No matter how much Koushiro tried to stay focused on the task at hand regarding acquiring food for the Digimon as soon as possible, he found his mind continued to stray back to the subject of the strange six Digivice signals that had appeared on his computer's radar. He just couldn't avoid the thought process no matter how hard he tried, and it truly was starting to frustrate him. He had to find the truth behind what that all meant as soon as possible for the sake of feeding his own curiosity. He didn't know what he was supposed to do if he was left in suspense for too much longer.
Then again, Koushiro supposed that it was in his nature to do things this way. He had always been the curious sort, and that was the reason that he had been given the Crest of Knowledge in the first place. That was what the Crest of Knowledge meant as far as Koushiro was concerned: it revolved around curiosity regarding the rest of the world and the drive to come to understand that it was that helped the planet to keep spinning on a grand and individual scale. He was pushed onwards by his curiosity, and it motivated him through the toughest of times. Unfortunately, it could also be his greatest distraction in a time when he needed to stay focused, and this seemed like a textbook example of such a moment.
"You're still thinking about those signals, aren't you?" Tentomon asked from his place at Koushiro's side. The bug Digimon was flying beside Koushiro, as even if he was struggling with evolution, it was still his preferred method of communication.
"I am," Koushiro admitted, knowing that he wouldn't have been able to hide the truth even if he wanted to. Tentomon knew him too well, and there wasn't a point to trying to keep this a secret when everyone was already fully aware of his habits regarding investigations for honesty. He wanted to focus on finding out what it was that those six signals could mean, but he knew that there were more important matters at that moment. His wonder would have to wait for a while longer whether he wanted it to or not.
"I'm sure that we'll be able to go and figure out what that was all about soon enough," Miyako pointed out from her place behind Koushiro. "I'm sure that the answers will come to us when the time is right. We all know that the Digital World doesn't like revealing all of its secrets right off the bat when we start wondering about something, right?"
Koushiro nodded, remembering all that he had done in his search of answers and truth during their initial journey to the Digital World. He held vague whispers of memories in which he had let go of his heart in favor of something far darker, but he chose not to acknowledge those moments if he could avoid doing so. He had vowed many years ago to not go so far in the name of truth ever again, but that didn't stop the curiosity from sneaking up on him when he least expected it.
"I think that we're getting closer to a place where we can stop for food," Wormmon declared, his voice small among the vast expanse of space that surrounded the Chosen Children on all sides. "Maybe we can think things over regarding those new Digivice signals when we finally get the chance to sit down."
"That sounds good," Koushiro agreed. He was glad that Wormmon had suggested it, because he was desperate to get his thoughts out into the open. He had to start theorizing as soon as possible for his own peace of mind. It was how he released extra tension when it started to build up in his chest, and who was he to deny his own mechanisms of functioning?
"Then let's go on and get to it!" Miyako cried out with a grin as she pretended with everything she had that there was no wavering quality to her smile. Meiko watched her with muted admiration through exhausted eyes, and the group fell silent in preparation for whatever leg of their journey was bound to come next. They weren't sure of what they would be finding within the next few hours, but they were going to do what they could to be ready to face whatever it was that came their way. Adaptation was part of survival, after all, and they desperately needed to survive.
She could hear it.
Takeru, Iori, and Hikari had finished eating alongside their partner Digimon, and all three of the small creatures had evolved back to their regular forms, whether that be at the Child or Adult level. Takeru was taking care of paying for the meal with that signature charming smile of his that seemed to fall perfectly on his features no matter how the light caught him. Iori was focusing on his D-Terminal silently as he waited for the others to respond to his inquiry about a meeting place. Nobody had responded while they were eating, and Iori was hopeful that they would have a destination before they left the building.
Hikari, on the other hand, was barely focused on the present. The whispers in her ear were familiar ones, and she perked up as she glanced around in curiosity. This had happened before, and she was fully aware of what was going to happen if she let the voices take control of her. Homeostasis was the name of the being that had come to claim her lips when a message had to be passed on. It had first happened years ago during their first journey through the Digital World, and Hikari, while not specifically growing used to it, was aware of what it meant for her. She was going to have to give Homeostasis the chance to speak.
Tailmon perked up when she noticed that her partner was acting strangely. "What is it, Hikari?" Tailmon asked, her tail flicking behind her ominously. Hikari knew that this was simply a matter of her partner being defensive. After all, Tailmon had always been the protective sort, and the last time that Hikari had claimed that she was hearing voices of the supernatural variety, she had been dragged off to the Dark Ocean and barely managed to find her way back. It had been a dangerous situation, and Tailmon was never going to be able to forget it. Hikari could hear the paranoia in the cat Digimon's voice, and no person would ever be able to ignore such a pattern of panic.
"I think that Homeostasis wants to speak with us," Hikari murmured to Tailmon. "I can feel it... Her presence is close, and I think that she's going to want to pass on a message as soon as the full team is back together."
That caught Tailmon's attention, and her eyes went wide. Before she was given the chance to say anything in response to Hikari, Takeru returned to the table, sliding effortlessly into his seat beside Patamon and Hikari. "Is something the matter?" he questioned. This was enough to get Iori and Armadimon's attention as well, and all eyes at the table were locked squarely on Hikari.
"We have to meet up with the rest of the group as soon as possible," Hikari forced herself to say. "Homeostasis... I believe that she's trying to get into contact with us." Homeostasis was a careful being, and Hikari had always appreciated that about her. Homeostasis had spent much time trying to get to know Hikari and communicating with her before she fully took over Hikari's body for the first time, establishing a connection of trust so that Hikari understood that she could be trusted.
