As soon as Huanglongmon came into view down on the ground, Varodurumon began to guide his course in a slow downward spiral that would bring him to the grass below. Ebonwumon, who had been following the group from the ground, came to a halt as well, and Huanglongmon gazed upon his old comrade with a careful gaze. The humans mounted on the golden dragon's back began to slide into the grass soon afterwards, and Varodurumon lowered his own body down so that Chisane and Kaya could guide their group of Chosen Children into the grass below as well. Hikari nearly stumbled when she hit the ground as a result of her recent general disorientation, but she managed to catch herself at the last minute when Takeru threw an arm out to stabilize her. She sent him a thankful gaze, a smile spreading across her face with awkwardness seeping in through the edges. Takeru simply nodded before ensuring that Iori had landed well enough.
"It's good to see that you're all still doing well!" Miyako declared as she strolled over to the rest of the group, Poromon sitting unsteadily on her head. When she tilted her body to the side a bit too much, Poromon lost his balance and rolled away from her, yelping all the way. She managed to grab him just before he hit the ground. Poromon shot her a glare from behind his beak, and Miyako simply laughed awkwardly before scratching at the base of her neck. Poromon sighed, seemingly satisfied with that response.
"Today has certainly been interesting, to say the least," Takeru told her with a light laugh. "I suppose that it's just how things are for us these days though. After a bunch of small attacks, we had tons of Digimon flood in through the gate to attack us all at once... I'm not happy with how that turned out, but at least we're all still here and alive. That certainly has to count for something."
"The other groups are rather close to us as it is, so that's a good thing," Koushiro murmured. He was holding up his laptop with one arm as he watched the screen carefully. When he glanced up, he was met with the faces of Chisane and Kaya for the first time, and he frowned towards them before glancing in Maki's direction, seemingly putting the pieces together about these two newcomers being other members of the original team of Chosen Children. The fact that they had Digimon partners made that notably clear.
"I don't think that we've been introduced," Kaya began simply, her hands shoved into her pockets as she approached him. She stuck one hand out for Koushiro to shake it, and she returned the gesture with a surprising amount of authority. "Kaya Fujimori. That's Chisane Matsumiya, my partner in business, crime, and everything in between." Koushiro responded with shock, seemingly not expecting Kaya to have such an openly domineering personality. He shoved his surprise a moment later before returning to his task on the computer.
"And apparently your partner in avoiding Daigo and I's calls for the past eight years," Maki commented with a snort and a shake of her head. Chisane winced at the sound of Maki's voice and retreated into herself slightly, trying to disappear into the ground as if that would bring her salvation from Maki's piercing gaze. In the end, that wasn't enough to save her, and Maki shook her head in response.
"It seems like all of us managed to find a few of the original Chosen Children..." Koushiro commented carefully, choosing this time to interject to keep Maki and Kaya from glaring holes in one another's chests. "As far as I can tell, Taichi's group is with one of the others while Daisuke's team has the last two. We should be able to all meet up with one another when we reach the rendezvous point soon."
"I'm glad to hear it," Maki said, shifting her attention away from Kaya immediately. "I guess that we should keep moving then. After all, we don't want to leave anyone waiting for any longer than we absolutely have to. Being here in the Digital World is going to cause enough problems for us as it is, so we might as well meet up so that we can take down whoever is behind this sooner rather than later."
Chisane nodded distantly, still not entirely focused on the situation at hand. Hikari watched Maki for a long time, and as soon as the two made eye contact, Maki started staring as well. Maki walked over to her before letting out a sigh, her eyes going weary for a split second. "The Crest of Light is hard on anyone who has it," she told Hikari. As soon as she heard those words, Hikari let out a gasp, glancing towards Maki in curiosity.
Maki didn't explain in the slightest, instead gesturing for the rest of the group to get ready for their departure once again. "Alright. Let's go and take care of this," she announced, taking control of the situation effortlessly. "I think that the Chosen Children have a lot to catch up on, so we should go on and leave them to it. I'll let you all spend your time on Huanglongmon."
It was clear as could be by the way that Maki stared at Kaya and Chisane with something barbed in her eyes that this wasn't just a way for the younger generation of Chosen Children to catch up on all that they had missed while they were apart. It doubled as a chance for her to get answers out of them, and neither Kaya nor Chisane would be able to get away from it. In all fairness, neither one of them bothered trying, instead just nodding and walking over to Ebonwumon. Chisane's eyes were filled with shame, but Kaya kept her stubborn pride regardless of how she would inevitably be judged by Maki for it.
The rest of the Chosen Children settled down on Huanglongmon the way that Maki had instructed. Hikari kept Tailmon close to her chest as a way of stabilizing herself. Her disoriented nature had only grown worse since they met with Maki, and she was starting to understand why. Homeostasis had an inherent connection with the Crest of Light, and given that Maki seemed to possess it herself, then the worsening static in her mind was all too clear in reasoning. She still wanted an explanation behind why Chisane made her feel so strange, but Hikari was too tired to bother asking for answers in that moment.
In fact, all of them were beyond exhausted. It was clear by the way that the seven of them all glanced around at one another as they sat down on Huanglongmon's back. The only one who was able to keep a smile on his face was Takeru, though it was clear if one looked close enough at his oceanic blue eyes that he was trying to deceive himself just as much as the others. Miyako's brief spurt of energy that had come from seeing the rest of the group again faded as they settled down to continue the monotony of travel once again.
