A/N: Okay, before I say or do anything else, I feel I need to get this out of the way now: For anybody who may wonder or ask, the original source for the entire conflict described last chapter was Taiora/Sorato shipping wars. Seriously. While I have a plan for how it will all play out by the end (which I'm not saying a word about, nyah!) I am also aware that whichever way I go, it will inevitably, in some way, get me involved in the shipping war, so rather than fight it I simply embraced it fully and decided to make said war a part of the plot itself. That's right – I'm fighting a shipping war against MYSELF! (And on that note, any reviews referencing said conflict that either ask me to say what my plans are or insist that it should to turn out a certain way will be politely ignored.)
So... I just recently discovered that I can reply to reviews directly, so I no longer have to add replies to the chapters themselves, which is rather nice since I can reply immediately without making everyone wait for the next chapter. And now I don't have to worry about how much space I'm burning up at the start of the chapter with notes. Yay!
Also, apologies to everyone for the delay in publishing this chapter. Right after I started working on it I got extremely sick, and then as soon as I recovered I was busy for several days and had literally no time to write anything. Hopefully the quality makes up for the delay.
Chapter 10: Destined
Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.
The lone digimon sighed as he made his way through an otherwise deserted part of one of the captured sectors. The last few days had been long and exhausting, but things were finally stabilizing again. The incompetence of the Hunter leadership had almost ended the treaty and led to a full invasion, but fortunately their answers to the problems were suitable enough to hold off Myotismon's wrath. The division that had been giving them trouble was now a thing of the past, utterly removed from the equation. Now there was nobody within the Hunters to interfere with the operations of the leaders and anything Myotismon ordered them to do.
Yeah, right... he wasn't stupid enough to believe that, even if that over-stuffed blood sucker was. The secret division that had kept one of the digidestined hidden for weeks and managed to set up several secret operations right under the noses of the leaders... and they were swept away just like that? Idiots... the only reason anyone believed that was because that's what they were supposed to believe. Their strings were still being pulled, and by more than just Myotismon.
But no matter. They were meaningless now. The child had been found. Escaped and fled to the digital world, yes, but that only helped. They didn't have to worry about maintaining a fake peace and sneaking into Hunter territory to deal with her. They could just send their forces after the children in the digital world and kill them all in one fell swoop. She had no partner yet, so she would be an easy target... Myotismon was pleased with this turn of events.
All was going well. The Hunters were happy that their treaty was helping them maintain peace. Myotismon was happy that he had a clear shot at the children. The digidestined were probably happy that they had been united in the digital world, with the girl now safely away from the Hunters... only one other person to placate and then everyone could all swim together in the massive stew of blissful ignorance as they each imagined themselves to be in an improving position.
The digimon landed atop a tombstone in the graveyard, stretching his wings a moment as he contemplated the situation. He quickly hopped across the tops of several more tombstones, working his way toward the center of the graveyard where there stood a large statue of an angel in the midst of the other graves.
As he neared it he'd freeze in place. Something had just shifted. It was extremely subtle, but definitely there. His eyes and ears detected nothing, but his unique nature gave him access to more than just physical senses. Somebody else was there, watching him and... approaching. He quickly jumped and flew up to the top of the statue, perching atop its head to glance around. Nobody in sight, even to the gaze of the keen-eyed nocturnal digimon. How was that- ah... yes, of course. He should have figured that out immediately.
"Ya know, it's not nice to sneak up on your friends, Pointy-Hat."
"...how did you know I was here?"
He sighed and shook his head as he turned back to face the digimon that was, of course, standing behind him.
"Please. The only one in our whole army that loves dramatic entries more than you is Lord Myotismon, and he's not here."
Wizardmon narrowed his eyes slightly. That didn't quite answer the question of how he knew there was anybody approaching in the first place, but no matter. That was the least of his concerns right now.
"DemiDevimon... I just heard that one of our scouts located the current hideaway of the destined children, but no order has been given to attack them."
"Eh, so what? Not my issue, I'm not a general. You should ask Hood'n'Slice about that one."
"You're in charge of scouting and intelligence. I had assumed you would report it directly to Lord Myotismon's generals so we could gather our forces for an attack."
DemiDevimon let out a quick, mocking laugh and jumped down off the statue, landing on one the tombstones in front of it again.
"Yeah, I'm in charge of scouting and intelligence, not scouting and stupidity. Those kids obviously have some way of seeing our army coming, so sending the whole shebang after them wouldn't work. They'd just run off and we'd be back to square one. We need to send someone a little more... covert."
Wizardmon's eyes narrowed again, this time in clear hostility. He knew it... that little schemer was up to his tricks again. He was acting alone, without Myotismon's approval, which meant there were only a few things he could be planning...
"Where is Gatomon?"
"Oooh... so angry. Wonder why that is? But you shouldn't get uppity at me, I haven't done anything. Last time I saw Kitty-Litter she came to ask me a buncha questions and then ran off. Go find her yourself."
"What did she ask you?"
"Apparently, she heard the same thing you did about the kids being found. She demanded to know where they were, and I didn't want to interfere with another loyal servant of Lord Myotismon, so I told her. Then she ran off."
