Oh my God," Mimi moaned, "I hadn't even thought about that. He'll hate me. More, even."
He plopped into a seat next to her, stretching his arms above his head and then patting her head awkwardly, like he would a dog's. Mimi watched him with irritation after every pat.
"Don't take it personal," he yawned again, "he hates everyone, really."
She made a strange choking sound, something between a chuckle and a snort. Blushing furiously, Mimi pried herself away from his giant and ungentle hands. "I guess, yeah."
"Now, as much as I'd like to believe you called me here in lieu of a cuddle buddy," he began casually, crossing one leg over the knee and extending his arms over the back of his seat, "I think you had something else to discuss with me."
Mimi raised an ironic eyebrow. "In lieu of?"
"What?" he asked. "I read."
Mimi blew a raspberry and fell back against the seat, and his arm which was draped casually around her shoulders.
"So we're cuddling."
She slid him a resentful look. "I'm worried, Taichi."
He rubbed his temple with a free hand, feeling the onset of another headache. Worried … yeah, Mimi didn't know the first thing about being worried. Still, he wasn't about to instigate another fight with her right now. He'd already been enough of a jerk to last for a while, he supposed. Not that he'd admit that to her out loud. Ever.
"What's worrying you?" he asked, trying to sound mature, patient and all-knowing; all those things a leader was supposed to be.
"Koushiro," she said quietly.
"What about Koushiro?"
"I don't know, he's been acting strange, don't you think? I think this whole business is eating at him. Maybe … maybe we're being too hard on him. He probably needs a break, too."
He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling her grow small under his embrace. Mimi had good point and he wasn't going to deny her, but there was something she needed to understand and it was that Taichi was not about to start babysitting anyone.
"Mi," he began, "I don't know. We're all doing the best we can here, I mean, we're all adults here." He paused, then sighed. "But I'll talk to him, if that'll make you feel better."
"It's all I wanted."
She lifted her legs up on her seat, hugging them to her chest as she leaned into his embrace. Taichi froze, unsure of how to feel about it but slowly and very carefully he let his arm drop and placed it as tenderly as he could (which wasn't all that very tender) around her. His hand brushed her shoulder lightly, just a bit, just enough.
He made a move to go, but she drew even closer to him and asked in a voice no-one could have refused, "Would you stay?"
So he did. They stayed like that for another while, talking until her legs were cramped and he could no longer feel his left arm. Then each took one bench and lied on it, talking in quiet whispers until sleep claimed the both of them.
Koushiro had occupied a different compartment in the next wagon. He needed to work and he needed silence and light, and not to be interrupted by his well-intentioned but loud friends. His fingers typed away furiously while his eyes darted back and forth between his laptop screen and the tablet he had borrowed from Mimi earlier.
Trailmon had told him that he guaranteed extra-fast Wi-Fi speed and reliability during their journey, which seemed longer now than he had expected it to be. They'd already been on board for at least four hours, he reckoned. Outside, the landscape kept shifting from static to trees, to deserts, to lakes, to mountains and little towns. He had stopped staring out the window when he realised the view made him sick.
The only explanation he had encountered for this was that the Digiworld was still being reconfigured, and these were the bugs Gennai had talked to him about. Thinking about that, he set to work with renewed energy. Trailmon's voice quietly announced that they were switching tracks a little past midnight, and that they'd arrive at Toy Town (if its location remained unchanged) before the first break of day.
The maps that he was trying to configure and sync were growing and expanding before his very eyes, but he was glad to notice that the routes Yamato and Jyou had intuitively mapped remained constant; it was the distance between them that grew. He tweaked again the firewall he had been building for a while now and decided to run it as soon as they arrived at Toy Town.
He closed his laptop and put the tablet away, lying down for the first time since they'd gotten on the train and feeling his muscles ache violently. Tentomon had been accompanying him from the beginning, checking on him between brief spells of sleep. He was there now, asleep by the windowpane. Koushiro observed him from his seat opposite his, feeling a dull ache and fear at the thought of losing his friend. With that ominous last thought, he drifted into a fretful sleep.
Sora woke to the whistle of Trailmon that announced their arrival at Toy Town. Outside her window she could see the midnight blue and a ray of golden light touching the horizon. She stretched her legs and arms, looking over at a still asleep Yamato. He was sitting on his corner, arms crossed over his chest and neck stubbornly rigid. Gabumon, Piyomon and Palmon were in another seat, cuddled together as if they were pups of the same litter. It amused her to think of that, considering that Piyomon was a bird, Palmon a sort of plant and Gabumon … well, she wasn't really sure what Gabumon even was.
Briefly, she wondered how Mimi was doing. She'd been complaining about a headache and had looked very sickly during the evening; Sora hoped she felt better by now. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and left the compartment to look for Taichi. He was not in his compartment, where Agumon was kicking the air in his sleep, so the redhead went on to the next, pausing once she opened the door.
He was there alright, lying on the space between the seats on a makeshift bed out of two sleeping bags while Mimi slept on the seat above him, her hand hanging limply and just inches away from his fingers. Sora swallowed thickly, harbouring the narrow suspicion that they had fallen asleep holding hands. She closed the door quietly and then she opened it loudly, greeting them good-morning as if she had just arrived.
"What happened oh, my God?" Mimi jumped at once her eyes unfocused as she rolled onto her side and fell right on top of a groggy Taichi, scaring him half to death.
"Mimi — ouch, gerroff!"
"Whenever you two are ready," she began, unable to keep the ice entirely from her tone, "We're just arriving."
Mimi sat up, groaning as she rubbed her backside, which had collided with Taichi's knee, while he rubbed his ribs, which had been assaulted by her elbows.