Ken was the first one to speak, and he cleared his throat to attract the attention of everyone within the area. "How did things go for you three this morning?" he questioned. Somehow, his voice sounded eerily quiet against the silence, and even though there was a gentle breeze rustling the area, it did little to offer comfort. They were all too aware of how quiet it was, and the silence offered the all too real chance for them to lapse into struggle. They hadn't been offered the chance to fully process the day's events yet, and that was undoubtedly for the best given what they had been through.
Takeru rubbed at the base of his neck, and it wasn't until Iori carefully pulled his hand away that Takeru stopped messing with the bandage that Kaya had left behind from earlier in the day. "It went well enough, I suppose," Takeru replied, not at all appearing bothered by Iori's action. "We were able to defeat all of the Digimon that came in through the gate, so I think that we did well enough for ourselves."
"A lot happened today," Hikari said simply. She glanced down to Tailmon and was met with a nod in response. Her eyes wandered over the group before settling on Cooamon, who was curled up against Meiko's chest and arms with her eyes shut. "Is that Meicoomon?"
Meiko jumped as soon as she realized that Hikari was talking to her. She nodded carefully a moment later. "Um... Yes," she answered. "Meicoomon evolved to the Perfect level, but she went back to Baby form afterwards since she had to put out so much effort all at once."
"There's a story that I want to hear!" Patamon proclaimed with a smile on his face. His eyes were filled with admiration and curiosity as he glanced up to Meiko, ready to hear everything that she had to share about the situation.
Meiko flushed at all of the attention that was on her, but she swallowed back her nerves after a moment of hesitation. "Okay... I guess that would be a nice way to start things off as far as saying what happened today," she said simply.
As Meiko launched into her retelling of Meicrackmon's first appearance (featuring a few interjections from the other members of her group at the time), Maki, Kaya, and Chisane sat in silence on Ebonwumon's shell. None of them dared to say anything, but Chisane did cough once as a way of breaking through the silence for her own sake.
In the end, it was Maki who first spoke. "Well... I didn't think that you two would come back to Odaiba now of all times," she remarked. "Daigo and I have been trying to get through to you for ages, but you haven't been answering."
"You were being dramatic when you said that we've been ignoring you for eight years, by the way," Kaya pointed out. "We've gotten together as a group since Chisane and I left Odaiba all that time ago. It's... It's just been a recent issue."
"You knew that there were Digimon attacks happening in Odaiba, but you were deliberately ignoring the issue," Maki told her, getting right to the point. "You wouldn't have ignored Daigo and I's numerous attempts to reach out if you didn't have a reason. You were trying to keep from getting involved with all of this, and that's why we're having this problem in the first place."
"I guess so," Chisane murmured, her knees pulled up to her chest. "I... I didn't want to face the Digital World again, okay? I've been scared of this place for ages now. I knew that the barrier was getting weaker. I could just feel it."
"The damn barrier is the reason that we left in the first place. Every single time that something big happened in the Digital World, Chisane would get so sick that she would barely be able to move. Did you really think that we would be willing to come back here knowing that?" Kaya asked, her voice edged with something sharp. "It was only by luck that we were able to get here to the other side of the gate without something bad happening. That's not even factoring all of the crap that went down over here to make us want to stay away from Odaiba on top of everything else."
"We all know about how wrong some things went during our first adventure in the Digital World," Maki cut in, giving a brief glance over her shoulder to Huanglongmon. Grief flickered in her eyes before she shook it off and tried to focus herself on the current situation once again. "I would have at least appreciated you picking up the phone every once in a while to tell us why you were trying to stay away. It really felt like you were just trying to stay away from us and run from the problem."
"We've all got things that we want to run from," Kaya said next. "The Digital World did a lot to all of us, and there's a reason that not everyone was as enthusiastic to come back here as you were. In fact, I don't know how you're even as confident as you are that this place is something we should be visiting when the chance comes up."
"We've seen a lot of tragedy here, but it was also the place where we all got to know one another. It was the place where we first met our partners, and that was one thing that was most certainly positive. I chose to cling to that for the past fifteen years instead of just remembering the experience by the bitterness that it brought me," Maki explained.
"It's hard," Chisane confessed softly. "All of this, I mean. It's not like we can just go out there and find someone to talk to about this. It's been our secret from the world for the past fifteen years, and it's going to be a secret for the rest of our lives. The circle's grown a little bit wider, but we still have to keep it as quiet as we can. That's the way that it's always been."
"Hiraku's been in danger because of what happened years ago, you know," Maki told the other two women. Kaya's expression twisted into a snarl, and Chisane's eyes went wide. "It was an accident. His Digivice dropped during an attack, and the enemy Digimon saw it. As soon as they realized what was happening, then he was the target of everything that they were trying to do."
"There shouldn't be anybody around here that even remembers us," Kaya muttered angrily. "Our partners know who we are, but so much time has passed, and... Everyone else that we once knew has probably been regenerated so many times that their memories are distorted at best. Years over here pass in days on Earth, and even if we were synched on time schedules for the past six years, that doesn't matter. Everything has been so messed up for long enough that nobody should remember us, much less want to target us when attacks are taking place."
"That's what I've been thinking, but it's happened regardless," Maki said, shaking her head as she tried to stem the anger that was quickly welling in her core. "I wish that I had an explanation for you, but I don't know why this is happening. It shouldn't be real, but here we are. We're just going to have to make the most out of it the same way that we always have. I'm sure that you've noticed that Daigo, Hiraku, and Atsuo are all here too. When we see the other new Chosen Children, they're going to be there. We're going to have a lot to talk about as a team, wouldn't you say?"
