This chapter contains discussion of domestic abuse. Please be careful when reading and proceed with caution. Take care of yourself.


Chihiro was absolutely sick of walking.

The group of three humans had been moving for quite some time since the retreat of Velgemon, and they were getting more tired than they had ever thought possible. Chihiro was convinced that if they hadn't been as active as they were back on Earth, their legs would have already given out. They were lucky to still be upright, and the same applied to Takuya and Koji.

Chihiro glanced at Takuya out of the corner of their eye, and they immediately noticed how much better he appeared to be feeling. His shoulders were pulled back in a display of confidence, as if the bandanna that had been wrapped around his wrist before had been weighing him down with the force of a million pounds. Since it had been returned to its original bearer, Takuya was feeling much better, and Chihiro had to admit that he looked as good as he possibly could have given the situation.

Koji, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. He had barely managed to look up from the ground since the battle against Velgemon drew to a conclusion. Chihiro didn't know what had happened during the fight, but they assumed that there had been a psychic connection of some sort, and all they could do was cringe at this knowledge. They knew exactly how awful it felt to share memories even if it was just for a split second, and Chihiro wouldn't wish an experience like that on anyone.

They assumed that it was likely a side effect that came with merging with a Digimon. The monsters were far more in tune with the Digital World than a human ever could be, and not even a human was as connected to the world around them on Earth. Chihiro knew that Spirit Evolving had side effects (hell, they had felt them whenever they touched Takuya's incredibly hot skin), but this had to be the indirect impact that they hated the most. No wonder Koji was so bothered; he had to deal with that on multiple occasions, and Chihiro hadn't even been able to cope with it once.

Chihiro wanted to ask what was going on, but they were cut off when they saw a set of figures on the horizon. A gasp left their lips, and Takuya looked over at them. Chihiro pulled their D-Tector from its place at their waistband before checking the radar. Their suspicions were confirmed immediately, and relief flooded through them.

"The rest of the group is here," Chihiro said with a sigh. They let out a bark of a laugh, and one hand came up to remove their hat. They ran one hand through their messy brown hair after placing their D-Tector back in its regular spot, and they undid their ponytail before putting it back together. They hadn't realized how incredible it would feel to see other people until that moment. Chihiro had always been content flying solo, but connecting to others was certainly establishing it to be something they rather enjoyed.

Takuya immediately broke out into a run, and Koji looked up, snapping out of his trance. He had previously been watching the dusty ground, but when he saw that Takuya was moving faster, he followed suit without bothering to ask what the reason was. Chihiro followed both of their leads, and their feet slammed relentlessly into the dirt below as they propelled themselves forward. How had it only been a few hours since the group split up? It felt as if they had been divided for days upon days already.

There were two unfamiliar figures that Chihiro recognized in the crowd, and they let out a gasp. If their group had been fighting against Velgemon, that meant that the pair of newcomers were the Warriors of Water and Steel. Chihiro looked to the girl with light brown hair first, and they immediately knew that she had to be the human form of Oceaniamon. That meant the person with red hair, tanned skin, and freckles was the Warrior of Steel. Chihiro had to look away to keep from glaring at them.

"It's good to see you're all okay," Izumi said, drawing Chihiro's gaze away from the dirt. They could see her smiling, but she was clearly exhausted, and it wasn't as if Chihiro could blame her. It had been a long day, and they had no way of judging what time it was given how shaded the Continent of Darkness was. The layer of clouds that surrounded the space blocked out most light from the outside, and there was no real difference between the illumination of day and the shine of moonlight.

"As okay as we can be," Chihiro muttered with a bitter sigh, but their expression held minimal malice. As long as they kept from looking at the teen with red hair, they were going to be fine. Still, it was taking every ounce of restraint in Chihiro's body to not flip them the bird as soon as everyone else looked away.

"We should settle down for the night," Junpei suggested, recognizing the exhaustion that painted everyone's faces. "I don't know how long it's been since we first split up, but I don't think that any of us have slept since the battle against Duskmon."

Chihiro cringed when they realized he was right. They had been awake the entire time. Koji was likely the one who had rested the most, but did it even count as sleep when he had been forcefully knocked unconscious by Duskmon? He barely seemed to be paying attention to the conversation at hand, and Chihiro looked away with a light frown on their face. They didn't know what the hell Velgemon had done to him, but they weren't entirely sure if they wanted to find out either.

"There's a cave near here that we can check out," the Warrior of Steel suddenly said, and Chihiro shot them a biting glare. The other teen saw that they were upset but didn't comment on it. Their gazes met for one long moment, but Chihiro broke off the eye contact when they knew that others were starting to stare. They couldn't afford to be spiteful and petty given the circumstances, but that was all Chihiro wanted to be.

There were no objections to their words, and Takuya glanced over both of the new arrivals. "Uh... Introductions time?" he asked, rubbing one hand at the back of his neck. Chihiro was glad to see that he was still just as kindhearted as always, and they found themselves latching onto every small move that he made as a way of escaping the deadpan gaze from the Warrior of Steel. They didn't want to start an argument while everyone else was watching. They were going to have to cooperate if they wanted to defeat Cherubimon, and grudges were going to have to wait until after the Celestial Digimon had been defeated once and for all.

"Of course," Izumi agreed with a nod, her smile seeming far more exhausted than ever before. The group started moving after the redheaded teen. Izumi was the first to get moving, but everyone fell into line behind her. Chihiro had to resist the urge to kick something as a way of getting out all of the frustration mounting just beneath the surface. They had always known that collaborating with the Warrior of Steel was going to be inevitable, but that didn't mean they had to like it.

Malkakomon couldn't remember once the dam was opened.

