A/N: Being sick sucks, but I powered through it as best I could to deliver this chapter. Now, I rest again. Light's out until next time, folks.
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
Digimon Trinity
Chapter: 141/ Interlude 17: A Storm's Aftermath
"Reports are still coming in, but presently the latest casualty figures from today's digimon attacks stand at two deaths and over a dozen injured. Multiple city blocks have been closed down, and the entire intersection of…"
The news reporter was abruptly cut off as Takeru turned the television screen off and circled about the table until he stood in front of it. Folding his arms behind his back, he looked out over the Monster Makers. All eyes were on him now.
"You know what they're capable of," he said to them, his eyes drifting from one to the next until they finally fell on Janyu. "And now you see they're attempting it again. The Devas… Ophanimon Falldown Mode… They are only the beginning of what the Darkness is willing to throw at us, but we have a weapon that can end their threat once and for all. We need your expertise to finish the job and end this war before it even begins."
Babel leaned into his hands, frowning beneath his sunglasses. For a moment, to Janyu, he looked the way he felt. Tired and worn out.
"It won't be easy," the man said. "The digital world isn't what it used to be even from when you were a kid. It's always changing. Evolving. And the Dark Ocean… That's still a place no one really understands."
"I'm well aware of the difficulties," Takeru said. "But you understand the digital world far better than anyone currently living today. I have every confidence in your ability to help pull this off. For years, we've only thought about fighting defensively and that is what the powers of Darkness evolved to combat. I don't think the Dark Ocean is prepared for us to take the offense against them."
"True," Janyu nodded, though he still felt skeptical. "Still, we should be prepared, just in case. Perhaps we should also design a new firewall…"
"That will be a secondary priority," Takeru interrupted. "For now, I want our weapon to be made ready in the eventuality that we have to use it. You saw the difficulty that the newest generation of chosen children had with combatting their opponents. Even with assistance, each new threat is proving to be harder for them to contain."
Curly furrowed her brow slightly. "The children chosen by the digital world have always come with a prophecy of some sort," she said. "Even if they are 'Tamers' they were chosen. Perhaps there is a clue that we can use…?"
"Prophecies can fail, Rai Aishwarya," Takeru replied coolly, and beneath his sunglasses, he looked over at Rob McCoy, who shifted uneasily in his seat. "As much as I'd like to hope for the best, it's far better if we plan for the worst and go from there." Unfolding his arms, he leaned on the table, looking at each of them. "I'm going to need your answers now."
Each of the Monster Makers looked at one another uncertainly. Silence filled the room, and Takeru let it hang there, letting them think about the devastation they witnessed. After a full minute had passed, Rob adjusted his glasses and sighed.
"I'll help," he said. Next to him, Babel nodded and raised his hand.
"Me too."
"And me," chimed in Daisy, her expression solemn. "I mean, if there's a chance that we can keep the Dark Ocean from starting a big war, then shouldn't we take it?"
Aishwarya's eyes were contemplative, but she nodded.
"I'll help too."
"And me as well," Janyu added, thoughts of his son floating at the forefront of his mind.
"Excellent," Takeru nodded. "All that's left is for you to sign some forms and you can begin immediately."
Smiling to himself mentally in triumph, he took out his cellphone.
No more Digidestined or Tamers, he thought to himself. You'll see, Gennai. It'll be much better this way. No more children and no more digimon risking their lives in an endless war. Once the Dark Ocean is gone, all that remains will be an eternal vigilance.
###
The news showed the footage of WarGrowlmon as he plowed into the form of Indramon. From his seat, Davis grinned as the viral Ultimate fired up his Atomic Blaster and let loose against the Deva. Though he had borne witness to the events of its death, the horse digimon screamed with pain, a sound that for the bearer of Miracles, was fast becoming his favorite thing to watch today.
"All right," he said softly under his breath, more to himself than to anyone else. "That Deva's done."
"Yeah!" DemiVeemon said, hopping onto the arm of Davis' chair. A bandage was wrapped about his stomach, covering a rather nasty bruise. "One less bad guy for us to deal with!"
"That may be," said Ken, seated across from Davis. "But I doubt they're going to let things go at that."
"You think they would," said Hawkmon, stepping forward and folding his wings together. "My word, that's how many now?"
