a/n: This is two weeks too late, I think. And it's unedited and didn't go as planned, but eh, idc. I'll fix the mess ups later. It's also incredibly difficult to include twenty-five characters all in one scene. Hope I did it right.
Special note to ToastyToaster22: Sora snuggles, just for you. Enjoy.
"I tried to hold these secrets inside me; my mind's like a deadly disease." — Control, Halsey
Ch 12 || Reverse: Interlude
The morning sun slowly climbed its invisible staircase into the sky, shedding its light onto the city as its inhabitants shifted from night to day. It was Saturday, so it was unlikely that many people would be out of bed just yet, Sora figured. Unless you're a Chosen Child who was sent a rather urgent message in the early hours of the morning by a certain computer expert who didn't look nearly as worried as he seemed in his message.
Sora tore her gaze away from Koushiro's bedroom window to the two boys sitting across from her: Koushiro, whose eyes were trained on his laptop and his laptop alone; and Takeru, who quietly sat on Koushiro's bed with Patamon in his arms while seeming lost in his own thoughts.
She frowned in concern. "Please tell me you guys have at least eaten something."
Koushiro either didn't hear her or ignored her. Takeru at least had the decency to glance up, and after a few hesitant moments, he grinned sheepishly. "We've been, um, a little distracted."
That much was obvious—at least for Koushiro. She shot the blond a look, but it softened when she saw the fatigue that glistened in his eyes. It was clear that Patamon was already half-asleep, and Tentomon was in a similar state from his position atop Koushiro's desk. All four of them looked like they had been up for hours.
"I'm guessing you didn't sleep much, either," she added, her frown deepening. "Takeru, how early did you get here?"
The young blond boy glanced at the clock resting on the wall above Koushiro's bedroom door, and then fatigued blue eyes met Sora's again. He shrugged quietly. "I don't know. Six-thirtyish, maybe."
"It seemed much earlier than that," Tentomon murmured sleepily. "I'm telling you, these two have some kind of superpower."
"Says the beetle who can grow multiple times his size," Patamon deadpanned before curling deeper into Takeru's arms. "Sora's right. We should eat something. What do you say, Takeru?"
As if hearing the digimon's words, Takeru's stomach voiced its thoughts before the keeper of Hope could open his mouth. Sora raised her brows, and even Koushiro turned around to look at him with disapproving eyes.
"Why didn't you say something?" the computer expert asked with a frown that mirrored Sora's. "There is food in the kitchen if you're hungry. We could have made something. That's what it's there for."
Takeru turned a soft shade of pink before his shoulders lifted in another shrug. The bearer of Love drew in his pale skin and anxious expression; upon closer inspection, she realized that his clothes were kind of loose. Had that been intentional, or had Takeru lost weight? It had only been about two weeks since the last time she saw him, but for some reason, it seemed longer than that. He looked so much older than his fourteen years.
No wonder Yamato is so worried.
She pulled a tired Piyomon closer to her, catching the way Takeru fidgeted as she examined him. "I didn't realize," the blond said finally, and the nervous smile that graced his features did little to soothe the concern that coursed through her.
"You've been eating, right, Takeru? Three times a day. Every day?"
You're too skinny, was the unsaid message that lingered between them. Takeru was too young to be so worried about something as to skip meals, she thought. Even though she half-expected if from Koushiro, she didn't approve of him missing out on breakfast in favor of his computer, either. And to have bags like that under their eyes... She thought back to how worked up Yamato had been over the past few weeks—
"Three times a day. Every day," Takeru answered eventually, his smile more genuine this time; but she quickly caught onto his hesitance to answer her question. It was as though he had to think about it. The teenager in her wanted to scoff, but the mother-instinct that she had developed for her friends over the years made her want to dive deeper for more of an explanation.
"And you, Koushiro?"
"I appreciate your concern, Sora, but rest assured that my eating habits are perfectly normal," the bearer of Knowledge said, smiling a little. "You sound almost exactly like my mother."