Cherubimon's attempts to seal away the past had ended in failure as soon as he came into contact with Koji, and Malkakomon knew that there was no way for him to shove his mind back into its previous state of ignorance. He wasn't entirely sure of how to confront his past either, so all he could do was fly around the Continent of Darkness aimlessly in an attempt to come to blows against his foe once again. Koji was the only one with the answers that he needed, and as soon as Malkakomon knew everything that had him curious, he was going to kill the Warrior of Light and then the rest of the Legendary Warriors.

Malkakomon's mind was spinning, and he could barely tell what was actually happening around him from the world in his mind. He could see a new image surfacing, and he embraced it with hopes that it would give him at least one of the clues that he needed.

His mother was collapsed on the ground of their apartment.

He ran toward Tomoko Kimura as quickly as possible, hooking an arm around her neck. He was only eleven, and he was desperate for her to be alright. This hadn't ever happened before. Sure, he knew that his mother was pushing herself too far in order to support herself, her son, and her mother, but it was still new for her to completely crumble upon walking into the entryway of their home.

"I'm fine," Tomoko assured him when he hastily questioned her about what had happened. "It's nothing that a little rest can't fix." She slowly got to her feet, and he pretended that he didn't see the way her legs swayed with the threat of giving way once again. As soon as Tomoko sat down on the couch, she was smiling again, doing her best to cover for any traces of exhaustion to prevent her son from worrying. It was so like her, and it hurt to see her this way. She was always going too far to help others, never thinking of herself.

In a way, he was just like her.

Malkakomon's rage only mounted as he remembered Kousei. If he hadn't abandoned Tomoko, she wouldn't have needed to suffer. It was all his fault. Kousei had gone off and found a new family while leaving behind the people that he had once been so close to, and Tomoko had been suffering ever since in an attempt to keep her family afloat. Kousei deserved to suffer for all that he had caused.

His brief connection with Koji told Malkakomon that he agreed. He was certain that there was discourse between the two, but he was still uncertain as to the depth of it. That was simply another reason for him to find the Warrior of Light. As soon as he heard the truth about Kousei, and about Koji himself, Malkakomon was going to eliminate him. It was all that he believed would free his mother of her pain. Even if she was a world away, he was desperate to cling to the words that Cherubimon had fed him.

Another memory came to the surface, and Malkakomon did his best to shove the pain inside of him away. He didn't feel it a moment later as he was consumed by his reflections of the past, and his eyes went wide even though he couldn't see anything happening around him. All that mattered was the picture dancing through his head.

Her name was Aoi Kimura, and she was going to die.

His hands were clutching firmly at hers, and he tried not to think about the inevitable. She had already been given a life expectancy that was far too short for his liking. This could have been the last time they saw each other. She had been so full of life such a short amount of time ago, bridging the gap between Tomoko and Koichi's repressed emotions and fearful pessimism. Oh, how the mighty had fallen.

"You need to know," Aoi suddenly whispered, and he was forcefully torn away from his previous thoughts. "You... You have a twin brother... Koji..."

Flatline.

He heard sobbing, but he wasn't sure if it was coming from him or someone else. He clung tightly to Aoi's hand even long after it had gone cold, wishing that he could feed some of his life back into her body for just one more moment with the grandmother he loved so much.

Malkakomon's memories were fuzzy from there, but it was easy to put the pieces together. The name Koji had prompted an investigation, and he learned more about who his father was. Koji was his brother, and Kousei was the one who had torn everything apart. It had all been done behind Tomoko's back to keep from adding to her suffocating load of stress, and he had been silent about it with an easy yet forced smile for weeks on end.

He had pressed himself around a corner and watched as the happy Minamoto family interacted. He wasn't an angry person. He never had been. Still, the sight of Kousei enjoying a life after absolutely ruining everything that Tomoko held dear thanks to their divorce filled him with rage. Why wasn't Kousei doing anything to ease her pain? How could he just walk away and not bother to look back at how much he had destroyed?

Malkakomon knew that he had once been interested in getting to know Koji even before Cherubimon got involved. Still, he wasn't able to latch onto his previous curiosity any longer, too caught up in his own rage to bother. When had his anger become so all-consuming? Did he even care to find out?

Malkakomon shoved all of his previous thoughts aside, trying to ignore the pounding headache that they were creating. He didn't want to deal with this anymore. All he wanted was a respite, and he knew exactly what he had to do in order to find salvation.

They will all die.

The team had settled down and explained everything that had happened to the best of their abilities. There were still a few holes in the story, and Takuya was oddly hesitant to explain what had happened to him when he suddenly grew transparent after the battle with Duskmon, but it was progress, and Izumi was willing to accept that.

They were all getting ready to head to sleep for the night, and any lingering energy was being taken care of in small doses of conversation. Izumi had been keeping to herself, trying to establish a sense of peace that she knew she would need in order to rest. Her thoughts were still racing, and she didn't know what she was supposed to do in order to calm herself down. There was still one subject on her mind, but there was no clear solution to the issue.

Hinoka had been distant even after the group came to relax together, and Izumi was worried. She kept on watching the Warrior of Water out of the corner of her eye, wishing there was something she could do but not sure what could possibly help. Everything hit a turning point when Hinoka excused herself to take a breath outside of their cave, and Izumi couldn't take it anymore. She found herself rising to her feet as well, and she trailed after Hinoka with worry painted all over her face.

"How are you feeling?" Izumi questioned with a gentle smile on her face. She watched as Hinoka took a seat beside the entrance to the cave, and she followed suit carefully to ensure that she didn't frighten the other girl away. She could tell that Hinoka was still averse to speaking with the rest of the group, and she couldn't exactly blame her. Still, Izumi was going to do her best to help her to open up. She could tell that Hinoka needed that and more.

