Fallout, Pt 2
Eimi stumbled through the forest, never bothering to keep track of her movement. She instinctively left that sort of task to Koushiro, and, within minutes, she realized that she couldn't get back to the others if she wanted to, not without the help of her digivice and its tracking program. Idiot, she realized, her lips thinning to a grim line. Koushiro will just follow you with his program, even if you do manage to go beyond the range of our digivices. He just finished it, after all.
And now she felt like an imbecile, on top of everything else. All she could do was hope that someone in the group, most likely Sora, would understand her need for solitude, and deter Taichi from charging after her. Otherwise, he'd be behind her any second, growling and seething about her departure.
Her thoughts were deeply entrenched in those worries when her foot caught on something. A startled squeak popped out of her as she plummeted to the ground. Her palms flew outward, and the skin scraped against the earth, breaking against stones and the rough surface of bark on roots. Hissing in pain, Eimi lowered the rest of her body to the ground, then lay there.
She hadn't noticed her fatigue during her frenzied movement into the woods, but the moment she stopped, she couldn't get going again. There was a sucking feeling in her chest, and it seemed to hinder her breathing, as if all the oxygen was getting rerouted away from her lungs. Although she had gotten used to being more physically active during their time in the Digiworld, the emotional strain sapped at her strength. Every inch of her body was leaden and non responsive.
It didn't make any sense, but that fatigue was the thing that final broke through her hold on her emotions. With no apparent outside warning, she began to sob, lifting her stinging hands to her face. For a while, she cried, right there on the earth, not minding the cold, the dark, and the root system forming painful lumps beneath her. It was violent at first, a purging akin to vomiting up something poisonous, and it wouldn't have surprised her if her friends could hear her from way back in the clearing. Before long, her throat was raw with the pulling pressure of repeated vocalizing, her eyes were burning and over-sensitive from producing tears, and nausea was gripping her belly.
The thing that made her stop wasn't exhaustion, or the release of a good cry. Her body couldn't keep sobbing if she couldn't breathe, and soon she was gasping more than anything. Groaning, Eimi tore her hands away from her face and curled up into a ball, like a miserable pill bug. There was an odd red cast to the forest floor, and Eimi recoiled when she realized that her glasses were stained with blood from her hands.
Stars. Stars. Her brain felt as battered and used up as the rest of her, but those words somehow registered. Sighing, Eimi closed her eyes and tried to relax, or at least tried not to think. She focused on the quiet around her, on the annoying feeling of bark and dirt against her skin, on the the smells of things growing and things decaying, taking and giving back to the earth in an endless cycle. But the thoughts still came, and with them, the renewed urge to weep.
Of those nine, you were judged the least able, owing to a certain… fragility inside of you…
We didn't want to destroy a Digimon that we had created, but, in a way, it might have been kinder to. That Digimon was created with the intent of partnering with you; it is likely wandering the Digiworld to this day, unable to explain the ache inside of it, not knowing why it feels so incomplete.
So what, they cut a chunk out of Eimi and put it into Galemon? What is she, a pie? Is she going to be okay? Did they hurt Eimi?!
You promised my mother that we'd stay together.
That's how little you have to contribute. You should just get out of the way now, so that the others can do what they were brought here to do.
I'm such a phony! Eimi thought, slamming a hand to her forehead. Blood smeared against her skin and her bangs, but she didn't notice it. She had been so proud of being a Chosen Child, had used it as a source of courage and strength when facing her family just a few days ago, and now…! Oh, my stars. They were right. They were right! I wasn't worthy of any of this, after all. Not the Digimon they made for me, not Galemon, not this digivice, not the friends I made… Not even the friends I had before!
Eimi squeezed her legs against her front, closed her eyes, and tried to breathe through all the tears.
Elsewhere
Galemon floated behind Eimi, careful to stay just out of sight. Her human didn't like to let others know about her pain, and so she would be more at ease if she thought she was alone. The little dolphin already had a plan, simple though it was: watch Eimi, let her cry, let her get a hold of herself, and lead her back to the boy and the other humans. Although some of the other Digimon had followed their humans away from the pack, Galemon had no intention of letting Eimi stray from the boy. She had no choice, and, frankly, Galemon was already nervous about being alone in Puppetmon's forest.