Using feminine pronouns for Homeostasis was a bit of arbitrary decision, Hikari had to confess. Homeostasis had seemingly presented herself in a feminine way given that she only ever spoke through Hikari, and her voice, while deeper than Hikari's by a long shot, was still refined and elegant in a way that brought to mind a patient woman made of rainbow light in Hikari's imagination. The rest of the Chosen Children had ultimately followed suit when Hikari first made the decision to refer to Homeostasis in such a way, and the pieces simply fell into place effortlessly from there.
Takeru let out a small gasp when he heard Hikari's words. "I'm surprised that she's attempting to reach out," he admitted under his breath. "I suppose that she has a lot to talk to us about now... It seems as if everything has changed since the last time that we were in contact with her agents even though it wasn't all that long ago." He let out a small laugh through an awkward smile, and Hikari understood exactly what he was talking about. Takeru was right. Even though it hadn't been long since they spoke with Qinglongmon, it felt like a lifetime away.
"We'll have to wait until the rest of the group meets up with us," Iori said as he folded his D-Terminal and put it away in his pocket. "I've suggested that we go to the place where we regularly meet with Qinglongmon. I believe that would be a nice location to start from, especially if Homeostasis wants to speak with us about the recent events plaguing the Digital World.
"Sounds good to me," Takeru grinned as he scooped Patamon up into his arms. The small orange hamster clambered to the top of Takeru's head, eventually settling down simply atop his partner's hat. Takeru reached one hand up to pat at his partner, and Patamon laughed to himself before nuzzling against Takeru's hand.
"Let's go on and get going then," Hikari suggested as she smiled to herself. She was admittedly somewhat nervous about what Homeostasis was going to say. Gaining information was never a bad thing, especially when they were wanting for knowledge as they were in present times, but she still found herself strangely nervous about the whole situation. She only prayed that it didn't hit an unfortunate peak before they could uncover the truth of what was taking place.
The walk away from the China Town in the Digital World was a blur to Hikari, and she barely seemed to register any of it. Homeostasis had stopped whispering into her ear, seemingly satisfied that Hikari understood that the time had come for them to communicate. Hikari was hoping that she would be able to learn the truth regarding Homeostasis' new presence even when she was no longer in control of her body. She lacked memories from the times in which Homeostasis took control, though she supposed that this was to be expected.
Tailmon curled around her legs, and Hikari smiled at the simple gesture. It wasn't all that much, but it was al that Hikari needed in order for her fears to be soothed. Everything was going to be fine as long as the rest of the group remained at her side. She was sure of that much. They were going to be there for her no matter what happened, and she would always do the same for them, even if the world felt like it was trying to tear their shared universe in two. They had survived in the past, and Hikari was going to make sure that they survived again in the future.
Yamato wasn't used to doing this much walking anymore.
Back when the group was going on their first adventure through the Digital World, walking had been the only option. It was the best way for them to get from point A to point B, and it wasn't as if they had the ability to travel through the use of specified gates. They just had to deal with wherever they just so happened to end up. Over the years, the necessity for constant walking had decreased because of the special gates that could be opened through the use of any laptop. Yamato had gotten less and less used to walking over time as a result, and he didn't fully realize that this was the case until he, Taichi, and Sora were forced to march with their partners through the Digital World.
Tsunomon was rested firmly between Yamato's arm and torso, and the small horned Digimon was on the verge of drifting off to sleep. Yamato couldn't blame him in the slightest, knowing that he would have wanted to sleep if he had been involved in so much constant combat that day as well. He allowed himself to stroke absentmindedly at the top of his partner's head as he let out a small sigh under his breath.
That morning had left all of them on edge. It felt like Yamato practically couldn't escape his nerves, and he wondered if they were going to eat him alive before he was able to find a way to soothe them. If the situation wasn't quite so dire, Yamato would find a guitar and start strumming until the tension vanished through the vibrating strings. It was how he always kept himself from being driven over the edge in the past, and he missed having easy access to something so simple. He would be able to return to such actions soon enough, he was sure, but until then, he was just going to have to bite back his anxiety on his own.
Sora suddenly stopped walking, prompting Pyocomon to glance up at her partner with an exhausted, half-lidded expression. "What is it, Sora...?" Pyocomon asked as she struggled to regain a grasp on reality. Because Pyocomon, Koromon, and Tsunomon had done so much work to defeat the invasion of Digimon back on Earth by taking out more of the enemies than any other team, they were beyond exhausted. Suddenly, that felt blatantly obvious, and Yamato felt a shudder run up his spine at the idea that they were so notably unprotected in a hostile world.
"I could have sworn that I just heard something," Sora explained, her voice starting to waver slightly. She seemed to have become fully aware of their lack of security as well, and her eyes immediately began to flicker around in search of something that could be used for safety and cover in case of an attack. It wasn't as if they would be able to fight back given how exhausted and hungry the Digimon were, so fleeing would be their only option.
Yamato's stomach tied itself into a knot, and he found himself feeling as if he was hearing something as well. It reminded him of the flapping of wings, and given the events of the day leading up to that point, the mere thought that something of that nature was possible made him feel sick to his stomach. They had to get out of plain view as soon as possible. Whatever was making that noise likely wasn't friendly, and Yamato was confident that they had to hide before everything started to splinter apart beneath his very grasp.
