a/n: omg i'm sorry i meant to post this sooner than this afternoon but i just got so busy. also, i am behind on PMing people but please, please know that i've read all of your reviews and i appreciate every single one of them! tysm for reading and commenting! it truly warms my heart!

Ch 07 || A Puppet's Dance

The meeting, like Koushiro promised, hadn't taken long. In the end, there hadn't been much to discuss, but Koushiro did say he wanted to schedule a time where they could search the digital world for clues on Mirrormon's mysterious absence.

It was obvious the moment Koushiro had said it that Yamato was not happy. Taichi could tell by the way his body stiffened and by the icy daggers he shot at Koushiro. By the way he tapped his foot impatiently on Koushiro's floor, growing faster and faster by the second.

A tiny part of Taichi was amused—he, too, was an older brother whom most would deem 'overprotective'—but after what he'd said to them before the other had arrived with food, Taichi didn't really blame him.

A fleeting look at Hikari out of the corner of his eye only made him sympathize with Yamato. If Hikari had a similar episode as the one Yamato described…

He really didn't blame Yamato for not wanting to go back to the digital world. They'd already lost Takeru once and it had taken hours to find him.

At least it hadn't taken days…

The digital world, after all, was massive in its entirety and it could be brutal. It was a world made for monsters, not humans. They'd been separated countless times as children, and the process of finding each other could stretch out from days to months.

"The digimon are already patrolling," Yamato deadpanned, finally voicing his disapproval with Koushiro's plans. "What difference does it make if we go?"

"I just think it's a good idea to look around the areas Mirrormon lingered the most," Koushiro said. "And… when he noticed us, he took quite a bit of interest in us. He seemed quite intrigued by the existence of human beings. I'm thinking… perhaps our presence might coax him out of hiding."

Yamato's brow twitched. "So we're going to be bait?"

"Wh-what? No, that's not what I'm saying—"

"That's exactly what you're saying."

"Hey, hey, hey," Taichi cut in. "I don't think—"

"That's dangerous, Koushiro," Yamato went on as if Taichi hadn't spoken at all. "Remember last time? He overpowered us so easily and he was able to separate us. What if he shows up again and someone gets hurt, huh?"

"He makes a valid point," Jou said.

"I… I agree. Sorry," Iori added with an apologetic smile.

"I mean, we can't really deal with him if he's just waiting for us to show our faces again," Miyako pointed out.

"Yeah," Daisuke said. "All we're doing is just waiting around. What if this dude is around when school starts up again? It makes sense to get it done and over with as soon as we can, right?"

"But are we ready to face him again?" Hikari fretted.

"Mirrormon did cause quite a bit of damage, though," Mimi said. "I know the digimon said it would be best for them to take care of it while they patrolled to keep us safe, but… it still makes me feel horrible for putting all of that on their shoulders."

"It would be a little difficult to balance schoolwork and dealing with a malevolent force in the digital world," Ken said thoughtfully. "Assuming this drags out until then."

"Another valid point," Jou said with a nod.

Taichi shot him his best you-are-not-helping-at-all look. "Hey. Guys, arguing and all the 'what-ifs' are only going to make everyone more upset. How about we set up a time to do a patrol—"

He could feel Yamato's eyes carving holes into his head as he spoke.

"—with a time and place to regroup, and if nothing happens by then, we'll just meet up and go home. If something does happen, send a message and we'll try to get to you as soon as possible, but our best bet by then is to retreat."

"Takeru's d-terminal is missing," Yamato said.

"Yeah, I know—"

"But that's my fault. I should have been paying attention," Takeru said, looking down at the floor almost in shame. "I can just… stick close to someone, right?"

"I was going to suggest going in groups, yes," Koushiro said. "It would be the most effective method."

"I think so, too," Taichi said. "No one would be alone, but we'll be able to cover more ground. Sound good? Everyone ok with this?"

The response wasn't immediate, which Taichi expected. Running into Mirrormon again would most likely end with an unfavorable outcome, but they were a team. They'd fought bad guys before, and they'd always figured something out.