"Suppose you could've been a bit gentler," he complained at Sora, who promptly ignored him.
She looked at Mimi with concern, offering her a hand. "I'm sorry," she told her, "I really didn't mean to scare you."
The brunette shook her head, running her fingers through her tangled hair in an effort to tame it. She hid the blush in her cheeks behind a curtain of soft curls, smiling at Sora.
"Don't worry about it," she said, waving a dismissive hand. "Is everyone else up? How embarrassing."
It was at this point that Sora remembered that not everyone else was up and that she was probably required to get to it. Yamato would probably wonder where she went and there was Takeru and Hikari to wake up as well. "Make sure you get everything," she said, "—and Taichi, get up, will you?"
Taichi muttered something rather rude under his breath, which earned him another jab in the ribs. He groaned as the girl got up, brushed her clothes in an effort to get rid of wrinkles and stepped over him to get the sleeping bags and their rucksacks in order.
"Hey, Taichi?" Mimi began when she was at the door. "Thank you for staying."
He looked over his shoulder at her turned back, glad that she could not see the look on his face. Shaking it off, he grinned as he walked past her, bundles in hand and chin in the air. "Don't mention it," he said, offering what he liked to think was a suave wink. Mimi didn't swoon as he had hoped but she giggled, and he considered it a success nonetheless.
Light was breaking around them as their Trailmon slowed to a halt. They jumped down, marveled at the sights before them. Toy Town Station was beautiful, big and colourful. It was filled with Digimon who went about their business as usual, carrying or accompanying others who resembled toys in the most fantastic colours and shapes. Everyone, including Yamato, seemed fascinated by it.
"Sorry about the detour," Trailmon apologised, "With all these routes constantly changing, there's not much we Trailmon can do but keep going."
"Thank you very much for bringing us here," Hikari said with a bow. "We hope to see you again soon, Trailmon."
Trailmon guffawed loudly. "It was my pleasure, little human. I've always liked your kind, so interesting."
They waved as they watched other Digimon hurry up on the train, carrying large suitcases and boxes with them. They didn't say much, but there appeared to be a sense of urgency in their movements that made the children quite uneasy and they moved through the station without delay.
Koushiro raised his head, looking at the huge alphabet blocks that were stacked in a way so similar to the Village of Beginnings that he felt uneasy at once. Thinking about QueenChessmon's words made his stomach churn uncomfortably.
Hikari paused near a group of Floremon who were huddled together. "Excuse me," she began sweetly, "Can you tell us why everyone's in such a hurry to leave?"
One of them turned to her, giving a jump and a little strangled cry when she saw Hikari and the rest of them. "Human!" she shrieked. "You're not one of the Digi-destined, are you?"
She looked surprised, giving the Floremon a small nod. "Is that a problem?"
They looked at each other, seeming to cower under her gaze. "It's not a good place for humans, here," another one said. "Be careful … she's got eyes everywhere."
"Who's got eyes everywhere?" Tailmon asked.
"H-her!" Floremon squeaked before jumping and scrambling out of their sight.
The group settled around her, confusion giving way to slight suspicion. "Maybe we should keep a low profile," Sora suggested. "Just … in case." They nodded, deciding to take the least travelled by roads and avoiding the main street altogether.
Hikari seemed to be troubled, but Tailmon touched her calf reassuringly. "They're just jumpy. Digimon aren't used to living in fear and it's been a long time since we were terrorized at all. It'll get better, Hika-chan."
Tailmon's words resonated somewhere in Koushiro's mind and he kept turning them over and over in his head as they left the station and headed straight into Toy Town.
-x-
LordKnightmon did not enjoy being a bearer of bad news. It wasn't that she was afraid of her master, not at all; she worshipped the Digi-Lord with every code in her being. But what she did not enjoy was being treated as a lowly messenger when she had been and still was Lord and Captain of the Queen's Army. Not that there was a queen anymore, or much of an army. Still, the offense stung.
She approached the dark hall with insolent pride, dropping to one knee before her master's presence. She was cloaked in shadows but LordKnightmon caught a glimpse of a shiny foot and she smiled. She was as real as QueenChessmon had been, no matter what others whispered about her.
"LordKnightmon," her voice called out, and she was afraid for a moment that she sounded so still with rage. "Speak."
"QueenChessmon has fallen, my liege," LordKnightmon said.
"And her data?"
"Gathered."
"Good, good … I didn't want her to go to waste." She paused. "The Twins?"
"Are awaiting your orders, my Queen."
"Send them to me. Have them bring all the data gathered and then proceed to the next territory."
"And the children, my Lady?"
"I don't wish to deal with them," she said with exasperation. "Send your new General. Assist her, if she so wishes."
"Yes, my Liege." She stood, turning on her heel to commit to her orders but she could hear her murmuring behind her, her voice deep and hollow.
"This is all moving too slow, too slow … but it will work, it has to work."
In the stillness of the castle, LordKnightmon sent the message with her Queen's orders. The screen lit up and a good-natured face appeared, smiling broadly at the knight, who looked back with stoic impassiveness.
"HI!" she greeted, far too happily for a general with her authority.
LordKnightmon bowed her head. "General, your orders are to follow their trail; they might be in your quadrant. Her Majesty wants you to make sure they are lead to the right places," she paused. "I am at your service, as well."
The other laughed, a high-pitched, childish laughter that had something sinister about it. "I don't need your help, drumstick. Tell her Majesty it won't be my fault if one or two of them die on the way, will you?" she asked, pulling on the skin under her left eye and sticking her tongue out to LordKnightmon before cutting off the connection.
