Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Digimon Trinity

Chapter: 144/ Episode 21: The Call of Destiny

"Would you guys quit pulling me?" Jeri asked, doing her best to not sound annoyed as Kazu and Kenta continued to half-drag her down the park path. "I'm not a stuffed toy. I can walk on my own you know!"

"Yeah, but you're pokey," Kazu said sarcastically as they began to climb the stairs that led up to Guilmon's hut. "Come on. We want to get there before Christmas!"

Before Jeri could even respond to that, the two boys suddenly took a sharp right and dove into the brush off to the side. She fell to her knees with a surprised cry, but the two boys released her, leaving her to her own devices as they sat themselves down, Kazu at the forefront, eyes looking up in the direction of the concrete hut at the top of the stairs. Clutching her creampuffs miserably – as they were no doubt good and squished – she looked at Kazu with a forlorn, but questioning expression.

"Why are we in the bushes?" she asked in confusion, only for Kazu to lift a finger to his lips and shush her loudly. This caused Jeri's brow to knot up in more open annoyance. First, they grab her. Then they drag her and now they won't even tell her what's going on?

I thought we were looking for Takato.

"I can't see," Kenta said, poking his head up next to Kazu's shoulder. "Is he there?"

"Kazu was silent for only a moment, his eyes narrowed and his brow set in deep concentration.

"Oh yeah," he said softly, trying to stay quiet as best he could.

"Really?" Kenta asked excitedly. At this, Jeri's interest perked up and she shuffled a little closer to get a better view. Maybe the reason why they were hiding was so that they wouldn't interrupt whatever meeting Takato was having with Rika and Henry?

"Are they all there?" Kenta pressed urgently. "What are they doing? Do they have a secret handshake?"

"Stuff a sock in it, would you?" Kazu hissed in annoyance. "Amateurs…"

###

"So that's what Ms. Kamiya told me," Henry said in the cramped confines of Guilmon's home. He looked about him, taking each of their expressions in turn. Rika was in deep thought, pondering this latest development as the shadow's half covered her face. Hidden further in the darkness, Renamon did likewise. Guilmon and Takato were likewise thoughtful, but confusion and uncertainty were etched more strongly in their expressions.

"I…don't think I get it," Takato admitted finally. "When two hearts change to zero and merge together? What does that mean?"

"It's elementary, Gogglehead," Rika said, looking over at Henry. "It means that Takaishi guy finally cracked and is babbling nonsense."

"But Ms. Kamiya said it was part of the Trinity prophecy," Takato insisted. "That's what got us the Trinity Burst! Why would Takaishi say something like that if…well…"

"He's got a point," Terriermon said as the boy drifted off uncertainly. "Prophecies are always kind of weird. That whole thing with 'The Hour of the Beast' back during the Myotismon invasion… Please recycle? What's that supposed to mean?"

"All I'm saying is a person can't just change to zero," Rika replied tersely.

"Maybe, and maybe not," Henry said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "In binary, zero can represent a value for 'off,' meaning no electric flow."

Rika scowled at that. "So…what? Does that mean that we're going to be asleep or something?"

Unconsciously, her eyes darted over towards Takato, remembering his dream about her from so very long ago. A dream that, to this very day, made no sense to her as to why he could have had it in the first place.

"I don't know," Henry admitted. "But where the digital world is concerned, it can't just be something as simple as that. A lot of things there are digital reflections of the human psyche. Maybe a change to zero means some kind of breakdown of the ego barrier or something. It might be related to how we can gain access to our crests."

"If that's the case, then that means Rika's probably a lost cause," Terriermon giggled. "She's all ego there. It took her how long to admit that she cared about Renamon?"

"Terriermon…" Henry groaned as Rika gave the long-eared dog-bunny a dark glare. For a wonder though, she said nothing further in response. Indeed, as much as she hated to admit it, Terriermon had a point there.

Renamon could have died in that fight with Harpymon if I didn't admit how much she mattered to me, she thought. She tsked in annoyance and shifted her footing. Is that it? Is there something else that I'm not admitting that's making it hard for me to digivolve her to Taomon again?

She thought back to the fight with Indramon and her eyes fell on Takato once more.

That's stupid, she thought, her eyes retreating toward the floor with a scowl. I already said that we're friends…didn't I?

"Well… Maybe I'm wrong," Terriermon continued. "I mean, thanks to Kazu, we can pretty much come up with our own crests just by drawing them, right?"

