Chapter 14: Falling Sakura

The fight's aftermath was the wounded attempting to help the wounded, failing miserably. Reina carried a hollow look in her eyes as she sullenly helped Mamoru limp away from Manpukuji. She still had the strength to hold him up, as tired as she was from Digivolving. The sluggishness of her movements, almost a stupor at times told him all he needed to know. He was the same, feeling emotionally exhausted. As if his heart had fallen away into the depths of his guts. Kodai, on the other hand, seemed only to be physically fatigued. Though his legs threatened to buckle occasionally, he made it through with a smile on his face once they reached Reina's house.

This time no onigiri or oolong tea was waiting for them. They all sat slumped over in her room, remaining distant from each other. Reina had set Mamoru down by her bed before collapsing herself next to him. With some effort, he hauled himself to her kotatsu and placed his head on it. How could she still want to be near him? After he had let her go alone to do something she absolutely hated. Would his presence have made a difference? He knew that was just wishful thinking. Leviamon had only been stopped with the power of two other mega-level Digimon and Kodai had been the one to force that power out. Without him, they would probably have been crushed.

"So this is where you live," Kodai said, still having the energy to look around.

Mega Digivolution should have taken an even greater toll on him. Yet it appeared that they had gained enough experience to offset some of its effects. Mamoru could only imagine how easy it must be for the original DigiDestined. Crest, original or not, had almost nothing to do with their power. Maybe they made later stages easier to access, but he was sure that it did nothing for their exhaustion.

The other two remain silent as Kodai continued. "I guess the only room we haven't seen is mine. Though there is nothing much to look at."

"So what's there?" Reina tried to humour him, but there were rasps as her voice verged on breaking.

"Oh nothing much," Kodai was not even looking at them, staring at the ceiling. "Just some posters of the Seibu Lions. Baseball stuff."

Mamoru could not care less but could not bring himself to say anything. What was their plan now? Just sit around until they got better? It was not as if they had anywhere pressing to be. But he did not want to stay here with Kodai having no grasp of their emotional states. As for Reina, he could not bear the shame of being around her. Just looking at her made it feel as if his insides were being eaten away. How could she not be angry at him?

"Today was something, huh?" Kodai might as well have been speaking to thin air. Neither of them could respond. Though it was unclear if it was for lack of energy or will.

"First time I've seen a mega-level Digimon." He continued. "it was even a demon lord. We better report this to Koshiro-san and the rest. The digital distortions normally just pixelise the place. That grey ocean portal was something else. Do you think it has anything to do with the evolution virus?"

Despite the lack of reply, he continued to ramble on, pressing for an answer. "Hey, what do you guys think? We are all supposed to be responsible for the rest. Though Yasushi and Nagato are about to enter university now. So, I suppose we shouldn't treat them like any other kouhai anymore."

Mamoru knew that Kodai was not this obtuse. While he could be insensitive with his forceful personality, he could read a room. Was this because he was unnerved by what happened? It was the simplest explanation for his constant chatter into the void. It was plain to see Mamoru's mega level Digivolution had gone wrong or at the very least was unstable. Yet it was somehow still stronger than SaberLemon. Their victory was hardly convincing, let alone replicable.

"What do you think we should tell Koshiro-san? Should we ask them to come down to Kyoto again just in case? Or would that be too irresponsible since we are supposed to take care of things here?"

"Kodai," Reina finally spoke up. "are you alright?"

Mamoru was hoping she would tell him to shut up. Although she seemed to have the same suspicious, her personality made it unlikely for any direct questions.

"Why wouldn't I be? We finally Digivolved to mega!" Kodai's excitement could not conceal the quavering in his voice. Perhaps, it was terror masquerading as exhaustion. "If we can find a way to harness the power of Cherubimon—"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" For the first time in his memory, Kodai had been stunned into silence. "Can't you tell…"

"Mamoru… your mega evolution could be the answer to all our problems. Even SaberLeomon couldn't hurt Leviamon."

"I won't do that again,"

Kodai looked as if he was about to reply but finally turned to see their expression. Mamoru adverted his gaze and buried his head in his hands on the table. There was a soft sigh from Kodai before he faced away, leaning his side on the wall. Silence overcame the room, only punctuated by the occasional sob from Reina. It cleaved into Mamoru each time he heard it. There was no rest for the wicked like him.