Yamato slowly but surely turned his face towards the sky, and he saw exactly what it was that was making the loud noise that had drawn Sora's attention. He resisted the urge to let out a swear when he recognized that it was a Digimon, and likely a strong one at that. Even though the details of the Digimon's body were blocked out by the sun, Yamato was confident that he could see a patch of black data gleaming bright and ominous among the few features that he could make out. That was not a good sign.
"We have to get going. Start moving," Taichi said in a low hiss. He was only speaking as quietly as he was to ensure that the Digimon overhead didn't catch them in their radar. Taichi started running soon afterwards, doing what he could to control his landings so that he didn't make too much noise. Sora started moving next, and Yamato was the third of them to start running in the proper direction to get as far away as possible.
Yamato felt as if his heart was about to explode from his chest. He wasn't meant for all of this constant stress, damn it. The Digimon overhead was still a mystery as far as identity was concerned, but that didn't mean much to Yamato. After all, they were going to be in trouble no matter what Digimon it was. The dark patch of data made it clear that they were in danger, and their first step had to be getting as far away from this scene as possible.
Unfortunately, the sound of rushing wings overhead drew Yamato's attention up once again. The Digimon had noticed them despite their attempts to stay as quiet as possible, and it wasn't long before the Digimon was diving towards them with newfound vigor. Tsunomon let out a gasp and ducked down so that he was hiding in Yamato's grasp. Yamato threw himself onto the ground in a crouch so that he didn't get hit by the vast expanse of wings that was rushing towards him.
By some miracle, Yamato didn't sustain damage from the attack, and he began to breathe heavily as he turned his attention to the sky once again. The Digimon had swept his body away temporarily, but Yamato was confident that he was going to be returning again soon. Yamato's lungs were practically screaming for air even though he was breathing just fine. They needed to get as far away as possible. Yamato had already been aware of this fact, but it seemed to hit him all over again because of his close shave with danger.
"Just keep running!" Sora cried out as Yamato fully started sprinting once again. Running was their only option if they wanted to stay alive. The Digimon were too tired to fight back, and adrenaline wasn't going to be able to do them much good if they were too exhausted to even maintain the Child level. This was a disaster.
"What Digimon even is that?!" Taichi yelled out as he glanced down to Koromon briefly. All three of the partner Digimon, while now back to their full alertness, were still terrified of what was happening, and that much was clear as could be.
"Murmukusmon!" exclaimed Koromon in response. "He's not a Digimon that we want to mess around with!" He let out a yelp as Murmukusmon began to prepare for another dive at the ground, and his head suddenly seemed to find a home buried against Taichi's chest.
Yamato managed to jump out of Murmukusmon's range at the last possible second, and his heart was screaming at him to stop doing so many risky things in such a short span of time. He would have loved to listen to such an inclination, but he knew that it wasn't quite that easy. Every part of his body was screaming at him all over again, and Yamato wanted nothing more than to find a cave to curl up in and wait for all of this to blow over. Deep down, Yamato knew that the world wasn't going to listen to his wishes no matter what he wanted. The universe had decided what to do next, and all he could do at that point was simply cope with the aftermath.
"We're going to be fine!" Sora cried out, though Yamato could tell by the way that her voice buckled under its own weight that she was trying to convince herself just as much as the rest of the group. Somehow, that didn't help Yamato in the slightest, and he wished that he had never even noticed the truth in the first place. When had everything fallen apart to such a degree? He didn't understand it, but he knew for sure that he hated it.
Hiraku kept his laptop held tightly against his chest as he and Atsuo continued to walk through the Digital World. Everything around them was vibrant and perfect, and the grass seemed to bow at the most splendid angle with the wind that swept through the area. It was almost impossible to describe how resplendent the Digital World appeared to be, and Hiraku found himself smiling quietly as a way of keeping himself from showing his excitement in full.
He and Atsuo had wound up in the Digital World by complete luck thanks to the power of the former's laptop. The Digital World had wanted them to come, and Hiraku was more than happy to listen to its call. Judging by the way that Atsuo couldn't keep his lopsided smile free of his lips, it was clear that he was in much the same situation. It was ridiculous for them to believe that they had wound up in the Digital World in the first place, but they weren't about to protest it. After all, this was a good thing, and who were they to ignore a gift that they had been granted by the universe?
"They've got to be around here somewhere," Atsuo murmured as he reached for his small silver device. He had been looking at it damn near constantly since he and Hiraku found themselves in the Digital World. "I'm sure that they're here somehow... All we have to do is find them."
"Then let's see if we can find them," Hiraku suggested, and Atsuo responded with a firm nod and a grin. Hiraku's expression softened slightly upon seeing Atsuo's notable joy, and he found himself hoping that he would be able to keep this situation as positive as possible if not for his sake, then for Atsuo's.
One thing that Hiraku had come to know about Atsuo over the years was that while Atsuo smiled a lot with that wide and incredible grin of his, there was a difference when something made him feel truly happy. Something about him just seemed to switch and fall into place, making everything suddenly seem strangely perfect. Hiraku didn't know how to articulate it since he was hardly a wordsmith or anything that even came close, but he knew how to point it out when he saw it.
That moment certainly seemed to point to this newfound sense of glee in Atsuo. There had been something buried and weary about Atsuo for the past fifteen years, and Hiraku was glad to see that it had been dispelled. Atsuo had first taken up his interest in music around that time as well, and that was the first step to him coming to write pieces for his band as well. Despite appearances, Atsuo was a strong songwriter, and Hiraku was fully aware of the weight behind the lyrics that Atsuo put into effect when he was standing before a microphone.