"six," Wormmon said from Ken's lap, fidgeting with the bandage wrapped around his own middle.
"They're going to escalate the conflict in response," Ken said, his expression darkening. At this, Davis gave a disgruntled sigh.
"Why can't anyone just take a win for once and be happy about it?" he asked. "Is it really that hard? We saved the city! And besides." He glanced over his shoulder in the direction of Ken and Yolei's bedroom – their home once more serving as one of their rotating bases of operations – where Takato lay, still unconscious following the battle with Indramon. "We really need some more feel-good moments around here."
Placing a hand on Wormmon's carapace, Ken found himself unable to continue watching the news. Between the damage to the city and Kari informing them about her brief return to the Dark Ocean, feel-good moments were hard to feel good about at all.
"I guess it just goes with the job," he said. "This won't end well. Takeru's allowing this to be on reported on. He's not invoking the Information Confidentiality Law or anything to keep this from spreading. It's going to go international."
"Wouldn't that mean we'd get some help for a change?" asked Davis, lifting an eyebrow.
"There's help, and then there's 'help,'" said Wormmon, raising a finger-claw as though he were a school teacher. "As Yolei is fond of reminding me ever since she began working for TK, not everyone out there will help us for our benefit."
"People like us would be in the way," Ken nodded. "This is going to get big fast. And with what Kari told us about what caused Gatomon's dark digivolution…"
He was cut off as the door to the apartment opened and in walked Sora, Rika and Henry. Getting up from his seat, Ken went over to them.
"How'd it go?"
"Took forever to get WarGrowlmon to a good hiding spot, but we did it," A scruffy-looking Terriermon said, tumbling off Henry's shoulder and landing on the floor. "Where's the food? I'm hungry."
"Terriermon…"
"What?" The long-eared rabbit-dog looked up at his partner's accusing eyes. "Momentai! I'm not trying to sound uncaring, Henry. It's just been a really long day and I got beat up a lot. We all did. And you know I talk less when I'm eating, so…"
He glanced over at Rika meaningfully and Henry blinked in realization. His eyes turned over to Ken, who nodded.
"On the table." As Henry led his troublesome partner away, Ken looked over at Rika, who was now looking in the direction of Takato's sleeping form. Her hands clenched into tight fists and her lips thinned into a stressed line.
"How is he?" Sora asked, sensing the unspoken question that the girl didn't dare give voice to.
"He hasn't changed since we put him there," Ken replied. "His breathing's normal at least. Until he wakes up, we won't know much else. I gave Joe a call and he's doing his best to get here, but with traffic the way it is right now…"
He trailed off, not needing to say anything more. Wordlessly, Rika stepped into the room and planted herself against the wall, arms folded across her chest. Sora sighed and closed her eyes.
"She's not taking this well," she said in a low voice to Ken. "I think between him and what happened to that little digimon from yesterday she's become very unsettled."
"I don't blame her." Ken's eyes softened. As if sensing his gaze, she looked back at him fiercely. Ken turned away, not wanting to accidently touch off her already legendary temper. Scratching the back of his head, he turned his attention to the television just in time to see Davis throw a pickled ume at its screen. On it, was the image of Ophanimon crashing into a line of cars. Sora drew in a sharp breath at the sight.
"So far," the reporter said, "there has been no information regarding the combatting digimon and their reasons for being here, but a forum site dedicated to digimon has confirmed that this digimon is an evolved form of a Gatomon. To those viewers who may not know, a Gatomon was partnered with one of the Digidestined…"
The screen went dark as Davis turned it off.
"Asshole," he growled. "It almost sounds like he's trying to say that Kari is responsible for what hurt all those people!"
From his spot on the table, Terriermon looked up from between his snack investigations, one eyebrow raised. "But…she kind of is," he said. "She even said so herself."
"Terrier…" Henry began, only for Davis to lose his temper and fling the remote control in the long eared digimon's direction. It missed, Davis having no intention of striking the already beaten-up Rookie, but it made a nasty-sounding crack against the wall that caused Rika to stir from her spot from within the bedroom. Violet eyes flashed within as she watched the scene play out, Davis breathing heavily, eyes locked with Terriermon's. After a moment, Davis strolled over to where the remote lay and picked it up. The battery casing had popped off, but quickly recovering it, he slipped it back on.