"Yeah," Chisane agreed softly. She let out a sigh and shook her head. "I'm sorry that we haven't reached out to you guys recently, Maki. I guess I should really be apologizing to Daigo first of all though since he was the one who was trying the hardest to bridge the gap between us, but... I still feel bad. It isn't that we hold anything against you, but..."
Chisane didn't finish the sentence after that, seemingly unable to bring herself the energy to try. She sighed once more, and Maki shook her head in Chisane's direction. "Yeah. I get it," Maki muttered. She knew exactly what Chisane was talking about even if she wasn't open about saying that she understood. How could she not know what this was about? After all, she had been there during their first adventure in the Digital World too, and she was fully aware of everything that had happened that she would never be able to forget.
Maki would be lying if she said that she didn't still have nightmares as a result of what happened in the Digital World. She knew that she had snapped awake a few times, trying to ground herself in reality as she realized that she was not in the Digital World anymore. That did little to take away the feeling of grief that carved out her chest and left her feeling empty inside and out. She had seen the brutality of the Digital World firsthand, and she would never be able to forget it. She wasn't even going to try. She was glad that order had been established in the Digital World as a result of Homeostasis and the Harmonious Ones, because before that, every single day was a battle just to survive. The newer Chosen Children had seemingly avoided that overwhelming amount of pain, and she was glad for it.
Maki turned her head over her shoulder once again, seeing the Chosen Children speaking together in an animated fashion. Miyako clapped one hand down on Meiko's back, and the shy dark-haired girl laughed despite herself. They were all so in love with the world just because they were there with one another, and it was beyond incredible in Maki's eyes. She was glad that they were able to find such comfort in one another, and she was always going to be encouraging of the joy that they could bring to each other's lives.
"I guess that we've got a lot to catch up on, huh?" Chisane asked as she glanced back to the other Chosen Children as well. "I knew that there had to be a new group with all of the interference with the Digital World, but... I didn't think that we were going to find them so easily. I guess that it was pretty easy to figure out who they were though. After all, who else would be wandering through Odaiba with Digimon at their disposal? It wouldn't be realistic with anyone else."
"I'm glad that you were able to figure out who and where they were," Maki said as she forced herself to focus back on the conversation that she was sharing with the other two women. "That certainly makes things easier on all of us... For the time being, we're just going to have to deal with the hand that we've been given though. It's not ideal, but nothing ever is these days."
"The new generation... I hope that they've been staying out of trouble around here," Kaya remarked with a light snort. "Not that we would know or anything. I mean, Chisane and I wanted to get away from the Digital World and everything that it brought us. I loved being able to meet the rest of the group and our partners, but... Let's just say that I'm not giving the Digital World credit for much beyond that."
"We'll ask them for details another time. I'm sure that it would be nice for our teams to both share their experiences about how the Digital World treated them," Chisane commented. There was a strained smile on her face, and Kaya looked away to keep herself from making a sideways remark about how clear it was that Chisane was forcing herself to not be upset about the Digital World's general existence. It wasn't entirely in character for Chisane to be dry and sarcastic, but Kaya still knew how it had influenced her so many years previously. After all, they had all been impacted in much the same way.
"That's something for another time though," Maki told the other two women. "For now, we should just focus on catching up with the other two groups and seeing what we can learn from them. The sudden influx of Digimon on Earth is a sign that something has been going seriously wrong around here, and we have to figure out who it is that's causing all of that chaos sooner rather than later."
Chisane nodded, giving one last glance in the direction of the new generation of Chosen Children. She let out a small gasp before nudging at Kaya a moment later. "Hang on... Is that Meiko Mochizuki?" she murmured. Kaya looked at Meiko before nodding a moment later and turning to Maki in confusion.
"You know Meiko?" Maki asked, her eyes going wide. This was certainly news to her, and she had been helping the Mochizuki family get settled into Odaiba essentially ever since they got to the city. She hadn't ever heard Chisane or Kaya mentioned up to that point, and it was odd to think that two parts of her life had managed to come together without her needing to get in the way and force such a connection.
Chisane nodded, though there was something tense to her smile. "I... I don't know how to describe it in full, but... I guess you could say that we were neighbors when she lived in Tottori. Kaya and I wound up there after leaving Odaiba, and we established a restaurant from there. Meiko lived with one of our neighbors, and she and her parents came down to our restaurant every once in a while," she explained.
"That doesn't sound like a bad thing," Maki frowned. "So why is it that you're so tense and nervous all of a sudden? There isn't anything wrong with Meiko, is there?"
Chisane hesitated for a long time before she sighed and shrugged. "I don't know... We've known Meiko for a lot of her life. The Mochizuki family has been in Tottori for nearly their entire lives, and... I remember there was this time a while ago when everything started to change with her," she explained. "It was about five years ago now, I believe. Kaya and I were just starting to set up our restaurant at the time, and the Mochizuki family helped us to settle into a nice routine. Meiko came by a lot, and... There was something strange about her after a while. I don't know how to describe it, but... When I saw her, it was like my body was trying to... Reject her presence."
"Reject her?" Maki echoed, confusion flashing across her face. "What are you talking about? That doesn't make any sense. She's just another Chosen Child, so why is it that something so strange is happening with her when she's around you?"
Chisane shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know how to explain it like I said. That's just... That's just how it feels, and I know that it's weird, but... Something is off about her that I don't know how to define. It could be related to the Digital World since she's a Chosen Child, but I'm not entirely sure," she said.