The weight of a broken promise was always heavy, but no one felt that burden like Galemon. A twinge of fear worked its way over her when she wondered if her human could set this mess straight. She suppressed it with a will, because fear was doubt, and she would not doubt her girl. Never, never.
Eimi wandered blindly through the forest for a while, then fell at the base of a tree and wept. Galemon shuddered, because this was heart pain, soul pain, and she could feel it through their strange connection. The Digimon couldn't help but wonder if this was somehow her fault. True, she had sensed that she was tied to her human in ways that the other Digimon weren't, but she didn't know who had made her, nor how, nor why. Was it possible that her creation had somehow hurt Eimi? She couldn't even stand to consider that.
All she knew for sure was that her purpose was to protect Eimi, that Eimi was deeply, truly hers, and that she was hurting like a winged creature barred from the sky. That pain was her pain, too, and it sat, heavy and writhing, in her heart.
Galemon let Eimi cry by herself for a long time, although it went against her instincts to stay hidden. Then, slowly, something started to feel wrong, and she crept closer to investigate. Eimi was still sitting there on the ground in a tight ball. Galemon could see her, plain as day. But she couldn't feel her as much as before, and that was strange. The Digimon hurried to bridge the gap between them, then slid into Eimi's line of sight.
No reaction. Fear crept up Galemon's throat, closing it tight. She prodded Eimi's cheek with her snout, and her skin was cold and stiff. Her head turned towards hers, and her pupils were gone from her eyes.
Dark Ocean! Now that she was close, Galemon could feel that strange sucking, pulling sensation, dragging Eimi's consciousness into another world, a dangerous world.
A pale hand rose to caress the side of Galemon's face. "I'm okay, Gale," Eimi whispered. Her voice was rough and beaten, probably from all of the crying. "This isn't really like last time. Last time, Myotismon dragged me here, and I woke up at the bottom of the sea. This time, I'm standing on the shore. I can see the black waters, but I'm not going near them."
Escape! Galemon settled her body around Eimi's, trying to warm her. She sent love and encouragement through their connection, hoping they could lead her back, or at least comfort her.
"I will." Eimi sighed, a sound of exhaustion, and closed her eyes. "It's just… This is the perfect place to dump all of these bad feelings. Maybe, if I feel them here, I can leave them behind, and when I come back, everything will seem better."
Galemon tried to keep her worry away from their link. She would very much rather that Eimi just come back, but she also didn't want to stop her from doing something that might ease her pain. If she spoke, she would probably start giving her orders, and Galemon sensed that bossiness wasn't welcome at the moment. She trilled lightly and pressed herself closer to her human, scanning for any signs of a problem.
Time passed, and all was silent. Galemon felt an odd sensation of Eimi moving about, even though she was lying perfectly still. "It's strange," Eimi sighed, her voice distant and dream-like. "In some ways, this world, wherever it is… It's frightening. There's nothing good here, just dregs of pain and sorrow from other creatures. And I know how dangerous it is, if you really get sucked in, if the water pulls you under. I really do think it could kill you."
So leave. Galemon couldn't keep her thoughts away from the link this time. It scared her to know that her human was idling around in such a place, especially since she couldn't figure out how to reach her. She didn't see a beach or water or any of it, although she could if she shifted her mind into Eimi's. But even then, she couldn't reach the Dark Ocean; she was merely sharing Eimi's sensory input.
Eimi inhaled, then exhaled slowly. "I will. But, you know, it's really not so bad here… Peaceful. Quiet. Nothing here at all… And yet… I can feel them."
Girl child… Eimi's words were disturbing Galemon more and more with each sentence. Come back. Please.
"They're calling me, too. I can't see them, but I can sense them. It's kind of like vaguely hearing movement in the next room. I wonder… You know how the Digiworld and Earth are connected? I almost wonder if the Dark Ocean is connected to the Digiworld, too, but also to other places. Maybe Earth. Maybe whole new worlds. Maybe it's where all of our bad feelings go, across the whole universe. Maybe we all hurt the same way." Her eyes fluttered shut, and she sighed, sounding both tired and strangely calm.
Galemon heard a shrill, edgy humming sound, and it took her a few seconds to realize that she was making it. This wasn't right, not at all. Come back, girl. Come back. That was all Galemon could think of to say beneath the burden of strange emotions from Eimi and stress and worry from herself.