"Um… About that," Takato said, scratching his cheek. "I'm…not so sure that's how it works."

At this, all raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"It sure looked like that's how it worked to me," Terriermon said.

"Yeah, I know it did, but…" He spread his hands out helplessly, unsure if he should tell them about what had been on his mind of late regarding Calumon. He visibly struggled for a moment before sighing and shaking his head.

"Never mind," he said. Rika frowned at him and exchanged a look with Renamon.

Something's up, she thought.

"Anyway," Henry resumed, "with how digimon culture seems to mimic our own, it's quite possible that there may be a Taoist component involved."

"Is that what your kung-fu teacher told you?" Rika asked.

"He teaches tai-chi, and no, it wasn't Chou Sensei," Henry replied. "The only thing I've spoken to him about are the Devas. Well, the mythology behind them anyway and how they fought evil spirits called Asura."

"Not that it helps us figure out this prophecy stuff," Terriermon said.

"Or who the Sovereign is who keeps sending the Devas," Renamon added, remembering her conversation with Vajramon.

"The Sovereign's a digimon though, right?" Takato asked, his mind focusing on the Asura that Henry had mentioned.

"Yeah, but not a regular one," the half-Chinese Tamer said.

"Am I a regular one?" Guilmon asked, looking over at his partner.

"You're a regular goofball," Terriermon chided.

"Prophecies… The Sovereign…" Renamon frowned. "So many questions with so few ready answers."

"We should probably see what Ken has to say about this," Takato said. "Or Izzy."

"They don't exactly seem to know anything about anything," Rika frowned. "Which is weird, considering they're supposed to be the Digidestined. They have way more experience dealing with this stuff than we do."

"She's got a point," Takato admitted. "Hey, Henry. Do you think it has anything to do with those digimon Izzy mentioned to us before? The ones they said could see the future?"

Rika blinked. "Wait, what's this about?"

"Just a throwaway line that Izzy brought up when we were investigating the blue card that the Shibuya Digidestined found," Terriermon said. "He said that they pass along information in the form of prophecies to guide the present to the 'best possible future,' or something like that. I don't know. I was only half paying attention."

Rika's expression darkened at that. "So everything that's been going on…is because of these digimon?"

Henry lifted his eyebrows at that, sensing something amiss in her tone. "Uh… I wouldn't say 'everything.' The Devas were going to attack anyway."

"But we're being managed." Rika folded her arms together, clearly unhappy with this bit of news. "Pushed in whatever directions for whatever future they want."

"Uh… I don't remember being pushed," Takato piped in. "All I got was a blue card and then I scanned it."

"Maybe they sent you the blue card knowing you couldn't resist," Terriermon said. Rika bent her head, remembering how it had been much the same with her. Curiosity over what the blue card meant.

"Perhaps we should ask more about this group," Renamon suggested. "Perhaps they have answers about what we're facing and what we need to do about those future dangers."

Rika hmphed at that.

"Which means that we're back at square one, doesn't it?" she asked, an angry note to her voice. "If they don't know much about anything else that's going on with their job, I doubt they'll be any more informative about them either."

"Well, we've got to think of something," Takato said. "We've kind of hit a dead end on our own."

"He is right," Henry pointed out. Rika grimaced, but nodded. There really wasn't much else to discuss on the matter. Not on their own anyway. Even compared to the Digidestined, there was so much that they simply didn't know.

Still… Terriermon was always one for considering alternatives.

"Maybe a sandwich will help us think?" he suggested.

###

Come on. Less talk. More action!

Fight! Fight! Fight!

It's nice that they're getting along…

These thoughts ran through the minds of Kazu, Kenta and Jeri as they watched the three Tamers discuss whatever issues were on their minds. Jeri wondered what they were talking about. Their expressions were… Well, as Kazu was now saying…

"Man, check it out. They look totally intense!"

"That's so cool," Kenta said with a dreamy expression as he leaned away and sat himself down on the grass. Jeri looked at him in surprise.

"What is?"

"Being one of them," Kenta clarified, his gaze distant. "Talking about real digimon kicking Deva butt. Must be nice being able to make that kind of face while thinking about digimon."

Jeri scrunched her face up at that, remembering yesterday's battle. It hadn't looked anything at all pleasant as far as she was concerned. She couldn't imagine how that could be at all 'cool.'