Maybe that was why everyone slowly started to agree. One by one, they accepted this proposal—even Yamato, though he looked (understandably) grumpy and reluctant about it. With everyone on the same page, they set up a date to patrol.

Thus, two days later, Taichi sat in his room, sitting backward in his desk chair, with Yamato across from him on the edge of Taichi's bunk. Sora, Miyako, Koushiro, and Takeru were also here, though Miyako and Takeru had been—upon Taichi and Yamato's request—coaxed outside by Hikari to wait for the others in the warmth of a lovely summer day.

"I don't like this," Yamato muttered. "I don't see why I can't just stay with my brother."

Taichi sighed. "I know, man. Hikari didn't like having to isolate Takeru, either. That's why Miyako went with her, too."

"It feels like I'm lying to him."

"I know. We're going to work this out."

"And are you going to tell me why, then, that you've decided to pair me with Jou and Iori instead of Takeru?"

Yep. He knew that was coming. "Hear me out."

Yamato straightened his spine and looked him in the eye. "I'm listening."

"Ok, so on the off chance that Takeru is keeping something from you—"

"Why would he do that?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Taichi continued. "I'm not saying he is, alright. I'm speaking hypothetically here. If he is keeping secrets, what if… what if he'll open up to someone else about it? He already talked to Hikari about some things, and you seemed kinda surprised. So… maybe he'll do it again."

Yamato was silent for a bit, like he was mulling it over. His expression became unreadable as he worked his jaw, left to right, right to left.

Then, eventually, finally: "He's pretty close to her."

"That's what I was thinking," Taichi said.

"I still feel like I'm deceiving him. He deserves honesty," Yamato persisted.

"I know, man. I know. I'm not saying it's right, but… it's worth a shot. If nothing happens, we can apologize to him if you want to."

Yamato rubbed his temple with a sigh. "What if it breaks his trust? He'll want to know why I haven't come to him."

A pause. Taichi wasn't entirely sure what to say to that. He wasn't Takeru; he didn't know what was considered 'too far'. He didn't know where Takeru's line was. So he just said, "...then why haven't you?"

Yamato looked away. "It's complicated."

"Did it happen again?" Sora asked quietly. Gently. She sat on the edge of Hikari's bunk, knees and legs resting on the ladder."The sleepwalking?"

"No," Yamato said with another heavy sigh. "But he's been tossing and turning, and… sometimes… he mumbles in his sleep."

"What does he say?" Koushiro inquired.

"Not really sure. The movement wakes me up, but I'm not really, fully awake. And he talks so quiet, I can't understand anything. He could be mumbling something in French for all I know. But..."

Yamato paused again, brows scrunching, lines of worry marking his forehead. He raked a hand through his hair, fingers lingering at the nape of his neck, like the weight of something sat awkward and cumbersome on his shoulders.

"He just acts like everything's fine. How am I supposed to talk to him about it? Takeru's really good at changing the subject; he redirects it if he doesn't want to talk about something, and he does it well. Well enough that it's hard to remember what I wanted to talk to him about in the first place. And… and I did some research on sleepwalking."

"...oh?" Sora prompted.

"Yeah," Yamato went on. "I did. It's highly likely that he doesn't remember it at all, so… so how am I supposed to address the issue when he doesn't remember anything? It's a little hard, Taichi. That's why I haven't done it."

"Have you… talked to your mother about it?" Sora's voice was still gentle, still careful. Like she was walking on thin ice. Like each step—or rather, each word—was a gamble. "About the history of his sleeping habits?"

Yamato's shoulders grew tense, sliding back ever-so-slightly, and his bloodshot, exhausted eyes looked even more bloodshot and even more exhausted.

"No," he admitted finally, looking away again. "Dad says we should, but… but Takeru's still pretty hurt about her moving. It's a tender subject. So… so that feels like lying to him, too. We agreed if he had another episode we'd ask her."

"I see," Koushiro said.

"Is he… settling in well?" Sora said.

Apparently, Takeru had opened up a little to the others while they were on their walk to get take-out, and then mentioned it several times while everyone was eating. Taichi hadn't known that it was a secret until it was too late, but he was relieved that it wasn't a secret anymore.

