Power of the Crests Saga:Part Two:
Balance of Sea
Original Author:Debbie (Dai-chan)
Rewriter: Celestra
Welcome! Guess what! Joe is the next one to find his power, with reliability! If you are offended by Joe changing his original personality, soooooo sorry but in this case it`s Debbie` s fault.* Joe lovers start beating Debbie up and she runs away.* Sweatdrop* Now on with this amazing story which I unfortunately didn` t write because Debbie wrote it first.* Glares in Debbie` s direction* Again, the Dedication Award goes to: Debbie ( Dai-chan)* Mutters under breath," Wonder how I figured that out."* Anyhoo, Read and enjoy!
The sickening feeling of falling seemed to remain in his stomach, the wind flapping at his clothes and hair. It seemed to last forever, he wondered if he would ever stop falling. Then splashes of icy-cold water surrounded him. Opening his eyes, Joe found himself floating in a slow-flowing river, the currents carrying him. He drifted for a while, trying to gather his bearings, then his lungs ached from lack of air. He could n` t see the surface of the river, and he began to panic. From above, he could see the blurred rays of the sun shining through the surface, and he swam upward. His lungs cried for fresh air.
The moment he felt a cool breeze on his cheek, he gasped in lungfuls of air, easing the pain in his lungs. Joe spread his arms to keep floating. He looked around in worried panic. He knew he heard splashes in the river before he plunged in, but could n` t see any traces of his friends.
Joe yelled out his friend` s names, and waited to hear an answer. He tried again and again, becoming deeply concerned. Then he felt a smooth fin brushing against his leg. Soon, he found himself sitting on a drifting raft made of many, tiny shining fishes, supporting him from beneath.
" Need a lift?"
Joe looked and saw a grinning Gomamon swimming from behind, his pale golden-green eyes sparkling with mischievous spunk. He was so relieved to see the white digimon that he grinned back. But he remembered about his friends. He gazed around." Where are the others?"
As if answering him, Joe heard a female voice calling," Help! Someone help!" Joe saw, from far ahead, Mimi hanging on a rock with Palmon hanging to her waist, both looking frightened. Mimi was trying to get a grip on the wet, slick rock.
'' Mimi!" Joe shouted. She looked behind her. Gomamon commanded the fish raft to move closer to them. Joe reached out his hand to her, saying," Get hold of my hand!"
Mimi grabbed his hand and hung on as Joe pulled them out of the water. Mimi and Palmon sat on the raft, panting for breath." Oh, it was scary," Mimi whispered, and, unexpectedly, she clasped on him, burying her face on his shoulder, slightly shaking.
Feeling awkward, Joe patted her on her back, flushing deeply. Then his eyes caught a glimpse of something drifting ahead of them, familiarly red and black." Tentomon!" he shouted. For some reason, the digimon did n` t answer, floating silently. Growing worried, Joe directed Gomamon," Get Tentomon!" Obedient, Gomamon swam after him.
Then he heard a grunt from the other side of the raft. Looking back, he saw Gabumon hanging on the side with his giant paws, gasping for breath. His deep ruby eyes flickered around and he said with worry," Where is Matt?"
(" Matt and Izzy must be out there somewhere.") thought Joe.(" They have to be all right.") Mimi and Palmon helped pull Gabumon out of the water as Gomamon swam back, dragging Tentomon. He had extreme alarm in his eyes." He is n` t waking," he said as Joe pulled Tentomon out. Tentomon was struggling to take a breath, wheezing in his throat, as if there was not enough air for him. Joe then realized something must have happened to Izzy because of the life force they were sharing.
Mimi must have realized the same thing, for she stood up, balancing against the drifts of the raft, and yelled," Matt! Izzy!" over the river. She gazed around behind as Joe looked ahead. He caught a flash of ash-blond hair among the crystal water.
Matt looked up at Mimi` s words and struggled to stroke to him with one arm as he held up Izzy with the other. He grabbed Joe` s outreached hand and pulled himself on the raft." Take him!" Matt demanded. Joe quickly put his hands under Izzy` s armpits and dragged him out of the water. Izzy was limp, lifeless in his arms, and, alarmed, Joe gazed to Matt, who was climbing out of the water." He` s not breathing!" Matt said, distress in his voice.