Eimi tilted her head and blinked. "I don't know, Gale… It's not so bad here." A few tears slid down her cheeks, and Galemon licked them away, not even tasting the salt. "I'm not bothering anyone. I'm out of the way. The others don't need me, you know. I'm the least of them. If I'm here, I can't mess up the prophecy or hold them back or make them worry or see their pity, or…"
Her head bent at an awkward angle, and she stopped speaking. Girl! Back! Now! Galemon took hold of Eimi's braid with her teeth and tugged, and her body teetered over, offering no resistance. That pale skin was icy to the touch. Desperate now, Galemon barraged Eimi's mind with images of her loved ones. They are here, not there.
There was a faint flicker of pain from Eimi's end of their link. "If I walk into the water, I will never see Koushiro again. Or Taichi. Or Hikari, Jyou-san, and all the others." She paused, then slowly started to pull herself into a sitting position. "Gale. Could you still feel me down below?"
Galemon didn't have to lie, or even stretch the truth. She knew the answer from the last time Eimi had been sucked into the Dark Ocean. No.
Eimi sighed deeply. "I… It would be so much easier this way," she murmured. Galemon blinked, then did the shift in her mind that made her see out of Eimi's eyes. The girl's tennis shoes were right at the edge of the water, getting flecked with sea spray. Sheer panic took hold of Galemon, and she began to barrage Eimi with hysterical orders to flee.
Then, with no warning, her connection to Eimi cut off entirely, and Galemon was alone with her still body in the woods.
Elsewhere
Eimi shivered and ran her hands up and down her upper arms. It was so cold all of a sudden. Why was it so cold?
"I… I don't know what to do, Gale. I don't want to mess things up more than I already have, but I also don't want to be alone here." Her voice was thin and tortured, and raspy with the pain of her beaten throat. "Stars, I'm not brave enough to leave or stay. What am I supposed to do? Gale?"
She waited a long time, ears straining to hear over the sound of the surf, but no answer came. "Gale? Gale!" Her heart began to stutter, and her eyes roved over the beach, despite the fact that Galemon had never been visible to her in the Dark Ocean. "Gale- please- I, I can't- Gale?"
For a few horrible seconds, nothing registered but dread. Then, Eimi realized that the shore was nowhere in sight. What happened? I only took one step into the water! How can I be this far out? It made no sense. Eimi could feel the ocean floor beneath her feet, could see the water going up to her ankles, and yet she was entirely surrounded by black surf on all sides.
Eimi had known the whole time that the Dark Ocean was dangerous, but the reality of her situation was just now dawning on her. This whole place was an illusion, and she had allowed it to swallow her up. She began to truly remember how she had suffered during her last visit, and she nearly turned around and ran in the opposite direction, but she forced herself to remain still.
Don't be an idiot. You don't know which way leads back to the shore. Until you have more information, you need to stay here. She tried to think, but there was nothing but water, nothing to give her any clues or bearings. It didn't take long for her hope to wither away.
Oh, it's useless! I should just pick a direction and swim. At least this will be over with faster. No one needs me, anyway…
The water rose, wetting her to her knees, but Eimi hardly cared. She didn't notice her own tears until they rolled off of her skin and splashed against the ocean. Her feet moved, and the water kept swallowing her, freezing her skin with its icy touch. She began to wish that she could see her friends just one more time, especially Koushiro and Taichi. It was just so lonely here…
Then, something grabbed her arm, and she screamed and pulled with all of her strength, but her attacker kept a firm grip. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing, you idiot? Don't give me any of that 'no one needs me' crap!"
"Taichi?!" Eimi gasped, turning around. And there he was, frowning at her, half dragging her in a different direction. She stumbled a few times in her effort to keep up, and he pulled her back to her feet without a word. Oddly, although everything around her was colored in black, white, and gray, including herself, Taichi was colored as normal, making him stand out against the backdrop.
"Is, is that really you?" She pried her arm out of his grip, then slid her hand into his. He squeezed hard enough to hurt her, but she didn't complain. This made no sense, not at all. Taichi was way too strong to end up in the Dark Ocean. Only the conflicted and emotionally vulnerable washed up here, and Taichi didn't know the first thing about uncertainty and doubt. Part of her suspected that this was some kind of trap, but she couldn't bring herself to care. The sight of Taichi buoyed her spirits, warming her from inside, and she wasn't leaving him, even if he was some kind of illusion.
