Chapter 14
"Step away from him, young lady," the angel said, her voice like bells.
"He's dangerous," the human said. She was a beautiful young woman with short brunette hair and bangs that were pinned out of her face. She wore a green sweater and white skirt, and had a very kindly look about her.
"I know," Kona said, without stepping away. "It's something we have in common," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Who are you?"
"Kari," Myotismon said, clutching his arm where the angel's attack had gone through. "The eighth Digidestined."
"He accessed my world," Kari said. "His virus attacked a police station. Angewomon and I have dedicated ourselves to ensuring his continued imprisonment. I will never let his evil spread again."
"He did that… he did that to help me," Kona said, taking a step toward them and placing herself between the angel and M.
"It doesn't matter," Kari replied quickly. "His motivations have never, and will never justify his actions. Step aside."
"No," Kona said, standing her ground. "I'm not letting anything or anyone hurt him ever again."
The angel grunted in anger, pouncing lithely into the air. Wings sprouted from her wrists, forming a bow. She drew an arrow of pure light out of thin air, aiming at M.
Kona felt something vibrating in her pocket. Furrowing her brow, she pulled out the tag. The symbol was glowing deep purple as it vibrated in her hand.
She didn't have time to dwell long. Angewomon fired, the arrow heading straight for M, and he didn't look inclined to fight or flee. He looked resolved to dying. Again.
"No!" Kona screamed, flinging herself toward him, placing herself between him and the arrow.
"Kona, don't!" M yelled, leaping to his feet.
A blinding white light erupted from Myotismon, enveloping Kona and swallowing Angewomon's arrow.
What emerged was… magnificent. M had changed, yet remained the same. His pale skin, blue eyes, and pointed ears remained, but he had changed completely. He was clad in all black, a white cravat around his neck and red bandolier with gold adornments spanning his chest. His hair was much longer, but it was pulled back in an aristocratic ponytail. Elegant gold ear cuffs covered his pointed ears, and he held an epee sword. He wore silver armored thigh boots, and protruding from his back were massive black bat wings. A military-style epaulette hung from his left shoulder, and on his right, there was no skull and crossbones, but a simple 'X'. Much like the ones Kona had made on the trees to find her way back. There was no mask covering his eyes, revealing a truly handsome, human-looking face. And overhanging his lips were his signature fangs.
He launched forward, using his wings to propel him. He enveloped Kona in one arm, lunging with his other and shattering Angewomon's arrow with the sword. He retreated then, holding Kona against his chest as he flew back, off of the rubble and onto the ground. He released her, leaning back and running a hand over her hair.
"Are you ok?" he asked.
His voice was… different, but the same. He sounded exactly as he had, but he was completely void of anger, pain, regret.
"Uhhhh, you are like… hella gorgeous," Kona gasped, and he laughed hard.
"Oh my God, I said that out loud. I meant… majestic. Majestic as fuck," she recovered, feeling her face warm.
"Dandimon?" Angewomon asked, floating to the ground before him. He tensed, pulling Kona back toward him. "You Digivolved. But… this isn't your next form…" Angewomon continued, confusion clear.
Kona felt the vibration in her hand, looking down to see the crest positively glowing. M looked down, reaching out and taking it.
He winced, taking a step back. With horror, Kona could see the collar around his neck still remained.
"No!" Kona gasped, stepping forward.
Sparks shot from the collar, and a crack split it right up the center. With a click, it snapped in half, falling to the ground with a metallic clank.
M gasped, rubbing his neck and staring at the collar for a long time. When he moved, he opened his hand to look at the tag.
"The crest of Illusions," Angewomon said, stepping forward to look at it. He looked up at her, confusion clear on his features as well.
"Could it be…" Kona gasped, spinning on her heel and running for her computer. She slid on her knees to it, opening the code and finding M's. It was massive, the gap was gone, and the binary had shifted. It was still binary, but it spelled…
K.O.N.A.