Hiraku had been there when many of the events that came to shape Atsuo took place. He had seen many things that had changed Atsuo's life for better or worse, and his experience of the world had been altered in much the same way. An unexpected set of scenery had been the backdrop of change for them both, and Hiraku still found himself almost overwhelmed when he thought about the strange ways that the universe saw fit to present itself throughout their younger years.
"I think we're getting closer," Atsuo suddenly cut in, and Hiraku was yanked away from his internal monologue immediately. He glanced up to see Atsuo's eyes narrowed in shining determination. "I'm confident that we're about to find them... We can do this. I'm sure of it."
Hiraku simply smiled and nodded, glad that Atsuo was so confident. When he began to focus, he could feel something similar, as if the universe itself was whispering into his ear that they were about to find what they had spent so many years searching for. Hiraku knew that everything was going to be okay at long last. After years of waiting and seeking the truth, they were going to find what they had been looking for, and Hiraku could hardly wait for what was to come next. After all, this was bound to be a reunion that went down in history.
One thing that Kaya found strange about the Digital World was how easily it seemed to cure all of Chisane's issues.
Chisane had always been fragile and frail. Kaya could still remember how sickly Chisane had been back when they were kids, seemingly always caught up in some seasonal sickness or another. Chisane did her best to make the most out of life despite this, but it was still clear that she struggled to live a normal existence as long as her immune system remained as weak as it was. Kaya had been forced to act as Chisane's pillar for stability for many years, not that she particularly minded it. In fact, she was happy that she was able to help out. Kaya enjoyed spending time with Chisane since while their personalities were radically different, they still meshed much better than any other could anticipate. It certainly made Chisane's life easier, and if that was the case, then who was Kaya to complain?
The Digital World, on the other hand, was something that easily cured all of that without the need for any outside assistance. Chisane, who had previously struggled with silent headaches throughout her time in Odaiba, barely seemed to mind what was happening in the Digital World. She was able to press her shoulders back with a wide grin across her face as she embraced the gentle kiss of a breeze that passed through the area. Chisane seemed to stop every once in a while just to enjoy the fact that they were there at all, to embrace the idea that they were still alive. Many other people would have found it strange, but Kaya didn't mind it in the slightest. As long as it made Chisane happy, that was what mattered most.
"It's strange to be back here after all this time," Chisane confessed. "The Digital World has done so much damage on the other side of the barrier, but here... Here, it just feels perfect that we're here at all. I love being able to feel the wind on my face again after all this time."
Kaya, on the other hand, felt no such joy. She shrugged to herself before shaking her head. "I guess it's fine enough," she muttered. The Digital World, in her opinion, had reeked of pain for a long time. She wasn't the type to be open with her emotions to those outside of Chisane, but it was still clear that she struggled at the idea of the Digital World.
"We're not back then," Chisane pointed out. "We might be back here, but we aren't back then. This is the present. It's 2005, and it feels like we finally have the chance to be alive for the first time since we were kids. It's amazing, if I'm being honest with you."
Oh, time. What a cruel, unforgiving mistress it was. Kaya had come to terms with such a fact many years prior, and yet, it never seemed to do anything to prove itself wrong. The truth was undeniable, and Kaya wasn't going to try and fight it. Instead, she simply sighed and tried to think about how it was true that fifteen years had passed since the last time that she was here in the Digital World. A lot had changed. She had changed. She had once been a snarky, volatile young girl with the ability to snap at anything if given proper reasoning and five seconds to steam over. In present times, she was detached yet caring, knowing when to nurture others and when to pull away. Kaya had become a better person since then, and for all she knew, the Digital World had become a better place.
Of course, the Digital World was going to have to prove itself before Kaya believed anything. The Digital World that had imprinted itself upon her memory was a place that was just as temperamental as she had been as a child. It was a harsh location to survive in, and Kaya had never understood how Digimon did it. The world had been cutthroat, lacking in any sense of order as everyone simply went out and tried to find a way to get by. Digimon seemed to die every day due to murder or some other gruesome affair, and Kaya was confident that she had seen more than enough death over her time within the Digital World.
But if Chisane was feeling better about being there, then maybe Kaya could try to get attached to the Digital World. Chisane had been absolutely destroyed the first time that they were in the Digital World, and while some bitter part of Kaya's mind told her that Chisane was only being so kind about it because she felt a sense of obligation to this other realm, she knew that Chisane's perception was second to none. If Chisane felt safe somewhere, then chances were that the location was secure. If Chisane knew that something was wrong, then Kaya was going to get the hell out of there to resolve the issue as soon as possible. It was a combination of Chisane's senses and sickness that had driven them away from Odaiba in the first place, and as far as Kaya was concerned, that had been a mission success.
"Alright," Kaya murmured. This seemed to be a new Digital World, so she might as well try to make the most of it. Chisane was feeling better about it than she had been previously, and that had to count for something. Kaya forced a struggling, staggering breath through her lungs before she closed her eyes. She was safe for the time being, and she had to remember that. She wasn't under attack from some outside monster, and she was going to have to keep that in mind until the time came to switch gears. She knew that something was going to go wrong sooner or later, but for those few precious moments, she was safe. That was important.