Hinoka still seemed frightened by Izumi's sudden appearance, and her eyes were wide with terror for a moment before she slipped into something far more familiar. It looked like relief, but Izumi still didn't think she would ever be able to forget the way that Hinoka had looked so absolutely terrified even for just a split moment. "Oh... Um... Izumi," Hinoka said simply, a ghost of a smile appearing on her face.

"How are you doing?" Izumi repeated, reaching out one hand towards Hinoka. She didn't quite close the distance between their fingers, but she left the invitation open in case the other girl decided to follow up on it. "I know that it's a bit overwhelming to be around everyone all at once. The group is rather large, and it's rough when you're still trying to adjust. Still, I know that they're all very caring, and they're more than happy to reach out to you if you decide that you need it."

Hinoka nodded slowly, but she didn't seem to entirely believe it. "Yeah... I guess so," she whispered. A sigh left her lips before she looked up to meet Izumi's eyes. "I have to admit... I don't know how you all do it. Even when times are this rough, you're still able to be so positive as if nothing is going wrong. We've dealt with so much since we first arrived here in the Digital World, but... You're still managing to be optimistic about it. I don't understand it."

Izumi shrugged. "I suppose that's just how things have always been since we got here... We've been relying on each other for most issues that we have. I understand that things must have been different when you were acting as a Fallen Warrior for Cherubimon, but... You're not with him anymore. You're going to be okay, and we're going to be here for you from here on out. Promise," she assured Hinoka, keeping her regular comforting smile on her face all the while.

Hinoka watched Izumi for a long moment before nodding. "Thank you," she whispered. Izumi got the feeling that she wanted to say a thousand other things, and her eyes appeared to be tempestuous with concerned questions regarding the integrity of Izumi's words.

Izumi frowned at Hinoka's uncertainty, trying to keep the reflection of understanding in her eyes. "Do you want to talk about everything that's been happening? I know that you haven't had much time to settle in with the rest of the team," she said gently, sure to let Hinoka know with her gaze that she would be more than able to pull back from the conversation if she was uncomfortable.

Hinoka hesitated before shaking her head. "I'm not sure if I would be able to. You all seem to be so happy, and I don't want to disturb this dynamic. I'm not exactly deserving of your kindness. I did so many horrible things while I was under the control of Cherubimon. I-I... I did horrible things to you."

Izumi knew without needing to ask that she was thinking about the incident where she was dragged into the whirlpool while searching for Zephyrmon's Spirit. It clearly still had an impact on the other girl, and Izumi could only imagine the guilt the other girl was feeling. She hadn't been in control of herself at the time, sent rogue by Cherubimon's dark whisperings in her ear. Izumi wished that there was something she could do to help.

Then again, if anyone was going to absolve Hinoka of her guilt, it was going to have to be her.

"You don't need to worry about that. I truly understand that you weren't to blame," Izumi assured her. "In all honesty, I'm more concerned about you. I can understand that being manipulated by Cherubimon must have been awful for you... I'm positive that not being able to control your Beast Spirit only made that more difficult. They're difficult creatures to tame, but you aren't alone in struggling with them."

Hinoka hesitated at Izumi's words, seeming to understand where this was going. "You want to help me control my Beast Spirit, don't you?" she questioned uncertainly. Izumi nodded in response, and Hinoka let out a heavy sigh. "I... I don't want to burden you with that. I know that it's a lot, and it wouldn't feel right."

"If we're going to defeat Cherubimon, we need to be able to control our Beast Spirits. He's incredibly powerful, and I'm sure you're fully aware of that," Izumi frowned. "In our group, we've been able to cover for our emotional weaknesses by talking out the issues brought on by our Beast Spirits. These conversations of ours have done a lot of good in helping us to remain in control."

Hinoka frowned at Izumi for another long moment before her gaze dropped down to the ground. She was staring at the space between Izumi's fingers on the latter's outstretched hand, trying to make sense of the conversation taking place. "There wasn't ever a chance to deal with that when we were with Cherubimon," Hinoka finally murmured. "There were expectations for us Fallen Warriors to meet, and if we weren't able to live up to them..."

Izumi didn't need Hinoka to finish that sentence. She was able to put the pieces together easily enough. She remembered the way that Yumiko had explained she would be possessed by Cherubimon if she didn't carry out her missions properly. Izumi also recalled the way that Hinoka had been taken over with a primal sense of horror when she was beginning to lose in a battle. She knew that Cherubimon was incredibly strict with those who fought on his side, and Hinoka was simply another piece in his grand plan as far as he was concerned.

"I understand," Izumi whispered. "But you aren't there anymore. You don't need to worry about what Cherubimon will say or do to you anymore. You're with us now, and we're not going to leave you to suffer on your own. If you're in pain, all you have to do is reach out, and we'll be happy to help."

Hinoka sighed. "I suppose that's true... I couldn't even control my Human Spirit while I was with him, and when he gave me my Beast Spirit... I'm sure that it was because he wanted to capitalize on my lack of control. He knew that I wasn't going to be able to take the power, but he didn't care. As long as I was willing to fight against you all, the details mattered little. It wasn't as if I had a choice in the matter... He's manipulative and knows how to get what he wants."

Izumi nodded. "We've heard as such from both Chihiro and Yumiko. He was messing with your memories to ensure that you remained in his control. He forced painful memories upon you at all times to make sure that you didn't break out and fight back upon realizing just what you were doing," she confirmed.

"Yeah... He did," Hinoka murmured, closing her eyes. She was silent for a long moment, and she inhaled shakily before releasing the breath once again. "His... His name was Emon."

Izumi's head tilted to the side in confusion, but she never had the chance to ask what Hinoka meant in full. The other girl was starting to explain before she could even think about speaking. "He was my boyfriend for a long time. That was what Cherubimon was using against me. I haven't exactly been thinking positively about Emon for a few weeks, and... Cherubimon figured that it would be the perfect way to use me to fight against you and the rest of the team," Hinoka went on.

