Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
Digimon Trinity
Chapter: 162/ Interlude 20: Embers of Battle
Leomon stood atop a rooftop, overseeing the emergency workers as they poured through the wreckage of the streets. Many were dead. Many more were injured and still more wouldn't be found until much later. His blue eyes drifted over to a human zipping a bag closed. He was grateful Jeri hadn't pressed the issue about going with him. Even from this distance, he had gotten a good look at the remnants. The bloody mess had been the only thing remotely recognizable as belonging to a human.
I should be down there, helping them, he thought. The wiser voice of experience suggested otherwise. There were a number of humans down below carrying anti-digimon weapons. No doubt, their fingers would be very trigger-happy at the mere sight of a digimon.
Leomon moved on.
The wind rippled through his mane as he bounded from building to building, keeping a sharp eye out for any Digidestined. Sora he was able to account for, having seen her being loaded uncovered into an ambulance. But so far, nothing from the others.
Coming to a landing, Leomon peered over a ledge, pondering whether or not he should swing by Ken's apartment and check to see if anyone was there.
There are still a few more places to check out on the way there, he thought. Taking off at a thunderous run, he leapt into the air. His mind drifted over to Jeri and the unexpected partnership they found themselves in.
It seems that she received her desire after all, he thought grimly. A part of him wished it not to be so. Death had been his fate so far, and it seemed that fate had something else in store for him. What that was, he did not know, but he doubted it would be pleasant for him or, by extension, the young girl whose safety he was now in charge of.
I should leave her. I should go as far away from her as I can.
He grimaced. Another part of him wondered if that was a wise move. If fate had brought him back for a particular purpose, abandoning it would serve no purpose save to make events far worse than they otherwise would be. And even if he did leave, the likelihood of his destiny finding him anyway could not be ignored. The Digidestined, he knew, were bound by that harsh string. They knew it better than anyone. Anyone, except perhaps those that did the binding.
The shadows of night began to stretch further and deeper as the sun slid closer to the horizon. He wondered how long Jeri would wait for him.
Knowing her, as long as it takes, he thought, coming to a heavy landing atop another building.
###
The hard concrete of Guilmon's home felt unusually comfortable against Takato's back as he leaned against it. Kazu and Kenta sat on either side of him. Rika sat with her back to them on the steps, pouring over her phone as news reports came in. Jeri was by her side, her newly acquired digivice gripped tightly in her hand.
His mind cast to his parents, wondering how they were doing.
I'm sure they got somewhere safe, he told himself. They have to be.
A part of him felt as though he were lying to himself so he wouldn't have to worry. Rika had let him use her phone to call the bakery and he got nothing. Not even a dial tone. He wanted to check in on his home and make sure that everything was fine. He…
His eyelids drooped and his chin dropped slightly towards his chest.
"Hey, Chumley," Kazu began, giving him a concerned look. "Are you all right?"
Takato's head snapped up and he looked about. His eyes fell briefly on Jeri and Rika, who had turned at Kazu's words worriedly. Lifting an arm, he brushed his hand against his face. Doing so felt unusually difficult. It was as though a lead weight had been grafted to his wrists.
"Yeah," he forced himself to say with a nod. "It's nothing. Just a little tired." Adjusting his seating, he leaned forward. "Any news, Rika?"
Rika frowned slightly at him before glancing back down at her phone.
"Not really," she said, her tone stiff with tension. "I'm only starting to finally get Internet access and right now the news is all over the place." She chewed her lower lip before adding, "It looks like a lot of people died. That seems to be the only thing anyone can agree on."
Takato felt a deep, sorrowful blackness envelop his heart at that and he looked down at his arms, the skin still slightly red and stiff from his earlier syncing with WarGrowlmon. He swallowed and that fear for his parents rose up in him. Were his parents among the dead? Were Rika's family? Or Kazu and Kenta's? Jeri's? The list ran long in his head.
Feeling as though someone were watching him, he squirmed slightly and chanced a glance about him. He found Jeri's amber eyes on his.
"W-What about your parents?" he asked, forcing his eyes to slide away from Jeri and back onto Rika.
"Nothing…yet," Rika said stiffly.
"I'm sure they're all right," Jeri said, trying to stay upbeat.
"Yeah," Kenta chimed in. "I mean, sure there was a lot of action, but most of the fighting was stuck on Meiji avenue and Toyama Park…"
"Oh, for goodness sake!" Rika shot to her feet angrily. "I'm sick and tired of just sitting around and waiting for news! Renamon?"