Maki sighed. She was fully aware of how sensitive Chisane was to the Digital World and its influences. It wasn't easy to say quite why, just that Chisane's frail constitution matched with her being a Chosen Child (and one possessing a holy Crest on top of that) made her overly fragile when the Digital World started to fall apart. Odaiba's proximity to gates had been a nightmare on her when they were growing up, and it was one of the reasons that she and Kaya eventually left the city behind on top of their bitterness towards the Digital World in general. If there was something that Chisane found to be off about Meiko, then it was something that Maki was going to have to keep tucked into the back of her mind.
Of course, that didn't mean that Maki had any idea what it meant. She didn't even know where she would start when it came to finding the truth behind Meiko and why she made Chisane feel so sick and nervous all of a sudden. There had to be some explanation, and Maki had the sneaking suspicion that finding it was going to be important, but she wasn't entirely sure where to go from there to start looking into it. After all of the research that Maki had done on the subject of the Digital World, there were still things that she didn't know about, and she could only hope that she was granted the answers that she sought soon enough.
"Chisane could tell that the gate was getting fragile a few weeks ago, you know," Kaya remarked, changing the subject effortlessly. "We knew that it had to be related to Daigo reaching out all of a sudden, but... That's enough of that messiness. Is there anything else that you think we should know for now? Some general introductions to the Chosen Children might be nice given that we don't know who any of them are aside from a small handful."
Maki nodded in response, trying to shove her thoughts of Meiko and Chisane as far away from the forefront of her mind as she could manage. "Yeah... Yeah, that sounds like a good place to start," she agreed. There had to be something going on behind the scenes, but it could wait until after she could talk it over with the rest of the group. Maybe Hiraku would have an idea as to what to do. He had always been bright in the department of smarts, and he would be able to figure this mystery out if even she was unable to grasp the answers.
But that would have to wait just a while longer. Maki started an explanation afterwards about who the Chosen Children were and the power that they possessed. Chisane and Kaya listened with attentive focus, and Maki tried to focus on their anticipatory eyes rather than the fear that was starting to knot itself in her stomach. There was something going on that she wasn't seeing, and she knew deep down that it wasn't going to be a good thing when push came to shove and the truth finally came out.
Daisuke's eyes were closed beneath his goggles as he and the rest of his group roared through the sky on Zhuqiaomon's back. Qinglongmon was beside them, and Hiraku and Atsuo were piloting their specific partners in the right direction with the coordinates that Jou had provided to them. It was hard for anyone to speak because of the roaring of the wind on all sides, but that was fine with Daisuke. He was glad for a little bit of peace without any excessive activity, and he took full advantage of it for as long as he would be able to.
The process of landing was a slow one, and Zhuqiaomon took a while to come to a stop before landing on the ground below, his wings tucking in against his body as he gave his passengers the chance to slide onto the grass. Daisuke smiled and got onto his feet once again, doing his best to ignore the disorientation that came with landing in full. He was glad to be back on the ground since he was mostly used to flying with Imperialdramon, and that was a very different experience from flying on Zhuqiaomon's back with the wind whipping at his face constantly.
"Alright... We should be close enough now that we should start walking so that we don't accidentally miss anything," Hiraku declared. He reached one hand up to rest on Qinglongmon's side, and Daisuke noticed that the other Digimon had also lowered himself to the ground to be give Hiraku the chance to dismount from his neck. The way that Hiraku watched Qinglongmon made it clear that he was full of affection and care for his partner. Daisuke found it strange to think that Qinglongmon was a partner Digimon with a human to help him in times of dire need, but at the same time, Hiraku felt like a strangely good match for the wise and heavenly Qinglongmon. Something about Hiraku's endless curiosity and kindness just made the whole situation feel perfect.
"Now would be a nice time for us to answer any other questions that you have too," Atsuo announced, placing his hands on his hips as he laughed. His hair was a mess from the wind, but he hadn't ever appeared more alive and jovial than in that moment. Daisuke grinned as well, and he found that Atsuo's smile reminded him quite a bit of Taichi's sideways grins when situations turned out in his favor by pure luck. By association, that related Atsuo to Daisuke as well, he supposed.
"Well... There is one thing that I want to know about," Mimi commented. "The gate between Earth and the Digital World has been growing weaker as of late because of all these Digimon going back and forth between the barrier, so I have to ask... Is there anything that we know about that whole situation?"
Hiraku paused to think before shaking his head. "I don't know much more than I've already told you. I remember that the gate was weaker during our initial adventure in the Digital World, so I knew what signs to look for. That allowed me to pick up on it a few weeks ago, and I could see clearly that something was starting to change for the worse... But we still aren't sure of the cause. There has to be something out there that's making this happen, but we don't have any inklings as to what that specific thing could be, I'm afraid," he said.
"I'd like to know more about what's been happening with Gennai too," Jou interjected, his eyes full of worry. He was cleaning off his glasses from the journey atop Zhuqiaomon, and Daisuke saw Jou wince when he noticed how dirty the lenses truly were. Jou shoved his hand into his pocket before pulling out a glasses case and removing a small cloth before applying it to the lenses. Once he was satisfied, he clapped the case shut and put his glasses back on the bridge of his nose.
Qinglongmon's eyes fell shut at those words, and he spoke carefully when his voice next echoed through the area. "I'm afraid that we have no way of being sure as to what has happened, but... I do not think that this is a matter of Gennai betraying you and the rest of your teammates," he explained. "There have been no major disturbances within the Agents of Order, and this is something that would have been noticed as soon as there was a shift."