Izumi paused for a moment, trying to think past to her encounters with Oceaniamon. She could distinctly remember the Warrior of Water always having a wild look in her eyes when she lost control, as if she was terrified of somehow being hurt by things out of her control. She had shown early on that she hated to be touched, and when Blizzarmon first appeared, Oceaniamon only grew incredibly violent after she had been injured for the first time. It all made a lot of sense, Izumi had to admit, but she didn't say any of this. Instead, she simply nodded slowly, waiting for Hinoka to muster the courage to continue telling her story.

"We met a long time ago. I was pretty lonely growing up because I was dealing with the divorce of my parents when most kids would be focused on making friends. It's been a long time since I saw my father, but he supposedly has another family now. I've lived with my mother ever since the divorce, but... It was lonely. I had to take care of her when she slipped into one of her mental health slumps, so I got used to nobody wanting to be around me. Emon was the first person to actually try to reach out to me," Hinoka eventually began to continue.

"I'm sorry," Izumi murmured, looking down at the ground. She knew all too well how badly the loss of a parent could impact the rest of the family. Even if her mother had been torn away under different circumstances, she still believed that she understood what Hinoka had gone through. Izumi still remembered the way that her father had retreated into his work as a way of keeping his sorrow at bay, and she could already tell that Hinoka's mother had responded similarly because of how much she had once cared for her husband prior to the signing of the divorce papers.

Hinoka didn't seem to know how to respond to Izumi's words, so she simply looked up to the blonde girl silently before tearing her gaze back down to the dust below. "At first, everything was fine. Emon was popular, and he was able to get me introduced to all the friends I could have ever asked for. He got a crush on me though, and from there, he practically forced me into dating him. Looking back on it, I think we were both too young for all of that. We were twelve at the time, but he insisted that we had to start dating if we truly wanted to grow up. I thought that growing up would make me feel better about all the pain in my childhood. I suppose I was being foolish, believing that the pain would fade the further away I got from it."

Hinoka shook her head to dismiss the thought. "I got used to everything that he pulled on a regular basis. We were still young in the beginning, so it was hard for me to understand just how horribly he was treating me. I thought it was just normal for friends to be like that with each other. When I told my mother, she was so happy that I had managed to find love, not even bothering to ask about how I was able to do so at such a young age. I think... I think she got obsessed with the idea of romance, to be honest."

Izumi nodded her understanding, not wanting to interrupt since she had no idea what to say. She knew that what Hinoka needed most was a listening ear in that moment, and she was more than happy to provide it. Izumi's words could be saved for after the explanation had ended.

"When we got older, it got worse. Emon only developed a larger ego, and he always seemed to take out his frustrations on me. I don't think I could ever fully describe the terrible things that he was capable of doing to me, but... It was bad. Still, I didn't want to fight back. This was just the price of friendship as far as I was concerned. If he left me behind, I would be alone again. He knew it, and so did I. That's how he got me to stick around for as long as I did," Hinoka continued.

Izumi's tongue was quickly coated with words about how absolutely terrible Emon must have been, but she forced herself to bite them back. Sympathy filled her eyes, and her hand crept closer to Hinoka's fingers but still not completely bridging the gap between them. Hinoka looked at Izumi's hand for a long moment, and her hand began to get closer a few seconds later, but they still didn't touch one another yet.

"He started manipulating me emotionally. Well... He was doing that from the start, but it was far worse after we got into middle school and then high school. From there, things only escalated, and... Let's just say that I had to wear a lot of long sleeves," Hinoka muttered. She shook her head to dismiss the thought. "He told me that he didn't want me to make any other friends in case they took me away from him. It was terrible, but I didn't know what to do."

"What did your mother think?" Izumi found herself asking. She knew that if she had been in Hinoka's situation, her mother never would have stood for it. Chidori Orimoto had been a woman known for her strong sense of righteousness, and she wouldn't have ever allowed anyone to lay a hand on her daughter. Hell, she would have hated it if anyone she knew was being hurt behind her back.

"She thought I was being ridiculous," Hinoka laughed sadly. "She said that I was going to let go of the best thing that ever happened to me. She was desperate to believe that my love life was better than hers, and she told me that I would regret it. She lives off her own denial. She never got over my father, and I suppose that she was projecting her connection to him onto me and Emon."

"That's awful," Izumi murmured, trying to hide the way that tears were starting to cloud her vision. She didn't trust herself to say much more, knowing that she was going to start crying if she gave herself another chance to slip up.

"I was used to dealing with Emon after all the years we had been together. He taught me that I was nothing without him. If I wanted to be happy, I would have to stay by his side. I was forced to understand that a long time ago, and I didn't think there was a way out. I believed that he really did love me, but... That's not what love is," Hinoka said firmly, though her voice was still shaking, something Izumi only noticed when she listened incredibly closely.

"No... It isn't," Izumi confirmed. At long last, her fingers collided with Hinoka's, and the two grasped at the other's hand as if they feared they would fall apart as soon as they let go.

"I had enough of all the emotional manipulation, sexual coercion, and physical attacks, and... We got into a fight. That was about three weeks before I came to the Digital World," Hinoka went on. "He told me that I was nothing more than the dirt beneath his shoe and claimed that I was the one responsible for the end of the relationship. I was left alone again because of the rumors he spread. Who was everyone going to trust more? He was the school's sports star, and I was just some random girl nobody recognized outside of her connection to him. I was doomed from the start, and... I've been on my own ever since. My mother thinks that I made a mistake by letting a man like that go, but... I don't think she understands what happened. Maybe she simply chooses to not accept it. I'm not sure, but... I do know that Cherubimon used all of that against me when I was working for him. He wanted me to get the job done at any means necessary."