What? DemiDevimon told Gatomon where the digidestined were? That made no sense...
"Why would you tell her where they were and not inform anyone else?"
"Why not? It's all she's talked about since we first walked in on this crummy world. Find the child! Fine the child! I'm a prissy, spoiled pet who needs some catnip! Pah! She wants them so badly, she can have them. If she goes alone they probably won't see her coming, and if she takes the girl out for us, all the better."
Lies. All of it. Demidevimon historically hated Gatomon and did whatever he could to hinder her. That he was helping her now... this had to be a trap. Setting her up to be caught and killed by the digidestined, most likely, since they didn't know about...
But how did he manage to trick her into falling for that? She was smart... and she knew better than to trust DemiDevimon to be honest, so it had to be something else. Play scared? Maybe... knowing Gatomon, she likely threatened him at least once.
"Where are the destined children?"
DemiDevimon took to the air, holding position a few feet in front and above Wizardmon's head, looking completely casual, which likely meant he was likely putting on a fake face to trick Wizardmon, too.
"Edge of the desert south of Lord Myotismon's fortress in the digital world. Taking the mountains south toward the beach. Probably holed up in a cave or somethin' right now. Heck, you may even be able to catch up to your little pussycat friend if you leave now."
Wizardmon paused a moment, staring up at the runt for a moment, trying to read through whatever tricks he was trying to play. He didn't seem to be lying... was this a trap for Wizardmon, too? Well, if it was, he'd be sorely disappointed.
"Whatever you're plan is, it's going to fail."
With that, Wizardmon turned to rush away, heading to the nearest accessible rift to get back to the digital world as soon as possible. Gatomon was fast, but hopefully his flight would give him the speed advantage he needed to catch up. As for DemiDevimon, he returned to his perch in front of the angel statue, watching the wizard as he vanished into the distance.
Fail? Hardly... it's already succeeded. Fly fast, little wizard-man. Play your part, finish assembling the child team... do your part for destiny. Destiny has many faces, after all... but you don't realize that yet, and you won't before the other faces become visible... and then it'll be too late to stop what's coming.
Hearing brief a rustling in the breeze, DemiDevimon glanced aside, noticing a Bakemon scout approaching.
"Sir, who else was just here?"
"Hm? Nobody. I'm the only one here, and I haven't seen anyone until you showed up."
"One of our scouts said they saw someone they couldn't identify, and they were certain they came this way. Did-"
DemiDevimon sighed in annoyance and took to the air again, deliberately looming directly over the Bakemon's head to create a sense of dread. He may have been a lower level in evolution and weaker as a fighter, but DemiDevimon still had Myotismon's ear when few others did, so the Bakemon and other low-rank digimon knew he wasn't to be crossed.
"Look, buddy, there was nobody here except me. Now, if this is really a big deal, I can report to the commander of this area and let them know that one of you spotted someone you weren't able to catch, and then you left your post to ask me about it. Then he can deal with it – would that make you feel better?"
"Ah, ah... no! No... that... that's fine. I'm sure if there was somebody here you would have seen them. I... uh... I'm going to return to my post now. Thank you, sir."
"Don't mention it."
No, seriously, don't. Keep your damn mouth shut and don't rock the boat, because I'm the captain and I can get you thrown overboard. Dumb scout ghosts... always questioning everything rather than just doing what they were told.
Finally he was able to land without being interrupted, this time where he could read the inscription on the angel statue.
This monument stands in memorial of Takeru Takaishi
War is the hell of our own creation. When hell comes to Earth, it is the angels that fall first.
Angels first, indeed... he had read the writing on that stone before, only this time it had been modified a bit. Above the rest of the writing, just beneath the feet of the angel was another inscription, obviously carved by a less professional hand, yet nevertheless quite legible.
HOPE RIDES ALONE
DemiDevimon could feel a small grin growing on his features as his eyes locked on those words. Hope... hope has many faces, too. And oh, what irony it would be when they finally discovered the others... looming right before their eyes. Yet who among them, in all their ignorance, could even glimpse the truth yet?
At last, it was happening... the war was progressing as it should, moving rapidly toward its end. All the pieces were being assembled, and soon this enormous charade could finally be put to rest. Fight, children... heroes of the two worlds. Destiny is going to have its way, whether or not it's a destiny you accept.
No stopping it now. There was still a long, arduous road before everything would finally reach its fulfillment, but they had taken the first steps. From there on, destiny itself would ensure that their fate reached its fullness. All in due time... there would be a reckoning. All in due time...
The day is coming, Gennai... fate is catching up to you, and sooner than you could ever imagine.
"'Investigations revealed that the division in question was taking part in covert operations to undermine the efforts of Hunter Command.'"
"I guess that's technically true."
Taichi commented idly as Koushiro read off excerpts of the official Hunter reports to the rest of the team. It took a while longer than they had expected for said reports to be released, which was perhaps a sign that SDZ had caused more problems for the Hunters than were expected, but they had no way to be sure.
"Most of that's propaganda. Skip to the end."