"Yeah," he grunted at last, rolling his thumb along her fingers. "But… Well, kind of. I mean, it's not really me. When you get out of here and find me- the real me- he won't have any idea that this happened."
If this is some sort of trick, then he's being awfully forthcoming about it. "I don't understand." Eimi's other hand closed around his wrist. His skin was warm, as if with the touch of sunlight, and she couldn't make enough contact with him.
"Look, I dunno," Taichi said, shrugging. "Remember that time with Piximon's training? I was there, too. This is me, as you think of me."
"Um?" Eimi stared at his profile, watching his brow furrow over his eyes. He was furious, she could tell, but Taichi knew how to prioritize. He would yell at her after getting her out of here… If this was even him at all. "Are you saying that I'm hallucinating and seeing you?"
Taichi rolled his eyes and breathed out sharply through his nose. "No, you put me here. I heard you calling for me, so I came." She must have looked as baffled as she felt, because Taichi raised an eyebrow at her and kept going. "Okay, so, I'm not good at explaining this stuff, but basically? You've known me forever. Enough that you can see me in your brain, enough that you can guess what I might do and say. And you always think that I can save you, so I'm doing that, but really it's you doing this." He motioned towards the water, and Eimi realized that it was only reaching up to her calves now.
"It's funny. You're looking at me like you're expecting me to understand." And really, she might have been able to make sense of Taichi's speech, but she was mostly focused on him, on the fact that he was here, helping her escape this nightmare. It slowly occurred to her that she might make it out of the Dark Ocean, after all.
"Whatever. Who cares. The important thing is, you need to get out of here. I already told you, Eimi, you are part of the team. We all want you around, and some of us even need you. I know I do. And what would I tell Hikari if you never came back?"
Oh… Eimi hadn't thought of that. Hikari was closer to Taichi than to her, but she still looked up to her and loved her. "So… So, if you're here, Taichi, how come I'm not putting Hikari and Koushiro here, too?"
"As if you'd ever wish for Hikari to come here, even to help you. You're way too protective of her for that. As for Koushiro, well… He's really mad at you right now. You know that. I mean, I am, too, but I'm a lot better at dealing with it. The kid is usually so distant that he has no idea how to handle this."
He did freak out pretty bad over the thing with Ningyomon, Eimi realized. Still, she didn't see why she had to be so logical about deploying her own imaginary helpers. More help was welcome at the moment, after all.
"Oh, great. We're almost there." Taichi turned to her and grinned, then pulled his mini telescope out of his pocket. "Look, you can see the shore." Eimi took the device and set it against her eye, then smiled when she saw gray sand ahead. "C'mon. I'll race ya."
Taichi began to run before she had a chance to reply. "No fair! You're way faster than me!" she gasped, struggling to keep her hand connected to his. She pushed her body, but she was already so worn out, and it hurt to breathe. Before long, her fingers slipped, and their connection broke.
Her blood seem to freeze over. "Taichi!" she cried, but she already couldn't see him. "Come back! I can't do this alone!"
"Geez, crybaby. You sound like Hikari when she loses sight of me in the park. You already were doing everything."
"I can hear you, but I can't see you. Where are you?"
"On the shore. Come on, already."
Eimi tried to stay calm. I have the telescope. I can find the shore again. Her hands rose, but they were empty, and she realized that she must have dropped it during their dash. O-okay. I know which way Taichi went. I'll just go that way, too… And hope he went in a straight line.
Having no better plan, she went with that, and, before long, the shore was in sight. Smiling, she took off at a run, going as fast as she could without hurting herself. She was nearly out of the water when the tide suddenly went crazy. The water rushed backwards, tugging at her, pulling the sand beneath her feet with it. Eimi tried to keep her footing, but she stumbled and fell into the surf.
Within moments, she had swallowed salt water and sand, and tiny pieces of shells had torn a thousand cuts in her skin. Her head was full of the rushing sound of water, and her body was a leaden piece of ice. She couldn't breathe, she was coughing beneath the waves, and soon her lungs would be full of sea.
Her vision began to go black, and she despaired.
"Eimi! Eimi!"
She knew that voice, and the sound of it energized her enough to tilt her head against the pull of the tide. It was hard to see beneath the water, but she thought she perceived a pair of hands reaching for her. A very yellow pair of hands.