"He made you feel constantly insecure and on edge because of what happened with Emon," Izumi concluded, squeezing gently at Hinoka's hand. "You felt as if you were under attack all the time because of the way that Cherubimon was forcing you to remember that relationship."

Hinoka nodded. "Yeah," she murmured. "I couldn't even control my Human Spirit because it was too much for me. The pain is still fresh. Emon could have killed me if he wanted to, but then he wouldn't have anyone to control when he got bored. Nobody dares to associate with me anymore. I'm on my own. Not even my mother is willing to accept what happened, and she thinks that I'm somehow to blame for all that happened with Emon. Before the Digital World appeared to me, I... I thought I was going to be alone forever."

"But that's not the case anymore," Izumi reminded her, turning to face Hinoka with a frown on her face. The other girl met her gaze with trembling blue eyes, and Izumi's fingers squeezed around Hinoka's once again. "You don't need to think about him as if you're the only one dealing with it anymore. We're all here for you."

Hinoka looked at her with a gentle smile, letting out a strangled sob as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "I honestly don't understand how you can be so nice to me. I was terrible to you while I was working for Cherubimon, but you don't even seem to care," she whispered.

"We know that you had no control over the way that Cherubimon treated you. He was manipulating you for the sake of your own gain, and that isn't your fault in the slightest," Izumi assured her. "We've all helped one another through these troubling times. Controlling a Beast Spirit is a daunting task if you aren't prepared for it ahead of time, and we understand that fully. I think that this conversation has done you a lot of good though. I suppose I can just tell by the lookin your eyes."

Hinoka nodded. "Yeah... I would say the same," she agreed. "I guess this is a bit strange though... It feels like we just met, and here I am, dumping out my life story to you." She rubbed at her eyes with the hand that wasn't holding tight to Izumi, still not wanting to let go of the anchoring point of contact.

"You don't need to worry about it," Izumi said with another careful grin. "We're going to be here for you no matter what from here on out. We're going to stop Cherubimon together for the sake of all the people that he has hurt. You're going to be completely free of him soon enough. And when we get back to Earth... I know that I'd like to hang out with you as a friend."

Hinoka's eyes shot open. "Really?" she questioned breathlessly, barely seeming to believe that Izumi would even dare to insinuate something of that nature.

"Of course," Izumi confirmed. "I'm sure that everyone here will feel the same way, as a matter of fact. I would trust them with anything, and I'm positive that they'd be happy to help. It takes a while for newcomers to become part of the group's dynamic as a whole, but it'll do you a lot of good, I'm sure."

"I'm excited to get to know all of you better," Hinoka smiled gently. "I bet that you're all great people... But I wish that I was with you from the very beginning of our time in the Digital World rather than just appearing halfway through. I'm sure that I would have been in a much better place mentally if I had been able to get to know you at the start of this adventure rather than showing up now. Cherubimon wasn't exactly kind to us Fallen Warriors."

"Even if you weren't with us from the start, you're here now, and we're going to make the most of this," Izumi told her confidently. "We're a nice team, and we're going to be together until the end of this conflict. Even after we go back home, I'm sure that we'll still keep in touch. I know that I want to spend more time with all of them long after this adventure has drawn to a close."

"Given how lonely I've been, I know I would love that," Hinoka murmured. Her eyes closed for a moment, and tears continued to fall from her face. When she next moved, it was to throw her arms around Izumi's body in a tight embrace.

At first, Izumi was too surprised to do much of anything, but she immediately found that she loved the contact. She responded by curling her arms around Hinoka's torso as well, and she found that her cheek nestled perfectly in the spot against Hinoka's neck where her chin and shoulder connected. They sat there like that for a long time, simply enjoying the presence of the other. It felt as if they had known one another for a lifetime rather than only meeting a short few hours before.

"Emon didn't like it when I spent time with girls like this," Hinoka said next, each word chosen carefully. "I think that he realized I was a lesbian before I even did. It's... It's nice to finally be able to see a girl alone this way."

Izumi knew that the words weren't spoken out of expressed affection. Instead, it was merely a sign of a friendship that had been prevented for far too long. Regardless, she found herself smiling against Hinoka's skin. "You're far from being the only one like that here," she murmured. From a technical standpoint, she didn't have much evidence that the rest of the team was queer the way that Hinoka had just mentioned, but Izumi knew factually that she herself was. Besides, she could simply tell that they were like her, a found family on more levels than could ever be counted.

Hinoka pulled away from the embrace slowly, and her gaze was filled with jubilation that could only be described as pure, unfiltered joy. She rubbed at her face with the back of one hand, still not releasing Izumi from her grasp. "I think I'm going to like it here," she admitted with a gentle laugh.

Izumi watched Hinoka for a long moment, unable to contain her smile. Speaking with Hinoka had put her own evolution into perspective. She had become a far stronger person because of the rest of the Legendary Warriors, and she was incredibly thankful to have them in her life. The amount of time that they had been together didn't seem to matter when compared to the depth of her care for them.

She was more than happy to share this incredible emotion with Hinoka, and she hoped that Saki and the Warrior of Darkness wound up joining in on the flawless dynamic of the Legendary Warriors as well. Nothing in life was ever truly perfect, but Izumi didn't care in the slightest. Even if they all had weaknesses, she didn't mind, because she knew that they were perfect for her. They were perfect for each other, the best collection of companions that the universe ever could have given her.

She didn't say any of this though, figuring that Hinoka understood even without the need for a lengthy explanation. Instead, Izumi simply squeezed Hinoka's hand gently, meeting the other girl's eyes with a swelling sensation of glee and home and family in her chest. "I know you will."