Hikari muttered, having seen first hand the kind of lies the Hunters spun, even regarding things they had no reason to cover up. Rather than just admit the digidestined helped them, they claimed it was entirely the work of their own army. How they managed to justify having such an enormous success on a single occasion and then being defeated horribly the rest of the time, she still didn't know...
"Well, the reports are fairly complex. There's no real 'summary version' out there. From what I can tell, however, SDZ was supposedly dissolved by Hunter Command... though it doesn't mention the division by name anywhere."
"So they're taking credit for what Katsu did?"
Jou asked, considering the implications of it. On the one hand, it was good because they knew the truth... if the Hunters had to claim that the dissolution of SDZ was their order then it meant that Katsu had caught them off guard and they were probably trying to save face. On the other hand...
"Might as well. Take credit for all the good things, pin the bad on someone else. Isn't that what propaganda is all about?"
Jou nodded lightly to Gomamon. True enough, but that was part of the problem. If SDZ was ever blamed for the treaty with Myotismon then exposing anything related to the treaty would only hurt them more unless they could first convince everyone that it was the Hunter Command that was really responsible.
"Okay, so where does this leave us?"
Taichi asked as Koushiro continued skimming reports, looking for anything valuable.
"I don't think much has changed. Katsu's plan seems to have worked, but without knowing what he has planned next we have to just keep searching for the crests."
Sora muttered, idly mulling over the matter in her head. It was strange to think that such a massive event could lead to so few real changes for them. SDZ had gone into hiding, yes, but that didn't affect them directly. Hikari was with them, but that just gave them an extra head to protect until she found her partner. In the big picture, their objectives remained exactly the same, and their present conditions had changed only slightly. The reality was that the Hunter leadership had betrayed them well before they ever learned about it, and they merely discovered what the real condition of the war was and what it had been all along.
"I wouldn't say that. Our goals are the same, but Myotismon's aren't. Now that we're all together, he's going to focus a lot more on hunting us down."
Yamato replied before moving away from the group to grab his bag and begin unpacking to settle in to the cave for the night.
"Good. The more, the better."
Hikari's attitude over the past few days had only surprised the group more and more with each day. Her determination to help despite her injury was the least of their surprises. They'd already encountered that on numerous occasions while she was their contact in the Hunters. More surprising was her intellect which, though nowhere near Koushiro's level of genius, picked up knowledge from the others at a rate that was simply staggering. It was like her whole being was wired completely for building her into the perfect digidestined to fight this war... and truthfully, in many ways it was. Until the war ended, she cared about nothing except winning and protecting those she cared about.
Most shocking of all, however, was her attitude toward fighting in general. For such a young child, and the one was to be the bearer of the Crest of Light, Hikari was shockingly merciless. Hikari gave no thought to even trying to spare their enemies. It was not for animosity, but simple necessity... they served Myotismon, and until the war was over the children had no choice but to do their worst. Myotismon wasn't going to hold back, so they couldn't either. She also knew that they, as the digidestined, were better armed to take on those enemies than the humans in Odaiba, so she was more than happy to accept any opportunity to fight them so as to draw the danger away from the Hunters. Though they all understood this, none of them were quite as eager as she was to throw themselves into the fighting.
Maybe it was because she didn't have a partner who was in danger? Or was her hope in their abilities simply that much stronger than any of their own?
"Then everybody make sure you get rested up. If Myotismon's going to be chasing us full-time, then we need to be up and moving extra early to stay ahead of him so we can keep hunting for the crests. Make sure you're all packed and ready to go by dawn."
Taichi knew none of them would like hearing that... they rarely had to be up that early, and it was always an uncomfortable shift from their normal routine. To make it normal would be hard, but if it was necessary... they all knew where they stood. What was necessary for the war...
While the others unpacked, Jou checked on Hikari's shoulder again as part of their daily routine to make sure it was recovering well. Like the others, she was healing slightly faster than what would be considered normal. For some reason, the digital world seemed to have that effect on them. Jou and Koushiro had developed several theories as to why, with the most likely explanations being related to the food they ate or some unknown reaction to their crests or digivices, but they had yet to find any data to either confirm or deny it.
Once that was finished, the rest of them would settle in and prepare to rest. They would be busy figuring out the night watch when Koushiro, who was still wide awake and searching for anything of value from Hunter reports, finally found what he had been looking for.
"Oh... crap."
Tentomon was soon at his side and echoing the same sentiment, which drew the attention of the other digidestined as well. It was rare that the things that upset Koushiro had the same effect on the distinctively more laid back Tentomon, and every time they did it was always something really bad.
"What'd you find?"
As Taichi approached, Koushiro lowered his laptop screen to conceal it from view. He was tense, wary of saying anything about what he found, which only served to unnerve Taichi and the others who saw it even more.
"I... managed to get into the Hunter records. I found one of the... official reports about SDZ."
"Koushiro... what happened?"
He wouldn't get a reply from the techie, and it would be several seconds before Tentomon eventually responded for him, though he was no more eager to speak up than his partner was.
"Masaharu was caught and arrested. He was put in a Hunter military prison... no word about what's going to happen to him there."