As dusk fell, Kodai had finally dozed off. Mamoru summoned what little energy he had recovered and forced himself to stand up and stagger to the door. Reina jumped at the noise of his movements. Her face was still red, the light makeup now clearly smudged. Mamoru had failed to notice her effort earlier. He wanted to say something, anything. Even if it was about the colours running on her face. It appeared she could not find her voice either, looking on as he walked away in silence.

He had been ready to leave without a goodbye a few hours ago, though that gave him little consolation now.

Days turned into weeks as Mamoru languished in his room. Hagurumon gave none of his usual protest at being cooped up, both a welcome respite and a worrying sign. The temptation to ask about his partner's horrific transformation was countered by an existential fear of what he could discover. Withholding his question would not make the answer disappear, but Mamoru was certain he lacked any strength to confront it.

There were scattered attempts by Noriko to contact him, probably as a proxy for Kodai. As much as it irritated him, it was undeniable that their de facto leader had made the smart choice. At least Noriko had a shot at getting him on the line. He would have just outright ignored or rejected any messages from Kodai. Conversely, he had been tempted to contact Reina but always found he could not prepare the words for it. For the first time, he was intimidated by her literary brilliance. Any sentences he strung together felt like they would wither away in the eyes of someone so well-read.

That was a part of him that wished Reina would reach out to him. He could not dispel the dread that washed over him, knowing she probably resented him. Was it likely? Mamoru's perception of things had become too distorted for him to give a firm answer to even himself. Even though he was cut off from information by choice, control over his mind was limited as it ran wild with the possibilities. Only hope that he could make amends could break this cycle. Though he could not find that hope on his own. It was a vicious cycle of wild deliberations that quickly spiralled downward.

Close to a month had passed almost imperceptibly. The only indicator of the passage of time was the blooming plants he began to see through the window. Mamoru's parents could not tell anything was amiss. Lying through his teeth, they believed that he was intensely studying for the next semester. It was easy enough to get away with. After all, he was quite detached from them. It was not that there were any particular problems between them, there were just no particular bonds either. Mamoru wished that his lie was actually true. At least he would be lightening a future burden. All there was now was a state of perpetual stagnation.

On a cold spring morning, he was abruptly awakened by his mother. In a daze, he failed to question why anyone could come to pay him a visit. As he shuffled toward the living room, he heard a familiar cloying voice that was met with an equally familiar snark. The mystery of how Noriko and Yasushi had found their way into his house was quickly answered once they came into view. Sprawled out on his couch, looking a little too comfortable, was his kouhai in Todoh High's distinctive brown sailor fuku.

"Let me guess," Mamoru started as he sauntered towards his sofa, "you told my mom that we are friends from high school."

"A very close and beloved kouhai." The energy in her words was both contagious and exhausting at the same time.

"I can't believe she bought that," He clasped his forehead, feeling a growing exasperation. "I graduated a year ago."

"Senpai, if you think about it, one year is not that long."

"For the record," Yasushi said, his expression just as dour as Mamoru's. "I only went along with this because we couldn't come up with anything better."

"Hey," Noriko exclaimed, adding a pout for completely unnecessary and ineffectual dramatic effect. "you're supposed to be supporting me. It's not like I want to wear my school uniform more. We had to find a way to convince his parents that we are actually his friends."

"So why are both of you here?"

"You really shut down, didn't you," Yasushi said, in-between sips of oolong tea Mamoru's mother had given them. "Open LINE."

"I left my Digivice in my room." Mamoru's words prompted a simultaneous sigh from both of them.

"Senpai, this is important."

"It's always something important." He groaned.

"Well, this is not Kodai-important, it's important-important." It seemed that Noriko, and likely everyone else, had finally picked up on their leader's occasional warped sense of urgency.

"Didn't he tell you what happened?" It was a bitter and reticent reply.

"Yeah?" There was no trace of hesitation. "There was some crazy battle, and you guys were exhausted. I thought you would be better by now. It's pretty tough handling the appearances without you and Reina-senpai."

Despite his attempts at control, there was still a visible flinch from Mamoru at hearing about Reina. His short burst of emotion from him was thankfully misinterpreted.

"Sanada-san," Yasushi said as he sat up straight. "I want to apologise. I should have been there as well that day."

His junior's earnest statement ate away at him even more. He should have been there too.

"It's okay, I'm sure it was important." Mamoru felt his chest crumple a little further at his own statement. Any reason for letting Reina go alone was better than his complete lack of one.