Koushiro! Eimi didn't care if this was just figment Koushiro. He was here, and she wasn't going to be swept away from him. She kicked her feet out, trying not to heed the burning in her lungs and the fuzziness in her head. To her surprise, they hit something solid, and she glanced down. There seemed to be an invisible barrier below her, blocking the tide, providing her with something to kick off against.
It made no sense, but then, what did? Eimi put all of her force into her legs, propelling her body forward. Then, there were hands around her, pulling her in, dragging her against the sand. Soon, she was out of the water, but she still couldn't breathe, since her lungs were waterlogged.
Something struck her diaphragm repeatedly, forcing the liquid up and out. It burned terribly, but Eimi welcomed the pain, and the oxygen it cleared the way for.
"Call Galemon," Koushiro said, leaning over her. "She should be able to hear you now that you're ashore." Eimi wanted to groan, but even that was too much effort. She felt battered, used up, more dead than alive. But, as Koushiro's hands passed over her face, probably checking for damage, she found herself calming enough to listen.
Come back, girl. Come back. Please… It was Galemon, repeating the words endlessly, sounding as dead as Eimi felt. Eimi would have thought that she was unable to feel more pain, but more came. She had to find a way to speak to Galemon, to let her know that she was alright, no matter what the cost.
Gale? she thought, hoping that her partner could hear her this way. Gale, can you help me? Please, get me out of here. I don't know how.
There was a pause, then a wordless rush of relief and delight. Idiot girl. The words were harsh, buzzing with the remnants of Galemon's fear and panic, but there was a depth of affection there. Eimi slowly felt something wrapping its way around her, followed by a pulling sensation. Soon, she was drifting along, like a kite being led by a string. Part of her was curious about what Galemon was doing to pull her consciousness out of the Dark Ocean, but that curiosity wasn't strong enough to fight her fatigue, and soon, she was sleeping, or at least in a state like sleep.
Some Time Later
One moment, Eimi had only a vague sense of her body. It was like an anchor sunk below the surface, tied to the rest of her, but not immediately at hand. The next, she was all too aware of her flesh, of her battered palms, raw throat, stiff muscles, and low temperature. But most of all, she was aware of the pink, rubbery creature in her arms.
"Gale," she breathed, tipping her head down over her partner's form. "Gale. Thank you. I'm sorry I scared you."
Galemon stared up at her, huge eyes narrowing. Don't. Do. Again.
"I know," Eimi breathed, closing her eyes. The accusation in her partner's expression was just too much. She felt marginally better after her cry, and certainly more stable now that she was out of the Dark Ocean, where all of her thoughts had been so bleak and hopeless. But she still felt empty and defeated, and her voice sounded dead, even to her own ears. There was no animation to it, and its rawness betrayed her pain.
It occurred to her that this moment, right here, right now, was somehow worse than the hysterics, worse than the Dark Ocean, worse, even, than finding out about all of this. The shock and hysterics were over, the immediate danger past. All that was left now was reconciling herself to the truth that she had always been avoiding, the truth that her father had tried to prepare her for.
I am less, she thought, tipping her head back. I'm not even supposed to be here, no matter what Taichi says to make me feel better. The words crept into her heart, past all of the defenses she had tried to erect around it for years. Her arms slid down Galemon's body and hung, limp and weak, at her sides. My hopes were getting so high. I thought things were changing. I thought I was changing. But I almost drowned in the Dark Ocean again!
Eimi could feel Galemon trying to feed her reassurance, but it just wasn't taking. She felt an odd numbness and indifference, blocking out everything else, even her sense of gratitude over being rescued from the Dark Ocean. "I guess we should find the others." She shifted, then hissed as a knobby root dug into her rear. Her shaking fingers found her digivice, then pulled it off of her purse. The touch of metal burned her torn skin, but the pain hardly registered.
All she really noticed were two words, playing on an endless loop in her brain: Now what?
Her fingers slid against the digivice, slick as they were with blood. "They're not that far away. Taichi and the others." Yamato, Jyou, and Mimi, however, were already on the fringes of the grid. They would blink out entirely soon, having traveled beyond the digivice's range, and then only Koushiro would be able to find them.
Meet up? Although the words were a question, the bite to them made them seem more like an order. Eimi rose, fighting down a groan at the weariness and hurts in her body.