After a brief pause, Chisane spoke up once again. "I think that we're getting closer now," she told Kaya, forcing the other woman to glance in her direction. "I can just feel it, you know? I'm positive that there's still more that we're going to see while we're here, and... They're going to be around here somewhere. That much I'm positive of."
"I'm glad that you're so certain of that much," Kaya confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. Despite her attempts to try and loosen up at the idea of the Digital World having changed since the last time that she was there, she found herself struggling to fully let go of her past grudges. Then again, that made sense for her in context. Kaya was fully aware that she had always been a petty person, and trying to force herself to move past that had been a losing battle from day one. It was the trace remnants of her volatility from the earliest stages of her life, and after trying to hard for much of her life to become less vitriolic, she came to accept that this was likely going to be what was left behind no matter how hard she tried to free herself of the burdens that came with the past.
"Let's keep moving," Chisane suggested, gently guiding Kaya way from the darker subjects with her kind smile and cheerful eyes. Kaya knew that it was a way of keeping her from being pushed over the edge by her own hatred of the Digital World, and she was admittedly glad that Chisane was putting in so much effort to try and help her to feel better about the situation. It truly did emphasize the depth of their relationship, and Kaya found that she would always be able to hold this one part of her life close as precious no matter what she was confronted with.
At present though, the thing that she was left to face down was the Digital World itself. Kaya bit down on her lip and tried to force her opinions back down her throat before she could speak them into the air once again. She didn't want to pollute the air with her further anxiety and agitation if it could be avoided, so she would just stay quiet instead.
She was just going to have to focus on the positives of this situation. She and Chisane were getting closer to being able to return to life as normal. They were finally about to find what they had been searching for in silent moments of emotional turmoil for the past decade and a half. The Digital World had taken much from them, but it had also given them one of the greatest gifts to ever exist, and Kaya could only pray that they were able to enjoy said presents before the world decided to fracture everything once again the same way that it always seemed to.
Koushiro kept his laptop open as he, Ken, Miyako, and Meiko continued their quest through the Digital World with their partners in tow. Their steps had grown heavy and slow, a sign that they weren't going to be able to keep this up forever. Then again, that was to be expected given the circumstances of the day leading up to that point. Fighting against so many Digimon had proved itself to be quite difficult, and even while they did well after they were able to fall into a routine, that did little to eliminate the initial sting of exhaustion that came with a slap to the face of this nature.
"You're still thinking about those signals, aren't you?" Miyako questioned as she came to walk beside Koushiro. Her brown eyes were just as inquisitive and as always, and it was clear that she was trying, at least to the best of her ability, to pull Koushiro out of his own head. He knew that it was one thing that he tended to suffer from when he started focusing on a specific subject. His determination for truth and answers practically kept him from seeing anything else that was happening in the world around him, and while he had been able to lessen the impact of such an issue in the past few years, it would always remain something that he would struggle with. He was sure of that much.
"Yeah, I am," Koushiro confessed as he glanced back to the screen. The six foreign Digivice signals were on the move, and they had been trading positions with new quadrants on the map for quite some time leading up to that point. It was never able to fully resolve the unfortunate curiosity that brewed in Koushiro's stomach with the promise of spilling over as soon as it was given a chance to do so, but he decided to take solace in the fact that everything would calm itself soon enough. That was what he was hoping for, at the very least. He had to get all of this out of his head and into physical motion as soon as possible for his own sake.
"We should be getting closer to a place where we can rest now," Ken suddenly said, turning his head over his shoulder so that he was addressing Koushiro and Miyako directly. "I'm confident that we're coming up on a familiar location that will be able to help us for at least a short while."
"I'm glad to hear it," Meiko murmured from her place at the back of the group. She still appeared to be lost in thought, not that Koushiro could particularly blame her. It seemed as if that happened whenever a Crest triggered itself for the first time, forcing people to consider what their trait means to them when push comes to shove. Meiko, being so new to the group, was bound to struggle with it more than most, and such a fact hardly surprised Koushiro in the slightest.
If he was being honest, something about Meicoomon's evolution to Meicrackmon was bothering him as well, though he struggled to properly lay a finger on why that was. Surely there had to be a reason for Meicoomon's sudden evolution, but he still couldn't figure out why it was that Meicrackmon had evolved in the first place. Crest activations were often internal and external displays of the trait that they embodied, but Meiko simply seemed off somehow, though Koushiro doubted that he would ever be able to find the words to explain why that was.
Meicoomon's evolution to Perfect had come at the clinching moment needed to win the battle, and despite her general lack of experience with combat, she was able to dispose of Assaultmon rather easily, almost as if it wasn't any effort to her in the slightest. Koushiro couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he was allowing his wild theories to get the better of him again, but something about the situation just didn't sit right in his stomach. Could there have been more to this story that he simply hadn't caught onto yet? If so, what did all of that even mean?
"Meiko, do you happen to know anything about your Crest?" Koushiro questioned as he began to slow down so that Meiko was walking alongside him. The rest of the group followed suit, leaving all eyes, human and Digimon, locked squarely on the girl with black hair.
Meiko seemed to notice that she had become the center of attention and began to fumble over her own words, stumbling through the syllables before she finally managed to respond. "N-No..." she admitted. "I don't know what it could mean. All I know is that the evolution of Meicoomon to Perfect just happened when I thought about how much I wanted to keep all of you safe and stop Assaultmon... I was really worried about what would happen if I didn't try to stand up and defend you from him, so I thought about how easily everything would go south if I didn't make an attempt to keep you safe."