"Is this one of those 'boy things' that you were talking about?" Jeri asked, looking at Kazu pointedly. The visor-wearing boy's face was surprisingly serious, and held deep within his eyes, was a burning desire.

"I'd do anything to be a Tamer," he said. Kenta nodded in agreement.

"Wouldn't you, Jeri?"

Jeri blinked at Kenta's question, taken off guard by it. Almost right away she shrank away, not wanting to meet their eyes. While true, she had begun wishing herself, secretly, to be one, if only to help Takato while he fought his battles, it wasn't something she expected. She wished for her mother to return to life after all when she was younger; something that had taught her that sometimes, quite often, wishes simply didn't happen.

"Not really," she replied, her bag crinkling in her grasp. "Things like that don't usually happen to me."

"Well…I could totally be a Tamer," Kazu boasted, a smile flashing across his face. "And I'd have the most awesome partner! Just like Omnimon!"

Kenta laughed at that, not in the least bit surprised that Kazu would pick such a powerful digimon as his partner. Such a belief required only one response. One-upmanship.

"Yeah? Well my partner would be Imperialdramon! What about you, Jeri?" He flashed her a wide grin, challenging her to join in on the speculative fun. Jeri however felt her heart briefly lurch in her throat as she found herself suddenly put on the spot.

"Me?! I-I told you, I'm not into digimon. I don't even collect the cards…"

She shifted in her panic, and as if the universe were joining in on fun of its own, eager to make sport of her for lying, her deck of cards suddenly spilled out of her skirt's pocket and onto the ground in one, continuous river, giving Kazu and Kenta a good, long look at the enormity of her falsehood. Jeri gasped in horror at their seeming betrayal, her face growing bright red. There they were, and now…now they would remember all the hurtful things she said to them for liking digimon.

The last of the cards plopped down on the ground as the humiliated Jeri looked back and forth between the two boys, expecting the worst.

"So…is there something you want to tell us, Jeri?" Kenta asked. Making small whimpering noises as she fought back her tears, Jeri began to gather her cards back up, her cheeks burning cherry-red. She didn't say a word in response to Kenta's probing, sarcastic question, not wanting to give either of them anything more that they could use against her. She had long beaten herself up over the teasing she had done toward them.

It seemed however that it didn't stop the universe from cashing in on her karma debt.

Shrugging nonchalantly, Kazu returned his attention to the hut. "You're one strange banana, you know tha… Ah!"

"Hm?" Kenta began, lifting an eyebrow before seeing what Kazu had become so alarmed about. Jeri quickly joined them and gasped. The hut… It was empty!

"Wait, where'd they go?" Kenta asked as the three of them broke free from their hiding spot and out onto the steps. "How'd they disappear? Some kind of digital warp trick?"

"Get a grip, dude!" Kazu berated, running up the steps to confirm what their eyes had seen. "They probably left when we were yakking in the bushes!"

Rushing past the gate, he quickly looked about, confirming the hut's emptiness. Even Guilmon had gone off.

"Must be on a mission," he theorized. Kenta nodded in agreement.

"I bet another bad digimon showed up with fangs and horns and stuff and they're tracking it down!"

"Maybe it's a Deva!" Kazu cried excitedly, pumping his fists excitedly in the air. Kenta was quick to join him, his own eagerness growing by miles.

"We gotta be there! Come on!"

As one, the two boys broke into a run down the steps.

"Oh man," Kazu cried, his voice growing distant as they ran. "I hope they don't start without us!"

Jeri watched them go, her heart filled with a combination of relief and sadness. Relief that Kazu and Kenta had left and weren't about to tease her for liking digimon despite all the years of teasing them about it, and sadness that Takato was gone. Gone again to do who knew what. Bravely facing whatever evil digimon had come to wreak havoc upon the world.

Gone to do things that she herself couldn't. Because she wasn't a Tamer.

Slowly, she made her way down the steps and back onto the park path. She pondered her options for a moment before turning away from the direction Kazu and Kenta had taken.

"I guess I'll just go home…" she said softly, her feet feeling leaden. She felt bad for doing so. She had come all this way to see Takato. To see how he was doing. To offer her support and maybe even help if he ran out of cards. She might not know the rules of the card game, but she could at least do that much.

A part of her wondered if she should consider learning the rules. If she were to help, knowing would be quite literally half the battle.

It was at this point that a familiar, small, cream-colored digimon popped out from the bushes behind her, giggling happily.