"Sorry," he said, flipping the television on again. "That was shitty of me. It's just…don't talk about Kari like that. You don't know what she had been through. It wasn't her fault. It's not Gatomon's either. So just…shut up about them."
Terriermon pressed his lips together, wanting to say something, but knowing full well that not even a simple 'momentai' would help things in the least. Instead, he opted to return to his food investigations in the hopes that he could do as he promised Henry. Get some food in him and shut up for a little while so everyone could have a little space and, hopefully, relax.
However, a glance at the TV revealed that it would likely be a very, very long time before anyone would be able to relax again.
###
Kari looked upon her reflection in the window of the train, and it looked back at her. It looked like her, and it carried the reflection of the sleeping Nyaromon the same way. For all intents and purposes, it was her as she always appeared. Yet, Kari felt like an alien in her own skin. Someone – some thing – that only wore a costume that just so happened to look like her, spoke like her and even acted the same way she did.
Is that really me? she wondered, looking at her brown eyes, as if for the first time. Yet, those eyes that looked back at her were hers. The eyes of the person that had emerged at the end of the War. The eyes of who she became after the years of therapy helped put her back together, however unevenly.
The me that turned Gatomon into Ophanimon Falldown Mode…
She drew a hand across Nyaromon's fur and the digimon purred in response, but she remained asleep, just as she had ever since dedigivolving from Angewomon. Kari closed her eyes, wondering what she would find on the news when she got home.
Whatever it is, it will be bad, she thought. That's the only thing I know will be certain. If there's any light in all this, it's one that's at the end of a very long tunnel.
She wanted to believe that there would be light at the end. Even at the end of the war and all the horrible things that happened, there had been a light. The world had peace. It hadn't been a terribly great future – at least not the utopian one she had envisioned as a child – but it still had been a far cry from what the Darkness wished upon the world.
But now?
She couldn't remember a time when she felt so hopeless about the future. Not even during the lowest points in the War when she had been taken captive by the Darkness.
Azulongmon said that without Hope, Light fades… She shuddered.
"And then I was like, use my crest card on Growlmon!" Looking up, she saw Kazu, standing in front of Kenta and Jeri across from her, posing triumphantly. "And bam! Takato digivolves him right into his Ultimate form, WarGrowlmon, and kicks that Deva's butt!" Sniffing, he thumbed at his nose and grinned. "So, does this make me a tamer or what?"
Well, at least someone still has energy after all this, Kari thought in quiet amazement at the boy.
"In your dreams, doofus," Kenta said mockingly, waving a hand in front of his face as if trying to remove a bad scent. "Takato and the others did all the work."
"Yeah, but they couldn't have done it without me and my winning idea," Kazu grinned, planting his hands on his hips. Jeri looked down at her hands, as if noticing the absence of Calumon, who had flown off once the battle had ended, and then wrapped them about herself.
"I just hope Takato will be okay," she said softly. At this, Kazu and Kenta's expressions became troubled.
"Yeah…" Kenta nodded solemnly while Kazu grunted.
"Of course, he's going to be okay. You've seen how many cracks Chumley's taken over the head over the years just from being my friend. Plus, he's got me to back him up. What's there to worry about?"
"Real humble."
"Nothing to be humble about. I helped save the day. That's a fact. I'll draw them all the crests they need if that'll help."
"Ms. Kamiya?" Jeri turned toward Kari. "Takato will be fine, won't he?"
At that, Kari felt very self-conscious under the girl's scrutinizing, almost pleading gaze. Adjusting her grip on Nyaromon, she shifted in her seat. She had seen that look before on so many students over the years. The same look that had been on the faces of young Digidestined and Tamers during the War. The look she and her brother and their friends had during their struggles. The need – the desire – to have something to hold onto. Some hope, even if it was a lie.
"He should be," she said carefully. "He's had feedback before and I've known other Digidestined who had it worse. They all survived."
Even when they lost their partner, she added mentally, though she couldn't help but wonder if the opposite would be the case where Takato was concerned. After all, there had never been a partnership quite like his before.
Jeri breathed a sigh of relief at that, seeming to relax before looking at Nyaromon.
"Is she feeling any better?"