Koushiro found himself frowning at those words. That hardly sounded like the exemplification of a positive trait to him; in fact, it seemed more like the complete opposite, as if Meiko had wound up embracing her insecurities to trigger an evolution. But that simply wasn't possible. After all, Crests were meant to correspond to positive traits that were found within the heart of the individual at a crucial moment in their lives. How could Meiko putting herself down internally do anything to help an evolution take place? It simply didn't make sense to Koushiro.
"Maybe your Crest's name will come to you soon enough," Miyako suggested with a shrug, though Koushiro could see that there was a faint trace of suspicion rising in Miyako's gaze no matter how hard she tried to hide it. In fact, the same very much so applied to Ken, who forced himself to look down at Wormmon, who was nesting in his arms, so that he wasn't looking directly at Meiko as he thought through what all of this could mean.
"We had to be told what our Crests meant the first time too," Koushiro found himself saying with a gentle smile. He could still remember Sora returning from her extended journey of the Digital World and saying the names of all of their Crests in that somber way of hers. She had explained their traits with sorrow in her heart because she claimed not to understand the very power that she had been given. Koushiro had kept his distance throughout their camping period that night, uncertain of how to approach her without somehow offending her the way that Taichi and Yamato had by accident earlier in the day. Even so, the truth remained that Koushiro and the rest of the team had been told of their Crests and their meanings. In the end, the same applied to Hikari, who was informed of the true power of the Crest of Light through a third party as well.
"I'm glad to hear that," Meiko admitted with a small laugh and a shake of her head. "I know that it sounds ridiculous when I put it like this, but... I guess I was a little worried that it was going to be something bad somehow. After all, when we met with Qinglongmon, he was able to identify the Crests that were given to Daisuke, Miyako, and Iori, but... He barely seemed to know anything about me or whatever powers that I have with my Crest."
"Qinglongmon and the rest of the Agents of Order had a part in creating our Crests, so that's how he was able to figure everything out about them so quickly," Miyako assured her. "I'm sure that we'll be able to find out the truth behind your Crest soon enough. The answers have to be out there somewhere. The Digital World is a big place, so if we search hard enough, we're bound to find what we're looking for. All we have to do is give it a little bit of time after all of this nonsense with the constant Digimon attacks calms down."
"I hope that there aren't any attacks while we're here in the Digital World," Ken murmured. "We won't have a way of knowing about them as long as we're searching for answers behind the recent invasions, so we're going to have to move as quickly as possible once the Digimon are able to fight again."
"Well, at the very least, we have a place to meet up thanks to Iori," Miyako pointed out. "That means that we can at least look forward to seeing the rest of the group sooner rather than later, and I think that we should definitely qualify that as a good thing. As soon as the Digimon have some food in their systems, we'll be able to start flying too, and that will make travel from place to place much easier."
"I guess that everything is going to be fine..." Meiko said softly before letting out a sigh. "I'm glad that you're all so sure that we're going to be able to work this out. Everything has been happening so fast, and... I suppose I'm just relieved that I have all of you to lean on throughout all of this."
"We wouldn't leave you-or anyone else, for that matter-to endure something like this by yourself," Miyako assured her with a shake of her head. "We'll handle everything to the best of our abilities. That's what teams are for, after all, and I like to think that we make a pretty good one when we're all working together!"
"Of course, we have to actually get back with the rest of the group first," Ken pointed out, chuckling to himself. "It's somewhat difficult for us to work together as long as we're separated the way that we currently are. Let's focus on getting to the point that Iori suggested as quickly as possible."
"We're coming up on a place to get food too, so that should make everything slip into place. If we run into any big obstacles as a full team of thirteen, then we'll be able to fight off any threat that comes our way," Miyako grinned. "After all, we've got a lot of power at our disposal, and even if we're up against countless powerful Digimon, I'm sure that we'll be able to handle them. We've managed to come this far, and I like to think that we can take care of whatever could potentially be coming next for us."
Koushiro found himself smiling for himself when he noticed the way that Meiko's shoulders fell into a relaxed position at Miyako's words. "Yeah... You're right," Meiko said, her voice soft but still trying to find confidence. "I'm sure that we'll be able to figure out what's going on with those Digivice signals soon enough too. Maybe the others will have answers for us about them."
"I hope so," Koushiro admitted. He didn't know what he was going to find at the end of that path, but part of him said that it wasn't going to be something that he expected. Granted, the situation itself was far from what he could have anticipated taking place, so that felt as if it was par for the course by that point.
But for the time being, Koushiro and the rest of the group focused on simply pressing onwards. After all, they had a lot to accomplish in a short span of time, and making it so that the Digimon would be capable of defending themselves was an important first step. They were going to be fine. The full group would be back together soon, and then, all of the pieces of this large and bizarre puzzle would (hopefully) finally slip into place to create the full picture once and for all.
The northern region of the Digital World was much closer than Maki had originally anticipated. She stumbled to a stop as soon as she recognized that she had arrived at her destination, prompting her to let out a sigh. It had been so long since she was last given the chance to greet her target, but she was going to make the most out of it no matter what happened. She owed this much to herself and the world at large.
Her instincts had led her this far. Was there any decisive evidence that this was the place that Maki had been searching for over the course of the past fifteen years? Perhaps not, but Maki could scarcely bring herself to think of the nitpicks and details as she stared down a large wall of fire. The massive creation existed even after fifteen years had passed. The Digital World no longer had need for it given that the being that existed beyond it had ceased existing six years prior when the original Chosen Children arrived in the realm and fought off Apocalymon.