"Yes, Rika?" came the vulpine digimon's voice as she materialized next to the fire-haired girl. Rika opened her mouth and then paused, taking in the Rookie's disheveled appearance.
"Hang on," she began, remembering that her partner had just fought her way through a Deva, his minions and Juggernaut. "Are you all right?"
"I will be fine," the kitsune replied, though her tone held within it a touch of exhaustion. "Where do you need me to take you?"
"Renamon…"
"W-What about Guilmon?" Takato began, climbing shakily to his feet. He found himself having to lean against the concrete hut to support himself. His breathing came out a bit short and he wavered, his eyelids feeling even heavier than before. He felt so tired. "He…He can smell…"
"Hey, Chumley. Sit down before you fall down or something, would you?" began Kazu, rising up and taking hold of his friend by the arm. "Dude, you just went through a crazy battle. Don't push yourself."
"I'm afraid I must agree with him, Takato," Renamon said as Rika cast another worried look at the goggle-wearing boy. "In either case, right now, WarGrowlmon has yet to reverse-digivolve. His presence would be a hindrance, not an asset."
"Right. The military would probably think he's another Deva showing up for round 2 and they'd light him up," Rika said. Frowning, she made her way over to Takato, who stubbornly refused to sit down. Grabbing hold of him by the shoulders, she pushed down. Takato's legs unhinged themselves almost straight away and his butt hit the hard ground with a thud.
"Ow!" he cried out, the pain helping him wake up a little, but not by much.
"Sorry," she apologized. "Look. I can't wait around any longer. There's a payphone nearb. Maybe I can use that to reach someone and I've got to at least see what I can find out. I'll check in with you when I've got something."
"Would you like me to transport you?" Renamon asked. Rika shook her head.
"You're too tired. Best to conserve your energy in case a Deva really does want to show up for another round."
She returned her attention back to Takato, her expression softening a little. "I'll catch you later," she said. With that, she quickly drew away and hurried down the stairs. Renamon faded from view, following after her. Takato sighed and leaned back, banging his head lightly against Guilmon's home in frustration. Going to sleep sounded like a good idea, but…
"I can't just sit here either," he said under his breath, fighting against the weight of his eyelids. Jeri looked at him worriedly. Getting up, she made her way over to him and knelt down at his side.
"It's okay, Takato," she said, placing her hand over his and giving it a soft squeeze. "Just rest and take it easy for now. I'm sure Rika will find out something. You'll see."
"Yeah, you might want to listen to her, Chumley," Kazu said in support of the puppet-loving girl. "You look like you might fall asleep on your feet. You can't do anything like this."
"Thanks for the support, Kazu," Takato groaned, his face blushing hard at Jeri's touch. Her fingers slipped around his and he couldn't help but notice how soft they were; how gentle her grip and yet, oddly firm. As though it were all she needed to keep him still.
With a resigned sigh, he closed his eyes.
###
The payphone stared back at Rika, who groaned in humiliation at how much an utter fool she had to look like right now. Renamon stood behind her, head cocked to one side, watching the girl dig through her pockets in growing exasperation.
"Rika?" she asked when the girl turned her front pockets inside out, producing little save for her phone and lint.
"Stupid payphone," she grumbled in response to her partner. "What's the point of keeping these things around for 'emergencies' if you don't have any money for them?"
Rika's blush darkened even further at that and she began to check her back pockets. She hadn't had to worry about keeping any yen on her person for a phone call ever since she got her cellphone and only took some along whenever she went to the card shop. No doubt Takato and his friends had some yen handy, but the idea of going back to them and asking for a handout – especially given how wealthy her family was – struck her as hard for her pride to swallow.
There's got to be something here! she thought desperately, one back pocket turning up empty. One was all that remained. Her face burned and she swallowed. Oh, for goodness sake! Just accept it and go back! There's too much stupid stuff going on right now to be worried about how you'll look! Just…
"Rika?"
Gasping in surprise, Rika whirled about to find Takato's parents approaching her, their expressions a mixture of anxiety and hope. Her heart lurching in her chest, she cast a look behind her, only to sigh in relief to see that Renamon had made herself scarce before they could spot her. Composing herself, she returned her attention back to the Matsuki's.
"M-Mrs. Matsuki," she stammered out. "Mr. Matsuki. I…" She cleared her throat, cursing herself for how unsettled she sounded and then bowed politely to them. Or at least tried to, as Mie dashed toward her and took hold of her by her shoulders.