"That's Sora for you," Piyomon chimed with a giggle and snuggled into her human partner's warm arms.
She sighed quietly and smiled at the bird digimon. Brushed a few stray feathers away from her eyes. Perhaps there was no reason to be concerned. She did tend to ask a lot of questions. "I just want to know if you're both ok. You're too young to look that exhausted."
Takeru's smile faltered upon hearing those words, and Koushiro blinked in confusion. The two boys shared a look, and Koushiro eventually said, "Would it make you feel better if we made something to eat?"
Her smile widened. "Yes, it would."
Koushiro stood first, gently closing his laptop. He checked his d-terminal for probably the fifth time that minute and then gestured for Takeru to get up. The keeper of Hope slowly pushed himself off of Koushiro's bed, taking Patamon with him.
"Yay, something fun to do," Tentomon said happily and hovered across Koushiro's bedroom without further delay. "Thank you, Sora. You're the best."
"I wouldn't say that," she said, although she was touched by the words even if Tentomon had said them simply because he was hungry and bored. They trekked to the kitchen soundlessly, led by Koushiro and his partner. The digital clock on the stove read 7:44 a.m.
Koushiro started listing off their options. Since his mother left to take his father to work and run errands, they didn't have to worry about waking anyone up. When the keeper of Knowledge opened the fridge, he looked at Sora sheepishly.
"I, ahh, I'm not all that great at preparing meals," he admitted, somewhat timidly.
She peeked in slowly and heard Takeru shuffle behind her. It was decently filled, as though his mother had been shopping recently. But in all honesty, she wasn't much of a cook, either. Wasn't even sure what to make. Both she and Koushiro glanced at Takeru, who raised his hands in mock surrender.
"Nii-san cooks; not me," he said in defense.
The intercom buzzed. All six of them were startled by the sound, and after a pause, Koushiro looked back at the clock to check the time. "That's probably Jou."
It was indeed. There was indistinct small talk for a few moments, and when Koushiro reentered the kitchen, he was followed by Jou, Gomamon, and—not surprisingly—Mimi and Palmon.
"We're saved," Tentomon whispered in awe, so quietly that it almost went unheard, but Patamon and Piyomon giggled in response. Even Takeru cracked a small smile.
"Good morning," Mimi said instantly as she met Sora's amused stare. Her gaze weaved around the kitchen, drinking in the appearances of everyone present; and when she saw Takeru, her eyes widened. "Takeru! It feels like I haven't seen you in forever."
She didn't give him a chance to reply because she enveloped him in a hug, nearly crushing Patamon in the process. Takeru gasped in obvious surprise, but relaxed and slowly returned the embrace. "H-hi, Mimi. Welcome back."
"It's good to be back," she replied airily. "America is great, but Japan will always be my home." She paused to look at his face, and concern flickered in her eyes before she said, "How are you doing? You look like you haven't been sleeping."
So Sora hadn't been imagining it. This time, Takeru's hesitance was obvious. Didn't respond for several long moments. His expression quickly became unreadable, but he wasn't returning her curious gaze; instead, he took a small step back so he was at arm's length. Smiled, barely. "I've been up for a few hours. Hey, Jou and Gomamon."
Jou returned his smile, which was equally tired, but definitely genuine. "Morning, Takeru. So you beat us here, huh?"
"He and Patamon arrived before we did," Piyomon answered for him as she perched herself onto the counter.
"How?" Palmon asked, looking surprised.
Gomamon yawned loudly. "It's too early for the sun to even be awake, let alone all of us."
"At least I'm not the only one who thinks so," Tentomon grumbled irritably.
Takeru shrugged, his expression remaining neutral. Then, in a soft voice: "I... I wanted to know what happened."
Mimi frowned suddenly. "Speaking of..." She crossed her arms, turning to face Koushiro with a look of disapproval. Her eyes flashed slightly with anger. "What were you thinking?"
Koushiro blinked in confusion, surprised at her sudden change of tone. "What?"