Silence. They all knew what that meant... what could happen to Masaharu, especially after everything that had occurred with his division. No telling what the Hunters intended, and since they were answering to Myotismon... his life could very well be on the line, but they could do nothing to save him. And worse, it wasn't just a friend, it was Yamato's own father... after having already lost his brother years ago, the war nearly broke him once. If Masaharu died now...
"That's... not the only thing I found."
Tentomon glanced to Koushiro. He wasn't sure if the boy was going to say anything about that part... he knew that he sure as hell wasn't. The news about Masaharu wasn't even the worst part of it all. Worse for Yamato, but for the war as a whole... they had a far bigger problem.
"The report covers all of the SDZ leadership. Katsu Fang... is dead. Killed in a firefight near one of the barriers while trying to escape."
Hikari froze. Dead? That's... no, that's impossible. First, that he could be caught like that, second... a firefight? That made no sense. Masaharu was the one with the gun, not him! How would he have even gotten into a firefight in the first place? There were too many questions... too many problems. It was life with Katsu, as always. You think you know what's happening until you find out he was leading you on all along...
"Details."
Hikari's gaze locked on Koushiro and the others said nothing. It was clear enough that she didn't believe it, and was in no mood to accept it, period. Whether she was right or not... well, it didn't make a difference. They couldn't talk her through it either way. Instead, Sora, Mimi and Taichi went to sit with Yamato while Hikari began to grill Koushiro about the report.
"Apparently, he disappeared along with the rest of SDZ. Then shortly after Masaharu was caught and arrested, Katsu was spotted near the barrier. It's unclear whether he was skirting the edge of the barrier and heading toward the coast or looking for a place to pass through, but when they found him he ultimately did the latter. Somehow he managed to hack the system, open one of the tunnels, and get through to Myotismon's territory. Then the report gets unclear. Apparently there were enemy digimon attacking at some point that had to be fought off... shots were fired, it was unclear who fired first... though it is clear that at some point Katsu did fire at the Hunters, and then he was shot down and killed before the Hunters had to flee back to their own territory."
There were so many things wrong with that report that Hikari couldn't even hope to list them all. He was fleeing to Myotismon's territory? That was worse than being around the Hunters! How'd he even have a gun in the first place? And why, for that matter, would he shoot at the Hunters if there were already digimon there, attacking and distracting them?
"That certainly leaves a few questions, doesn't it?"
Jou commented idly, clearly thinking along the same lines as Hikari. He'd learned a long time ago not to trust anything that looked even remotely suspicious, and this was well beyond suspicious... the question was, who was the lying party here?
"I know what you're thinking... there are enough anomalies in the report to make it questionable, but the Hunters double-checked all the details. There are numerous recorded debriefings to confirm it. Every Hunter who was present for the fight reported the same thing. The digimon, the shots, the death of Katsu... and one of them checked the body to find there was no pulse."
Hikari said nothing. She still didn't believe it. This wasn't just a kid who was good at his job... this boy was something inhuman. Paranoid to an extreme, the best liar she ever knew... he made an art out of tricking people whose job it was to not be tricked. Of course Masaharu would be arrested... they all knew he was Katsu's mouthpiece to the Hunters, but Katsu himself? Could he really get away with just that? No... they would kill him, either on their own or at Myotismon's order. Nothing less than his death would satisfy them, so nothing less than faking his death would suffice to hide him.
"But it's still questionable, which means they're likely going to keep investigating it."
Jou turned to Hikari, who glanced up in reply to his words. Investigating... of course. Brilliant boy, he wasn't only protecting himself...
"They're going to interrogate Masaharu about it. They won't do anything to him until they get all the answers they're looking for."
Jou nodded lightly. He could understand what Hikari obviously saw in this boy... why she looked up to him as a brilliant strategist. Even if he was dead, the circumstances of the event were such that it would leave the Hunters questioning it. Hunter Command was the group responsible for making the treaty with Myotismon, so why would Katsu try to flee into his territory for safety? He had proven his brilliance over the past few years in his work with the Hunters, so he obviously wasn't stupid. So did he have his own deal with Myotismon they didn't know about? And if not, why would he go into digimon territory armed to fight humans? The sheer number of questions would leave Hunter Command paralyzed with paranoia...
Then the final question for the digidestined... was he devoted enough to go even to that length? To sacrifice his life just to protect Masaharu and set the Hunters on edge so as to give the children an advantage in the future? Hikari knew the answer already... there was no question he would do anything and sacrifice anything if it was necessary for victory. Instead it was a question of ability. Was he good enough to fake his own death like this, or did he finally reach the end of his luck and get killed trying to put one of his plans into effect?
They had no way of knowing... not yet. So Hikari eventually settled down to rest while the others took care of planning the night watch.
A cave. Damn it all. They had someone on watch, and there was only one entrance. If she tried to get in through there, she'd be up against all of the children and their partners at once. She needed backup, but she wasn't going to wait around for the rest of the army. She'd spent so long... years, searching for this girl. It had become more than just a mission, it was an obsession. Everything hinged on defeating the children, and this girl was the crux of that... the others were protected, she was not. She had to die before they found her partner digimon, whoever that was.