"Takato? Where's Takato? Was Takato with you when the attack started?"
"Mie…" Takehiro began, coming up behind her and disentangling his wife from the bewildered young girl.
"S-Sorry," Mie croaked, her voice cracking. Looking at the Matsuki matriarch, Rika felt a slight tugging on her heart and thought of her mother and grandmother. She again worried about how they were doing.
"He's fine," she said, to which Mie visibly relaxed, all but collapsing in her husband's arms. "We just got here. He's at…" She hesitated, catching herself before she could say 'Guilmon's home.' "He's at that weird hut up that way."
Takehiro smiled with relief and massaged Mie's shoulders. "Told you that we must have missed him."
"You did no such thing," Mie scowled, giving her husband's hands a light swat before frowning at Rika curiously. "Why isn't he with you? Is he all right?"
I just said that he's fine, Rika wanted to snap. Her temper was already badly frayed, but she held her tongue. "He's tired. And…um…" She chewed her lower lip, fighting against telling her but knowing it would come up anyway as soon as she saw him. "…he's a little bit burned."
"Burned?!" Mie exploded, eyes going wide.
"It's nothing serious!" Rika insisted. "We were up in Toyama Park and there were a bunch of fire digimon. We were far enough away from them but they were setting fire to everything around them and it got pretty hot and…well…Takato." She swallowed, her mind racing. "He just…had to play the knight in shining armor." She blushed, letting the lie work in the minds of Takato's parents. She hated doing so, even more so because of how Takato's mother seemed to view their relationship, but at the moment, it helped formulate the image she wanted them to have rather than the truth. If they knew Takato was a Tamer…
She looks like she gets upset if he loses even a sock, she thought, watching Mie carefully, hoping that she would buy her lie. Mie's eyes flickered in the direction of the stairs.
"It's not serious," Rika insisted. "It's more like he just got a sunburn."
Mie looked back at her before disentangling herself from her husband. Wordlessly, she hurried past Rika, who let out a heavy sigh, suddenly feeling very tired herself.
You owe me one, Gogglehead, she thought irritably before her eyes settled on Takehiro, who hadn't yet moved to join Mie. She coughed, her throat suddenly finding itself parched.
"Were you going to use this?" the man asked, looking down at her. Rika's lips parted, and she nodded hesitantly.
"My cellphone… It hasn't been able to get a call out. I…I was hoping to call my family."
She clenched her fists, suddenly remembering that she had no yen.
"Stupid payphone," she growled, glaring angrily at the technology in question. Chuckling, Takehiro dug into his pocket and produced some yen.
"Here," he said. "Don't worry about paying me back. I'm just glad that my son has someone like you at his side."
Depositing the yen in the stunned Rika's hand, he moved past her and followed after his wife. Rika felt tears suddenly well up in her eyes. Wiping furiously at her face, she plugged the yen into the coin slot and hurriedly dialed her home's landline number. She waited with anxious breath and cheered silently as she got a ring. Two rings. Then three.
She had almost given up on there being an answer when the other end picked up and she heard her grandmother's voice on the other end answer.
"Hello?"
"Grandma!" she exclaimed. Once again, tears appeared, and this time she didn't bother wiping them away. Instead, she drew closer to the payphone, angling her back to the stairs so that if anyone came down them, they wouldn't see her crying.
"Rika! Oh, thank goodness! Where are you?"
"I'm at the park with Takato and Renamon," she answered, struggling to keep herself from speaking too quickly. A flood of emotion just seemed to want to burst out of her. She couldn't allow that to happen. "We're all right. Mom. Is Mom…?"
"We're both fine. Oh, Rika. I'm so glad to hear that you're all right. After Davis, I feared that you might…might have…"
"Davis?" Rika felt herself go stone sober at the way her grandmother's voice cracked. She cradled the phone closer, her damp cheeks no longer registering in her mind. "Grandma. Tell me what happened."
###
Ken sat in the hospital waiting room, the exhausted forms of DemiVeemon, Wormmon and Gomamon in the seat next to him, his jacket serving as a makeshift blanket for them. All around him there were people crying from pain and fear, doctors and nurses calling for patients. Announcements calling for a doctor. Sprawled in his chair, his ankle throbbing painfully, Ken listened to some of it, feeling an odd sense of comfort as order slowly returned to the chaos of the day. No matter the time or place, wherever the presence of doctors was like a promise of eventual calm and they would labor tirelessly until all the hurts that could be fixed, were.