Original. What a funny word that was.
Maki swallowed dryly and opened her arms as soon as she was able to force herself to do so. "Are you there?" she questioned. Her voice was soft against the crackling of the fiery wall, so she cleared her throat and forced herself to try again. "I know that you're around here somewhere... I'm here. I told you that I was going to come back, and I finally did. Please... Come out and see me again."
Maki's heart felt like it was about to explode free of her chest. There was no way to prove that her partner didn't want to see her or something ridiculous of that nature, but once the thought planted itself in her head, she seemingly couldn't escape it. She swallowed dryly, desperately trying to keep her nerves at bay. She couldn't lose her nerve when she had come so far. This wasn't a situation where she could afford to lose her determination. Fifteen long years had passed on Earth, so it must have been even longer within the confines of the Digital World. Surely he couldn't have forgotten about her. Right?
Time was a cruel beast. That was something Maki was fully aware of. Memories were fickle, and time was a monster in all of its calculating harshness against mortal lives and minds. She could remember everything that she yearned to forget (like the way that she had screamed when it felt like her heart was torn from her chest and squeezed until there was nothing left of it), and yet, her mind whispered that perhaps the one that she held so dear to her heart had forgotten her over the course of their many years apart. Partnership was permanent, wasn't it? That was what she had heard a long time ago, and Maki was forcing herself to believe in such an ideal because she didn't know what she would do if that wound up being untrue. She would feel as if she was being torn into shreds all over again, and that had already happened more than enough for one short lifetime.
Before Maki's doubts could get the better of her, a lumbering shadow appeared from the other side of the wall of fire. She smiled to herself, and tears began to well in her eyes before sliding down her cheeks with reckless abandon. Maki, so normally stoic and proper, was reduced to little more than a pile of relief and despair in that moment. She was glad that she had finally been given the chance to see her beloved companion once again, but at the same time, she found herself grieving for all of the time that they could have had but were never granted because of the cruelty of reality.
But in the end, wasn't it the future that mattered more than anything else? She was there in the present, and she was going to do something that would allow her to forge her future for the better. She had been preparing for this moment for so much of her life, and the time had come for her to embrace it. She was going to be fine. Everything was going to be fine. The future was going to be perfect just the way that she had dreamed every night leading up to this perfect moment between fire and sky.
"You're here..." Maki whispered before she could stop herself. She let out a laugh that sounded halfway between a choke and a sob. She was struggling to figure out what sincerity meant in that moment if not the feeling of everything coming together in a way that felt like falling apart. She was so glad to be there, but none of it felt real. Her dreams had been made reality, but they barely even felt tangible.
The shadow that stood tall and proud in front of Maki was one that she had only ever seen once. It had been a miracle that brought them together, and then, the cruelty of the past had forced them apart. The large dragon was golden in color even through the red hues of the fire. The dragon himself was completely immune to the heat because he was its guardian, the one set to look after the eternal prisoner of damnation that he had helped to capture so many years prior. Even when such a purpose was made obsolete, he continued to stand guard with every power that he had, knowing that perhaps his services would be needed once again in some distant future fragmented by whatever was meant to rest on the horizon.
Maki found herself running towards him as soon as he stepped through the flames completely, and her fingers came to rest against the golden scales as she took in every tiny detail of this moment, forcing herself to commit it to memory in case some new tragedy just so happened to tear them apart once more. Everything was going to be alright, Maki thought to herself. She knew that it was going to be fine because he was there, and he was all that mattered to her aside from the rest of her team. It had been them against the rest of the world, and Maki would always recall how much joy she had felt the first time that their eyes had met.
The dragon bowed his head towards her, not saying a word simply because he understood that he didn't have to. Maki allowed her tears to stream freely, and the crackling of nearby flames drowned out every sound that she could have made effortlessly. She was fine with that much. She barely even looked like the same person that the dragon would have remembered a lifetime ago. The softness of her face had vanished when the line between youth and growth was blurred by some misshapen eraser known as time. She was taller with a world-worn exhaustion in her eyes. She always poked fun at Daigo for being tired, but when the mask came down, she was no better herself.
Luckily for herself, he wasn't expecting her to be better. The dragon understood every little quirk and flaw that made Maki who she was, and he wasn't about to complain. He was too happy to simply have her there, and Maki was too relieved that they had found one another after all that time as well. It had taken too much time, but they were together once again at long last, and that was all that mattered.
Taichi wasn't cut out for this much running.
He was a sporty person by nature, and his athleticism had always been enjoyable for him on multiple fronts. He was able to burn off his excess energy while still finding a way to keep himself calm on his worst of days. It was a perfect balance in his eyes, and that was something he could appreciate. It had helped him out during his first trip to the Digital World as well, and Taichi was glad that he had been so athletic through his youth when walking was suddenly his primary method of commute.
But this was something completely different. Taichi's lungs were starting to burn from exhaustion as the run from Murmukusmon continued. He wasn't even sure how long he had been running for, but he was starting to hit the end of his rope. How was he supposed to focus on keeping himself out of the danger zone when it felt like he was on the verge of completely crumbling if anyone even looked at him wrong? This was too much.
