A castle stood alone upon a platform, far out on the Dark Ocean. It appeared carved from a piece of black diamond in its entire, many nooks and crannies of its exterior bright with the moon's radiance.
A throne stood at the north-end rim. The obsidian waters stretched endlessly beyond, utterly still. There was an occasional bit of mist in the distance.
Myotismon appeared silently upon the platform, her face signaling no particular interest in the sight. Hikari teleported in but seconds after, smiling at the sight.
An image of being a child surfaced in her mind, of waking up in cold sweats to headspace in tumult. Biting her anxieties down so the others wouldn't worry. For weeks before and after, hearing the voice of the elder god in her dreams to prepare her. Facing Blossomon, and feeling the Dark Ocean rise up for her.
Hikari closed her eyes, deciding to dismiss the thought. The peace and quiet of her Dark Ocean were but the first of all there was to enjoy about it.
"Myotismon," she said eventually, getting the vampire's attention. "I know that this might not be the most fitting moment, but I wish to say it regardless," she trailed off, a smile on her face. "I love you."
The vampire stared, taken aback by that declaration. The urge to take her and scoop her into a bear-hug washed over her; as well, the mental image of mauling her occurred to her, one that she savored. She felt a twinge of dismay that she couldn't place.
"You are, and always have been, everything I wish for in a sister," Hikari said softly. "I would be happy if you would let me call you that."
Myotismon studied her, suspecting it was just a lie to keep her docile. Stepping forward, Hikari hugged her. Myotismon half-heartedly returned her embrace, whispering her assent. Hikari eventually broke the hug, her pleased eyes meeting hers.
"I understand why you would doubt my sincerity," Hikari said softly. "I must seem so strange." Myotismon rolled her eyes.
"You're the other," Myotismon broke the silence, causing Hikari's face to light up with curiosity. "You're the other Kari you mentioned earlier, aren't you?"
Hikari's expression softened. "I am what I said, Myotismon. I am the Digidestined of Light, and I am the Dark Ocean's queen. Two souls reborn as one," she trailed off, uncertain of what more to say. "There is still enough of the Kari you knew in me to mean what I said."
Myotismon decided to trust that, a smile forming. Hikari smiled back. They savored the silence.
"I would like you to change back," Hikari said eventually. "Become the cat I know you as." Umbral light erupting from the vampire, she began to shrink. When the light faded, there was a black cat there, looking up at her with golden eyes. With a warm smile, Hikari spread her arms. BlackGatomon eagerly jumped into her arms. "I would also like you to call me 'Hikari'." She hoped BlackGatomon wouldn't ask why.
"Okay," BlackGatomon replied promptly, indifferent to the request. Hikari silently walked to the throne, seating herself, gazing out over the ocean.
An urge gnawed in BlackGatomon's gut, a mental image of Hikari lying bleeding in her mind. Letting out a sigh, she willed it down.
Hikari smiled, reflecting that the silence was a wonder in itself. Few places she knew felt this conducive to free and endless thought. It almost felt like a thing of power all its own, a wall of quiet that nothing could break. She liked that metaphor, dismissing the thought.
"What to do until they arrive?" she pondered. After a moment's thought, she decided to further assess how to handle them. She doubted it would yield any new insight, but the possibility existed.
Two factors laid behind all the Digidestined's victories. The first was their friendships and everything that came from them such as emotional support, fighting partners to gang up on any individual enemy, and a wide range of abilities.
The second was their ability to change the situation in their own favor. Sometimes they made new allies like Ryo and Willis, sometimes a Digivolution that was powerful enough to win or had exactly the right ability for the situation. That had happened too often to be simple luck - it was a talent and one that deserved recognition.
"What might they think of my analysis?" Hikari wondered, imagining they would be awed by her insight. After a bit more contemplation, she decided that a fall-back tactic would be useful.
"Maybe the Dark Digidestined. A battle between the Digidestined and their tainted other selves will be fun." They hadn't used that tactic in two centuries if memory served.
Her only question was whether to deploy everyone. It would be sensible but would diminish her enjoyment of this drama to involve fighters who did not have a counterpart to face, like Rosemon Ruin Mode and Yoshi, or Omnimon Zwart and Nokia.
"A shame," Hikari supposed. It would have been fun to play this round that way. A thought occurred to her - perhaps she could corrupt them. Only question about that was, what to make?
Ken was obvious - the Digimon Emperor, controlling a world-spanning army with Dark Helices and Control Spires, a GranKuwagamon as his lieutenant.
Tai was no more difficult - he would bear the Crest of Fear, have a savage BlackWarGreymon at his side who was empowered by the terror they would spread, while Mimi would become the bearer of the Crest of Deceit, a woman of lies and illusions, with a BlackRosemon as her companion.
Sora would have the Crest of Hate, be a wicked woman who reveled in spreading death and destruction with Ornismon. Davis and Takeru with Megidramon and Daemon would together make the end of the world a fiery one.
Now that she thought about it, what would be a good tainted form of Matt's Crest? Perhaps Loneliness or Antipathy, she considered, dismissing them. The former didn't sound grave enough for her taste, and the latter was very close to being Hate by a different name, while Valkyrimon lacked a demon form.
She deemed that point of business settled. "Next question." What side of herself should she present for the battles? In these clothes or her robes? The more conventional image of her fallen self with a LadyDevimon beside her, or her royal glory? This aspect of the drama, in particular, could not go unconsidered. Appearances could speak honestly as much as they could mislead, after all.
Hikari closed her eyes, her lips curled in a knowing smile, red light shining faintly through. She picked BlackGatomon up, stood up, then placed the cat on the throne. Another ring of the dark water ran across Hikari down from her neck, changing her attire back into the yellow robes.
"I feel it would be appropriate for us both to change looks," Hikari said eventually. "Ah, but I did not explain about my robes, did I? This is what I have chosen as my formal attire, here."
"Okay." BlackGatomon didn't really care. Hikari sat back down, the cat returning to her resting spot.
Dagomon slid into space a distance away from them, spotting her, feeling Hikari like the heat of a star against his flesh. Her presence was unmissable, he decided to dabble in musing, especially so here.
That was only fitting, he thought, considering everything that she was. He wondered what her friends would say about that alternate biverse where she had become one with Homeostasis, ascended to divinity because of circumstances that had nothing to do with him. He couldn't imagine that they would be impressed by everything she had allowed to pass.