"Anyway, we need you Senpai." Noriko began to employ a cloying voice, unknowingly doing her best Asuka impression thus far. "There's an important meeting happening today with the DigiDestined from Tokyo."

"Our partners haven't Digivolved to ultimate stage yet," Yasushi added. "But we are fairly certain the rest of us should be able to. Even then, you are the only other person who can go to mega besides Kodai-senpai." He sounded eerily like Kodai with his fixation on Digivolution.

"Since the two of you are here, who went to get Reina?"

"No one?" Noriko tiled her head as she responded. "She replied to the LINE group days ago."

"What exactly did Kodai say happened at Mapukuji?" Mamoru's eyes narrowed as he spoke. Noriko's lack of hesitance had raised his suspicions, but surely, they would have checked up on Reina if the rest of them knew what had actually transpired.

"You guys had to mega Digivolve to fight off some demon lord right?" Her reply was mildly confused but still nonchalant.

"No one is wondering why Reina's angel type Digimon wasn't able to defeat a demon type?"

"Hmm, I hadn't thought about that." Though Noriko was the only one being vocal, Yasushi's expression had also become contemplative. "It was a mega level. Maybe angel type Digimon get stronger when they are together? I guess that's why Cherubimon was so strong."

Kodai had kept them in the dark. Maybe it was a prudent decision since his botched Digivolution would have unnerved everyone else. The last thing Kodai would want with his constant attempts to further push the group's power level. Neither of them dwelled much on the question he posed. Though Yasushi's scepticism looked like it had been peaked, even if briefly. As questionable as Kodai's methods were, Mamoru decided to at least hear his rationale first. It was fortunate that there had been a one-month gap since the incident for Mamoru to recover his composure.

Yasushi checked his watch before promptly standing up. "We better get to Nijo soon."

"Why there?"

"Kodai-san booked a meeting room at Ritsumeikan's campus." Noriko sprung to her feet as well. "We've got less than an hour. Hurry up and change senpai."

"Wait, what's this about?"

"Some important update. We don't have the details."

Mamoru had literally nothing going on with classes still a little over a week away from starting. Yet he did not want to go anywhere or do anything related to Digimon, barring some catastrophic emergency. As far as he was concerned, Kodai could set the group's agenda or direction in whatever way he wanted.

"Not interested. I promise to check LINE from now on okay. Just give me the summary once this is over. I've got nothing to add anyway."

"Kodai-senpai told us specifically to get you." Yasushi insisted.

"Of course he did." Mamoru attempted to wave them off as he shuffled back to his room.

"Reina-senpai will be there." Noriko's sickeningly sweet voice halted him in his tracks.

"Even more reason not to go." It was curious Noriko of all people would pull that card. Too bad it would have been mildly effective only a month ago. Now it was a complete backfire. They really did know nothing.

"Are you okay?" Yasushi had just picked up something was amiss.

Noriko grabbed his shoulder from behind, making him jump at her touch. "Senpai," her Asuka impression was gone, replaced with a sober tone. "please? I'm not sure how hard it has been, but we need you."

"We? Or Kodai?" Mamoru bit his words as he pivoted on his heels to face her. "What if I told you I don't have access to mega evolution. Would I really need to be at the meeting then?"

"Mamoru…" Yasushi's lips were pursed, his eyes flickering back and forth from concern and confusion. "I don't know what's going on, and I don't want to blindly guess. The Tokyo DigiDestined are the ones who said we should all be there. I'm sure it's actually important."

"We're all from Todoh, right?" Noriko gave him a beaming smile. "You, me, Reina-senpai, even Yasushi."

There was a groan from the other boy, but his resolute expression showed his tacit agreement. Mamoru wondered why a part of him insisted on attempting to remain sombre. Until today, it had been the path of least resistance. But staying dour was now laborious with Noriko's infectious energy.

The tension hung in the air as he paused to collect his thoughts. "Give me a bit to wash up and get changed."

Noriko did a small bounce as she heard this, latching onto Yasushi. He attempted to contain her elation, though there was no serious effort, letting her excitement spill out as he stood still.

Mamoru easily overheard her supposed whispers to Yasushi through his bedroom door. "See, I told you I know senpai. Even though he likes to appear reluctant, he actually likes us."

He let out a huff at her statement. It was an interesting interpretation for someone not privy to his thoughts. Yet, it did feel emotionally visceral to hear someone else say that.