Bless those doctors, he thought, running a hand over Wormmon's battered exoskeleton, covered in grime and webbing – the latter he had hastily thrown together over himself and Gomamon to shield them from the building that collapsed on them. Ken shuddered, remembering how he had found them digging their way out of the rubble.
Another call over the loudspeaker, this time calling for Doctor Kido to report for surgery. Ken frowned slightly and shifted in his seat. He caught movement from out of the corner of his eye and turned to find Sora by his elbow, a cup of coffee in each hand.
"Need a pick me up?" Sora asked. Nodding, Ken gratefully accepted the coffee and took a sip. Bitter and awful tasting, but still a welcome relief.
"They still haven't called you in?" Sora asked, pointing at her cheek in indication of his own injuries as she settled into a chair across from him. Ken pressed a hand against the ugly cut along his face before shaking his head.
"Light injuries," he said. "Low priority. I think I could handle them myself but Joe insists on having a look once he has some free time."
"Free time…" Sora looked about at all the people around them. Some of them were holding blood-soaked gauze pads to an injury, their eyes wild and frightened.
How's Biyomon?" he asked.
"Doing better, thanks." Sora tore her eyes away from the suffering with much effort and took a sip from her cup. "She'll be up and about in no time. She glanced to one side and found Gabumon curled up at the foot of the seat containing the other four digimon. "Still nothing on Matt though."
"Still nothing on a lot of people," Ken said with a shake of his head. "It's going to be a long night. Have you heard anything from the Tamers?"
"Phones are still not working right," Sora said, her lips tight against one another. "Kari will find them though. I'm sure of it." She hitched a heavy, tired sigh and flexed her arm. "I should be out there trying to find them too."
"That's a bad idea in your condition," Ken said with a shake of his head. "You just donated energy to help Biyomon recover. You need to rest."
Sora looked up at him with an annoyed expression, but she couldn't fault him for his logic. She ran a hand through her hair and groaned.
"I wish I could. But every time I close my eyes, I just think of Matt and Rika and Davis…"
And Mimi. Oh God, Lillymon was in all of this. If Mimi experienced any feedback…
A tremble worked its way into her body and she had to force herself to take deep breaths to settle herself.
Lillymon will let us know if something's happened to Mimi and her baby.
Time passed the small group in silence, and eventually Ken found himself with an angry, aching bladder. Pardoning himself, he rose and limped in the direction of the bathroom. His ankle protested irritably the entire way, but as before it held his weight.
I should get going, he thought, entering the men's room and unzipping his fly. Joe ought to be focusing on more critical patients than me. I could be doing something useful like checking in on Izzy and Mimi or trying to find the Tamers or…well…literally anything other than sitting around and doing nothing but wait for a checkup.
He let out a sigh of relief as he began to relieve himself in the nearest toilet. For a second, the only sound that could be heard was the soft trickle of urine on porcelain. That second ended when his phone began to buzz in his pocket.
"Ah, nuts," Ken cursed, squirming in place to retrieve his phone while avoiding any backsplash. Managing to achieve both, he looked at the screen and the sound of water trickling abruptly increased in volume as his eyes widened with excitement. He was getting a call from Izzy! He hit the reply button.
"Izzy!"
"Ken! Thank goodness! I managed to pierce the interference! Where are you?"
"The hospital waiting for news on Matt and Davis." Finishing his business, Ken zipped himself back up. "How are things on your end?"
"We're fine. Mimi's fine."
"Good. Have you heard anything from the Tamers? Kari's out there searching for them right now, but until you called no one's been able to contact them through the usual means."
"No, I haven't, but I'll see if I can contact them. I need to tell you something first. While I was trying to find a way to get through all the interference caused by Juggernaut, I found something. We can't relax our guard just yet! The barriers between our worlds have been badly damaged by everything that's been going on. My sensors are detecting multiple tears that are showing a flow of information between the worlds!"
Ken's eyes widened at that. "Are you saying…?"
"There are portals forming, Ken. And with the shear number of them, there's no telling what might come through!"
###
Despite the fresh clothes she wore, Kari didn't feel any sort of cleanliness about herself. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the blood that had stained the shirt she had used to bandage Davis' head. Blood she felt on her own skin, as though she were wearing that shirt instead. She tried to distract herself from that line of thinking, but everywhere she looked along the broken and battered street of Meiji avenue, she saw emergency workers sifting through the rubble. Every time a body was discovered, she half expected it to be Takato, Henry or Rika that they found.