Yamato and Sora seemed to agree. Yamato had always been a musician, and even back in the days of their childhood, there had been things that Yamato preferred to running around. Sora was still somewhat sporty, though her hobbies of the athletic variety had taken a backseat to other priorities in her life. Not even all of the physical training in the world could have prepared them for running for so long without being able to stop. Taichi's legs were throbbing, demanding that he stop and find a way to recuperate his strength. His mind knew that was not an option. If he stopped for even a moment, Murmukusmon was going to catch up to them, and everything would end in the blink of an eye. For the sake of his future, he was going to have to suffer in the present.
"We have to find a place where he can't get to us!" Sora cried out between heavy, gasping breaths. Her face had grown almost as red as her hair, and it was almost unnatural to see her so agitated after Taichi had come to know her as so calm and level-headed under most instances. It was unsettling, but Taichi figured bitterly that this was one of the least awful parts about this situation.
Yamato opened his mouth to say something, but before he got the chance to do so, his foot caught on a root that was sticking up from the ground. He let out a strangled cry as he was sent sprawling to the ground, Tsunomon bouncing out of his grasp. The horned Digimon shrieked as he rolled away from his partner, eyes wide and exhausted as he turned back to see Yamato on the ground.
Taichi and Sora instinctively pulled themselves to a halt to try and turn back to help Yamato, but by the time that they were able to turn around, it seemed to be too late. Murmukusmon was standing above Yamato, and it was clear as could be that all it would take was a single action for everything to change forever. Yamato noticed what was coming, and his eyes went wide with a primal sense of horror and mortification, prompting him to throw his arms up to cover his head. He wasn't going to be able to get out of the way in time, and he knew it. The least he could do was try to lessen the damage as much as possible.
And yet, the attack never came.
Before Murmukusmon could unleash his strike, he was cut off by a streaking white figure that slammed into his side, sending him sprawling away. It took a moment for Taichi to recognize that he was no longer in immediate damage as his heart took a breath of relief that everything was fine. Taichi scrambled over to Yamato with Sora at his side, and before he knew it, they were hauling Yamato to his feet. Tsunomon returned to Yamato's grasp with wide eyes, and it was clear that he was terrified over his partner's close brush with death.
Yamato, however, was focusing elsewhere. The white figure that had come out of nowhere had proven itself to be a white tiger Digimon that was so impressively large that he even seemed to swallow Murmukusmon in his impressive silhouette. All it took was a single scratch for Murmukusmon to suddenly be sent down to the ground. The data patch had seemingly been destroyed, prompting Murmukusmon to scream in agony as he started shrinking. His color scheme gave way to something paler, and the white tiger walked closer.
As the details came into striking clarity, Taichi found himself breathless, all of the air in his body suddenly caught in his chest. He had met Baihumon, one of the Harmonious Ones, only on a few set circumstances. It had been ages since he last crossed paths with the tiger Digimon since Baihumon tended to turn his focus to other parts of the Digital World while Qinglongmon presided over the segment of the realm that the Chosen Children visited. Baihumon was just as Taichi remembered in all of his stunning and terrifying glory.
But the more shocking part came from who was mounted on top of Baihumon's back. Taichi could have sworn that the light was playing tricks on him, but when he checked once again, he saw that he had been right the first time. There was a person sitting on Baihumon, and beyond that, it was somebody that Taichi knew.
"Mr. Nishijima?!" Taichi cried out before he could stop himself. Sure enough, the person there was none other than Daigo. The teacher and agent had found a place among the bright blue spikes on Baihumon's back with practiced ease, and it was clear by the way that Daigo gripped onto the blue and white fur that he had done this a few times in the past.
Daigo's eyes narrowed as he examined the group carefully. When he saw how exhausted all of them were, he nodded to himself, his eyes falling shut completely. "Get on," he instructed, his voice making it clear that he wouldn't be tolerating any objections. "We have much to discuss."
Somehow, Taichi didn't think those words could do anything to describe the situation at hand. Having much to discuss did nothing to encompass Taichi's surprise at seeing Daigo riding on top of one of the Harmonious Ones, the most powerful Digimon in the Digital World who acted as proxies of Homeostasis. They were the original Agents of Order, and it was almost impossible for Taichi to believe what he was seeing.
But he climbed onto Baihumon even with these doubts in mind, and the feeling of white and blue fur beneath his fingertips made it clear that this was real. The rest of the world became little more than a haze as Baihumon began to bound through the Digital World with a single destination in mind. Taichi looked up to Daigo, shock still painted on his face. Suddenly, nothing made sense anymore, but one question prevailed above the chaos in his mind:
Just who was Daigo Nishijima?
Well, that sure was a way to end the chapter, huh?
All of the little hints involving Daigo, Maki, and the rest of their little group are going to be coming to light for real over the course of the next few chapters. All of this build up is finally going to hit a breaking point, and Daigo riding in on a Digimon god is just the start of it.
The one thing that I definitely want to bring up here is Maki. The way that she's been handled so far in this story should make it clear that she's not the same as her Tri incarnation. Well, duh, this fic is very different from Tri, but there's a lot to set Maki apart from her canon variation. Like with every secret about the older characters of this story, that detail is going to be brought into clarity soon enough. This story is definitely one where everything makes a lot of sense in hindsight. The clues have always been there, and it's just a matter of putting them together and deciding where it is that they fit in with the greater picture.
Anyways, I'm going to head off so that I can work on other stuff. I've got a lot to take care of, I'm afraid, so I can't procrastinate too much here. I'll see you all next week for the next chapter when we get closer to the full truth being revealed. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed. Feedback is always appreciated. Have a nice day, everyone!
-Digital