"Calumon!" she said, a bit surprised to see the tiny, creampuff digimon. Upon seeing her, he bent his large head up at her, cheeks becoming rosy as he sniffed the air.

"Mmm… Something smells yummy good!" he beamed, his wide, green eyes shining. Unable to help herself, Jeri gave a light laugh and dug into her bag, producing a small piece of bread.

"You want one?" she asked, holding it out for him to take. Calumon bounced up and down excitedly.

"Fun! Fun! Fun in tum! Yummy, yummy, bun-bun!" he sang, causing Jeri to laugh, delighted to have made someone happy today.

All the while, hidden behind a tree, Makuramon watched, eyes on Calumon as he laughed and hopped in glee at the prospect of food.

The target has arrived, and I couldn't have asked for better bait, he thought with a smirk. Makaaa…

###

Kari and Salamon arrived at the Fuji TV building. Surprisingly, it was one of the few places she knew of that looked much the way it did when she had been a child. The familiar, spherical construction around its center – rebuilt twice – stood proudly, an alien design amidst a sea of angles and rectangular buildings. It was almost like something out of a science fiction film.

If Matt and TK's father were still alive, he'd probably still be working there, she thought, making her way through the throng of people until she arrived at the spot she had been looking for. Upon sighting it, she felt her breath catch in her throat.

Wizardmon's memorial site wasn't anything special in appearance. A simple, marble column that stood waist high, and on the day of his sacrifice – a death that protected the world from Myotismon's attempted conquest – it would be lit with a flame. Today, there would be no flame lit by the city, but it offered passersby the option to light incense. It gleamed beautifully in the sunlight, almost seeming to glow like a crest all its own. A 'golden radiance' that Wizardmon's ghost had long ago prophesized.

It was marred however. Today, someone had painted messages along all its sides in large, red kanji and hiragana.

Die digimon!

Delete this shit!

Go home digi-shits!

Fucking die!

Presently, a man was working to wipe it off.

"W-What happened?!" Salamon demanded with a growl, sprinting over to the memorial site. The man turned and gave the Rookie a raised eyebrow, yet he didn't startle at the sight of the talking, dog-like digimon. Instead, he got to his feet and dusted off his pants.

"Someone found it like this, this morning," he explained, bowing to the Rookie apologetically. "I've been working to get it off. I'm…sorry."

Tears welled up in Salamon's eyes and she glared angrily at the messages. Kari approached and knelt down beside her, placing a hand upon her head.

"Do you mind if we light some incense?" she asked. The man shook his head.

"It's no trouble. If you would like some privacy, I can go take a break."

Turning, he started to head off, but after a few steps, he paused, turned back. He opened his mouth, as if to ask a question, but, as though he were thinking better of it, he closed his lips up and, with a shake of his head, resumed his course, leaving the pair alone. Kari heaved a heavy sigh, stroking Salamon's fur.

"I can understand why someone would do this," the digimon said after a while, placing a paw on the small monument. "When people are angry or scared, they want to lash out. I've felt this way a lot in the past. Whether I was working for Myotismon, or fighting against Ken when he was the Digimon Emperor… I can think of many times that I've felt this way. I've popped Tai's soccer ball once because I was mad about something."

She lowered her eyes, continuing to pass a paw over the red kanji, smearing it. She shuddered. A memory came to her from the war. A memory of blood washing out in a torrential downpour.

"But…" she began again, only to trail off, unsure of what else to say. That this still hurt? Of course it did. Wizardmon was her friend. One of her dearest, and he died protecting her. Died because of her. He saved the world, but he didn't sacrifice himself for that cause. It was only for her. For his friend, who he wanted to be happy more than anything else in the world. The world was just a bonus, but in many ways her friendship with Wizardmon and all he did for her sake made his sacrifice somewhat…holy. Something that shouldn't be touched.

A lot of people have something like that to them, she thought, thinking of all the people she accidently killed as Ophanimon Falldown Mode. She wondered if someone effected by that incident had done this. It might not have been, but there was no denying that yesterday's battle alone had pulled out all kinds of dark emotions.

Kari drew out a handkerchief from her purse and pressed it against the marble, wiping at the red stain. It wouldn't come out, and the Digidestined of Light soon gave up.

"Not exactly a good day, is it?" she asked softly. Salamon shook her head.

"None of this is right," Kari continued, curling her hands into her palms. "What happened to you yesterday was because of so many things inside of me. Not just the Darkness, but things that were making me angry. And it resulted in this. Just like it did before the last time you became Ophanimon Falldown Mode. It left me open to Gennai's dark twin. Hate and anger… It's like a virus. It infects us so easily, human and digimon alike."