"If you would like my theory, I would say that our enemies somehow managed to get their hands on the data that is used to duplicate the Agents of Order," came the voice of Zhuqiaomon next. "That is the most likely outcome in my eyes. After all, the Agents of Order are all made from data the same way that Digimon are, and they were duplicated from Gennai after the Agents of Order were established once more in the aftermath of the Dark Masters' fall. If our foes were able to get their hands on that data, then they would be able to duplicate the agents that we have worked alongside for all this time."
"That would explain how they were able to open gates as well, wouldn't it?" Jou murmured, and he received a nod of agreement from Mimi a moment later. "After all, this whole thing has been a problem because our enemies can open gates between the worlds, and if the Agents of Order can open gates, and if these enemies of ours are somehow clones of the Agents of Order, then..."
"It seems like we're at least getting a bit of an explanation as to how all of this comes together," Mimi finished, a smile spreading across her face. "I'm glad that we're starting to figure things out. We've been having so much trouble trying to figure all of this out, but here we are with at least one new answer."
"This does make you wonder how the enemies of ours were able to get their hands on the data in the first place though, doesn't it?" Daisuke questioned with a small frown. "Plus, if they really are just clones, then that makes you ask one other question... Who is it that duplicated them in the first place?"
The area fell silent at those words since nobody knew how to respond to that. After all, Daisuke had a solid point in wondering the answer behind this inquiry. They didn't have a way of being sure what was happening behind the scenes, and it was something that seemed intent on evading their grasp for quite some time. After all, they had been searching for quite some time as it was, but they were no closer to finding out the truth no matter how hard they seemed to push.
Mimi cut the discussion off by looking down at her Digivice, and she smiled before holding the device up for everyone to see. "I think that we're getting closer to meeting with Taichi and the rest of his group," she announced with a light grin. It was nice that she was able to remain so optimistic in the face of this notable hardship, though that was simply part of Mimi's nature, it seemed. As long as she was able to somewhat keep her emotions under control, then she was able to cheer up those around her with her naturally infectious demeanor. There was a reason that she was able to make friends so easily as she had proven with Meiko just a few weeks prior.
Jou nodded at Mimi's words. "Alright then. Let's keep walking. We have a lot to talk about when we get together with the rest of the group, so I guess that we should go on and take care of that sooner rather than later, huh?" he prompted. He earned a few nods in response, and with that, he started to walk in the right direction. The others followed suit, and silence fell over the group.
Deep down, it was clear what they were all thinking about. After all, it wasn't as if they had much else to think about beyond the questions surrounding the enemies that bore the faces of the Agents of Order. The distinction of this not being a matter of Gennai's potential betrayal seemed to lessen the impact immensely, though this only opened up yet another series of questions that lacked answers when push came to shove. Gennai was still behaving strangely, and their enemies were even more mysterious than originally anticipated. There was much more for them to figure out even with this revelation, and they weren't in the clear quite yet. In fact, it would be a long time before the Chosen Children were able to find out the truth, and even though none of them said it openly, it was clear as could be that they all understood that this much was fact.
It took roughly fifteen minutes for Baihumon to come into view for the rest of the group. Taichi's party had managed to close the distance between his team and the group consisting of Jou, Daisuke, Mimi, and their partners. Qinglongmon's imposing silhouette pierced the sky, acting as a clear beacon for Baihumon to follow. He came to a halt beside the new group. They had all taken to sitting on the ground while eating a few foods of the Digital World in an attempt to replenish their energy spent by traveling throughout the realm.
"Hey there, everyone!" Sora declared with a bright smile as she slid off Baihumon's back. She approached the rest of the group before sitting down beside Mimi. It didn't take long for Mimi to finish her bite before throwing her arms around Sora enthusiastically. Taichi, Yamato, and their partners joined the circle soon afterwards with Daigo hanging back for a moment to stroke at the fur of his partner for the sake of his own personal comfort.
"I'm glad that we're starting to get back together again," Daisuke announced with a grin. "I bet that the others are trying to team up too. We should be getting closer to the point where we said that we were going to meet up."
Yamato looked down at his Digivice and nodded. "As far as I can tell, they are all together. That means that we don't have much left to do before we're back together again in full," he said. He let out a sigh before reaching for the nearest fruit that he could, and as soon as he took a bite, he let out a heavenly breath, overwhelmed by the suddenly incredible taste.
"A lot has happened since we last saw one another, huh?" Mimi teased, though her voice was somewhat hollow as she danced around the subject that had brought all of them to the Digital World in the first place. When nobody responded to her joke with laughter, nervous or otherwise, she took another bite of her food, choosing to focus on it above all else.
"I think that we have quite a bit to catch up on," Sora remarked as she glanced over to Hiraku and Atsuo. The latter gave her a salute and a playful wave, seemingly uncaring as to the dreary situation they were in. Hiraku simply smiled politely as he usually did.
"Then let's go on and get right down to it!" Daisuke declared. He pressed his hands against his knees in a grand gesture just to prove his point and attract attention in his direction. "Alright! Let's see where we can start!"
Taichi glanced over in Daigo's direction as the dark-haired man came to sit at his side. "So be it," Daigo replied. Suddenly, the exhaustion in his eyes was more prevalent than ever before, and Taichi could tell by the uncertainty throughout the circle that he was far from being the only person to catch onto it.
Regardless though, the group launched into explanations about all that they had seen and been through since that morning began, and it was surprisingly nauseating to hear about so much happening in such a short span of time. The ideas of an enjoyable vacation from school and responsibility were gone, having long since melted away under the influence of the Digital World and the invasions within the boundaries of Odaiba. It was twisted to think about how much had changed in such a short span of time, but the group was going to have to press on regardless. They had only one option if they wished for all of this to stop, and that one choice was endurance. Luckily for them, endurance and perseverance were two things that the Chosen Children had always done well.