"I… I think so. Or at least, I hope so," Yamato answered. "He loves it when I cook, and he's been… talkative. More talkative than I remember him being. He even wants to join me for practice tomorrow night and watch our rehearsal. I think he's happier with me and Dad."

"I'm glad to hear that," Sora said with a fond smile. "He did seem pretty happy when he talked about it."

"Hikari said he bragged about your cooking," Taichi teased.

Yamato's head snapped up. "Did he really?"

"Oh yeah." A grin surfaced on Taichi's face. "She said she's never seen him light up like that."

Yamato's expression softened into something almost foreign—something warm and affectionate, something that exfoliated the tension from his body. "It's good to see him smiling and happy. But…" The expression vanished in seconds, and the tension and fatigue came rushing back in its place. "You see why that makes it hard? He acts so cheerful during the day, and then—"

"Yeah, I get it," Taichi said. "Sorry. I wasn't trying to push your buttons. I was only asking for clarification."

"...yeah."

A silence followed this exchange, drifting between them with the lazy ease of an autumn breeze, but that 'lazy breeze' seemed to cause so much damage. It tore apart the threads of their very tentative and very fragile plan. They could only control so much, and when their grip on even that was lost… what did that leave them with?

Taichi's door was closed, but they still heard the apartment door swing open. Hikari called, "Nii-san, everyone's here!"

"Guess that's our cue," Taichi said. "You ready?"

Yamato snorted. "No. But you're dragging me along anyway."

"I wouldn't if I didn't think we needed everyone."

"I know. Now shut up and take care of my brother, wherever you go."

Taichi's lips quirked upwards as if underneath the guidance of a puppeteer, gathering every last drop of courage he had. "Planned on it."

Maybe it would have been faster to divide up into groups of four instead of three, but separating was already a risky move and Taichi didn't want to take any more chances. He sent Yamato with Jou, Iori, and Ken to check the area in which Mirrormon had originated; Mimi with Miyako, Daisuke, and Koushiro to the area he'd targeted; while he remained with Takeru, Hikari, and Sora to check the final area where he was last seen.

"So we're going to the forest?" Takeru asked from his place behind Hikari on Nefertimon.

"Yeah," Taichi said. "That's not an issue, is it?"

He was riding with Sora on Birdramon, while Agumon and Patamon stayed in their child forms to conserve their energy in case they were needed for battle.

"No, it's fine," Takeru said. "It'd be cool if we could find my d-terminal. I was just making sure I heard you right."

"You weren't spacing out on me while we went over the plan, were you?"

He'd said it teasingly, lacking any sort of heat, but the guilt evident in Takeru's expression made it seem like he'd scolded him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

Taichi just grinned. "Nah. I'm sure Hikari was listening. Right, sis?"

Hikari turned to him with a feigned look of confusion. "Huh?"

Taichi's grin dropped from his face like it was something he'd released into the hands of gravity. "Oh, ha, ha."

"Don't worry," Sora said, though the way her lips twitched foretold a fit of giggles. "I was listening."

"Yeah. That's why you're laughing at me, too, right?"

"I'm not laughing at you."

"You are."

"Hikari is funny," Sora said with a helpless shrug.

"Awww," Hikari said. "Sora thinks I'm funny."

"You're hilarious," Takeru said with a chuckle.

"I get it from Grumpy Pants over there."

"Is she referring to you, Taichi?" Agumon asked.

"Yeah. I think so. Ok, you've redeemed yourself," Taichi said, rolling his eyes. "But I'm not the grumpy one. We all know who that is."

"You're talking about Nii-san, aren't you?" Takeru said. "He's not always grumpy."

"We know he's not," Sora said fondly.

"Yeah, he's like a kitten," Nefertimon said.

"A tiny, baby kitten," Patamon added with a nod.

"Yep."

Hikari and Takeru broke out into giggles. Takeru said, "Don't tell him you said that."

"I think the only one who could get away with that is you," Taichi said.

"Me? Insult Nii-san?" Takeru looked offended. "Never."