"Sending that message," the bearer of Sincerity said irritably. "And at this hour, too. Of course he came over here so early; you probably scared him to death. You told us you were going to contact Gennai about yesterday, not scare everyone with a warning like that—"
"Wait." Takeru's head snapped up, eyes widening. "You were there, too? When Nii-san was hurt?"
Mimi gasped. "You told him Yamato was hurt?"
"N-no!" Koushiro raised his hands in defense. "I assured him that Yamato is fine. All I said was that something abnormal had happened to him—"
"That's just as bad," she argued. "How could you? You could have waited until Yamato was here to explain his story—"
"Yamato doesn't even remember—"
"Hey, hey, hey," Jou interrupted abruptly, putting a few feet of much-needed space between the two bickering teens. "Calm down, everyone. You all look tired as far as I can see, and that's ok, but arguing isn't going to do anything but make the situation worse. Takeru... why don't you go call Yamato and see if he's awake? The faster we can get everyone here, the better."
Takeru, who had become noticeably paler, simply stared at them for a moment as Mimi and Koushiro visibly deflated. He seemed lost in thought again, Sora realized, and she gently rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Takeru?" she pressed quietly.
"So he was hurt..." he murmured softly; tentatively.
"Oh, Takeru," she cooed, pulling him in close. He was trembling slightly. "No, no, no, honey. He's ok. C'mon. Let's go give him a call, ok? Mimi, these two haven't eaten, so why don't you and Jou find something to make? I'm sure our digimon are hungry, too."
Mimi nodded, the argument with the computer expert abandoned in favor of the fulfilling Sora's request. Jou puffed up and became Teacher-Mode Jou and said something about the importance of eating, but it was hard to focus on him when a certain blond boy looked so afraid and distraught in her arms.
Sora turned around, tugging on Takeru's sleeve as she guided him to Koushiro's bedroom. Could feel it in her bones that Yamato wasn't the only thing on Takeru's mind.
Hikari stood in the middle of a group which included an irritable Miyako, a sleepy Poromon, an anxious Taichi, a grouchy Agumon, a somewhat calm Tailmon, a quiet Gabumon, and a very pissed-off Yamato. It was nearly eight-thirty, and yet it seemed so much later than that. Perhaps it was because the sun was already in the sky, proudly sharing its heat with a city that didn't seem to want it.
A foreboding feeling chewed its way into her body, and not only because of the message Koushiro had sent. They all stood outside Koushiro's apartment door, and since Yamato looked ready to explode, she wasn't sure it was a good idea to knock.
"Pacing isn't going to help your ankle, Yamato," Gabumon was saying carefully, trying to reach for his partner's hand. The blond had abandoned his crutches in favor of frustration and nervousness and limped around the balcony with a look on his face that said he was ready to choke somebody. "Stop it, please. Let's just go inside."
"He's right," Tailmon added. "We should see what Koushiro and Gennai know as soon as we can."
"I can't believe he did that," Yamato went on, his voice noticeably angrier than his two companions. "He wants to get everyone together, sure. That's a good idea. But waking up to a message like that is... god, I can't imagine what everyone else is feeling..."
He kept speaking, but his words died off into an angry grumble. Hikari heard Miyako sigh to her right, and she glanced at her in confusion. The lavender-haired teen had pulled out her d-terminal and was typing.
Poromon struggled to escape his partner's grip as her arms tightened around him. "Miyako, what are you doing?"
"Trying to see who else is here to answer the door, because if Koushiro does it, there will probably be blood," she answered simply before presumably hitting the send button.
Seconds passed. Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. Finally, her d-terminal beeped again and she echoed the message on her screen: "Jou is coming to let us in. He says Sora and Mimi are here, too."
She released a silent breath of relief. Jou was more or less a peacekeeper; a pacifist. Yamato's wrath could easily be tamed then, hopefully. The last thing everyone needed was a fight between team members.
Shuffling could be heard from inside. Hikari stilled and everyone quieted respectfully, waiting. When the door clicked—signaling it that had been unlocked—and opened, Jou's solemn face stared back at the eight of them.