Joe laid Izzy down and knelt by him. Izzy looked ghastly pale, his skin turning blue around his lips. His chest was unmoving.'' He` s drowning,'' Joe regarded.
" No!" Mimi covered her mouth with her hands in shock.
Joe knew he had to do something. Thankfully, he had read books of duties of saving lives and treating injuries. He was prepared for this situation. Meeting Matt` s gray-blue eyes, he said," Matt, do you know how to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?" Matt answered with a nod." When I tell you to, push on his chest eight times."
Taking a deep breath, Joe leaned down to press his lips on Izzy` s cold lips. He breathed in his throat, in his lungs. The flesh was so cold that Joe shivered. He pinched shut Izzy` s nose with two fingers and breathed again. He lifted his lips from the boy` s lips, and ordered Matt," Now!" Matt did what he was told, pressing his fists on Izzy` s chest and pushing eight times. When the pushes added up, Joe tried again, breathing in Izzy` s mouth twice before Matt repeated his duty.
" Izzy, hang in there,'' pleaded Mimi from near.
Joe and Matt tried again twice to revive Izzy, their faces concentrated, sweat drops forming on their foreheads, mingling with water drops from their damp hair. Tentomon was inhaling hard, more difficult to inhale then exhale. Suddenly, in the middle of the fifth push, Tentomon stopped breathing.
All was in silence. Joe looked up to see Matt gazing back with helplessness . . .
" No!" All his life, he was a coward, frightened to face anybody or anything. He preferred the sheltered life, safe from strange, bizarre things that might hazard his life. But since he was brought with his friends to the outlandish Digiworld, he learned something new about himself. He was reliable. His friends would rely on him for trustworthy advice and faithful opinions. He would not give up. Enraged, Joe pounded on Izzy` s chest repeatedly. He would not let Izzy give up." No, Izzy! Don` t you give up on us! We need you! Izzy! Breathe! Breathe!"
" Joe. . . " Matt tried to grab his arm, but Joe was to swift for him.
"BREATHE!" one last pound.
Eyes flying open, Izzy` s body stiffened, turned to one side, and vomited out lungfuls of warm water. Joe held him close, patting him on his back. As one, Tentomon and Izzy gasped for breath and coughed hard. The breaths came in easier. Tentomon raised his head weakly, and mumbled," Izzy?"
" He is okay for now,'' Joe told the group. Inside, he was so thrilled to see Izzy okay that he was shaking with relief.
Izzy against Joe` s chest, his eyes fluttering open." What . . . happened?" he gasped and groaned.
'' Don`t talk,'' Joe quieted him." Rest.''
" Oh . . . " Izzy curled into a tense ball and shuddered violently, a snarl of agony spreading over his pale face.
" What` s wrong?" Mimi asked, pure anxiety in her hazel eyes.
Joe knew the symptoms. Izzy` s body was not used to the sudden changes from water in his lungs from air.'' It`s too much for him. He needs complete rest. We must get to stable ground.'' He met Gomamon` s gaze. Knowing what he was thinking, Gomamon commanded the fish raft to drift to the riverbank.
They waited until the raft docked at shore. The shore was low enough for them to step from the raft. Matt carried a shivering Izzy in his strong arms as Gabumon and Palmon helped a shaken Tentomon cross. Mimi found a small clearing near the shore for Izzy to rest. Izzy` s shudders eased down, and he fell into a uneasy sleep, his face once again twitching with agony. Matt laid him down, and he was still curled into a ball on his side, his red hair clouding his tightly shut eyes. Tentomon also settled into a uneasy sleep by his human companion` s side, slightly shivering.
Joe put his bag of supplies down and twisted his soaking vest." We must get some wood to build a fire to warm up, and of course dry ourselves.'' Looking up, he saw that Mimi and Matt were looking at him with wonder. Palmon, Gabumon and Gomamon were also staring him." What?"
" You seemed to be calm in this kind of situation, Joe," said Matt, sitting by Izzy` s side." Usually, you would panic or run away.''
Joe flushed. He self-consciously pushed up his glasses, which were dotted with drops of water. He did n` t even think to clean them.'' Well, sometimes we must keep our composure like this. Actually, I`m really shaking inside.'' He rubbed his goose-bumped arms and turned to enter the forest." I`m going to find some wood.''