"But I think he's right," Hikari said, smiling. "You're the only one who could get away with an insult."

"I can't imagine insulting the person who opened up their home to me," Takeru said.

That caused their conversation to stumble a bit, dropping low, until Hikari caught it just in time to make a flawless recovery. The wind pulsed against Taichi's ears, so he didn't catch everything she said, but from the looks on hers and Takeru's faces, it seemed like smooth, easy conversion. Even Patamon joined in occasionally.

She chatted happily with him, all the while keeping an eye on the ground below. Taichi and Sora kept an eye out, too, and he caught Takeru sneaking glances here and there but seemed to avoid looking down.

Taichi didn't say anything, though. Wondered, fleetingly, if Takeru was afraid of heights.

Taichi focused, instead, on the task at hand. At the very least, he wasn't going to embarrass Takeru by bringing it up. He soon became wrapped in the view below—all lush greenery, ant-sized digimon, and shimmering tree leaves. Everything moved by so quickly, and they weren't even going very fast.

"That's it, right?" Sora pointed off in the distance. "The forest?"

"I think so," Taichi said. "Hey, you two—"

"—hey. Hey, Takeru, are you alright?"

The sudden worry in Hikari's voice pulled Taichi's attention away from his surroundings and stole the rest of his sentence. He looked over at his sister in confusion, raising a brow at the sight of her craning her neck to see why Takeru apparently wasn't responding.

Birdramon drifted closer to the pair as Sora said, "What's wrong?"

"Hmm?" Takeru blinked somewhat dazedly. "What?"

"Are you ok?" Hikari repeated, eyeing him with concern.

If Takeru responded, the wind carried his words far from Taichi's ears. He didn't even see Takeru's lips move.

"You're holding on really tight," Hikari observed, though she didn't seem bothered by it. "...Takeru?"

"Hey, Takeru," Taichi said, a little louder than Hikari. He was starting to get worried, too. "What's going on? Everything alright?"

No response, at least… not immediately. Belatedly, Takeru blinked again and asked, "What?"

Taichi's heart descended from its throne under his ribs. Something… something definitely wasn't right. He sounded… disoriented. Sluggish. Like they'd just disrupted his slumber and he was struggling to fully awaken.

"Are you feeling ok, hun?" Sora asked gently. "Do we need to make a stop?"

"He went really tense all of a sudden," Hikari told them. "And… and I think he's mumbling something. I can't tell."

"Patamon?" Taichi looked at him as if he could provide any answers.

The little guy was sandwiched between Takeru and Hikari, and he looked equally concerned. His eyes were glued on Takeru when he murmured his partner's name.

The wind snapped and whirled around them. Birdramon was as close as she could get without disturbing Nefertimon's flight, and even Agumon was looking at Takeru fretfully.

"Takeru?" Hikari repeated, sounding scared now. "Why are… why are you letting go of me?"

Right as she finished her question, Takeru started to lean away from her. Taichi's heart plummeted even further than he knew possible.

"Nii-san, he's going to—"

Takeru's eyes were open wide and yet he acted as though he was asleep. In a haste, Sora hooked one arm around Birdramon's talon and the other shot out to catch him, but she missed him by millimeters.

Taichi swore he saw red. The wind became mute as all shouted Takeru's name in horror, and Taichi watched as Takeru sank towards the Earth like a falling meteor.

"Nefertimon, he's falling!"

Both Birdramon and Nefertimon swooped down to stop Takeru's fall, but he was going too fast. Taichi's skin prickled and tingled uncomfortably as he held onto Birdramon's talon for dear life. Their descent was so sharp and steep.

Patamon was cocooned in bright white code. As Angemon, he was there before the other two, and it was when Angemon finally caught him that Takeru started screaming like he was in pain.

"We need to get to the ground," Taichi called, although Nefertimon was already on it.

Sora nodded, and though it took less than a minute to reach land, it felt like much longer than that. As soon as Birdramon's talons touched the earth Taichi was running toward Angemon, who cradled Takeru.

"I want to be on the ground," Takeru was saying, voice trembling. He was begging, like Angemon had been torturing him and he just wanted it to end. "Please. Please… I don't want to be up high anymore… please..."