Their train on the Sagano Line rocketed out of Kyoto central station, the scenery rushing past. They were running slightly late, but their trip from Uji so far had been uneventful. Mamoru ignored the pointless back and forth between his two companions. The atmosphere in Kyoto had changed in the one month he spent cloistered away.

The sakura trees were in full bloom across Kyoto, close to reaching their seasonal height. There were some trees with rich pink blossoms, but most of the sakura he saw ghostly white. Only a keen observer would find a tinge of the palest pink in their petals. Without the greening of the other vegetation, it was easy to mistake the flowers for a blanket of snow as they fell from their branches.

What was unmistakable was the damaged exterior of Kyoto Tower. Some of the repair scaffolding had been taken down, but progress appeared to be slow. While there was no structural damage, the punctured steel sheets were a prominent reminder of their fight. Unlike the small potholes at Sanneizaka or even the disturbed Zen garden at Mapukuji, it was an onerous endeavour to fix such a prominent building.

Mamoru could almost forget that he was in Kyoto whenever he visited the area around Nijo station. It was much more built-up than the historic parts of Kyoto. The wide four-lane road was flanked by buildings all more than five stories tall. Their architecture looked more at home in Odaiba or even Shinjuku with their sleek modern glass facades. The only reminder that he was still in Japan's historical capital was the knowledge that Nijo Castle was less than a kilometre away.

Ritsumeikan University's Suzaku Campus was a curious building. Its most dominating feature was its red brick construction, mimicking the structures of British universities built in the late 19th century. Despite its supposedly historic look, the building's exterior was also distinctly modern with its multi-storied windows. The interior was equally polished, the varnish on its extensive wooden fixtures still gleaming, hinting at its recent completion. While Mamoru liked Kyodai's Yoshida Campus, it was hardly as pristine with some the buildings beginning to show their age. But it was an unfair comparison, given how rich private universities like Ritsumei were.

They were able to navigate the labyrinthine corridors and elevators of the building thanks to Yasushi's efforts. There was a glint in Noriko's eyes as she zeroed in on a door further down the hallway. Completely disregarding manners, she clamped down on the handle and burst into the room.

"We have arrived!" She announced as Yasushi and Mamoru quietly shuffled in behind her.

Aside from the Kyoto DigiDestined, the only immediately recognisable faces were Takeru and Hikari. The other four from Tokyo he had yet to meet gave them a polite but hesitant smile. It felt a little more reassuring once he noticed they were all around the same age. It was hard to imagine how someone three years their senior like Koshiro would react to something so juvenile. Noriko was fortunate that she had not made a mistake. It would be impossible to explain a girl in her high school uniform exploding into a packed seminar with two students from another university in tow.

Mamoru was greeted with a curt nod from Kodai as he surveyed the sterile-looking classroom for a place to sit. Kodai seemed to be unphased at seeing him again, or more likely, he was excellent at masking his unease. There seemed to be nothing particularly amiss with the rest of their group. Natsuki and Yuki were huddled together, both looking at the latter's laptop. Reina seemed engaged in her conversation with Hikari and Takeru. Perhaps he could have gleaned more information with a closer inspection, but the heat creeping to his face grew more unbearable each passing moment.

The most curious sight in the room was Nagato, his legs propped up on a table. No one could really blame him. Being in a university after completely failing his entrance exam must be a melancholic experience. But Nagato's eyes told a different story whenever he opened them. They darted around the room as if he were attempting to absorb every bit of the environment before becoming overwhelmed and sealing shut. This pattern repeated multiple times as if he could not decide if he wanted to relish his experience at Ritsumeikan or was suffering because of it. As Kodai's closest kouhai, he probably wanted to come here more than anything.

The noise died down as Kodai approached the lectern, followed by a raven-haired boy in a black polo-shirt. He looked rather reserved despite his athletic build. The only thing that stood out to him was how his hair was just a shade lighter than Reina's solid obsidian colour.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming down," Kodai said, looking directly at Mamoru. "Koshiro-san isn't here today, but other DigiDestined from Tokyo are here instead. This is Ichijoji Ken-san."

The boy bowed at the mention of his name before taking over Kodai. "We are all the same age, so I don't think we need to be that formal. Even though I'm giving the updates, I suppose Daisuke is technically our leader…"

The Tokyo group fought to suppress their laughter at his statement. Most prominently a girl wearing a bandana in her close to lavender hair held her arms out, forming a large X in protest. This immediately prompted another boy with unruly, almost spikey hair to grumble unintelligibly.