" I will go with you, Joe,'' Mimi said, quickly coming in pace with him. Palmon and Gomamon followed behind, as always. Matt and Gabumon chose to stay and guard Izzy and Tentomon.
Soon, Joe and Mimi were picking up wood with their digimon. Gomamon was picking up sticks with his mouth and dropping them into Palmon` s out spread arms. Joe knelt, gathering wood into neat piles as Mimi wandered, searching for any scarce wood. Joe could hear her coming close by her shoes crunching on the dry grass.
" Joe?" came her shy voice. He looked up right into the hazel eyes of Mimi. She smiled." You did great saving Izzy` s life."
Again, Joe flushed and lowered his dusky eyes." Usually I would pass out.''
" But you were so brave."
Joe scoffed." Brave?"
" Yeah." Mimi knelt by him. Joe was surprised at her. She would do anything to avoid getting her pink dress dirty, yet she chose to kneel just to talk to him. Her hazel eyes were bright as she spoke." That` s a side of yourself we never see. The composed, persistent Joe.''
His eyes met her eyes for a moment, and then gazed away, focusing on the wood pile." That` s not me.'' He whispered softly.
" Why are you doubting yourself?" Her sincere voice made him look up." None of us could do what you did to save Izzy` s life. You are a hero in Izzy` s eyes." She smiled radiantly, almost lovely.'' You are also a hero in my eyes." Almost hesitantly, she hugged him warmly.
Surprisingly, Joe was not flushing or feeling awkward. He returned the embrace, resting his chin on her head, pondering her honest words.
They built a small fire, surrounded by rocks from the river. The fire did enough to dry themselves and get them warmed up. Joe often glanced at the sleeping Izzy with worry. He appeared a bit better; the color was returning to his cheeks and lips. His body slackened under the soothing touches of sleep. But Joe could see the few twitches of agony on his boyish face. He now and then mumbled in his sleep, his words inaudible. Mimi was sitting by Izzy, soothing him with words of kindness.
Joe` s eyes gazed up to tense the Matt. He refused to eat anything Gabumon and Palmon grubbed for the kids, often pacing the riverbank, deep anxiety in his face. He faced upstream in silence, but often his fists at his sides would shake with tension. He made a move to step forward upstream, but stopped with a furious grunt.
" What` s the matter, Matt?" Joe asked.
Matt` s gray-blue eyes glanced." We must find a way to get back on the cliff to search for our friends." His eyes seemed to soften in concern." I hope they escaped from Phyrimon."
Joe was also worried about his friends, but he figured that, sometimes, they had to be patient and faithful. Besides, there was Izzy, who was too weak to go anywhere." We must take care of Izzy. He is n` t well enough to continue. He` s had his first brush with death. He might feel vulnerable, helpless. It` s up to us to watch him. He needs us now. Matt, I`m positive that our friends will be all right.''
Matt` s eyes hardened for a moment, and Joe thought he would disagree. Matt hardly showed his emotions on his face; his eyes were the only portals to his emotions. Matt closed his eyes and turned to face upstream in silence.
Mimi went to kneel by Joe. She whispered in his ear," Don`t you see Matt is worried about our friends" His brother mostly?
" I know that," Joe replied." I`m worried about them, too.
Mimi watched in silence, then gazed up to the sky." My goodness. I did n` t realize it was getting dark.''
All looked up at the darkening sky, including Matt." Time goes so fast," mused Gomamon.
Matt pushed his hand through his ash-blond hair, his characteristic gesture." We all need to sleep. I will keep guard.''
No one argued with him. The kids chose to sleep near the vulnerable Izzy and Tentomon, surrounding them in a circle in their way of guarding them during sleep. Joe did n ` t go straight to sleep; he sat up, watching Izzy breathe, making sure that he was all right. Suddenly, he received an icy, bitter shiver running up his back to neck, the neck hairs standing out. He rubbed his arms and legs, which were once again covered in goose bumps, and he looked around nervously. He thought somebody was watching the kids, or maybe just him. He gazed up to Matt to see if he felt the same. But Matt and Gabumon sat near the river, their backs turned to him. Matt was playing a melody on his harmonica, its tune sad and somber.
Joe laid down, trying to sleep, but the nervous feeling was still there. Someone was watching him. He turned to one side and closed his eyes. Sleep took a long time to take him.