So what options did she have? Direct assault was out, sneaking in was impossible. Then again...
Night watch... if they were being practical, they'd have at least three shifts, probably more. So, wait for the shift to change, hope they get distracted for a moment with talking or some such, then take the opportunity to slip in. A quick claw to the throat was all it would take, and then it didn't matter what happened. Live or die, she would have fulfilled her mission.
"Gatomon."
She readied her claws and spun around into a defensive pose instinctively before she recognized the voice. Wizardmon. Of all the...
"Damn it, don't do that... sneaking up on me, this close to the children..."
Gatomon shifted back and moved away from the cave. Her voice was at a whisper and she was downwind, but even that wasn't enough to satisfy her. Absolute stealth was necessary, and she didn't have Wizardmon's talent of disappearing literally into thin air, so she had to depend on her skills instead.
"I apologize, but I wanted to make sure I got your attention before you... attempted anything."
"Tch... I can't do anything here. The kids are too secure. I can't sneak in and I'm not strong enough to fight them all at once."
Gatomon didn't entirely trust Wizardmon... truthfully, she didn't trust anyone, especially in Myotismon's army. Anyone who was more than a grunt usually got their position through treachery and diabolical cunning. Trust was worth more than a small army among their ranks, with the only exception being Myotismon. Nobody ever tried to betray him. Failure meant a fate worse than death, and even success would mean they'd be hunted and hounded by his troops until they were either killed or forced to hide from the entire world to escape.
Still, Wizardmon was more trustworthy than most. He was one of Myotismon's best scouts, and he always reported first to Gatomon with any new findings, which gave her a distinct edge in the competitive world of Myotismon's army. Why he was so loyal to her, she didn't know, but he was and had consistently been so for years. If he was planning on betraying her, it was a rather far-reaching plan to spend so long earning her trust. Hell... most of them had expected the war would be over by now.
"How fortunate... it benefits our position rather nicely."
Gatomon blinked. Benefited their... what?
"How does it benefit us? If we can't get to the seventh child-"
"Relax... I've got everything figured out. I'll fix this problem. I simply need to resolve one detail first..."
Gatomon narrowed her eyes. It was rare that Wizardmon hid anything from her, and it drove her paranoia through the roof. However, at the same time she felt that she had to work with him anyway. The risk of betrayal, the chance of success... she was so close to the seventh child. She couldn't lose this chance! Even if she was betrayed, it was worth it for even an opportunity to kill the child. To hell with the risks, nothing else mattered if she could get to this girl!
"What... detail is that?"
"The one on watch... I have a plan, but it will only work on a specific child."
"Right now it's the one with the dog. The night's young, though... he's probably first watch."
"Yamato... I see. Then we wait. We need Taichi, the child with the Agumon for his partner."
Of course, Wizardmon knew them all by name. Being one of their best scouts, he didn't simply settle for knowing faces and tactics. He needed to know everything about the enemy. Names, personalities... anything he could possibly learn. He was good enough that he had been made an independent scout, not under the direct supervision of DemiDevimon or Gatomon, though he reported to the latter regardless.
"Why him?"
"Because he knows one thing that the others don't..."
She wouldn't be able to get any more information from him than that. Frustrating, but she'd accept it. As long as his plan worked... she shifted her position around, staying downwind and in the shadows out of view from the entrance of the cave. Now to wait. Wizardmon stayed nearby, though back a ways since he was bigger and therefore easier to spot. Then again, Gatomon had white fur that stood out more in the moonlight, so she wasn't that much better off...
Fortunately, nobody spotted her before the shift change. The blonde kid moved toward the entrance of the cave as... ah-ha. There we are. The kid with the Agumon... Gatomon turned to nudge Wizardmon awake, only to find her was already up and moving. He floated up into the branches of the trees a ways to get a better view and confirm it was the right child before coming back down.
"Alright, it is time, then... I am going to use my magic to mask you from view. Then I will distract the child and his digimon while you sneak in. However, bear in mind that the cloak will hide you only until strike, so you cannot risk targeting more than one child."
Gatomon nodded and Wizardmon grinned beneath his cloak. Target only Hikari... good. Then they would all be safe. He simply needed her to draw near to the girl, as close as possible...
Quickly casting his aura of invisibility on Gatomon, Wizardmon then floated up again, ascending toward the mouth of the cave and into open view ahead of Taichi. He'd be spotted instantly, of course, but that didn't matter... Taichi didn't attack immediately, as he obviously didn't know what to make of this. He didn't recognize Wizardmon on sight, and it was irrational for one of Myotismon's minions to approach them so openly... so who was this guy then?
"Who are you?"
Not attacking, but it was clear from their stances that Taichi and Agumon were both ready to jump into a fight if they felt even remotely threatened.
"Apologies for not contacting you sooner. My name is Wizardmon."
"For not- wait... I know your voice..."
Wizardmon's eyes flicked to one side as he glimpsed Gatomon entering the cave, invisible to all eyes except his own. He didn't fail to notice her own eyes glance back at him, noticing what he was doing, wondering what he was up to, but it didn't matter. She only needed a few seconds to get to the girl, even if this was a trap.