"Come on Miyako," Ken said, maintaining his composure better than the rest of his friends. "Before we get into the details, I think we should introduce everyone."

Inoue Miyako was actually the oldest person in the room, about to start her final year doing liberal arts at Sophia University. In contrast, the youngest member of the Tokyo group, Hida Iori, was just about to start a law degree at Tokyo University. Even though he was the same age as Nagato and Yasushi, he was noticeably shorter than them. Iori was apparently following in Ken's footsteps, himself a third-year law student at the same school. That left Motomiya Daisuke, an oddity among them, working as an apprentice Ramen chef at Ginza restaurant. Mimi immediately came to mind, being the only other DigiDestined who chose to forgo university and immediately start a career.

They were a lively bunch, making Mamoru somewhat envious. The DigiDestined from Kyoto were comparably stiff as a group of eight, only their New Year's shrine trip feeling genuinely organic. But more importantly, they all seemed at ease with their responsibilities. He hoped that it was due to their greater power and not their years of experience. At least the former could be acquired in short order.

In the short lull after their introductions, Miyako piped up, pushing them back on topic. "As you all heard, Daisuke spends most of his time making noodles, so he's the worst at explaining things."

"You said you like them," he whined in reply.

Iori shook his head before giving a lukewarm reply. "That's not the point."

Daisuke looked poised for a retort until Takeru stepped in. "Let's all stay focus, please. You always get like this."

It was a small wonder that Mamoru's initial meeting with Takeru and Hikari had been so uncomfortable. Aside from Ken and Iori, the rest seemed to have little regard for how outsiders perceived them. While their earnestness was refreshing to see, it was challenging to interact with them when they were in their own world.

A quick nod from Hikari seemed to have bought Daisuke's silence, allowing Ken to continue. "Koshiro-san, Taichi-san and Yamato-san are all busy preparing for the next major convergence event, so they sent us to help out here. I know school is starting soon, but we need to keep our attention on this."

From the corner of his eye, Mamoru saw Nagato flinch at his statement before quickly regaining composure. There was nothing much that could be done for him. Telling the other DigiDestined would be more painful than enduring their unwitting remarks.

"Spare a thought for me, I actually work for a living." Daisuke definitely had a penchant for derailing things. "I only have so much leave. Do you know how hard it is to get time off from work as the most junior guy? Good thing my boss likes Veemon."

"Enough already" Iori's hiss still sounded remarkably subdued. The younger boy's words prompted Miyako to spring into action, grabbing Daisuke from behind and covering his mouth.

"Ichijoji help! I'm—" Daisuke's muffled voice was still clearly audible but completely incomprehensible.

Takeru and Hikari did not bother to intervene, giggling to each other behind the rest of their friends. Mamoru wondered how they achieved anything given the abject chaos unfolding before him. Though the same could be said about the Kyoto group and their dysfunctional communication. Too familiar and too open was probably better than distant and secretive.

"Everyone…" Ken was exasperated. "Please stop. Can we save this for dinner or something? You're making the others feeling uncomfortable."

Miyako promptly released her vice grip. She bowed slightly in her seat to everyone else, her expression having rapidly changed from a scowl to a polite smile. "Sorry, Ken-chan."

"We'll settle this when we get back to Sora-senpai's house," Daisuke grumbled.

"Last interruption okay?" They all gave Ken a nod, somewhat unconvincingly. All the Kyoto DigiDestined could do was smile and remain pliant.

Ken cleared his throat before continuing. "As you all know, the next convergence event is due to happen anytime from today until the first of April."

Mamoru's arms instinctively jerked as he heard Ken's statement. He was expecting some kind of administrative update instead of the bombshell they were receiving. Scanning the room, the Tokyo DigiDestined were remarkably unphased with Daisuke even looking excited. To his relief, the others from Kyoto seemed to have been equally thrown off. He was not lost because of his own negligence at keeping track of updates.

"The Digimon alert system has been getting more precise with its predictions since they put that third satellite in orbit. Yamato-san told me that the final one has been delayed a bit, so the launch window has been pushed into early summer. Hopefully, the typhoon season won't stall it further. By then, we should have everything prepared to repair the barrier between the two worlds."