"Takeru," Hikari said, tears streaming down her face. She was next to Angemon, trying to reach him. "You're on the ground." She fisted her hands into the grass and pulled it loose, choking on a sob as she lifted it, apparently, within his line of sight. "See?"

Except, Taichi realized belatedly, Takeru's eyes were closed. He was cradling his head, visibly shaking, and even as Taichi and Sora crowded around him, coming down hard on their knees as they panted for breath, Takeru did not react to them.

"Takeru," Angemon echoed soothingly, arms enveloped protectively around him. "Listen to me… you are safe. You are safe."

"Gotta find Nii-san," Takeru murmured, pulling at his hair so hard that it had to hurt. "Gotta find Nii-san…"

"He said something was chasing him, in a forest."

Taichi went doll-still as Yamato's words from the other day echoed in his mind. His heart was gone with no hope of returning, captured by gravity and sinking forcefully into the soil beneath them; and yet it was pounding so hard in his chest.

"He was calling for me. He kept shouting, 'Gotta find Nii-san! Gotta find Nii-san!'..."

Pounding. Pounding. Sinking. Tremoring. Takeru's earthquake had reached him and it was decimating him from the inside. The weather was pleasantly warm and Taichi's skin was covered in goosebumps regardless.

"Message Yamato, fast," he said to Sora, who was already reaching for her d-terminal.

"Yamato's not here," Hikari told Takeru, sounding absolutely devastated. "But we're here. It's me, Hikari. Takeru, can you… can you look at me? P-please…"

"Gotta find Nii-san," Takeru continued as if she hadn't spoken at all. "Gotta find Nii-san."

He was an earthquake in Angemon's arms. Finally, his eyes popped open, but they were glassy. Unseeing.

Taichi wasn't close enough to get a proper look, but something was off. His eyes weren't deep blue. They were murky. Cloudy. Speckled with traces of deep, dark red.

Taichi wasn't one to get scared easily. But that sent a destructive shiver down his spine, strong enough to linger longer than it was supposed to.

"Sweetie, I messaged your brother," Sora tried. "He'll come soon."

"Gotta find Nii-san. Gotta…"

He repeated it over and over like a child's mantra. Like it was a lullaby made for him alone.

"He's shaking badly," Angemon said, glancing up at Taichi. Then his gaze shifted northbound, to trees that bordered the very forest toward which they'd been heading. "I wonder…"

"What?" Nefertimon said urgently.

"There's… there's something wrong here," Angemon said. "That forest is… it's oozing with negative energy."

Agumon shuddered. "You feel it, too?"

Angemon nodded, standing with a mumbling, wide-eyed Takeru still in his arms. "Let's go."

Taichi stood as well, as did Sora. Taichi said breathlessly, "Go where?"

For an answer, Angemon walked briskly in the opposite direction of the forest. He moved faster and faster with each step like he'd extend his wings and fly at any possible moment. However, they remained tucked into his shoulder blades as he ran faster, faster, faster.

Taichi took off after him without much thought. He didn't see what Sora and Hikari were doing, but he could hear the wings of their partners beating rapidly and forcefully against the wind.

Taichi was used to following his instinct, even if his instinct told him to do the most dangerous thing possible. He was used to being light on his feet, able to change plans or direction with little trouble. He never expected something like this, but he kept running even when his chest burned as if a fire had been started beneath his skin.

A fire that spread to his lungs, stealing his breath. A fire that spread to his hips and legs, scorching his muscles. Still, he pushed on, trailing behind Angemon with no intention of stopping.

At some point, Birdramon hovered over him, and Sora reached out her hand to grab him. Agumon was on the other talon, urging him to accept Sora's arm. He did, breathing heavily, vision swimming, and Birdramon lifted him from the ground.

The goosebumps wouldn't fade. He gripped Sora's wrist tightly, flushed and sweating, and he knew just how badly he could injure his shoulder by holding on like this with nothing stable underneath him. He dangled dangerously in the air and he didn't care.