"Come on in," he said immediately and frowned when he studied Yamato. "You should be sitting down."
"I'll sit down when Koushiro tells me what the fuck is going on," he snapped and brushed passed Jou in a way that seethed aggression. Something Ishida Yamato probably would not have done had he been thinking straight.
Or not.
Hikari was quick to follow, along with Taichi, Miyako, and their partners. Koushiro's apartment was neat. Tidy. She hadn't been in here for a long time; probably months. It smelled like someone had been cooking recently. Rice, maybe—or something similar to that. When she entered Koushiro's bedroom, she blinked in surprise.
Indeed, Sora and Mimi were here. So were Takeru and Patamon.
It happened really fast. The moment Takeru's eyes connected with hers, they darted elsewhere. Landed on Yamato. He was on his feet in seconds, and Yamato suddenly gasped in surprise as Takeru tackled him, causing them both to stumble back a few feet.
"You're alright," was murmured, and it sounded so quiet and young that Hikari almost hadn't believed that it was Takeru who had spoken.
Every ounce of anger faded from Yamato's face and soon became an array of different emotions: confusion; shock; nervousness; concern. He slowly wrapped his arms around the younger blond boy, putting weight on his good leg as if just realizing that his other one hurt, and scanned the faces of everyone in the room.
Hikari did the same. Koushiro had turned around in his desk chair to face them; Sora and Mimi looked worried (although there was a tinge of annoyance in Mimi's body language but it didn't seem to be directed at anyone who had just entered the room). Jou—along with their partners—simply appeared tired.
"Yeah," the keeper of Friendship said finally; gently. "I'm ok, Teek."
The room went silent. Takeru didn't seem to care that he was surrounded by people. But Hikari caught a glimpse of his expression and her stomach inched its way up into her throat when she saw the tears that glistened in his eyes.
Takeru pulled away after a bit of a pause, frowning. Hid behind a mask of worry. "Come, sit down."
Hikari knew the affects a younger sibling had on the older one from experience. Knew how easily it was for her to calm Taichi down. Takeru's voice, somehow, had triggered something in Yamato's brain that gave him no choice but to comply (something Jou didn't look too happy about), and the older blond slowly limped to Koushiro's bed.
He'd convinced him to prop it up, with Jou's help. The seventeen-year-old winced but didn't complain, a distant look crawling onto his face. Hikari realized that it had been Taichi who was carrying Yamato's crutches, and he placed them against the bedframe. Yamato ignored them.
"Good morning," Koushiro said carefully after a few moments. "How... how is your ankle doing?"
He shouldn't have spoken, Hikari silently said to herself. Everything Takeru had done seemingly went in reverse because Yamato automatically glared at the young computer expert. "It's fine, but it would be better if I didn't wake up to a message that scared the living shit out of me. Thanks for that."
Koushiro visibly flinched. "Yamato, you know—"
"What? What do I know?" he interrupted. "I don't know anything. But you do. Start talking."
"Hey," Taichi snapped loudly, jumping in the way when Yamato once again looked ready to draw blood. "Take it easy. Let him talk, Yamato."
"Yes, please stop yelling," Tentomon pleaded. "We want to sleep."
It seemed true. Their partners were cuddled in the corner of the room, all looking ready to pass out. Yamato frowned, and when he looked ready to protest, Sora said gently, "He has a reason for this."
Koushiro took a deep breath when Yamato relaxed again somewhat. "I... I had no intentions of upsetting anyone," he started cautiously, keeping his voice low. "I apologize that I caused you unnecessary anxiety. Believe me, that was the last thing I wanted to do. But you have to understand that we don't have much time, and I needed to convey Gennai's warning in a way that received everyone's attention."
Yamato worked his jaw. "Go on."
"Right now, I think it's best that we wait for everyone to arrive," the bearer of Knowledge explained. "Gennai wants to meet us in the digital world. Ken recently told me that he's on his way, but since he lives in Tamachi, it might take a little bit. He's trying to get ahold of Daisuke since I can't. I've yet to hear from Iori."