"That should wrap up what happened."

Takuya and Bokomon were sitting together near the fire of the cave, both watching as the flames crackled silently. For the most part, everyone was off doing their own thing, whether that be turning in early, finishing up on their meal, or simply socializing with one another. Takuya longed to see the rest of the group given how they had been separated on far from ideal terms, but he also understood where his priorities had to say, and it was this yearning for information that drew him to Bokomon's side in the first place.

He had explained everything that happened on Earth to Bokomon in hopes that the white Digimon would be able to rationalize all that had taken place. Takuya didn't understand how he could have been both in the Digital World and in Shibuya at the same time. He remembered how Patamon referred to his body as fuzzing out of existence, and Takuya woke up from his journey to Earth right back where it had all started. There was no easy way to put the pieces together, and the only idea he had that even slightly resembled a theory was the suggestion that Chihiro had put forth about his body and mind acting out of synchronization.

Bokomon nodded as he processed the information he had just been given before looking up to Takuya with a frown on his face. "I believe that it is certainly possible that your body and soul began to fall out of connection with one another. There are two key parts to each living creature: the physical and spiritual form. A spiritual form needs a body in order to communicate with others, and without that, it's simply a ghost. That's exactly why the Spirits of the Legendary Warriors needed you all to act as their hosts," he agreed.

"So you think something like that happened with me?" Takuya questioned. He had known walking into this conversation that something like this was likely the answer, but he still didn't know if he was ready to believe it. Something about the situation sent his stomach sinking into the ground, and Takuya almost thought he was going to be sick.

"I do," Bokomon confirmed. "If your body was here in the Digital World while your spirit was on Earth, something could have very easily happened. The spirit is something that can be very easily corrupted without the proper physical form to ground it to this plane. It doesn't take much to push a spirit too far, and if that happens, it can be taken over by dark forces. The strange events that you witnessed were likely a combination of your memories from your initial trip to the Digital World as well as the corruption of your soul caused by the encounter in your mind with Dark Trailmon. You see, Dark Trailmon is known for appearing to those who have lost their hope, and given how vulnerable you were emotionally at the time, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that there was a dissociation between your physical and spiritual forms, allowing Dark Trailmon to corrupt you without you even realizing it."

Takuya nodded his understanding. "I see... If someone's body is in one location while their spirit is elsewhere, it can cause problems," he concluded. He paused for thought before continuing. "You said that a spirit can't communicate with the rest of the world without a body, but... What happens to an empty body? If the spirit is gone, what happens to the body?"

"In the Digital World, it causes deterioration. It's as if you are dying, but since you're not from here, nothing of that nature happened. I don't believe that you went to Earth for real in the first place, so there was still enough of a connection for you to not be completely destroyed. Instead, your mind was simply in Dark Trailmon's domain within the Digital World. You thought it was Earth because of the way your soul was being corrupted," Bokomon explained. "If a body was left empty on Earth, I suspect it would simply be an empty husk."

"That makes sense," Takuya murmured. "You said it was like death, but here in the Digital World, there's a regeneration process. Back on Earth, there's nothing like that, so the body would simply be left empty unless the soul was somehow able to fill that hole once again. Still, I don't even know if that can happen..."

"It's possible. I'm sure that you've learned by now that anything is possible," Bokomon pointed out. "Still, I believe that's the most plausible theory as to what happened to you. This is a far more extreme case of what happened when Zephyrmon first appeared. Izumi's soul was asleep while her body moved around to battle with Aquariamon. We're lucky that nothing worse has happened involving the link between a body and soul."

Takuya nodded his agreement. "Thanks for talking to me, Bokomon," he said. He began to rise to his feet, stretching his arms high above his head to work out the remaining tension knotted throughout his body.

"You're welcome," Bokomon told him. He pulled out Seraphimon's book about the Legendary Warriors soon afterward, and Takuya saw him flicking through the pages out of his peripheral vision. Takuya watched him for a moment before he moved to the entrance of the cave. Izumi and Hinoka had come in from outside not long before, so he would be more than able to catch a moment of peace to think about all that he had just learned from Bokomon.

However, Takuya soon realized that he wasn't alone outside the cave, and he let out a small gasp of surprise. Someone had come up with the same idea as Takuya, and all the Warrior of Fire could do was stare as he waited for the other party to acknowledge his presence.

Malkakomon had been flying through the sky for quite some time, and he had the sneaking suspicion that he was getting closer to his target. There was a buzzing itch resting just beneath the surface, and he knew that it wasn't going to be leaving until after he was able to defeat the Warrior of Light. Koji was the one responsible for this peculiar sensation, and when Malkakomon killed him, he would be able to wipe out the rest of the Legendary Warriors from there. None of them were as powerful as Malkakomon was, and he had the added bonus of being in the Continent of Darkness, only making him stronger.

Soon, it will all be over.

If Malkakomon was being honest, he didn't even understand what he was trying to accomplish anymore. Cherubimon's words about the Legendary Warriors being his enemies seemed distant and faraway all of a sudden, but Malkakomon continued to latch tightly to them out of a matter of necessity. If he stopped thinking of them that way, he was never going to be able to get himself moving again. He had to find a reason to defeat them. He needed it.

Malkakomon could detect the presence of Koji when he focused enough, and it left him feeling both oddly gleeful and unhappy at the same time, but he couldn't quite explain where these specific emotions were coming from. He could barely keep himself under control, and he knew that he was going to start slipping soon. His lack of dominance over his Beast Spirit almost put Oceaniamon to shame, and she had lost control of her Human Spirit when she was pushed too far by Cherubimon.