"She's still tired," Kari said. "She'll be like that for a while. Digivolving to Mega…" Her mouth quirked at that and she looked about her in concern. There were a few passengers in the train car with them, though most were engrossed in their phones. One however, an elderly woman, was looking in their direction with concern etched onto her face. Sensing Kari's discomfort, Kazu glanced about them and upon his eyes falling on the woman, he made a tsking sound of disgust.
"Don't, Kazu," Kari warned, thinking back to his outbursts in class. Kazu made a grumbling sound, but otherwise went and sat down next to Jeri.
"Are…you all right, Ms. Kamiya?" the girl asked tentatively. Kari closed her eyes and blackness shrouded her vision.
"Yes," she lied before smiling at Jeri. "I…I am a little shook up, but I'll be fine. My brother Tai…"
She trailed off at naming her brother. Oh, how it hurt thinking about how he wasn't here by her side. Still in the digital world, unwilling to come home.
TK… Tai…
The train began to grind to a halt and the announcement came on, informing passengers of their stop. Kari got up as the doors opened and the three children did likewise.
"It's safe here," Jeri said, looking at the others. "You don't have to come with me."
"With everything that's been going on?" Kazu asked. "Chumley'd never forgive me if something happened to you. Besides, it's a guy's job to escort a lady home. As much as I hate to admit it, Kenta isn't even half of one yet, so I got to take up the slack."
"As your teacher, it's my job to make sure you all get home safe and sound," said Kari. Her voice felt firm, but again, that strange sense of feeling like an alien in her own skin came to mind. The dark digivolution…
Why…am I still their teacher? Her eyes flickered from one to the other, expecting to see fear over what she had done to Gatomon. Do they see me as their teacher still? A Digidestined? Do they see me as a monster?
Her eyes settled on Jeri, daughter of a woman who, as a child bore a dark spore that ultimately killed her. She had explained what had happened – in brief – but she still felt a certain degree of responsibility for what happened. Worse, she felt as though she were lying.
After all, didn't those creatures say I called them? Doesn't that mean that I…want what they offered me?
But then, she knew that when those creatures told the truth, they often warped it to serve their own ends.
"Hey, Ms. Kamiya?" Kazu asked as he, Jeri and Kenta stepped off the train. "You growing roots or something?"
Shaking her head, Kari went after them, wishing all the while that she had answers to her questions.
###
Rika sat on the floor now, arms wrapped about her legs when she felt a familiar buzzing in her pocket. Taking out her phone, she saw a worried message from her grandmother wondering where she was and if she was okay.
I'm okay, she quickly tapped out, keeping things brief. I'll be home as soon as I can.
Firing away the message, she took a shaky breath and glanced over in the direction of Takato's still sleeping form. Memories of the day's battle flitted through her mind and she clenched her teeth against them. She thought of the jarring impact of Takato's shove as he pushed her out of the way of Ophanimon's scythe. How he took her place beneath it, still trying to reason with the fallen angel. The progression that led to resuming the fight with Indramon and Takato once again passing out from the strain of feedback. Feedback that she herself had finally begun to feel.
Squeezing her legs, she looked down at the floor and reached out with her mind toward Renamon. She found her without much trouble, though the sense of her was somewhat distant. Keeping WarGrowlmon company, as ordered so he could sleep off the strain of the fight and dedigivolve back to Guilmon. She doubted the sight of a massive war machine like him would be a welcome sight for the city to see once morning came.
I doubt any of our digimon will be a welcome sight tomorrow. Or even us because we're partnered with them.
Dark thoughts, it struck her, were going to be the order of the night it seemed.
There came a knock at the door, and looking up, she saw Henry standing in the doorway, Terriermon sitting on his shoulder and, for a wonder, being quiet.
"How's he doing?" Henry asked. Rika harrumphed.
"Still sleeping," she replied. "Any more dumb questions you want to ask that could be answered just by looking?"
"I'd make a comment about you being rude," chimed in Terriermon, hopping off Henry's shoulder and onto the bed, "but I can tell that you're just venting." Turning toward his partner, he chuckled. "You might want to work on those conversation starter skills."
"Yeah, probably," Henry admitted, scratching the back of his head. A pall of silence fell between the two Tamers, and after a moment, when he saw that neither of them were going to say anything right away, Terriermon made his way over to Takato and curled up next to him. Rika scrunched her eyes up, not sure what to make of the rather tender scene. It seemed quite at odds with how she was used to Terriermon behaving.