The sun was starting to sink down over the edge of the horizon when Hikari's team finally stopped just short of the rendezvous point. They were going to be walking the final span of their journey within the next ten minutes or so, but Hikari's headaches were only getting worse. She had never been influenced quite in this way by Homeostasis. She had heard the whispers of the Digital World's highest keeper for quite some time, but she had never felt downright sick in response. It was frustrating, to say the least.
Hikari was the reason that they were stopping in the first place, though it hadn't been her idea in the first place. Tailmon and Takeru had insisted, and as soon as he noticed that Hikari was putting on a show of security, Iori joined in on insisting that they halt their journey until Hikari stopped swaying so much. Even on Huanglongmon's back she was struggling to keep her head straight. The passing surroundings of the Digital World at dusk were too much for her.
Hikari did her best to push past the pang of guilt that tugged at her heartstrings at the idea that all of this was happening because of her. She closed her eyes as she sat down on the grass, pulling her knees up to her chest because it offered an extra bit of security that she wished desperately that she didn't need as much as she clearly did. Tailmon remained beside her, placing one paw on Hikari's arm for the sake of comfort.
"I'm glad that we stopped. You look like you're about to pass out."
Hikari glanced up and realized that Maki was standing over her. A moment later, Maki settled down on the grass beside Hikari, her gaze surprisingly sympathetic. Hikari looked down nervously, uncertain as to how she was meant to handle this situation. "I didn't think that it was going to get this bad..." Hikari murmured, and while this was the truth, she neglected to tell Maki that she still felt guilty about making the group stop. Hikari had gotten better about feeling awful over inconveniencing others, but that didn't stop her from sliding back into her old bad habits when she was placed under enough stress. The day's events most certainly fell into this category, to say the least, and it was awful that Hikari felt this way as far as she was concerned. It just added an extra layer of dread and anxiety on top of a day that had been miserable enough even without her mind playing tricks on her heart and soul.
"I think I can tell you why that's happening," Maki replied, and Hikari perked up in curiosity. "For one, the barrier of the Digital World is getting weaker. If you ask me, it seems as if having so many Digimon travel through the gate at once this morning dealt a lot more damage than we initially thought, so that's one thing that will make you feel worse. Plus... Chisane and I are here. That can't be helping at all."
"What are you talking about?" Hikari questioned, her stomach starting to twist. In the back of her mind, she prayed that she would finally be able to get a response that would explain why it was that Chisane was so strange to her.
"You see, I had the Crest of Light during our initial journey to the Digital World. Back in those days, we didn't know them as Crests, nor were we aware of their titles, but... The effects were the same as ever, and I can say that I understand what you're going through," Maki explained. "Homeostasis was born after the Harmonious Ones came to be. When we traveled back to Earth as a result of our adventures drawing to a conclusion, Homeostasis made a connection with my Crest of Light. That allowed her to reach out if need be, and while it hasn't ever happened in full because of the distance between us... I can say that there's a connection there. She's linked with my Crest of Light but not me, hence why there was never any solid communication."
"I see..." Hikari murmured. She had to admit that this explanation made sense as to why she had started feeling so much worse since Maki's arrival. Homeostasis' connection with Maki's Crest of Light was magnifying the effects of their communication, and that wasn't something that Hikari could deny. However, it did leave her with one other question. "What about Chisane then?"
"Chisane... She has the Crest of Hope. It also has a connection to Homeostasis," Maki began. "I bet that Homeostasis could reach out to your friend with the Crest of Hope if she wanted to as well, but your connection to her is simply stronger. Then again, she might not be able to, so take that with a grain of salt. Regardless, Homeostasis is heavily tied with Chisane for some reason that I've never really understood. Chisane's been sensitive to the Digital World for as long as any of us can remember. It just sort of happened that way, probably because of how fragile she is physically. The destruction of the barriers hits hard, and that leaves her vulnerable to Homeostasis."
Hikari nodded as she tried to rationalize all of this in her head. In other words, Chisane had ties with Homeostasis the same way that Maki did, and Chisane's link to the Digital World was overwhelmingly strong, leaving Hikari feeling even worse. Because so many people with the potential to speak to Homeostasis were gathered in one place, she was feeling the effects hardcore. After all, Hikari was the one person that Homeostasis had been successful in communicating with when reaching out to Chisane, Maki, and potentially even Takeru fell through.
"Thank you," Tailmon cut in, and Hikari glanced down to see that her partner was watching Maki with grateful eyes. Tailmon was doing her best to mask her concern for her partner, but Hikari could still tell that the cat Digimon was worried about her sudden issues with sickness. Tailmon had always been protective of her, and no matter how many times Hikari insisted that she was fine, Tailmon never seemed intent on listening easily. Hikari smiled and ran one hand down her partner's back, and Tailmon curled up against her grasp instinctively.
"I'll make sure that you're able to rest as soon as we meet up with the rest of the group," Maki assured Hikari. "I'm confident that you'll need it when we get together with the others, so I'm not going to keep you from that... Just hold on for a while longer, will you?"
Hikari nodded before falling silent once again, allowing herself to be lost in her thoughts. When she looked up again, she tilted her head lightly to the side. "I do have one question though... You said that you thought it could potentially be possible for Homeostasis to reach out to Takeru because he has the Crest of Hope. I'm pretty sure that Homeostasis said before that she could only speak to the Chosen Children through me though."