There was something sickening filling Malkakomon from the inside out. It felt similar to the way he had lost himself as soon as he transformed into Velgemon. It was as if part of him was whole while the other segment was falling apart at the seams. The Hybrid form was a combination of one's Human and Beast Spirits, so chances were high that Malkakomon was feeling somewhat normal thanks to the half of him that was Duskmon, but Velgemon was a completely different story. His soul felt as if it was writhing madly beneath the prison of his flesh, and Malkakomon absolutely hated it.

Cherubimon told me that it would end if I defeated the Legendary Warriors, so I'll just have to kill them. It's my only option.

Malkakomon continued to dive and swoop through the skies, his vision growing red at the edges. He could feel his heart slamming against the ribcage of his armor, and adrenaline coursed through his body furiously. He had never felt this alive before, but he felt dead at the same time, suspended somewhere between the past and future. His body was being controlled by some higher force as if he was nothing more than a puppet to be jerked along using a series of strings.

And yet, Malkakomon knew exactly who the puppet master was, but he found it far more accurate to describe it as a 'what'. He was being pushed on by his own need for revenge, his desire to calm down the raging inferno that burned him from the inside out. He had to find a way to extinguish it, but he didn't know how to do that without combat. It wasn't as if he had been able to utilize other coping methods even before becoming Malkakomon. He had been an emotionless husk used only for fighting.

Somehow, Malkakomon found himself preferring that. It was easier to not feel anything. Being numb to the world made him feel far better than experiencing the past. He had completely severed himself from his humanity before, and he liked it better that way. It made it easier for him to charge into battle. The rest of the Fallen Warriors were weak because they allowed their emotions to get the best of them, but he was different.

But was he really? He was sure as hell being pushed onward by the power of his own anger and need for peace. The discord that vibrated inside of him had to be based in emotion. There was no other explanation for it. The emotions of the other Fallen Warriors had been their undoing. If they had simply held back the way that Duskmon did most of the time, they would have been fine.

Still, he couldn't shove himself back into the cage of not caring anymore. Life was simpler for him that way, but it simply wasn't feasible for him after all that he had come close to discovering. He was straying close enough to madness that he could almost kiss it, feeling the heat of his own anger on his skin with each action. Malkakomon had been freed from his lack of emotions, and yet, it caged him at the same time. It was all Koji's fault. If he hadn't heard the Warrior of Fire scream out his name, none of this would have happened.

Cherubimon had sealed away his emotions to make him a more effective soldier, and Malkakomon knew it. He was best not feeling anything at all, and he doubted that he would ever change his views on such. He had only started to fall apart when Cherubimon began to feed his memories of the past back into his mind, and Malkakomon absolutely fucking hated it. He was better than this. He shouldn't have been so caught up in what someone could have meant to him. He still didn't know how to put the pieces together, and all it did was leave him angered and unchained.

Then again, that was how Cherubimon had utilized Cybelemon and Aquariamon. He took advantage of their anger and fear of the world to turn them into monsters, and Malkakomon was no different. It had simply taken a bit longer for him to show his true colors.

"You are my precious creation. You will kill them all."

Cherubimon's voice echoed in Malkakomon's mind, and he let out a scream that could hardly be described as human. He knew exactly what he was, and he was positive as to what his mission was meant to be. No matter how his emotions treated him, he needed to follow through with the mission in question. Cherubimon was counting on him, and as far as Malkakomon was concerned, fighting was the only way to soothe the endless agony that he had been forcefully dragged into.

"Of course," Malkakomon whispered. His eyes flashed red, and he began to fly faster in the direction of the itch that he knew Koji was responsible for. "They must die."

Takuya looked to Koji with a light frown on his face. He hadn't expected Koji to step away from the rest of the group, instead believing that the Warrior of Light would try to sleep as soon as he was given the chance. Koji had been exhausted for quite some time, and while he had started to look better after they sat down to eat their rations for the night, he still didn't seem to be back to his full capacity.

"What are you doing here?" Takuya questioned. He took a small step closer, and Koji turned to face him. Takuya almost let out a gasp when he saw just how worried and haunted the other boy's eyes were.

Koji looked absolutely terrified, but he was still trying to hide it beneath something that seemed to resemble composure. He took in a shaky breath before looking down to the dirt. "There's something going on with Duskmon. I'm sure of it," he murmured, seemingly unsure as to how else the conversation could have been started.

Takuya didn't bother saying anything, knowing that Koji was going to have more to say. Sure enough, the Warrior of Light started talking again a moment later. "When we were fighting against him, I could tell that something was wrong. Remember when you fought with Chihiro after your Beast Spirit was found? You shared memories for a moment, and it seriously messed with both of you."

Takuya nodded. "How could I forget? I don't think I'll ever be able to get those pictures out of my head," he muttered with a shake of his head. "Judging by where I think this conversation is going, I would say that you and Velgemon had a similar experience."

"Yeah," Koji said simply. "His memories of the past hit me, and I think that mine went over to him too. We were able to see the experiences of the other, and... I think that Velgemon somehow knows me back on Earth."

"What?" Takuya questioned, his eyes suddenly going wide with surprise. "But surely you would have known if there was anyone notable who could have followed us here, right?"

"In Velgemon's memories, I could see him watching over me. I was with my family, and he was staring at us all. I could tell that he was angry beyond imagination at my father. That makes for two of us," Koji snorted. "I don't know how he could possibly know me though... But there was one other thing that I saw from his memories."

Takuya didn't ask what Koji meant, instead simply watching as the Warrior of Light took in a shaky breath before releasing it. "I saw a woman who looked exactly like my mother," Koji explained.

"What makes that so strange?" Takuya asked, and he realized just how little he knew about Koji's life back on Earth. They had all been so focused on other subjects that it simply never came up, and he was unsure as to anything that Koji had been through prior to arriving in the Digital World.