"He really does have a soft side," Henry said, guessing what was on her mind. "He's worried just as much as you are."
"I'm not worried at all," Rika scoffed, tightening her hands around her knees. She didn't meet Henry's eyes though and continued gazing at Takato's unmoving form. Feeling the eyes of the two partners on her, she looked down at the floor, knowing that she had been seen through and hating it.
Sorry for making you worry… whispered the memory of Takato, his fingers brushing against her cheek in an attempt to comfort her before he passed out completely. The anger came back, and with it a swell of ache in her heart.
You keep worrying about me when you should be worrying about yourself, you stupid Gogglehead!
"I…hate him," she said quietly, her tone harsh.
"For someone who hates him, you sure spend a lot of time watching him," Terriermon pointed out.
"Terriermon…" Henry sighed.
"Momentai! All I'm saying is, can't she just admit to feeling worried about someone for a change? I mean, I don't much like Impmon and even I'm worried about how he's doing! I mean, he left an awfully big hole in the ground where Indramon smacked him."
Rika clenched her eyes shut against the tears that threatened to spill free. Anger, hot and painful, rose up in her heart. Impmon… Another one she had on her mind.
"Why…does he have to act like that?" she asked harshly. "Act like he's got to stand up to everything that gets thrown at him? He's so…stupid! He knows he could get killed! He…" She bit her lip in memory of his hands shoving her out of the way, acting without thinking. It was…like something Renamon would do.
He has no reason to do that! Not after what I did.
Their first meeting spun through her mind now. How she had attacked him and Guilmon, lambasting them for their inexperience. For Guilmon being a Hazard digimon. For wearing a stupid pair of goggles like some kind of Digidestined fanboy who was ready to go to the digital world and save the day like it would be nothing. For crying. For being afraid. For refusing to fight her. For being…Takato.
"Who knows what makes him tick?" Terriermon asked. "But so what?"
"So, what if he gets himself killed?" Rika asked bitterly, but already she was thinking back to when Renamon protected her from Dokugumon. She too had reacted without thinking, because they were partners. They may not have the same relationship but Takato, for whatever reason, saw her as his friend. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, she knew that would be the answer he would give.
"He deserves the Crest of Friendship more than I do,"she said in a low voice, feeling a flash of anger. "He at least tried to be my friend and I… All I did was put him down all the time."
Henry looked at Rika for a moment before turning over toward Takato.
"Maybe," he replied. "But I kind of wonder if, maybe, he felt deep down inside you wanted friends you could count on. He's like that. He's the sort of person who reaches out to people, even if he doesn't know how to do it. He keeps trying until he finds something that works."
Pressing her forehead against her knees, a lone tear finally escaped.
"Maybe he should have tried with someone else."
"Sheesh," Terriermon piped up in exasperation. "Listen to the self-loathing there. And I thought Takato was bad beating himself up every time something didn't go right with Guilmon. Today was bad, but we'll bounce back. Momentai, would you?"
Best advice I've heard all day, Henry thought, folding his arms together. Though he could see that Rika, for as long as Takato was down, would only end up fighting against the concept of taking things easy.
And probably for long while after he recovered as well.
###
Takato slowly awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling feeling more exhausted than he could ever remember feeling in his life. With a heavy groan, he sat up and looked about him blearily, a wet washcloth sliding off his forehead. He found his digivice, goggles and cards lying on a table next to him; Terriermon curled up into a spot at his side and seated on the floor and refusing the presence of comfortable chairs, head buried in her arms with her knees drawn up underneath them, was Rika.
"R-Ri…?" he began, only to cough upon finding that his mouth was badly dry. Rika's head shot up at the sound of his voice and upon seeing that he was awake, she shot to her feet.
"H-Hey!" she stammered out before repeating in a much louder voice. "Hey! He's awake!"
At her call there came a sound of commotion from just outside the room, and just like that the door became crowded with Digidestined. Among them, Joe Kido, immediately came over and brought out his stethoscope.
"What's going…on?" Takato croaked between coughs. Rika's hand was suddenly there, a glass of water in it. Blinking in surprise, Takato took it gratefully and downed it, clearing up the parched desert that had formed in his mouth.