He often stirred sleepily in the middle of the night, thinking he heard a small voice whispering in the distance, as if it was debating secretly. It did n` t speak to him at all. He heard it three times in a row, whispering from three different directions, but never directly to him. The voice was mumbled, low, that he chose to ignore it, thinking it might be the mumblings of one of his dozing friends. He let sleep take over him.
He had a dream, or so he thought so. It was too real to be called a dream.
He often saw an image of his Crest of Reliability` s symbol – an outlined cross with four rays of light coming from behind it – appearing and fading, as if it was weak. It was too blurred, like some shadow covered it, avoiding him to see it clearly.
He was walking in darkness. Nothing but blackness and himself. He just walked on without a goal to fulfill. Then he heard a voice, not the voice he heard often during the night, but a familiar voice, a male one. He immediately recognized it as the voice of Izzy, but the voice was monotonous, almost spiritless.
" Why? Why, Reconciler?"
Joe stopped in his tracks at the words. The words seemed to float around him, taunting him with something he could n` t understand. Soon he saw the small form of Izzy walking toward him from the darkness.(" But it is not Izzy,") thought Joe. Izzy` s face was deathly pale with cold, blue lips. His black eyes were sunken, the lifeless pupils piercing his soul. His skin was colorless from lack of blood. Izzy stepped up to him, gazing up to him with his lifeless eyes.
" Why did you let me die?" he said, almost sorrowful, but still monotonous. He sounded dead.
Joe shook his head with dismay at the lifeless Izzy, and he moved back one step. " I did n` t let you die," he spoke softly." I saved your life.''
" No, you did n` t, Reconciler,'' Izzy said, his voice now filled with loathing." You let me die because I am not in balance.''
'' Balance?"
Izzy stepped forward. Joe stepped back to avoid him, instinctively raising his hands to shield himself. Izzy continued," You are the Reconciler who keeps the balance. You let me die because I am not balanced. Only you are in balance and you must be removed. We don`t need you or your balance. You must be destroyed.'' Like a striking snake, Izzy` s hand shot out and snatched his left arm. Bitter cold bit in his flesh, so pained that he screamed . . .
Joe screamed as he woke. He sat upright, shuddering.
" Joe?"
He turned to see the pale, concerned face of Izzy gazing back. He was holding his shoulder to calm him." Izzy?" Joe murmured, then gazed around. His friends were sleeping near the fire, not reacting at his sudden scream. Remembering his dream, he looked down to his arm. There were no marks, but he could feel the cold bites on his flesh where the lifeless Izzy had snatched on. Looking up to Izzy, Joe was relieved to see him alive. But he was so pale, bags forming under his droopy eyes. He was smothering back soft cough." Izzy, you need rest. You are not well.''
" I know, but . . . '' Izzy gazed at his friends, then met his dusky eyes." I have to do something for you guys. I would be useless to you guys if I am too weak.''
Suddenly, the cold words of Izzy appeared in his head.(" You let me die because I am not balanced.'') Joe shut his eyes and shook his head to push the words to the back of his mind.
" Joe?" Izzy was anxious at his reaction.
Joe sighed faintly. He put a reassuring hand on Izzy` s shoulder." Izzy, get some sleep. I will stand watch."
" But - ," Izzy protested.
" Please, Izzy,'' Joe said seriously, his eyes meeting Izzy` s black eyes." Just trust me this time.''
Izzy seemed surprised at his words and spoke softly," I always trust, Joe. I put my trust in you."
Joe gazed back in astonishment." You do?"
Izzy nodded." Yeah, we all do even though we don` t admit. Matt told me about how you saved my life." He slightly blushed, lowering his eyes." I want to thank you.''
Joe smiled, brushing his fingers through his blue- black hair." Don`t mention it." He needed no praise. He just wanted to make sure that Izzy was all right." Go back to sleep, Izzy. I won` t be at peace if you are not getting enough rest."
Izzy smiled and nodded. He laid down near Joe. Sleep was quick to take over him.
Joe` s smile broadened, then suddenly he received the same shiver up his back. Nervously, he looked around him, again feeling that someone was watching him.