"Sure." Eimi didn't have the energy to fight, and she knew she owed Galemon for her rescue, so she went along with her suggestion. However, most of her just wanted to sleep, possibly for days. And she certainly didn't know what she would say to the others. How could she look them in the eye? This whole time, she had walked among them, fought with them, and she wasn't even supposed to be here. What if she had messed things up somewhere along the way? What if things could have been easier if she had never come here? What if her presence was somehow bad for the Digiworld? The memory of touching the Unimon wall of prophecy and altering it floated to the front of her mind. Could that have been some kind of freak accident with dangerous consequences?
I need to talk to someone, Eimi realized. I wish I could talk to Wisdom. Or Gennai-san. Or Piximon, I bet Piximon would know something about all of this…
And it hit her with the impact of a tidal wave: Piximon was dead.
Eimi thought that she was emotionally done, but the abused lump of tissue in her chest constricted again, and her eyes misted over. Her earlier crying had been so fierce that every bit of her esophagus and eyes inflamed with hideous pain. A sob tore its way up her throat, and it felt like coughing up cinders.
"Oh, Gale," she croaked. "Everything's gone so wrong, somehow…! I wish I had never come here!" Somehow, despite the torrent of mourning, disappointment, and hurt inside of her, she kept walking towards the blips on the screen representing Taichi and the others. One foot, then the next. A small, simple focus to keep her from completely losing it.
There was a long pause, filled by sniffing from Eimi. She slowly grew aware of a feeling of sorrow coming from Galemon, growing to the point where Eimi had to ask. "Gale- are you okay?"
Galemon turned towards her, and the scant illumination breaking through the forest foliage glinted off of her eyes, making them gleam. Frustration began to pass over their link, and Eimi understood. Verbal communication was difficult for Galemon. They understood one another by sharing emotions and sensory input. As much as Eimi adored language, she also deeply appreciated their unique way of interacting. It felt so pure and real, as it was impossible to lie or fake anything this way. They sank down into each other, and felt totally comfortable and safe doing so.
Which was all well and good, but it created complications in cases like this.
Galemon tilted her head, then replayed the audio of a memory for her. It was the spirit's voice, a dull version of Hikari's high tones. "Galemon is not a creature of this world, not entirely. To the best of our knowledge, she was made from a combination of data and raw materials in the heart of her partner."
For a moment, Eimi stared blankly at Galemon. Then she understood, and it was like getting kicked in the stomach. If she hadn't gone to the Digiworld, then Galemon wouldn't exist, at least not as she was now. Her brain faltered over the thought. Galemon, who was mysterious, powerful, and impossibly loyal, but standoffish and bossy. Galemon, who could shatter every object in a room with a thought, but who could hardly string words together. Galemon, who loved her with all of her strength, even now.
"I, I, I'm sorry," Eimi stuttered. She was so mortified and contrite that she forgot to keep crying. "I didn't- I'm not sorry I came here. I'm not sorry at all."
No one is.
Eimi wiped her eyes on the inside of her arm. She had no idea what to say anymore, or what to do, so she just kept walking. It seemed like the only thing she could handle, and so she moved in silence for a long time, trying not to think too much.
Girl… Eimi turned towards Galemon, tilting her head. Whispers?
"Whispers?" Eimi repeated. "What do you mean? Do you hear something?" Galemon nodded, then closed her eyes. Eimi could feel her presence in her mind, dropping off sensory input. Her Digimon's ears were more sensitive than hers, and Galemon was picking up a soft chattering sound.
"What is that?" Eimi asked, casting an anxious look about the forest. Her teeth found her lower lip and began to gnaw it. It occurred to her that there were a lot of shadows for enemies to hide in here, since the sunlight couldn't fully penetrate the curtain of leaves overhead.
Galemon didn't answer, and that wasn't a good sign. "Uh, maybe we can go a different way? This is the most direct route to the others- and it looks like they're headed this way, too- but it might be worth a detour to avoid any strange sounds."
They come. Galemon moved away from her, then digivolved into Mayumon. Eimi frowned and turned around, trying to find the source of Galemon's worry.
"Yes, they're coming to find us. We'll be a lot safer once we're together. It will be okay, Gale. What are you so worried about?"