"Yes... I came to offer you my assistance. I would have preferred to do so at a more ideal time of day, but you understand how difficult it can be to stay out of trouble with Myotismon keeping watch everywhere. I can't always choose time and place..."
Taichi nodded and both he and Agumon relaxed. It was perhaps a mistake to leave themselves open, but this digimon had saved his life before. The risks in going against Myotismon were severe, so he couldn't have done that lightly. It was unlikely then that he was going to betray them now.
"Why did you come here, though? How can you assist us?"
"You have a new child in your team, but she still needs a partner. I'm here to help you locate that digimon."
Wizardmon could see the silhouette of Gatomon was moving deeper into the cave, slowly nearing her target. She had been forced to slow down when one of the digimon almost awoke. She was only invisible, not impossible to hear or smell, so she had to move carefully and not too close to any of the digimon in the cave, or else they might be woken by her presence. The girl was at the back of the cave, next to the girl with a Palmon for a partner. That would be a problem, since the plant could catch her with her vines... once she got close, she would have to strike quickly.
"What? You know how to find Hikari's partner?"
"I do. In fact..."
His yes shifted up as Gatomon drew close to the girl, almost close enough...
"...she's already in the cave."
Taichi and Agumon spun around in unison just in time to see the explosion from light from Hikari's digivice as Gatomon stood ready to make the kill. Okay, so DemiDevimon was right... Wizardmon loved making a dramatic entrance.
Of course, it wouldn't be more than a few seconds before everyone was awake and up, save Hikari who was still seated due to her injury. At the same time, Gatomon went down, and she went down hard. Twisting suddenly, she drove her claws into the wall, digging into the stone and tearing twin marks in the wall...
Then she screamed. In her feline voice, it turned into a screech... an unearthly shriek loud and violent enough to wake the dead, and to blur the lines between the dead and the living. Between the light and the scream, everyone would be too stunned by their sudden waking to even be able to react, save for Hikari. As soon as she opened her eyes, her mind returned to a familiar place, dark and forsaken... Katsu...
"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!"
She tore a large chunk of rock from the wall and threw it across to the opposite wall where Wizardmon had already arrived, deflecting it from landing anywhere near any of the children. She lashed out, tearing lines in the wall as Hikari ducked back and was pulled away by Mimi and Palmon. She shrieked again, slamming her claws down onto the floor and tearing another pair of lines in the solid stone.
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY MIND!"
As she attempted to lash out again, Wizardmon seized her, forcing her into a tight hug where she was unable to flail about and potentially endanger the children. Instead, her claws would dig into his back, cutting marks in his body and injuring him, though he refused to let himself flinch away and release her.
"OUT! GET HIM OUT! I can't- I'm not- I- make... MAKE IT STOP! MAKE HIM LEAVE! GET HIM OUT OF MY MIND!"
Wizardmon grunted and gritted his teeth, forcing himself to endure the pain as her claws dug deeper into his back. The screeching began again then as she screamed into his cloak, though it only barely muffled the sound of the pain. She shrieked as long as her breath could hold, until it slowly worked itself down to a strained roar, a suffocated growl, and then at last... a coughing sob as she struggled to catch her breath even as her body shook from the pain that echoed through every nerve and fiber of her body.
"Please... please... make him go... I can't..."
By now the digidestined were barely able to gather their wits and figure out what the hell was going on. Gatomon... they knew her, an agent of Myotismon, but now... she was near Hikari, and then the light, the digivice... what the hell happened?
While Yamato and Koushiro turned to Taichi for answers, Hikari slowly approached the duo kneeling near her. The feline... that pain, she'd seen it before. Not the same kind, but it ran so deep... to the very core of her being, just like Katsu. It was a death-pain... a torment harsh enough to destroy most people, even as only a memory.
As Hikari got close enough to reach out to touch them, her digivice lit up again. Gatomon screeched and jumped away, tumbling and rolling to one side in an undignified heap, no thought given to anything except getting away from the girl that tormented her mind, that forced to the surface everything that had been buried...
"NO! STAY AWAY! DON'T MAKE ME REMEMBER!"
Her voice did not waver, even though it was strained by the sobs and tears that ripped through her again and again like each memory, each lash and mark that had been laid on her... memories long buried too deep to feel until this girl had dragged them to the surface once more...
Hikari braced herself. This pain... no. She couldn't leave it. Though she would likely regret doing so, she moved after the feline, closing the gap again as the digimon stumbled back, trying to get away even as she struggled to stay on her feet. As Hikari moved up to her she lashed out again, swinging her arms and claws wildly, trying to scare the girl away, though it did little to help... Hikari was determined to get close, even if it endangered her life.
"Don't... don't put me through that again! I can't forget, I...! I can't... please... just... just let me forget... I don't want to..."
She crumpled to her knees as Hikari knelt down beside her. Gatomon's struggle was momentary and weak, barely able to even attempt to push her away as the girl pulled her into another hug. For a moment she very nearly grabbed her and dug her claws into the child's back as she had done with Wizardmon before, but... no. She wouldn't. She couldn't hurt this girl, even if she wanted to, and... she didn't. She would never want to harm her. This child... the seventh... she was...