The next morning, the kids and the digimon woke up refreshed. Matt and Mimi were overjoyed to see Izzy well. Izzy blushed at all the attention and smiled quietly. Gabumon, Palmon and Gomamon were also glad to see Tentomon all right. The group ate for a while before they set search for their friends. They headed upstream, strolling near the riverbank. Matt and Gabumon took up lead, determined to find their friends. Izzy walked behind with Tentomon hovering near, looking a bit weak, but having confidence to continue.
They walked in silence for a while until Gabumon stopped in his tracks, his ruby eyes darkening briefly." Wait,'' he told his friends, who also stopped. He sniffed the air in thought." I smell a digimon."
All looked around in caution, knowing that almost every digimon they encountered in their travels always caused trouble. Soon, a small digimon stepped out of the jungle and sat on her hind legs. She was as small as Gomamon. She was tiger-like, with orange fur and night-blue stripes shaped like lightning bolts. Pink fur covered the tip of her tail and the tips of her huge pointed ears. Two huge golden eyes sparkled with interest at the kids and digimon.
" I did n` t mean to alarm you,'' she said, her voice childlike, as soft as a feather," But I sensed you are worried." Joe narrowed his eyes slightly at her. Her voice sounded vaguely familiar.
" Who are you?" Matt said in wary caution.
The small digimon bowed her head." I am Aquenmon, a psychic digimon."
" Prove you are psychic,'' challenged Gomamon before Joe shot him a warning glare.
Aquenmon spoke smoothly without hesitation.'' You are anxious about your friends who were attacked by Phyrimon on a cliff.'' She gazed upward in the direction of the unseen cliff. Then she cocked her head and grinned, revealing two rows of small fangs." And you are the Digidestined.''
Matt crossed his arms, looking distrustful as always." Impressive, but it does n` t impress me.''
Aquenmon seemed to ponder for a moment, her tail flicking once." Would it impress you if I offer you my help to find your friends?"
All gazed at her with astonished surprise." Really?" Mimi said, her eyes brightening." You could help us?"
Aquenmon again bowed, one paw outreached on the ground.'' Anything to aid the legendary Digidestined.''
" That` s great!" Izzy said in delight." We `ll find our friends in no time!"
Joe watched Izzy, Mimi, Tentomon and Palmon huddle around Aquenmon, eagerly asking questions. Aquenmon cheerfully answered every one of them. Matt walked up to Joe, and, together, they watched the group.
Matt leaned over to whisper in Joe` s ear." What do you think, Joe?"
Joe looked at him." About what?"
Matt glanced back." About Aquenmon.''
Joe` s eyes turned to the tiger-like digimon and chewed his lower lip in thought." She appears harmless.'' From the corner of his eye, he saw Matt frowning. He was quick to continue." Look, I know it takes time to trust any digimon after we were attacked so many times. We will be wary this time."
Mimi gazed at the boys whispering and rolled her eyes." You guys, what are you waiting for? Let` s go and find the others."
Joe made no move." Wait a second. Aquenmon, do you know anything about a Reconciler?"
Aquenmon nodded." The Reconciler is responsible to keep the balance in trust.'' Het golden eyes gazed up to him, suddenly intense and vivid." Why?"
Joe kept silent, his pondering eyes meting her eyes for a minute, not sure about her. Aquenmon giggled, and turned to stroll upstream." Let us go our way!"
All followed Aquenmon among the riverbank. Joe was walking at the end, keeping his friends in his vision. He felt he should n` t trust Aquenmon about finding the others, but she appeared innocent. And who was this Reconciler? Why did he feel that he was the Reconciler? The words of Izzy in the dream echoed in his mind.(" You are the Reconciler, and you must be destroyed.'') He recalled Phyrimon calling Tai the ' Master' and that he must be destroyed. Was there any particular reason why him and Tai must be destroyed? He glanced up from his medication at the grunt of Matt from the toying jab of Mimi. He glared at her, rubbing his arm.
" Come on, Matt,'' Mimi was saying," Just stop being so cold. We can trust Aquenmon.''
" I can choose not to trust her,'' said Matt.
Mimi threw up her hands in an exasperated gesture." Fine. Just be, like, Cool-mon."
Matt` s glare deepened and he muttered under his breath," You are so gullible, brat.''
Stopping in his tracks, Joe heaved a warning exhale and glanced at Mimi. The group also stopped, looking at the two kids. Mimi was looking bitter and severe. Her hazel eyes hardened as she glared back at Matt." Brat?"