She gasped. "It was me…I'm the missing code gap. It was me, all this time… I'm what was needed to complete… you," she said, looking up at him. "This means… this means Gennai was right. It wasn't just the Destined… I think this means all Digimon are meant for human partners. That's… why you went bad. You were desperate to find me, and…"
Shock forced him to take a step back, and all he could do was look back down at the tag.
"That explains the collar," Angewomon chimed. "When the new Digidestined defeated you as MaloMyotismon in the dream world, I assumed that the collar was placed on you by my dream of stopping you…" she paused, looking down lovingly at Kari. "But I was wrong. The dream world placed it on you due to your dream of finding your partner, the gap in your code. That's why it was able to mimic the code you needed and fill the gap temporarily."
"And what's more, you're…" Kona paused, not believing it. "You're not a virus anymore. You're an antivirus…"
M took a deep breath, finally looking up at her and tossing the tag to her. She caught it, smiling at how happy it made her feel. A deep lilac light burst from her computer screen, and she yelped backing away. The square shape of the machine began to morph, becoming smaller. When the light faded, a much smaller black and purple device sat in the dirt.
"A digivice," Kari said with a smile.
Kona picked it up. It was surprisingly heavy in her hand.
"You're… my partner," M said with a smile, sheathing the sword with a resounding metallic ring. "Imagine that."
Kari approached, looking skeptical but hopeful. "In that case… our job is done."
"What?" M asked, looking to Angewomon.
"Kari's right. You have what you needed to be complete. You're not a threat anymore. Though, I must admit, it will take me an eternity to forgive you," Angewomon said, looking down at her left hand.
M… or rather, Dandimon took Angewomon's hand, knelt in front of her, and kissed it lightly. "And it will take me an eternity to earn it."
Kona swore she saw color come to Angewomon's cheeks, but it could have been the sun.
"And you're not the only one," Dandimon said, turning to Kona. "It seems I have a lot to make up for."
Kona smiled. "We both do," she said, setting the computer aside and standing. "I wonder, if your forms have changed… does… Myotismon still exist?"
He began to glow, his wings receding and his form changing. When the glow dissipated, the same old M stood before her. The skull and crossbones on his shoulders had been replaced with 'X's, but otherwise, he was the same. He looked down at his hands, taking a deep breath.
"Apparently he does," he said, turning to look at the rubble of his castle.
Kari approached Kona and held a hand out.
"I think thanks are in order," she said. Kona took her hand and shook it. "I know from experience how traumatizing it is for a Digimon to wander alone, never finding their partner…"
She looked up at Angwomon, and tears of affection fell from beneath the angel's helm.
"She spent a long time looking for me. He did the same, but he just… dealt with it differently. But you worked hard to remedy the damage done, and now instead of a lifelong enemy, we have…"
Kari looked at Myotismon. "A new ally. Thank you," Kari said, shaking Kona's hand again.
"Where do you live? In Odaiba?" Kari asked. "I would love to catch up, maybe get a coffee sometime."
Kona's heart fluttered, for more than one reason. Where do you live. She didn't know what to make of that question, as it might change very soon. And Kari… wanted to be friends. In the real world. Kona had never had one before.
"Well, I…" Kona began, scratching her head. "I do, I think. And that would mean a lot to me. Having… someone to talk to."
"Good, I would too," Kari said with a genuine smile. "But you will always have someone to talk to, even if I'm not there." She looked at Myotismon again. "Having a Digimon partner is one of the most meaningful things in my life. We complete their code, true, but they complete ours too. It's like having a soul mate."
Angewomon smiled, laying a hand on Kari's shoulder.
Kona looked at M, finding him content but exhausted.
"Happy to help," he said, wavering as if he might fall. He yawned a very toothy yawn, his fangs gleaming. "If you'll excuse me, I have hundreds of years of sleep to catch up on."
Kona smiled, watching him slowly traverse the rubble and collapse into his coffin.
"Talk to you later, then?" Kona called, and a hand rose from the coffin, giving a lazy thumbs-up.
"I was expecting a different finger. He really has changed," Kona said, and Kari laughed with her.