"You took some serious feedback from the battle," Joe said, adjusting Takato and placing the stethoscope on his chest. "I'm going to need you to take some deep breaths for me."
"Uh… Sure?" Takato did just that, and Joe nodded to himself, switching position with each breath.
"Just like before," he said.
"So he's fine?" Rika asked, folding her arms together.
"He seems that way, but I should probably run some more tests just to be sure. Do you think you can find some time to stop by my office, Takato?"
The boy adjusted his seat and winced at how stiff he felt. How sensitive his skin was from just the slightest friction against his shirt.
"Yeah…" he whispered hoarsely. "We won, right?" He looked about him. "I just…want to make sure I didn't dream the ending. I…" He blinked, coming to full wakefulness just then as he realized something wrong. "G-Guilmon!"
"He's fine,"Rika said quickly. "You digivolved him with Kazu's card, remember? That all happened." She crossed her arms together, looking away. "Figures you'd pull it off with a stupid drawing."
"Not to mention that it's Kazu's drawing," Terriermon said, getting up from the small nest he had made at Takato's side. "That's got to have some germs or something."
"Definitely sounds like a good idea for him to visit Joe then," came the voice of Gomamon as he climbed up onto the bed for a better view.
"We'll make sure he sees you," Rika said, tossing her cellphone onto the bed. "Better give your parents a call, Gogglehead." Her hard eyes softened and she shifted, avoiding his gaze. "I'm sure they're worried about you." She wanted to kick herself for having not thought about them in the first place. "It's getting pretty late after all."
"That's a good point," Ken said. "It is getting late."
"Uh… How late…?" Takato began before spotting the time lighting up on the screen of Rika's phone. Past eight. Past closing time and dinner. "Ahhh…nuts!"
"Joe." Ken turned to Joe. "Is Takato well enough to travel?"
"I'd like to give him a more thorough checkup first before making that call," Joe said, reaching into his bag and producing a blood pressure gauge and unstrapping it. Terriermon's ears rose up and leaning forward, he peered into the contents of Joe's medical bag. His eyes widened in surprise. "Holy…! Did you bring an entire hospital with you in that thing?!"
Grinning, Gomamon patted a flipper upon Joe's back. "They don't call him Old Reliable Joe for nothing, you know!"
###
Takato and Rika walked side by side with one another, Henry and Terriermon having parted ways some time earlier. Wincing, the boy reached up and began to massage his shoulder, only to stop when he saw Rika looking at him, eyes narrowed in scrutiny. Throwing on his best, comforting smile, Takato gave a light laugh, hoping to dispel her concerns.
At least he hoped it was just concern. It was always hard to tell when it came to Rika. One moment, she would be letting him call his parents to keep them from freaking out. The next, she would be giving him a dressing down for being annoying to her.
"I'm okay. Really. Mr. Kido said I'll be fine after a good night's rest after all."
Rika hmphed as they passed through a spot of moonlight, not sounding in the least as though she believed either him or the Digidestined of Reliability. Takato's smile slowly disappeared and he scratched at his face awkwardly.
"So…ah…how about you? I mean, you were hit by feedback too and…"
"Don't you ever worry about yourself at all?" Rika asked as they turned down a branch in the path.
Takato blinked and looked at her in confusion. Her eyes were as cold chips of ice as they shone in the moonlight, and even though they weren't focused on him, he could sense the anger within them.
"I guess I do," Takato admitted. "I mean, I'm scared of a lot of what's happening but…there's a lot of people counting on us who can't do what we do and I worry about you and Henry and everyone else…"
"So, we're more important than you?"
Takato paused in his step at that, and Rika, seeing this, stopped as well a pace beyond him, keeping her back facing him.
"Rika…" he began, only for the girl to cut him off angrily.
"Don't say that we are!" she said fiercely. "I…" She clenched her fists together tightly, throat working as she fought to say the words that weighed on her heart. But…how? Half the time she could barely tell Renamon how she felt. And Takato…?
How…do I feel about him? she wondered, her expression twisting itself up. Her emotions were all in a terrible knot now, thanks in no small part to him having collapsed twice in the past two days and Impmon being slugged halfway across the city. Thoughts of his stupid dream about her and any ideas regarding 'destiny' were far away from her mind. All that mattered now was the worry she felt for him. The 'what-if.'