The woods filled with a rustling sound, and Mayumon grabbed the back of her vest with her teeth, then pulled her in. Groaning, Eimi forced her aching body onto her partner's back, then wrapped her arms around her neck. Something purple and round jumped in front of them. It looked like the head of a mushroom, but Eimi had never seen a mushroom move before. Two more joined it, stepping out of the shadows in the far trees, and Mayumon made a nervous whinnying sound.
"I don't think we should stick around to meet them," Eimi whispered. Mayumon nodded, then began to run, jumping over the round things. As she leaped, Eimi looked down and saw the caps on the mushrooms tilt back, revealing snarling faces on white bodies. "Run, Gale!" she gasped. "I think those are Mushroommon, I saw them on Koushiro's database, and they do not look friendly!"
Mayumon picked up speed, but more and more of them appeared from behind trees, shouting orders at each other. Soon, they were all over the place, and Mayumon had to jump and kick to break through the crowd. "There's too many of them," Eimi said, glancing back over her shoulder. The Mushroommon were slow, but then, so was Mayumon. Her delicate hooves were a danger here, with the overgrowth of ferns, roots, and other trippable obstacles. If she damaged her long, spindly legs, they would be done for, and so she was forced to move with care. "You need to digivolve, or we'll be caught."
Eimi pulled her crest out from under her shirt and tried to stay calm. This would only be Galemon's second time in Ultimate form. Would she have to do something special to trigger the digivolution, like last time? The others always made it look so easy, but then, she wasn't like the others.
Can't. Mayumon leaped over a fallen log and nearly stumbled on the landing. Eimi could feel her partner's fear, slipping beyond her control.
"Why not?" Eimi asked, trying to keep her voice level. "I mean, we did it before, so the anomaly thing shouldn't matter, right?" She kept telling herself not to look back, but she couldn't help it. The Mushroommon were gaining, jumping forward, bouncing off of obstacles that slowed Mayumon down.
A strained sound popped out of Mayomon's snout. Eimi could sense her partner's hesitance. "Gale," she said, clinging to her neck, "if you know something, you should tell me. It will be okay." The Mushroommon began to cackle, and the sounds were right on top of them. "I-it will be okay."
Mayumon paused to estimate a leap over a fallen tree. Weight of broken promise, she said as she sailed over it.
At first, the words made no sense, especially since Eimi was distracted by the moist, earthy smell emanating from the Mushroommon. Then, something clicked, and she had to dig into Mayumon's fleece to stay put.
"You can't Digivolve because I, the Child of Integrity, broke my promise to Mrs. Izumi." Her stomach seemed to drop right out of her with Mayumon's next leap. "Stars- Gale- I'm so sorry! Will you ever be able to become Ningyomon again?"
Mayomon offered no comment. In fact, she stopped entirely, and Eimi dug her heels into her fleece automatically. "Gale- what-"
Surrounded. Mayumon's long, graceful neck drooped. Eimi tilted her head for a better look, then edged back when she saw gleaming pricks of light in the foliage ahead, sordid stars in the darkness of the forest. The gleams came closer, then turned into white bodies topped with purple caps. More Mushroommon, completing a ring around them.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Eimi repeated the words over and over in her mind, even though she knew they were useless. As one, the Mushroommon opened their mouths into wide grins, displaying multiple rows of pointed teeth. A whimper popped out of Eimi, and Mayumon shifted nervously beneath her. Eimi had a sudden memory of reading about fungi that secreted chemicals, dissolving nearby prey so that they could ingest the goo.
A few of the nearest Digimon leaped, teeth gnashing, hands dripping with greenish slime, and Eimi screamed. She shut her eyes, but no impact followed. When she looked up, they were in an entirely different space in the forest, and Mayumon was shrieking and knocking enemies aside with her hooves. She knocked two of them out before anyone reacted, and then the world flickered.
Suddenly, they were standing in a third spot. "Wow," Eimi breathed, pausing to flinch as Mayumon kicked in a Mushroommon's face. "I didn't know you could bring me with you when you phase!"
Mayumon didn't answer. The Mushroommon had started throwing their slime, and she phased to avoid the first wave. Even as they moved in a blur, Eimi could hear the screams from the Mushroommon hit by their allies.
When the world stopped whoosing by, Eimi recoiled at the sight of blobby, partially melted Digimon skin. A foul, poisonous smell filled the air, and she gagged, then cried out as more goo filled the air. It sailed towards them, then began to slide down an invisible barrier.