Her eyes softened as she retracted her hand. "I wish I knew how to fight it, Salamon. I guess I was hoping that by coming here, we might find answers, but…I don't know now. Maybe TK really is right after all."

"But…why would he tell us about that prophecy?" Salamon asked, frowning slightly.

Kari shook her head, unable to answer that either. TK had become impossible for her to read now.

"I don't know what I'm doing," she admitted quietly. "I guess I was just being silly thinking I could come here hoping to find a sign or something that would help point us in the right direction."

Salamon closed her eyes.

"That's not silly at all," she said softly. They sat like that for several long moments before Kari took out some incense that she kept in her purse for moments such as this. Setting them in their holders, she lit them and clasped her hands together. Salamon did likewise with her paws. There they sat for some minutes, unmindful of the looks they were receiving.

"We thank you again, Wizardmon, for your help all those years ago," Kari said. "And for being Salamon's friend through her dark times."

Salamon's paws tightened at that, remembering her friend standing in front of her, his cloak and hat shredding as Myotismon's Grizzly Wing attack tore through him. She shook slightly, remembering the soft thud his body made against the ground. A scar etched forever in her mind.

Even now, I'm sorry for getting you involved in this, she thought. But I'm still glad that we met. I just wish…I could see you once more. I wish…

She gasped, feeling her paws tingle. Opening her eyes, she saw a familiar, brown glove over hers, yet translucent and ghostly in appearance. Following it to the arm that owned it, her eyes tracked along its length until they came across the familiar face of Wizardmon, standing next to her. Though the lower half of his face was hidden, she could see the smile in his eyes.

"Gatomon…" came his ghostly voice.

"W-Wizardmon!" Salamon exclaimed, causing Kari to stir and then gasp as she saw the phantom digimon.

"It is…g-good to see you again," Wizardmon replied, though a wince crossed his features. Salamon bit her lower lip. Her friend rarely ever manifested, and indeed, hadn't in years. The strain took a lot out of him. Izzy suggested that as time wore on, his fragmented data degraded, making it increasingly hard for him to do so.

"There could come a day where he might be unable to manifest again," he had said. Gatomon winced mentally at the memory, not liking the thought of losing him a second time.

"It's…It's good to see you too," Salamon replied, her voice choking a little as tears sprang up within her eyes once more. "I've missed you, old friend."

"And I…you," Wizardmon returned, his voice strained. "I…don't have much time, I'm afraid. I have a message."

"What is it?" Salamon's ears rose desperately. She wanted so badly for him to be here; to be able to say his peace without any difficulties, but she knew that this was more miracle than she was allowed to ask for. The universe could only be so generous.

"Love is the key to the Shining Light," Wizardmon replied. "But love alone cannot stand. Through friendship, it can only be realized when the world is at its darkest, and there, the fire of hope is born."

"I…see," Salamon nodded. "I understand."

Wizardmon's eyes closed and he shuddered, his body becoming even more transparent now as sparkling light began to draw away from him. Reopening them, he gazed at Salamon and held out his hand.

"I'm sorry," he said faintly. "That is…all I have time for…"

His voice drifted away as the remains of his body disintegrated and floated off; a swarm of ghostly fireflies that steadily vanished into thin air. Salamon wept, but stood strong.

"Wizardmon," she choked out. "I hope…you rest well."

Reaching out, Kari picked up her partner and drew her close. There, in the sight of the Fuji TV station and Wizardmon's memorial, they held one another.

###

He stood outside of the school. The name he read as Harumi Sogo High. It was meaningless to him, save as an identifier of a location, but to Shibumi, this was where he needed to be. This was where he was.

Opening up the laptop, he accessed the program that Shibumi had given him. On it was a screen with a number of cards portraying digimon. The keys to a gateway that ever lay close to this world. A gate to a world that was closer to Earth than the digital world and even the Dark Ocean.

Clicking a button, the cards lit up and electricity sparked from the laptop and lanced about him, kicking up dust and wind. Trees swayed suddenly – violently – and there came a roar like a lion.

"Come," the man said as lightning curled about his computer. "It's time for you to meet your destiny once again. For all of us. For the future."

The wind roared again and a shadowy figure leapt forth as small sparkling lights, like fireflies, began to congregate in the center of a growing tempest.

8