"What if you die, next time?" she asked, her voice becoming thick with emotion, yet she still didn't turn to face him. It was a repeat of her earlier question to Henry, but she wanted to know what made him tick now too. Why he kept insisting on throwing himself into danger; on standing up even when doing so clearly hurt him so bad and the odds were stacked against them.
I was ready to throw in the towel and let the army handle the fight. And you…just kept looking for a way. You were going to look for a way even if it killed you.
The memory of their first, disastrous meeting again flashed through her mind, and with it an old thought.
I could have killed him. I definitely could have killed him.
"Do you ever think about that?" she asked again, this time more softly. Takato felt a sudden chill run through his body at her question and he shivered.
"I…I do," he admitted, shifting from one foot to the other as he looked about them. "I mean, it's kind of hard not to. But I don't want to let anyone down." Summoning his courage, he returned his gaze back to Rika and offered her a small smile. "Besides, I figure that as long as we all watch each other's back, nothing bad can happen, right? I mean, we've done pretty good so far, and the Devas aren't anywhere near as bad as Mephistomon was."
Rika closed her eyes at that, remembering their titanic battle with Apocalymon's spawn. The odds had been stacked against them pretty bad then as well.
But was it like this? she wondered. She sighed mentally, finding herself unsure. Perhaps she was simply too emotionally and physically exhausted to properly make the comparisons.
"Maybe you should have been given the Crest of Doofus," she grumbled. Takato chuckled, hearing that.
"Well…at least it fits, I guess."
Rika's eyes flashed in the moonlight at that and she scowled. He wasn't supposed to laugh at her insulting him.
"Stupid Gogglehead," she muttered. "Come on. Let's get this over with so we can get you home."
They went down the winding park paths a little bit further, eventually pausing a short distance away from Guilmon's home. Rika looked about, reaching out with her senses.
Renamon?
"Here, Rika," came the vulpine digimon's response to the girl's unspoken question, and just like that, she materialized before them, causing Takato to jerk back a step in surprise before recovering.
"Dinoboy still where we left him?" Rika asked, ignoring her companion's antics. Renamon nodded.
"Yes. He's been having some difficulty falling asleep I'm afraid. He…"
The earth shook just then, and the shadow of WarGrowlmon fell over the trio. Rika cursed as now it was her turn to jerk back in surprise, one hand unthinkingly snatching hold of Takato's wrist protectively while she yanked out her digivice.
"Takato!" WarGrowlmon boomed, a massive foot snapping a tree in two and sending it crashing to the ground. Seeing the destruction he had just caused, the giant cyborg reptile winced and his gold eyes shot over to his Tamer.
"Sorry," he said, stepping away from the tree and lifting it up gingerly. He attempted to right it, but it merely fell back down again.
"Takatomon? I made a bit of a mess just now…"
"It's okay, boy," Takato replied, slipping out of Rika's grasp and approaching his partner. "I'm just glad you're all right. How are you doing?"
"Better now that you're here," WarGrowlmon said, kneeling down in an attempt to be at eye level with his partner. However, the weight of his armor almost caused him to topple over and he had to grab hold of another tree to keep from falling.
As with its brethren, it too snapped clean in half.
"Sorry," WarGrowlmon winced again.
"For goodness sake, Dinoboy!" Rika groaned, joining Takato now. "We went to all that trouble of finding a good hiding spot for you and you're ruining it! You'll be lucky if there'll be a park left for you to hide in if you keep this up!"
"I said I was sorry…" WarGrowlmon moaned.
"Wait, why is he still digivolved?" Takato asked. "I mean, after that fight at camp, he figured out how to dedigivolve."
"I believe that your collapse upset him quite a bit," Renamon replied. "I had hoped that if he slept or saw you again, he would relax, but…"
She trailed off and flicked her tail. WarGrowlmon nodded.
"I'm worried, Takatomon," he said, folding his legs in front of him and using his mechanical claws to dig into the earth, anchoring himself. "The fights are getting worse and when I close my eyes…I…I keep seeing bullies like Indramon showing up. And you were down sleeping and wouldn't wake up and…"
"Nothing bad is going to happen," Takato said, placing a hand on his partner's scales, patting it softly. "As long as we fight together, we'll be okay."