Yuki hammered away at her keyboard, somehow able to comprehend what Ken was saying. The only other person nodding along was Kodai. Judging from the lack of pauses or context in Ken's updates, he was under the impression that they knew what he was talking about. He could rationalise Yuki understanding this with no other information. After all, she was the only one that had any idea of how the digital distortions were detected. But he was certain, Kodai did not tell them what they should know.

Mamoru subtly pushed his chair closer to Yuki and tapped her on the shoulder. No one else seemed to notice, focused on Ken's continuing explanation of something called the Butterfly System. She flinched slightly before turning her head.

"Yuki, why don't we know anything about this?" Mamoru attempted to control his tone, but some accusatory notes slipped through.

Natsuki noticed that her friend had stopped typing and started to listen in on their conversation as well.

"It is very technical," Yuki replied, laconic as ever.

"You know that's not what I mean." Mamoru struggled to contain his voice to a whisper. Her reply had gone beyond her usual verbal austerity. Almost feeling like it was intended to obfuscated and obstructed him.

Natsuki grabbed the other girl's arm with a concerned look in her eyes. It was hard to remember sometimes that Yuki was actually a year younger. Especially with Natsuki's very tender appeal to her.

The stoic girl relented. "I do not know all the details that Kodai does. He told me to keep it quiet from the rest. I only found out because I was talking to Koshiro-san about the Butterfly System." It was a cascade of information by her standards.

"That's the name of the satellite system that we are using to track Digimon appearances, right?"

Yuki gave him a curt nod before returning to her laptop screen. It was all Mamoru needed to know. He wanted to give Kodai the benefit of the doubt, but his mood had soured again. Confronting him in front of everyone would only corrode their group further. This left the only option as waiting until they were alone, as much as Mamoru dreaded that scenario.

"We have an idea of what is causing the convergence events this time." This got everyone's attention once again, their gazes zeroing in on Ken. "We haven't heard from Gennai or had much contact from our friends in the Digital World recently. More troublingly, we haven't seen the Digimon Sovereigns either."

"What's that?" Noriko blurted out.

There were some confused looks from the Tokyo DigiDestined, but Ken continued mostly unphased. "They are four beyond-mega level Digimon that protect the Digital World. Takenouchi-sensei from Kyoto University is almost certain they are based on the Four Symbols myth."

"So, are they like just missing or busy or something?" Noriko continued. She almost sounded foolish with her choice of words. But to anyone that knew her well, this was clearly a means to mine more information. Mamoru was now no longer the only one who realised they were being kept in the dark.

"We aren't exactly sure," Ken replied apologetically. Receiving a brief nod from Miyako, he continued to divulge more information. "It's disturbing to think about, but they may have been infected by the virus."

Another wave of disquiet rippled through the Kyoto DigiDestined before Yasushi posed the next question. "If they are at a stage beyond-mega, can they even Digivolve further?"

"We have no idea," Ken replied honestly. "They aren't ultra level Digimon like Omnimon or even Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. But the virus does have other effects like making Digimon go berserk. No one was sure how to deal with this. To be honest, we weren't that worried at first since the Digital World has its own ways of handling 'natural' phenomenon."

"What changed?" Yasushi continued.

"It was when you told us about your encounter with Leviamon and the Dark Ocean."

Yasushi looked as if he was about to follow up but contained himself. It was not a good time to show how disjointed they were in front of the original DigiDestined. Mamoru could only imagine the loss in confidence they would have if they found out who little they knew about each other.

Ken decided to continue with his explanation, sensing their confusion. "As Miyako might put it, the Digital World is just another dimension among many. The Dark Ocean is another dimension which seems to be connected to both our world and the Digital World. We've only been there a few times, but we know almost nothing about it. We don't really want to go back either."

Just hearing the name of that place brought chills. In the recesses of his mind, the dull sound of its unnatural waves was still grating at him. Reina was affected in the same way, blankly gazing off into the distance. Interestingly, Hikari seemed to have a similar reaction as well, which unsettled Mamoru even more.

"We suspected that most demon type Digimon actually originate and reside in the Dark Ocean dimension. Your battle with Leviamon confirmed this since this is the first time we've ever seen that Digimon. While plenty of threats like the Dark Masters and Myotismon have been dealt with, we never did finish off Daemon and the other demon lords. The Digital World is still a bit of an enigma, so it was hard to verify any of the rumours and stories about the existence of the seven demon lord Digimon."

"You think they're behind this." Yasushi mused.

"Possibly. The virus is a corruption of a core attribute of the Digital World: evolution. The Dark Ocean is the inverse of it, being a source of power that blocks Digivolution. There is probably a connection between the two." Ken's words sounded particularly bitter, carrying hints of familiarity with this power.