I couldn't protect them, she thought as some workers shouted for assistance. She paused and watched as the men and women crowded around something. A body by the sounds of it. Her suspicions were swiftly confirmed as one of them shook his head and then, as one, the group knelt down and lifted the corpse up into Kari's view. She found herself choking suddenly for air as she spotted a flash of light reflected off the lens of a pair of goggles seated in the sea of a young boy's hair.
"No… Nononono…" she gagged, starting forward.
"Kari!" Gatomon exclaimed. "Kari, what…?"
I couldn't protect him. I couldn't… No. No… "No! Takato!"
The emergency workers looked up, startled as Kari attempted to break into a run, only for her ankle – still not fully recovered from the day's efforts – to cringe at the effort, forcing her to drop to her knees. Tears swallowed her vision and she knelt there, sobbing.
"Kari!" called Gatomon, coming to her side. "It's not Takato. It's not."
Kari wiped hurriedly at her eyes as Gatomon's voice pierced through the cloud of her horror. Managing a second look before the body bag was zipped closed, she saw that, yes, the boy in question wasn't her former student. Clearly someone though with a similar fashion sense. One part of her felt a wave of relief while another was repulsed by such a reaction. It wasn't Takato, but that didn't mean that the life, now gone, wasn't someone who was important. That someone didn't love them and would be grieved by their loss.
Kari's stomach satisfied the latter emotion by emptying its contents onto the ground in a hot spew of acid.
"This might be a dumb question, but are you all right?" Gatomon asked.
"No." Kari shook her head. "I'm not. But I have to keep going. If Takato and the others are all right, then they'll probably be at the park. We're almost there."
"It's still a ways off," Gatomon said, looking down at Kari's ankle. The feline digimon wished that she had enough strength to digivolve again. Kari had bandaged her injury hastily before setting off, but there was only so much that could be done. "You really ought to rest."
"I'll rest when I find out if Takato is all right," Kari said, pushing herself up with her good foot. "Gatomon, please understand that I'm responsible for him. This isn't just because I used to be his teacher…"
"I know," Gatomon interrupted. "But you still shouldn't be pushing yourself like this. If you get too worked up, you might become targeted by the Darkness again."
Kari glanced away and took an unsteady step forward. Her bad ankle supported her with only a slight groan of protest, and she proceeded on more confidently, but with continued wariness.
"Come on, Gatomon," she said. Gatomon sighed and fell into step beside her, once again wishing that she had the energy for digivolving. There was just no getting through to her partner while she was like this. Nothing, not even her ankle, could stop her.
Wish I still had some catnip, she thought miserably. That would have helped with the ankle at least. But I just had to have a good roll with my last bit. Should have known my luck would have run like that.
They continued on in silence, eventually reaching the edges of the park. Kari shuddered at the sight. With night creeping closer, the shadows were growing deeper and darker, leaving Kari feeling as though she were approaching a corner of the Dark Ocean.
Get a grip, Kari, she told herself, stepping into the park. She half-fancied that she heard the sound of ocean waves, but she dismissed such notions as her overactive imagination, brought on by the severity of the day's events.
Yet, she couldn't help but feel an unsettling sense that she was being watched.
Plodding along, she heard the sound of voices from up ahead. Drawing closer, they began to take on a familiar tone, and soon enough, a relieved smile broke across her face. That was Takato for sure! And he was with his parents! Her suspicions were soon confirmed as they came into view.
"What's the deal with that giant hole in that hut?" Takehiro asked the boy. Takato, looking uncomfortable, began to look away evasively.
"Um… I was trying to dig to America?" he offered. Takehiro grinned, but Mie scowled.
"Well, whatever you were doing, you worked up quite the appetite. We're going to have a long talk about all the food you've been taking from the bakery."
"Awww… But Mom, it was all day-old and day-old-day-old bread. We almost never sell that."
"I don't care, Takato. We run a business, and I'm thinking that if you're going to be eating our product, you ought to pay for it. Maybe we should have you work more in the bakery. That way you'll have an appreciation for all the hard work we put into it."
"But Mom…"
"Don't but me, mister!"
"I don't know, Mie," Takehiro grinned. "If we put him to work, he won't have much time for that Rika."