There was a slight pause. Miyako, who had been quiet for a long time, suddenly said, "I'll try to call him."
Koushiro nodded in appreciation. She left the room within a few moments, and once again, silence reigned over them. Taichi carefully sat next to Yamato, as if to make sure that he wouldn't lash out on Koushiro again. Sora sat next to Mimi, and both of them remained eerily quiet.
Slowly, Hikari made her way toward Takeru, who had settled down on the floor at the foot of Koushiro's bed. When she caught his eyes again, and she immediately wanted to know what was going on in that mind of his. He seemed more troubled than he was letting on.
She pulled her knees up to her chest as she sat next to him. When no one initiated a conversation, she pulled out her phone and set it on vibrate. Typed up: What's wrong?
Takeru's phone buzzed next to her, signaling that he'd received the message. He didn't hesitate. Nothing.
She half-expected that. But that didn't make it sting any less. When did you get here?
A few hours ago, was the response.
Do you know what happened last night?
No. They won't tell me much. Do you?
I wish I did. She paused and then added, Are you ok?
Idk.
That made her look up at him, and her eyes searched his expression once again for something that leaked what he was feeling on the inside. He used to be an open book to her, and yet it was like he'd glued all his pages together so no one could get in. She met his eyes for a brief second before he looked down at his phone and started typing again.
I feel out of the loop. It scares me.
It scares me too.
Takeru sighed quietly in response. Hikari let her phone fall in her lap as she placed her hand over his. It was cold compared to hers, and she squeezed, trying to feed some warmth into it. He squeezed back tenderly but kept his gaze on the floor. One of his arms was tucked into his lap, rubbing against his knee as though it itched. She realized that he was wearing long sleeves despite it being summer, and that struck her as odd; especially since Koushiro's apartment itself was pretty warm...
She didn't notice that she'd slipped into slumber until she felt a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her. She blinked away the drowsiness that had suddenly consumed her, and hazy eyes met her brother's.
"C'mon, sleepyheads," he said, with a grin that was meant to be teasing. She glanced next to her to see that Takeru looked equally as confused as she was; he must've dozed off, too. Her hand was still resting over his, and she moved it slowly, rubbing the sleep from her right eye.
"Everyone's here," Koushiro informed, standing up. Hikari felt a hand tug on her free one, and suddenly the two of them were being pulled up from the floor.
"What time is it?" Takeru asked, sounding even more exhausted than before.
"A little after ten," Jou answered. Hikari blinked again, having no memory of falling asleep; let alone for that long. But they were right: all twenty-four of them—digimon and human counterparts—were huddled in Koushiro's room which didn't seem so small until now. Everyone was waiting on the two of them.
She sighed and glanced at her best friend, who looked like he needed to go back to sleep. But they didn't have much of a choice but to stay awake, so she swallowed her worry and asked, "Is everyone ready?"
"Ready as I can be this early," Daisuke said, which seemingly echoed the thoughts of multiple teenagers and digimon.
Koushiro had turned around and was facing his computer, preparing the portal. "Alright. Hold your ground, guys. Here we go."
Still disoriented from her awakening, Hikari was not prepared for the seemingly endless twists and turns that followed Koushiro's words despite going through the portal so many times in the past. The world warped and spun around her and when everything finally stilled into recognizable shapes, she almost fell to her knees and definitely would have if it hadn't been for her brother's steady hand on her arm. Tailmon was standing by her leg, trying to help steady her as well.
"We have you," Taichi said, gently. "Are you alright?"
"Y-yeah," she murmured, feeling slightly nauseated.
"We should have given you two a few more minutes to wake up," Sora said worriedly, but when she rested a hand on Takeru's shoulder, he brushed her off. Everyone seemingly recovered from traveling save for her and Takeru. Even Yamato was steadying himself out, with the help of Jou and Mimi.