Maki shrugged. "Like I said, that was only a theory, and I'm not entirely sure about it. Homeostasis is inherently more connected to the Crest of Light, and Chisane is the exception rather than the rule. Her Crest of Hope magnifies that link, but she was already connected in the first place because of whatever weird business it is that sets her apart from the rest of us to begin with... But it could be possible that the link just was never given a chance to grow strong enough for Homeostasis to utilize it to reach out through Takeru. I'm not entirely sure of it, but that's my best theory on the matter. I bet that she would be able to do it if there was time given to making sure that she could connect through him, but for now, I suppose that isn't as important," she replied.
"That makes sense... Thank you," Hikari said. She hesitated before trying to rise to her feet, finding that getting off Huanglongmon for a short while had made all the difference. She had seemingly just needed a bit of time where she wasn't watching the scenery roll by to try and take a deep breath. That had made the nausea disappear, and Hikari wondered if perhaps it was a sudden onset spell of motion sickness because of the fact that she was already feeling awful under outside factors. It didn't matter much when push came to shove though since she was back to normal already, and they had places to be and people to speak with sooner rather than later.
Maki wound up getting to her feet and helping Hikari to find steadiness in the moments that followed, and Tailmon curled protectively around Hikari's ankles. "Let's go on and see what we can do for now. I bet that everyone is going to be ready to go now. After all, we were just stopping so that you could rest for a while, and if you're feeling better, there isn't a reason to stay here any longer," Maki pointed out.
Hikari nodded, holding back another stab of guilt at the idea that she had inconvenienced everyone so openly. She was getting better about not bottling everything up, but the issue was still present in its own way, and she wished that it would go away. Even if it wasn't a matter of inconvenience to others, Hikari wanted to stop thinking about herself in a metric system of how little or much she was burdening those around her. It was an awful way to address herself on a regular basis, and she knew that she deserved better than that. The rest of her team had made that clear to her quite some time ago, and the last thing that she wanted to do was betray all that they had done for her. It would be treachery on a personal front as well.
When Hikari approached Huanglongmon once again, the rest of the group started to board the large golden dragon. Takeru helped Hikari to get onto Huanglongmon while Tailmon swiftly jumped onto the dragon without even blinking. Hikari settled down a moment later, giving a thankful glance in Takeru's direction along the way.
It didn't take long for the group to get settled and ready for the next leg of their journey after that, and Hikari fell into silence as she waited for what was to come. She closed her eyes before letting out a sigh and turning to Takeru. Her curiosity from the discussion with Maki was already starting to burn in her stomach, and she figured that there was no better thing to do with that than to address it head-on.
"Takeru... Have you ever heard Homeostasis' voice?" Hikari questioned, not bothering to mince words. Patamon, who was sitting on Takeru's lap, perked up at the inquiry. Tailmon flicked her tail back and forth in silent curiosity.
For a moment, Takeru just stared at Hikari in bizarre shock and confusion. After a while, he simply shrugged. "I don't believe so... Why do you ask?" he asked of her, choosing his words carefully.
Hikari hesitated before looking down at her hands once more. "I was speaking with Ms. Himekawa, and she said that it might be possible for the Crest of Hope to connect with Homeostasis under the right conditions... She isn't sure about it yet, but I guess that it's something that we can keep in mind," she pointed out.
Takeru nodded carefully. "Maybe... Everyone has said for ages that the Crests of Hope and Light stick out from the rest for being special. I guess that it wouldn't surprise me if something like that was possible... Then again, I guess that you've always been more in tune with the Digital World than I have, so that would probably make things harder."
Hikari's gaze settled down on Chisane, who was sitting on Ebonwumon with Kaya and Maki ahead of the group. "Ms. Himekawa said that Chisane can communicate with Homeostasis as well. She also pointed out that there's always been an element of having a weaker constitution, so that could play a part in it as well," she murmured. It seemed like it was as good an explanation as any, and it wasn't as if she had any other theories to explain the strange phenomena.
The Crest of Light was more heavily connected with Homeostasis than the Crest of Hope. The added element of being more physically sensitive likely strengthened this connection regardless of Crest. That allowed for Hikari and Chisane to have powerful links with Homeostasis, and Hikari was only able to communicate with Homeostasis because of the combination of these factors. Hikari had grown out of her sensitivity with age, but the facts of her childhood had remained even years later. Maki and Takeru both had one of these two factors on their side, both in terms of Crests, but since Maki had the Crest of Light rather than Hope, her link was stronger. Takeru was at the greatest disadvantage, and that allowed all of the pieces to come together in terms of Hikari's temporary explanation for everything that she had heard during her conversation with Maki.
There was still a lot that Hikari wanted to know about the Crests and how they connected with Homeostasis, though she supposed that she would be able to consider such a fact later. For the time being, they were getting closer to their destination, and Hikari was going to be satisfied with what she had found for the time being. It was a small step in the right direction, but she would take it. In a way, it felt like an enormous victory after the series of missteps that the day had consisted of, and she tucked her newfound wisdom into her back pocket with the knowledge in mind that she would be returning to this when her mind wasn't spinning with static and deprivation from the day's events.
Hikari barely realized that Takeru was still staring at her in confusion after she allowed all of these thoughts to flood her mind, and she let out a small giggle under her breath when she noticed just how bewildered Takeru was. "I'll explain it another time," she told him. If she had to put this into words, she was going to realize just how little she truly comprehended about herself and the Digital World around her. The headache was only going to make things more complicated in her mind, and Hikari didn't think that she would be able to talk about it even if she wanted to. Something would strike her as being off, and that would add yet another complication to something that she barely had a grasp on in the first place.