"My mother died in a car accident when I was young. I was too small to remember her, but my father was all too happy to move on from it all," Koji elaborated. "We've always had a rocky relationship since he expected me to get over my grief even though I was never given the chance to mourn for what could have been. He found another woman, Satomi, and... He's been expecting me to welcome her as part of the family even though we haven't had the chance to fully process what happened to my birth mother. It's disconcerting how easily he was able to move past the death of his wife to find someone else to love."

Takuya remained silent even as Koji let out a heavy sigh before continuing. "When Velgemon and I touched, I saw a boy who was about my age. At least... I think that's how old he was. I had no way of saying for sure. He was looking at this woman who looked almost exactly like the picture I have of my mother. She looked older, but... It was her, and I'm sure of it," he explained carefully. "I don't know how that could be possible though. I was always sure that she had died... But that's not even the strangest part."

Takuya didn't think that things could get any more peculiar, but then Koji went on. "The boy with short hair... I think his name was Koichi... He was speaking with this older woman who told him that he had a twin. I never thought that it could be possible, but... I'm starting to wonder if the connection between me and Velgemon is stronger than I could have ever thought," he told Takuya.

"That's ridiculous," Takuya whispered, unsure of what else he could say. Koji seemed to understand that Takuya had phrased it this way not because he found the circumstances impossible, but because he thought that it was legitimately plausible given the way that Koji had explained it. Velgemon was just as much a human as the rest of them, and there was no way to deny that. The rest of the Fallen Warriors had been human because the Spirits needed a host. Bokomon had explained that much to him not long ago. There was somebody behind Velgemon, and they were all fully aware of it, but there weren't enough clues to put the pieces together regarding who it was.

And then Takuya remembered.

He hadn't been given the chance to say anything, but when he hopped aboard Dark Trailmon and returned to Shibuya (or something that resembled the area), he had seen all of the Legendary Warriors in some way. Takuya had also seen Hinoka, a girl with long light brown and fear painted in her gray eyes. He had witnessed Saki's regular reflective gaze, judging but too detached for any official conclusions to be drawn regarding what had earned their attention.

There had been two versions of Koji as well, but he didn't know how to explain that. Perhaps he had simply shoved the mystery aside because there had been more pressing matters on his mind, but the mention of a boy with short hair being referred to as Koji's twin allowed everything to come together. He still didn't have an explanation as to how Koji's supposedly dead mother had returned to life, but he got the sneaking suspicion that he would be finding out soon enough.

"Oh, hell," Takuya said softly.

Koji tilted his head to the side in confusion, but he never quite got the chance to answer. His attention was suddenly diverted by a low sound in the distance. It was a churning, rumbling noise that demanded everyone give it their full concentration. It certainly worked on Koji, and he was reaching for his D-Tector despite how absolutely exhausted he looked. Takuya would have told Koji to try and get some rest, to leave whatever was coming to the rest of the team, but he knew that it wouldn't work. Koji was too damn stubborn to back down so easily, and it wasn't as if any of them were in much better condition. Spirit Evolving so much in such a short period of time when they were already tired had already shown its terrible side effects, and Takuya wanted nothing more than to sleep for a thousand hours until he felt better.

But that simply wasn't an option, so Takuya reached for his D-Tector yet. His finger remained poised over the activation button even if he didn't press it. There was no reason for him to jump to conclusions, and he was fully aware of such, but he still had the terrible feeling that something was about to go wrong. His heart pounded in his chest, and he looked back to the entrance of the cave. Everyone else was emerging, Bokomon, Neemon, and Patamon included. It seemed that he and Koji weren't the only ones to pick up on the sudden change of atmosphere.

"We're in trouble," Koji murmured, and Takuya wished with everything he had that the Warrior of Light was wrong. Still, he knew how to be realistic thanks to Koji, and he had to be honest with himself.

"Yeah," Takuya agreed. "Yeah, we are."


Update time! Heck yeah!

This chapter offers as a nice break after the nonstop action that the past few chapters have been. I know that chapters 28-32 have been constant moving around with a dozen things to keep track of, but it's way easier to handle now since the group is back together. I figured that it had been a while since we had a chapter that was focused exclusively on character development, so here we are.

This was the perfect chance for us to look into the thoughts of Duskmon, or rather, Malkakomon. He's really fallen from grace compared to how he was before, and just like with the rest of the Fallen Warriors, that's kind of important to the story. We'll simply have to see how that all plays out.

Hinoka actually got a proper introduction this chapter! The problem with introducing Hinoka and Saki in the midst of so much chaos is that they couldn't really take time with becoming part of the group dynamic, so this is our first chance to actually see what Hinoka is like as a person. She's a bit of an anxious wreck no matter the situation, but I love her lots.

Next up, there's the matter of Takuya's conversation with Bokomon. I figured that I would sprinkle in a bit of foreshadowing, but you're going to have to see how that all factors in a bit later. I like to keep my secrets when it comes to stuff like this. Still, this is the resolution and explanation for what happened in chapter twenty-seven since I know you guys have probably been waiting for that for quite some time now. This isn't going to be the last we see of that chapter and its plot beats, but it's been wrapped up for now.

Finally, we have Koji theorizing about the truth. I feel terrible for putting him through so much pain in this arc, but given that he got through acts one and two mostly unscathed, this was inevitable. The same applied to Junpei, but we've already worked through all of that, so that leaves only Koji's problems to be resolved (and Saki's, but I'll get to that next week). It's a shame that Koji and Takuya never got to finish talking about it all because of the cliffhanger. I'm just the worst, aren't I?

Still, you'll have to wait a week before the truth of what happened is unveiled, and until then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is always appreciated, and I hope you all have a nice day! I hope to see you back here next week when chapter thirty-four releases!

-Digital