"I'm fine," the keeper of Hope said with a wave of dismissal. "Where are we meeting Gennai?"
The bearer of Light glanced up, focusing her gaze on her surroundings. They were at a lake of sorts, and it shimmered beautifully under the rays of a powerful sun. Trees bordered the large body of water, almost acting as a protective barrier. A faint breeze tickled her skin and tugged at her clothes and hair, and for some reason, that helped tame the dizziness that swelled within her.
It was warm here. Strangely peaceful. Calming. Hikari drew in a slow breath. Exhaled her anxieties; her fatigue; her confusion. Relaxed in her brother's arms, carefully. This place... it was familiar. Like she'd been here before.
Koushiro glanced around, brows furrowing in confusion. "This isn't where we were supposed to transport to."
"Wait—what? What do you mean by that?" Miyako blinked, and her expression was a cross between annoyed and afraid.
"We were supposed to arrive somewhere near Gennai's house," he explained, frowning. "But... I don't even recognize this place."
Hikari snapped out of her reverie as her ears caught Koushiro's somewhat fearful undertone as if he didn't understand how they had gotten here. Given Koushiro's curiosity-driven personality, she could already picture the wheels turning in his head. Especially when he curled his finger and brought it to his chin thoughtfully.
"Hold on," he said before reaching for his d-terminal. "I'll see if he can contact him."
"No need."
Hikari jumped when Gennai's voice sounded around them, and she wasn't the only one to look around to find the source. No culprit was spotted—until a bright light showered over them.
She closed her eyes to block out the brightness, and it took her several moments to realize that her D3, along with several others, had formed a strip of light that was aimed at the shore of the lake, and above the pale streams stood a familiar, hooded figure whom she recognized instantly. Gennai.
Several gasps sounded around her, and she wasn't sure if the breath she took was audible as everyone else's, but despite all of the strange phenomena she had witnessed in the past, the digital world never ceased to amaze her. Gennai was frowning, his eyes barely visible but undoubtedly solemn.
Immediately, the hooded man was bombarded with questions. Koushiro was first, asking what the meaning of this was. Then came Mimi, who seemed concerned and yet still annoyed. Jou was confused, and Daisuke next demanded to know why they were here because Koushiro had yet to explain that part of the situation. Even the digimon were yelling. Their voices merged together, growing louder; chaotic; indecipherable—until everyone was speaking over one another; and finally, when Hikari thought her ears would burst from the noise, Taichi's strong and steady voice shouted over them all:
"ENOUGH!"
A shudder rippled through her in an instant. Taichi's voice only rose like that when he lost his temper, or when the situation was dire; it never failed to send chills down her spine. It had the desired effect on everyone—they all shut up. Taking a deep breath, her brother stated calmly, "He can't answer anyone's questions when we're all speaking at once."
Gennai smiled, briefly. It was gone in a second. "Thank you, Taichi."
Her brother nodded, and Gennai pursed his lips into a thin line.
"I understand you've been hurt, Yamato," was the first thing he said, his gaze automatically landing on the keeper of Friendship, who was leaning heavily on Mimi for support. Sora had now reached him, trying to coax him to sit. "Can you tell me what happened?"
Yamato swallowed, almost nervously. "No, I can't."
"I see." He nodded and didn't press any further on that subject. "Koushiro has informed me of yesterday's events. You don't remember that, either, do you?"
Finally, Sora had convinced him to at least use one crutch. The blond shook his head mutely, shifting his weight, and Hikari realized all pairs of eyes had rested on him.
"From what I understand, it seemed you were attacked."
"A-attacked?" Daisuke turned to the older blond, shocked. "By what?"
Yamato's eyes strayed away from Gennai to capture the gazes of Taichi and Sora. Then Jou. Mimi. Finally, Koushiro. Gennai's expression darkened, and he said, "That's what I've come here to tell you. I have terrible news."