Unable to fight – unable to do anything at all – Gatomon's body went limp, trembling with each sob, flinching and convulsing with each painful lash in her memory. Time didn't take it away... even now she could feel her master's whip on her back, her face... her body may have recovered and most of the physical marks may have faded, but the scars in her memories were infinitely worse...
"Gatomon... I do not know why, but she was separated from the other digimon companions. She grew up isolated, alone..."
Wizardmon muttered, kneeling by one of the cave walls as he spoke to the children who were now gathered around him. To one side sat Hikari with Gatomon curled up tightly in her lap, wrapped up in her own arms and tail as if to try to shield herself from the world as Wizardmon recalled bits and pieces of his knowledge of her past...
"She was found by Myotismon when she was still young, and he... 'recruited' her. Like many of his chosen followers, she was given no choice, and resisastance was... trained out of her. It begins with the whip and claw... and grows far worse. For your sakes, I will not speak of his more severe punishments..."
Nobody spoke. They knew pain, they were each haunted by their own memories of the past, but none of them had endured anything like this. Even as Hikari gently petted Gatomon's back it would make the feline tremble, even that slight touch bringing back memories of the beatings, some so severe she was on some days convinced that she would not live to see the dawn.
"She wasn't the only one... many digimon of 'potential' were forcibly dragged into his army and made to serve. Most were driven insane, turned into mindless killing machines. A few endured and grew stronger... evolving to more powerful forms. Gatomon is one such example... as is Phantomon."
"Phantomon?"
Wizardmon only nodded. Taichi could scarcely believe it, nor could any of the other children. That digimon... he was by far Myotismon's most savage and loyal general. To think he was tortured and abused as Gatomon was, and yet could become like that...
"His torture was even worse. Countless other Bakemon perished under the punishment, but he... he forced himself to endure, to prove his strength... he mocked Myotismon, taunted and goaded him to worsen the treatment, again and again, simply to prove he could handle it. In time he evolved to his current state and forever proved his strength to Myotismon. Now he's just a shadow of a digimon... his heart and soul have been so completely torn that there's nothing left in him except an unwavering loyalty and devotion... every fight, every moment of his existence serves no purpose except as another opportunity to prove his strength and loyalty to his master."
Hikari's eyes drifted across the tired faces of her comrades as she continued to slowly stroke her companion's fur. So it wasn't just them... on both sides of the war there was pain... the digidestined, Katsu, Phantomon... everyone was torn and tormented. Every facet of the war that revealed itself only served to worsen the image of what they were facing. Myotismon wasn't just a conquering digimon... he was a true demon, the worst being Hikari could even imagine existing. And to think the Hunters wanted peace with this being. Peace? That may be worse than the war. Under his heel... such a world wouldn't just be dire, it would be a true hell on earth.
"I swore many years ago to take care of Gatomon and help her find the one she was searching for... she served Myotismon, so I served him as well, waiting for the day that the final child was revealed so that I could unite them at last."
Gatomon peeked out to glance at Wizardmon, pain and gratitude reflected in her gaze. He had set her free from that monster's control, but at a high price. She was supposed to be Hikari's protector, but what good she would be like this... she could barely even think about trying to confront Myotismon now. He terrified her... every memory of his past abuses tormented her mind, and as long as he lived she would know no true peace.
"However... my mission is not yet finished."
Wizardmon slowly stood, grunting from the pain of the wounds that slowly subsided. Nothing too severe... he would heal soon enough. In any case, they would prove to be more useful than harmful in the long run, so he wanted to get back to Myotismon well before they healed up.
"Wait, you can't travel in that condition."
Jou stood to stop him, but Wizardmon quickly waved him off. No, he had to do this. For the digidestined, they needed to recover to be safe. For him, the opposite was true. His injuries would be the very thing to keep him alive.
"I have to. I still have to help recover Hikari's crest, which means returning to Myotismon... with these injuries I can claim I was attacked by Gatomon when she betrayed him and joined you. It will keep me in his good graces, and allow me to stay close enough to potentially steal her crest back, in time."
"You know how dangerous that is."
"Yes, I do... but are you really one to talk about danger?"
Wizardmon's gaze shifted to Taichi. Yes, he knew this group well... he had learned quite a bit about them from a great many sources, and he knew full well the roles most of them played. Taichi's love affair with danger was no mystery to anyone who knew him. But such was the nature of his role... if he didn't take to such things as well as he did then he couldn't be a leader for the chosen children. Danger was their lives. They had to have someone fearless to lead the charge.
"I will do what I must. All of the children, digimon, and crests must be united if either of our worlds are to know peace. Fortunately, I can aid you in this regard."
Wizardmon reached into his cloak then, turning to Mimi and extending his hand to offer her something rather unexpected... the Crest of Purity.
"This is yours, I believe."
Mimi practically jumped to her feet, along with a good half of the team. As soon as she was on her feet the crest began to glow like all of the others. Mimi would pull her tag out from under her shirt as the crest took to the air and moved before her. Soon enough the crest had taken its place inside the tag and bonded to it.