"Gale!" Eimi shouted. "Great work! You got a shield up!" Her partner whined, then bobbed her head, and Eimi's eyes followed the movement upward. Something seemed to be writhing beneath the goo, which was slowly dripping along the sides of the shield. As more and more slime hit it, the distorting effect worsened, until a hissing sound reached her ears. "Um- Um- Gale-"
Used power escaping dark place, Mayumon said. Less power, since crest and tag deactivated.
"The shield is dissolving!" Eimi cried. "Can you phase again?"
The only answer was stiff silence.
Eimi clung, full body, to Mayumon, babbling apologies, hiding her eyes in the velvety blue fur of her neck. The hissing of the shield breaking apart grew louder, and Eimi tried not to hear it, tried not to hear the laughter from the Mushroommon and the gnashing of their teeth. She tried to think of Galemon and her friends, but fear claimed everything, along with the horrible conviction that this was entirely her fault.
Then, a piercing shriek washed out everything else, and Eimi clamped her hands to her ears. What was that? The cry was so enraged that Eimi was afraid to look. The ground rumbled, and light flooded everywhere, visible through her shut eyelids.
Girl! Look! The eagerness in Mayumon's voice had Eimi obeying. At first, all she saw was blurred light, and Eimi felt herself panicking at the delay as her eyes adjusted. Finally, she saw Garudamon clawing and blasting through the mob of Mushroommon. Megakabuterimon was approaching in the distance, knocking trees over with his massive body, showering light over the darkness of the forest. Koushiro and the others sat on his back, beckoning towards her. Eimi's hand raised automatically, reaching back.
"Is that- Is that blood? Is she bleeding?! Megakabuterimon, can't you move faster?" Taichi prodded the maroon shell beneath his legs, and was rewarded with a burst of speed. Eimi could hear Mushroommon squelching beneath massive, taloned feet. Soon, the Ultimate Digimon was looming over them, and Mayumon dropped the remnants of her shield as his claw covered them. There was a flash of red light, and Mayumon regressed into Kumomon. Eimi grabbed her and held her against her chest as Megakabuterimon lifted her.
"Ah, Gale," she whispered. "I'm so sorry I made you use up all of your energy like this. Try to rest now, okay? We're safe."
Taichi held his arms out to her, helping her down from Megakabuterimon's palm. Koushiro's eyes were set on the battlefield. "We need to leave," he said, not looking away from the crowd of purple heads on the forest floor. "They seem to be infinitely spawning. Even with Ultimate Digimon, we'll be overrun before long, and we need to conserve our strength."
"Sure," Taichi said. He was tugging on her arms, and Eimi realized that he wanted to see the damage on her hands. "Sora-chan, give Garudamon the order to retreat, will you? Hikari, can you take a look at Eimi? Jyou-san taught you some first aid stuff, right? Eimi, get your kit out of your purse- no- your hands- let me, move- Takeru-kun, stop hovering-"
Eimi closed her eyes, leaned into Taichi's side, and sighed. Her eyes drifted shut. Even though they weren't out of the battle yet, she was just too tired to keep them open. "I'm okay, Taichi. It's just some cuts. Don't worry."
She could feel him digging through her purse. "I can't believe you ran off like that. You know how dangerous that is! Especially for you, no offense, but your Digimon is meant for support in a fight, not muscle." He pulled her first aid kit out and gave it to Hikari, and soon her tiny hands were around hers, dabbing at the blood with damp gauze.
Eimi sighed and turned away from him and the accusation in his voice. "Hey," Sora said, and Eimi felt a hand on her shoulder. "She's had a hard time, Taichi-kun. Let her be. You just rest, Eimi-chan. Koushiro-kun's looking for a safe place to go right now."
Something began to sting against her palms, and her fingers convulsed, forming a fist. Hikari pulled them back, and the stinging continued. "Sorry. I need to clean it."
"It's so cool that you know how to do this stuff, Hikari-chan. She's going to be okay, right?" That was Takeru, Eimi knew, but she was too exhausted to figure out where he was. Soon, she had lost the thread of the conversation entirely, and all she knew for sure was that Kumomon was cuddling against her cheek, warm and soft.
Author's Note: Geez, is it even possible to have a rougher day than that?
Part 3 of the Fallout arc will be up next Sunday, 3/2. Don't worry, we'll be hearing more about what happened in the Dark Ocean over time.