Hikari's heart plummeted somewhere near her feet. Her head suddenly couldn't grasp onto what he said next because, for some reason, she already knew. Her knees trembled, and she was distantly aware that Tailmon had whispered her name, but it went through one ear and out the other. She blinked hard to regain focus.
"...have a feeling there will be another occurrence—and soon," the man was saying. "Whoever it was that is hurting you, will come back. And I'm certain that it won't stop at just you, Yamato. Usually, by now, I would be able to locate the culprit. But every time I am close, it slips away right before I can grasp it. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. This is one powerful digimon..."
"They're not digimon."
It appeared like Hikari was the only one who heard it because Gennai kept talking, his voice carrying into their minds, harboring the attention of most of those present. The words had been breathy and soft, but she definitely hadn't imagined it. Her head snapped up, eyes weaving automatically to the speaker's pale, exhausted face that was only a few feet away from her. "What did you say?"
She'd cut the hooded man off, and was aware of it when everyone fell silent. But Hikari's eyes pinned Takeru, who instantly looked ready to backpedal, eyes wide and horrified.
"What is it, Hikari?" Gennai asked, and followed her gaze until he, too, was staring at Takeru. "Is there something you know, Takeru?"
Takeru stilled, webbed eyes shifting to the green floor beneath them. He was rubbing his arm and worked his jaw in a way that reminded her of Yamato. "No. I didn't say anything."
But he had. She hadn't been hearing things. But when Gennai paused as if waiting for Takeru to continue, and nothing was said, she could only feel confused. Hikari swallowed and her brows knitted with worry, once again wondering why Takeru was so incredibly hard to read despite the fact that she was one of his closest friends for almost six years. Suddenly she felt hollow inside; the horrible, foreboding feeling had returned, and it gnawed through her chest; her heart; her lungs.
She didn't realize that Gennai had begun talking again, and only a small percentage of her was interested in listening to what he had to say. The bigger part of her continued to wonder what thoughts were circling in her best friend's head.
It's just like at the lake.
Realization clicked so fast and hard that it almost hurt, and she abruptly gazed back at the peaceful body of water that rested behind Gennai. She suddenly remembered why this place seemed so familiar—because she'd been here about a month ago, with Daisuke, Ken, Miyako, Iori, Takeru, and their digimon. This was where they spent the beginning of their summer break and that forest was where Takeru had disappeared.
Takeru seemed to know it, too. Where they were. His eyes said that he'd figured it out the moment she did, and the absolute horror etched into his features was enough for her to know that this place was not as peaceful as it seemed to be.
She glanced around again, trying to find some sort of recognition in the faces of the younger Chosen. But they were all looking at Gennai, and their captivated expressions made her feel even more confused than before.
I... I don't want to be here anymore. It's not safe.
A sudden heavy feeling settled on her shoulders. It had shape-shifted from the calmness that pulsed through her minutes earlier, and within seconds, she could feel the claws of fear dig into her chest. Her bones. Her veins.
"Hikari," Tailmon said, nudging her. "What are you thinking about?"
I want to go back home, she thought, except she had said it out loud and didn't realize it until once again Gennai's eyes leveled on hers.
"Are you feeling unwell?" he asked, and as soon as the question rolled off of his lips, the lights from their digivices wavered like static. His next reply was lost, but then: "No... it's back..."
"What? What's back?" Taichi inquired, and his fingers tightened around Hikari protectively. "Hikari, what's wrong?"
"We need to leave," she murmured distantly. "There's something... something that doesn't want us here..."
It was crushing her now, this overwhelming desire to get away. She looked at her brother but couldn't really see him. Everything had gone fuzzy. She felt uncomfortably warm and cold at the same time as though she was freezing to death and being burned alive simultaneously.
Without thinking she stumbled out of Taichi's grip and reached blindly for Takeru's hand. He was shaking—or was she?—as her fingers interlocked with his, and she pulled. Hard. "L-let's go..."
"H-Hikari—"
"Let's get out of here. Now."
They were the first ones to pass through the portal. Hikari didn't look back.
a/n: Thank you for reading.