Crest of Doofus? More like Crest of Naïve, Rika thought, wondering where he got such thoughts in the first place.
"I know, Takato," WarGrowlmon replied. "But after today…I don't know if I can sleep. Will we ever stop fighting? Will we be able to just play again and eat bread?"
Takato stood there for a moment, a conflicted expression on his face. One that Rika found herself reading all too easily.
"You're not thinking about sleeping out here with him," she said. "Are you?"
"It'll just be for the one night," Takato began. "I can explain it to my parents tomorrow about how everything is messed up and I couldn't get home."
"It's cold out!" Rika protested angrily. To think she had come all this way – going so far as to promise his mother she would get him home – just to leave him here?
"I'll be okay…" Takato began, but Rika had heard enough. She had had enough of his self-sacrificing! Scaling over the fallen tree, she approached WarGrowlmon, and for a wonder the Ultimate shrank back a bit.
He may be Ultimate level, but he's still got a Rookie brain, she thought. And that's part of the problem.
"WarGrowlmon," she said commandingly, placing a hand on his scales. Her touch was gentle, and she traced a thumb along its smooth surface, coaxing him to relax at her presence. WarGrowlmon raised an uncertain eyebrow at this and looked over at Takato questioningly, but the boy nodded. Running a nervous tongue over her lips, she shot a quick scowl towards Takato.
"Neither of you tell anyone about this," she said, her tone brooking no argument. Not waiting to see if Takato would agree – and trusting him to do so – she looked up at WarGrowlmon. A blush rose in her cheeks as her heart began to hammer away in her chest, unable to believe that she was about to do this. She didn't want to do this, and yet…
And yet, she began to sing.
Slowly and softly, she sang, her voice floating up to WarGrowlmon. A lullaby she had heard her parents use when she had been a small child; her father tucking her in. He had sung to her the most back then and she had mimicked him afterward, feeling a certain pride at how he had smiled at her, telling her how beautiful she sounded. She hated singing now, but she felt that, if nothing else, WarGrowlmon needed comfort, and in this regard, she doubted Takato was able to provide the kind that a lullaby could give to someone like his partner.
So she sang, and with each word, she felt herself relax, devoting herself to the task until all worries and fears were gone. Until the only thing in her mind were her song, her voice, and the ears that heard.
"A canary sings
A cradle song
Sleep, sleep,
Sleep, child!
"Above the cradle,
The loquat fruits sway
Sleep, sleep,
Sleep, child!
"A squirrel rocks
The cradle by its rope
Sleep, sleep,
Sleep, child!
"Dreams in a cradle,
With the yellow moon shining down
Sleep, sleep,
Sleep, child!"
As she drew near to the end, a soft, golden glow formed about WarGrowlmon, and within short order Guilmon formed out of it, his snout dipping down as his eyes slid shut to the gentle, melodious sound of Rika's song. At the last word, Guilmon slumped forward, and a soft snore escaped his lips. Approaching the dinosaur, Renamon tucked her arms underneath him and gave Rika a curious look before smiling.
"I'll take him to bed," she said before disappearing from view. Feeling awkward now, Rika turned to find Takato staring at her, dumbfounded. Once more, heat rose up onto her face and folding her arms together, she shot him an angry look.
"Well? What?!"
"Just…" Takato shook his head, unable to shake away the awe she saw in his eyes. "Rika, that was…"
"It's nothing!" she interrupted, her blush erupting even more now, guessing quite accurately what he was trying to say. "And I don't want to hear anything about it. And you don't tell anyone! I mean it!"
Takato's mouth hung open for a second before closing, a small, grateful smile gracing his lips.
"I promise," he said. "Thanks, Rika. For everything. You…" Coughing, he scratched the back of his head. "You really are amazing, you know that?"
Her face burning, Rika brushed past him and climbed over the fallen tree.
"Let's just get you home before your parents really start freaking out."
Stupid Gogglehead, she thought angrily as he fell into step beside her.
###
A/N2: The lullaby that Rika sings is called 'Yurikago no Uta,' or 'Song of the Cradle.' Not much else to say until my cold clears up. Hope you all have a good one and take care.
-Crazyeight
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