" You are so self-absorbed, Mimi." Matt mimicked Mimi` s voice with disgust." My hair! My beautiful dress!"
Mimi` s delicate face flushed deeply, two rosy spots forming on her cheeks. Her hands clenched into shaking fists, but, because she was a lady, she made no move. She simply glared hotly at Matt, who also glared sternly.
Izzy stepped in between them." Hey, cut it out, guys."
Mimi lost it. She suddenly jostled Izzy in the shoulder, her eyes blazing at him." Buzz off, geek! Why should you worry about us? You are so ignorant!"
" Yeah,'' Matt turned to a shocked Izzy." Poor Izzy, so helpless and . . . " Abruptly, he doubled over in pain, holding his stomach. Izzy did what he would never have done – he just slammed into Matt` s stomach with unexpected force. Matt inhaled a deep breath, then his grey-blue eyes pierced right into the boy` s black ones." That was a very big mistake, Izzy.''
Izzy` s eyes were full of distress with a bit of wrath glittering behind. His voice was shaking," Maybe I should just die so I won` t have to bother with you imbeciles!"
Joe was disbelieving at his friends. He did n` t understand how it happened, but he knew he was responsible to halt that ridiculous argument.'' You guys . . . '' he tried to speak, but his friends were taunting each other with bitter, hateful words." Stop it! Now!" But no one listened. They kept on bickering; no one made a move to make the verbal fight physical. The digimon were also speechless, looking helpless, trying to stop them. All but one . . .
Joe eyed Aquenmon. She was watching the kids with scheming, successful eyes. Suddenly, Joe knew. Her voice was familiar, and he realized she had spoken with his friends last night. She spoke to them in their sleep, telling false words of distrust into their hearts about the others. That` s why Mimi, Matt and Izzy were fighting.
" YOU!" Joe` s voice was so bold that it seemed to boom in the air. The friends stopped bickering, and looked at him with astonishment. He was glowering at Aquenmon, his eyes darkening from dusky to black." You are responsible for this!"
Aquenmon smirked, one corner of her lips curling upward." Yes, Reconciler, I am.''
" Why do you call me the Reconciler?" he nearly bellowed.''
" Because you are. Only to destroy you, I must destroy the trust you hold over them." Aquenmon glanced to the three shocked friends and sneered.'' I see that trust is feeble, pathetic.'' Her golden eyes turned to Joe. " It will be easy to destroy you, Reconciler." As she spoke, she increased her height and bulk larger and larger until she gazed down, her tail wagging devilishly. She overshadowed the kids and digimon. She raised a giant paw and thrust it toward a stiff Joe.
('' Gomamon digivolve into . . . Ikkakumon!")
(" Gabumon digivolve into . . . Garurumon!")
Ikkakumon blocked the tiger` s attack with his bulk, resisting the force silently. Garurumon pushed the group away like a farm wife shooing away chickens. Getting the hint, Matt, Mimi, Izzy, Palmon and Tentomon ran for the shelter of the jungle, but Joe stayed behind, watching the battle.
" Harpoon Torpedo!" Ikkakumon bellowed, and a horn-like torpedo burst from his head, soaring across toward Aquenmon. She dodged, and the torpedo fell in the water, exploding into a blast of water, showering the kids and digimon. Aquenmon lowered her head and smashed into Ikkakumon, sending him splashing in the river. Ikkakumon shook his groggy head.
Garurumon opened his mouth and prepared to bite Aquenmon with his razor sharp fangs. She was too fast for him, leaping and ducking his attacks. The wolf and tiger made numerous splashes everywhere as they circled, pounced and sidestepped.
(" Palmon digivolve to . . . Togemon!")
Togemon dashed into the river and spun in place, her arms outspread. Shreds of steel needles emitted from her cactus-like body, darting all over the place. Ikkakumon quickly jumped out of range. Joe dodged, but held his place. Needles struck Garurumon and Aquenmon, but they bounced off harmlessly. Garurumon` s fur was steel-like, and it appeared that Aquenmon also had steel fur.
" How can we defeat her?" said Mimi, watching the battle hopelessly.
(" You are the Reconciler who keeps the balance.'')