Eventually, finally, Angemon stopped. He halted so abruptly and so quickly that the rest of them were startled, and then everyone was back on the ground.

Taichi's eyes widened as Angemon set Takeru down on the ground. Birdramon drifted lower, until Taichi's shoes dusted against the grass. He released Sora's arm and called, "What're you doing?"

Angemon stepped back, hovering over Takeru but giving him enough space to stand if he wanted to. Given what he'd just witnessed, getting up on his own was the last thing Taichi expected Takeru to—

Except he did exactly that.

Taichi slowed his pace out of pure shock. Panting, he watched as Takeru drew himself up like a puppet, knees bending and straightening, arms coming out to gain his balance—not that he needed it. He moved so fluidly and effortlessly, without wobbling, like someone else was in control.

As he neared, Takeru met his gaze and blinked. He looked impossibly confused. "...why are… you running?" He glanced back at Angemon. "What were we doing on the ground?"

"You…" Even as a fairly athletic teenager, Taichi was beyond winded from sprinting. He rested his hands on his knees. "You… asked us… to…"

Takeru, however, only blinked again, tilting his head with a puzzled expression. No cloudy eyes. No red. "I… I did?"

Hikari slid off Nefertimon and dashed toward him, and Takeru's expression quickly shifted into one of alarm as she threw her arms around him. "You fell, Takeru! You were…" She trailed off, visibly shaking. "You don't remember?"

Takeru welcomed her embrace but the answer to her question was given to them by Takeru's face. He obviously didn't have a clue as to what was going on, and that suddenly made everything so much worse.

"...how am I supposed to address the issue when he doesn't remember anything?"

Sora had been quiet until now, like she was waiting until she could think of the right thing to say, but then her d-terminal went off and after a moment, she said, "Yamato messaged back."

"Nii-san messaged you?" Takeru asked, brows knitting together. "Is he in trouble?"

Sora shot him a quick, but reassuring smile. "I don't think so, hun. I'm sure he's alright." And then, to Taichi, in a quieter voice: "He wants to know where we are, but he also says that they found something."

A ripple of unease was triggered by her words, expanding farther and farther out, to each and every one of them. The earthquake and the hellfire in his body had stopped, replaced by an eerie, icy coldness that traced the pathway of muscle and skin.

"Oh," Takeru said faintly.

"That… that doesn't sound good," Hikari said, now stepping back away from Takeru. She wiped her eyes and looked at him. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Takeru said, though his tone was solemn. He smiled still and Taichi wondered if it was genuine or if the gesture was bestowed to Hikari only to reassure her—dancing the puppet's dance to make her happy, to throw them off.

It wasn't fair of Taichi to think he was purposely hiding something. It wasn't fair to be suspicious. But… but what was the reason behind all of this?

Takeru seemingly fell from the sky and couldn't recall it. It didn't make sense.

"Are you alright?" Takeru echoed.

"I was worried about you, you big dummy," Hikari said, giving him a playful shove with a croaky, wet laugh.

Takeru looked incredibly, painfully remorseful upon hearing those words, but before he could breathe a word, Birdramon dipped her head down and said, "Did Yamato say what he found?"

"No, he didn't," Sora replied with a heavy, puzzled expression. "But he sent their coordinates."

She wasn't telling them everything. It was obvious in the way that her eyes flicked up and down from their group to her screen. Taichi walked over to her slowly.

"He's freaking out about Takeru," she whispered in a voice that was barely audible. "He's asking a bunch of questions and I don't know how to answer them."

Taichi swallowed. "Ask him if he wants to come to us or if we should go to him. We can send our coordinates, too."

"Is everything ok?" Takeru asked, frowning deeply. His eyes—back to a startling, deep blue—were soulful and worried.

How could someone shake and scream and be so disoriented and snap back to normal like it hadn't happened at all? Even Angemon, Nefertimon, and Hikari looked terribly confused and concerned, like they weren't sure how to handle the situation, either. So they were forced to join the dance, too.

Taichi sighed inwardly. He knew now why Yamato was so conflicted, why he was filled with such uncertainty and regret upon confronting Takeru.

Admitted, "...I'm not sure yet."