When Hikari glanced over in the direction of the rest of the group, abandoning Takeru's blatant confusion, she could see that Meiko was looking down at her Digivice with a light frown on her face. When she saw that Hikari was watching her, Meiko flushed and looked away from the other girl's eyes. "Oh, um... I-I think that we're getting closer to the rest of the team," she explained. She held out her Digivice for everyone else to see, and the group's members crowded around the Digivice even though they could have just as easily checked their own.
Sure enough, the radar described just what Meiko had explained. They were within range of the rest of the group, and it was almost impossible for Hikari to believe that they had started out the afternoon so far apart from one another. She struggled to even reconcile with herself that a day had passed with all of this chaos surrounding her, thinking that it was difficult to mark the passage of time without distinctive moments of familiarity and clarity where she could say that everything was alright. Instead, the past twelve hours or so had been a blurred mess, and she wasn't even sure that she would ever be able to identify quite where the calm had ended and where the storm began.
"Look!" Miyako suddenly exclaimed from her place between Koushiro and Ken. Koushiro, who was so focused on his laptop that he hadn't even noticed Meiko and Hikari's brief exchange, nearly jumped out of his skin at Miyako's cry. His laptop nearly tumbled out of his grasp, but Tentomon was able to stabilize both the device and the partner before anything bad could happen. Miyako sent Koushiro a sheepish look before apologizing softly, but Koushiro simply shook his head and assured her that everything was fine in the gracious manner that everyone had come to expect from him.
After Koushiro was clearly noted to be calm, the rest of the group looked over to what it was that had caught Miyako's attention in such a dramatic way in the first place. Approaching on the horizon was a set of large figures that could easily be recognized as the other three Harmonious Ones. Baihumon, Qinglongmon, and Zhuqiaomon were all coming closer on the edge of the horizon, visible in the last few threads of remaining sunlight that thrived in the dusky skies. Even though the people were too far away to see specifically, Hikari found herself waving with a smile plastered across her features. Finally, they were all going to be back together again. She needed this extra vote of security much more than she would have cared to admit.
Hikari's mind had been racing at a pace that she could barely comprehend for the past day, and it was odd to think that the chaos was finally going to give way to something that she knew as familiar. She had spent many days and nights in the Digital World, and oddly enough, she found it to be a comfort that she was going to be staying overnight in the Digital World that night in particular. She didn't think that she would be able to stomach going back home as things stood anyways; there was no way of saying if people were being allowed back into Odaiba yet after what had taken place earlier in the day, and sleeping in an empty apartment would have been too much for her. Even if the Chosen Children had stayed together and shared one apartment with all of their families gone, the empty hole that would have been left behind by what could have been in a situation that was less chaotic would remain, and Hikari knew factually that it would have threatened to swallow her whole without daring to show mercy.
For the time being though, Hikari just let out a sigh. She could consider everything else another time, but for the moment, she was going to enjoy the fact that everything was going to be alright. She was going to reunite with the rest of the Chosen Children, and they were going to look out for one another the same way that they always did. Even if the world back home felt like it was going to fall apart, they would take care of each other. Such was the way of the Chosen Children, and she had never been more grateful for it.
Maki glanced over her shoulder at the rest of the group, and she smiled when she noticed that they were all fully aware of the fact that they had almost arrived at their destination. Varodurumon began to fly a little bit faster as soon as he noticed that they were almost there, and Ebonwumon and Huanglongmon followed suit not long after the fact.
Hikari was suddenly made aware of just how exhausted she was, and she couldn't tell if it was involved with the events of the day, the whispers of Homeostasis, or her own heavy weariness. Regardless, she knew that her eyelids were on the verge of slipping shut against her will, and she let out a sigh of pure relief. There was no way for her to express her joy except to just smile in the direction of the rest of the Chosen Children that were steadily moving closer to her. Somehow, that felt like more than enough.
Hikari's face turned to the sky, and she noticed that night would be falling in full within the next half hour or so. She wondered just how much time had passed since she arrived in the Digital World, but she dismissed the curiosity a moment later. The day had felt as if it lasted a century, but it was going to be resolved soon enough. That was what mattered most. The rest of the group would be there soon, and that would be yet another weight off her shoulders. Homeostasis would explain everything that she knew, and they would be one step closer to determining the truth behind all of the mysteries that had plagued their lives these past few weeks.
It was something secure and dependable, and Hikari didn't think that she had ever been more grateful.
Woohoo for new chapters!
This chapter is mostly focused on smaller moments for character interactions as a break from all of the constant action of act two. It's been consistently chaotic since the start of the second act back in chapter sixteen, and having a little break every once in a while is important in my eyes. There's still a little bit left to this act before we can consider everything wrapped up in preparation for the next part of the story, but this is still progress being made.
Act two is going to be ending after chapter thirty, and the third act will kick off with the chapter after that. Acts three and four are where a lot of character moments start to thrive, and the smaller seeds that have been planted for character development are going to start blooming. Don't get me wrong; they're going to be heavily involved with the plot as well (they wouldn't be the two longest arcs if they weren't important to the plot), but they're going to have a heavy focus on character growth that I think is ultimately going to pay off for the best.
Anyways, that's about all there is to hear from me right now. I'm going to call things good here! Next week, the group will be back together in full, allowing for a lot of catching up to happen. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is always appreciated. Have a nice day, everyone!
-Digital