"Dad!" Takato exploded, his face blooming bright red, the color visible now as he and his family drew closer. Kari smiled upon seeing it. For the briefest of moments, the day almost felt normal and the horrible nightmare that it actually was became distant.
"You shouldn't say that," Takato insisted to his father. "Rika and I aren't like that!"
"Oh?" Mie pressed, surprised by this. "Well, then I guess she won't mind that I put you to work, will she?"
"Takato!" Kari called, deciding that now was as good a time as any to interrupt her former student's misery.
"Ms. Kamiya!" Takato looked up at her approach, eyes going wide with surprise. Breaking away from his family, he ran over to her. "Oh man, am I glad to see you. After today, I was almost sure that…that…you know."
Takato trailed off, a shadow falling over his crimson eyes. Planting her paws on her hips, Gatomon struck a proud pose.
"Not a chance. We cats have nine lives after all, and I still have a few to spare still."
"I'm glad to see that you're all right, Takato," Kari said, bowing to the boy. "And you as well, Mr. and Mrs. Matsuki."
"Did you come all the way out here to look for him?" Mie asked, arching an incredulous eyebrow. Kari's mind raced for a second, realizing how this might appear.
"I'm making my rounds on all of my former students," she said, hoping to deflect attention away from their son. "I may not be their teacher anymore, but old habits are a little bit hard to break."
"Jeri, Kazu and Kenta are still up that way," Takato said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "They're all fine too." He hesitated before adding, "Jeri though…um… She might… She…"
Kari tilted her head to one side at Takato's hesitance.
There's something he's trying to say to me, but he doesn't want his parents to hear it.
"I'll make sure to see her," she said. "I'm glad that you're all alright. Be safe getting home."
"Thank you for checking in on him," Mie said, bowing to her. As Kari departed, she heard the boy's mother berate him for causing his teacher "So much trouble when she did so much to look after him."
The sounds of Takato and his parents faded and was replaced by that of the park. The shadows deepened as she and Gatomon made their way down the winding path. The feline digimon's whiskers twitched and she cast her eyes about, scowling slightly.
"Something feels weird," she said.
"What does, Gatomon?" Kari asked.
Gatomon's whiskers twitched again in agitation. "I feel like I've got eyes on me. I don't like it."
Kari didn't say anything. That sense of being watched had returned, but no matter where she looked, she saw nothing but trees and shadows.
Shadows that could hide anything, she thought, and a shiver passed through her. She fancied again, that she heard the sound of waves crashing against a distant shore.
"Queen Kari…"
The whisper caused her foot to catch on the ground, almost making her trip up.
"Kari?" Gatomon asked. "Are you all right?"
"It's just my ankle," the Digidestined of Light insisted. "I'm fine. I'm…"
"Queen…"
"…fine."
"…Kari."
A dozen red eyes lit up about her. Kari gasped.
"N-No… Not again…"
"We've come for you," whispered a voice.
"We need you," whispered another.
"Step off!" Gatomon hissed, the fur on her back rising as she lifted her claws threateningly. "Don't you come near her!"
"We need you," the voices repeated, merging in unison with others that took up the call.
"I already told you, I'm never joining you," Kari said, her voice quavering. She whirled about, trying to find an escape route, but eyes were all about them now. They were surrounded!
"Kari," began Gatomon, falling into a fighting posture. "When I say run, run. I'll try and punch our way through."
"No," the voices cried softly, a fine mist rising up about the pair. "You can't. We need you. Need you to save us."
Shadowy arms tore free from the fog and gripped Kari's legs with cold, vicelike grips. Kari screamed, attempting to kick them away, but they held firm.
"Kari!" Gatomon yelled, attempting to dash toward her partner, but hands tore up from the mist and snaked about her, holding her fast. She squirmed and bit and hissed, slashing her tail-ring about. White light flashed and there came a cry from the darkness. Yet, they held firm.
"Save us. Save us," they moaned, their chorus dissolving and becoming fragmented. We need you."
"Let us go!" Kari yelled, finding herself beginning to sink down into the mist. Cold water slid along her legs, lapping at her pants and spilling into her shoes. A flash of a nightmare – a memory of a repressed drowning horror – ripped across her mind. Her eyes went wide and she swallowed a desperate last gasp of air before the digital field swallowed the rest of her and her partner.
"We can't let you go," the voices continued, their unity reforming. We need you to save the digital world."
The fog faded, taking with it the shadows, Kari and Gatomon.
10