It was Joe` s voice speaking in his mind. He was the Reconciler. He was reliable, trusted to keep chaos in balance. Joe turned to his friends and said with new strength from his soul," Do you trust me?" Eyes of pretty hazel, distinct grey-blue and curious black gazed at him with stunned wonder. Joe repeated louder,'' Do you trust me?"
They were speechless, then Izzy responded," We always trust you."
Matt nodded, his face creasing with a rare smile." We trust you."
" We have complete trust in you, Joe," Mimi said with soft fondness.
Satisfied, Joe nodded and turned to walk toward the riverbank. He ignored Mimi` s call of his name and stopped by the bank. The digimon champions were weak now, struggling to stand, their eyes glaring at the stronger Aquenmon. Her golden eyes gazed right into his dusky eyes for a moment, then she smirked.
" Well, well, Reconciler. Ready to give up your worthless life?''
Joe did n` t flinch once at her words. He began in a low, serene voice." With balance, we can do anything if we trust each other. From chaos, there is a seed of balance, always there to keep chaos in order. Without balance, nothing will survive." His crest began to glow with a sheen of pale blue, and soon, he was surrounded by the glow. The aurora rippled in the air, taking the appearance of gentle waves of a sea. Joe was completely calm, his face a peaceful visage." Whenever there is balance, there is trust."
Aquenmon was not terrified at him. She laughed with disdain." Impressive, but it does n` t impress me. Dusk Beam!" She opened her mouth, and a beam of dark orange and green discharged from her mouth, soaring toward Joe. Without sound, a dome glowing pale blue, formed around Joe and his friends, shielding them from the attack. The dark beam did n` t even dent the strong dome. Aquenmon stepped back, baring her fangs, new fear in her golden eyes.
The dome dissolved, And Joe raised his arms." Balance of Sea,'' he simply whispered, and two thick tentacles sprouted from the river, following the movements of his arms. The tentacles were completely made out of water. Each tentacle bound Aquenmon from both sides, winding around her until she was floating in a wall of water. The tentacles pulled Aquenmon with them into the river. No sounds came out at all. No movements beneath the river.
The aurora vanished from Joe` s body, and he began to sway, his knees buckling from under him. He collapsed as all went black in his vision.
He knew he was only out for a few moments, but it seemed like hours to get up. He was still groggy from . . . what had happened to him? He laid still, trying to remember, then he heard a feminine voice calling to him from a distance.
" Joe, can you hear me?"
He did hear her, and responded by groaning softly. He opened his eyes and saw Mimi smiling at him in relief." Oh, you are all right!" She went to hug him, but quickly redrew herself, blushing deeply.
" Are you okay, man?" Matt asked from his other side, also looking concerned.
Joe nodded." What happened?" He was surprised at his own voice. It was not the same as before. His voice used to be shrill with anxiety and worry. But now his voice was low, soft, balanced. Just like the sounds of the sea.
" You defeated Aquenmon,'' Gomamon was answering him. Joe sat up and gazed over to the river. It was flowing calmly, as if not disturbed by the recent battle. Gomamon also gazed to the river, saying," She vanished in the river."
Izzy spoke," Joe` s balance and reliability defeated her." He averted to grin to Joe with new confidence in his eyes." You saved us."
Joe looked down with wonder, and his hand went to his neck, touching." But what happened to my voice? It`s not by voice at all."
Tentomon cocked his head." No, it`s not, yet it is yours. Your voice is like the humming of an ocean."
" Balance of Sea . . ." Gabumon murmured.
Joe met the eyes of his friends." I said that, did n` t I?" All answered with nods. He stood, surprised at his new balance. He was no longer awkward and clumsy. He moved with a smooth, relaxed grace. He walked up to the river, knelt, and looked down to his reflection. Nothing had changed about him except for one thing. He found a thin strand of pale blue among his hair that seemed so much alike water, lengthened from the left side of his forehead. He stared at the strand with awe, and then raised his dusky eyes to the sky. He silently commanded.
Suddenly, clouds formed in the sky, and fresh raindrops fell on him and his friends. He heard his friends reacting with wonder and delight from behind him. He let the rain soothe his face, feeling streams the raindrops left behind as they dashed down his composed face.
Joe grinned and whispered," I am the Reconciler."
TO BE CONTINUED!