"The Sovereigns should also be immune to something like a regular virus. But they are probably under its influence since the virus has some unnatural connection to the Dark Ocean. It is the most like explanation for the convergences always occurring at the peak of each season."

"But, Mid-autumn was in September?" Noriko had a good point. While their battle at Kyoto Tower had happened in mid-winter, Takeru and Hikari's visit was at the end of autumn.

"It was the emotional height of autumn," Takeru explained. "Where the foliage had completely turned deep amber."

"We just entered the height of the sakura bloom in Kyoto," Natsuki absently added, breaking her bashful silence.

"It's probably going to get even worse," Ken continued. "The barrier has broken down further since winter. Spring also corresponds to the cardinal point in the East, which we know is Kyoto. One of the Sovereigns, Azulongmon, represents the Azure Dragon of the East. If he has been infected, he is about to reach the height of his power. When the barrier is breached again, there is probably going to a massive surge in Digimon here."

This explained the shreds of information he had heard when he met Jou-san. Mamoru had initially thought that having six other DigiDestined from Tokyo help out was excessive. Now it seemed like it was hardly enough. A silence hung over the room, only broken by the odd sound of people shuffling in their seats. It was a lot to take in; that they may be in the fight of their life mere days or even hours from now.

"Well, we'll just deal with them when they show up!" Daisuke said, punching his open left palm. While it helped alleviate some of the impending dread, it was not entirely convincing. "Ichijoji, is there anything else?"

"Not really? Unless Kodai-san wants to add on?"

Kodai shook his head. "Why don't we get some air? It's a nice spring day. We can show you guys around Kyoto too."

After some uncertain chatter, people began to start packing up their belongings in tacit agreement with Kodai's plan. Mamoru had brought only himself, leaving him with nothing to do but watch as the others prepare to leave. Natsuki appeared to be the most hesitant, fiddling with a lacquered wooden box she was carrying.

After some skittish head movements, she unexpected spoke up again. "Kodai-senpai!" She was unusually shrill. "Can we go for Hanami?"

"Flower viewing?" Kodai said, attempting to remain nonchalant. "Like at Nijo Castle?"

"Yes!" She clumsily stood up, almost fumbling the box she was carrying. "I mean, we should all go too."

There was a small sigh from Yuki as she nodded in approval. Only Mamoru caught it, being the nearest to her. While it was easy to just assume it was the reluctance to go outside of a computer genius, it sounded closer to an expression of embarrassment, at least vicariously.

"Heh…" Miyako had a sly smile on her face as she zeroed in on Ken.

The boy responded with a shrug and a soft smile before gesturing for her to lead the way.

"I wonder if you could use sakura in ramen." Daisuke mused as he filed out of the room.

"Please wait until I pass the bar," Iori said dryly, following him from behind. "Not even Ken will take up a negligent food poisoning case like that."

Everyone seemed to be excited, though Mamoru could still feel the undercurrents of the earlier revelations. There appeared to be an unspoken collective understanding that they did not want to think about the titanic battle ahead. As they left the university building, Mamoru attempted to find someone to walk with to ensure he avoided Reina. The Tokyo group was out of the question, leaving him to choose between Yasushi and Noriko, or Natsuki and Yuki. The latter two were unusually preoccupied, Yuki receiving a barrage of whispers with little reaction.

As he attempted to walk with Noriko and Yasushi, they instantly questioned him. "Senpai, normally you avoid me like the plague."

Mamoru was confounded at Noriko's display of awareness. "You're exaggerating…"

"I thought you would have had enough of us for today," Yasushi added.

Noriko leaned forward, shifty-eyed, before whispering to him and Yasushi. "You're not getting away from Reina-senpai. I already told Takeru-san and Hikari-san too."

He momentary shock was shatter as Noriko gave him a light shove backwards. As he regained his balance, Reina's face appeared only inches away from him. They both stood flustered, searching their minds for what to say.

"Takeru and I are going to spend most of the sakura viewing together," Hikari said, linking arms with her boyfriend. "We'll be following the group nearby, but Daisuke is always a bit much to deal with. Take care Reina-chan."

Takeru gave a small chuckle before the pair continued ahead, leaving Reina and Mamoru as the last people in their strung-out procession. Noriko and Yasushi had really done him in with their miniature conspiracy.