For a moment Mimi simply stood silent, stunned by this sudden development. Just like that they had gotten a new digimon partner and another crest... only one more to locate, and then they would go after Myotismon to liberate the final one from his control.
"But how did you know it belonged to Mimi?"
Koushiro was skeptical... usually they only learned the owner of a crest after they obtained it, but Wizardmon seemed to know in advance. Where could he have gotten that knowledge...?
"Because I found it in the desert, inside the lily blossom atop a gigantic cactus."
What.
"A gigantic... cactus."
"At least twenty stories tall."
What.
Wizardmon quickly noticed the looks he was getting from everyone in the group, Gatomon included. If not for the fact they trusted him and he had just brought them two absolutely invaluable additions to their war effort, they would have thought he was lying... or maybe high.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not the one who decided where to hide those things."
Fair enough... and the explanation made sense, given Mimi's partner. It stood to reason that the one with the cactus for a partner would be the one who's crest was found one one, but still... a twenty-story tall cactus?
While the children stood silent and mulled over the matter, Wizardmon turned to Taichi and motioned back to the entrance of the cave.
"It's time for me to go. You should return to your watch... and you all need to rest. You still have one crest left to find, and Myotismon will not make it easy."
With that he headed to the exit, escorted out by Taichi and Agumon while the rest of the team took his advice and prepared to settle in to go back to sleep. He would stop just outside the cave and turn back to face Taichi, glancing aside to make sure none of the other children followed them out before speaking.
"Taichi... I would hear your thoughts on this conflict. You are quite familiar with Myotismon and his methods by now. I have no doubt you have considered what sort of problems might be caused by having Hikari's identity known."
Taichi gave a sideways glance to Agumon, who knew well what he was thinking. Wizardmon was right... he'd discussed the potential problems with Yamato and Koushiro, even going so far as to decide that the former would be made the team leader if things got bad enough.
"He'll go after our families and friends to try to draw us out. Especially Hikari's... which means mine."
Wizardmon nodded.
"And if that happens, are you prepared for it?"
"No... if that happens, I told Yamato he'll have to take over as team leader since I don't know if I can be trusted to make the right choices. But that was before we found out about Yamato's dad..."
"Don't fear for Masaharu. He's more safe than you realize."
"If you say so... assuming Myotismon doesn't- wait... how do you know his name?"
Suddenly Taichi was tense again. Everything Wizardmon had said before implied he was an independent force in the war, determined to help Gatomon and the digidestined due to his own sense of justice. However, now it was clear he knew a little too much for that to be true.
"I do not fight alone, Taichi. Everybody in this war has friends or allies who are supporting them, keeping them alive... save one. And even he has people on his side who think they're his friends, not realizing what he really is."
"Myotismon."
Wizardmon closed his eyes, shaking his head lightly. His hand trembled slightly as he thought back, remembering the moment that he first discovered this person, the only being he feared...
"No. He is the only one in this war that may very well be worse than Myotismon."
"Worse?"
Was that even possible? Myotismon was a monster without morals or conscience, who was willing to do anything to anyone with no thought for anything except his own power. His potential for evil was limitless – how could somebody possibly be worse than that?
"Myotismon is merely evil. He would destroy every good thing in both worlds if he were to have his way, but such is his nature. Any truly evil being can commit atrocities without remorse. The other... he is worse for the fact that he is not evil. He feels remorse, regret, guilt... yet he is willing to commit acts that are equally atrocious, knowing full-well what sort of monster it makes him. Evil performed in the name of good is twice as abhorrent as evil performed for its own sake."
Taichi was silent, unable to even formulate a response to that. What that meant for the 'other' that Wizardmon spoke of was bad, but it was worse for what it could mean for the digidestined. How many times had they done 'what was necessary' to win the war, shrugging off dangerous or questionable acts because of how they helped their cause? True, they hadn't committed any acts that were truly evil, but it was a slow slide... how long would it take for them, inching down that road, before they eventually became as bad as Myotismon in the methods they employed?
"Do not fear Myotismon. He is one of the evils of the digital world that you were chosen to defeat, and I do not doubt that you will inevitably overcome him in time. But fear yourselves... fear your own power, and what acts you can commit in the name of heroism. The greatest threat to good is not those who fight to destroy it, but those who fight to protect it."
Taichi nodded. So what about him? Was he a threat to himself? A threat to the whole world? How could he avoid that slow fall when the war pushed him and all his friends to fight as mercilessly as their enemies did? Their choices seemed to be defeat or compromise, and from what Wizardmon said the latter seemed to be worse... so how could they win without becoming monsters like their enemies were?
Wizardmon turned to leave then, casting his magic to turn himself invisible before quietly slipping away into the wind. He didn't have any answers for the children, only a warning. Ultimately, their fate was their own, and they would have to choose each day which path they would choose. There was no way to be truly immune to the dangers of that slow descent. It was a battle they would have to fight every day. All he could do was warn them, make them aware of the fight so that they could maintain their vigil against the potential evil within their own hearts.