Digimon is the property of TOEI Animation, and Akiyoshi Hongo, we are just
borrowing their characters and certain situations to tell our story. Domino
and Dice are our little darlings, Hikari and mine's that is. We gain no
money from this.
Story by Hikari and Wanderer D
* * *
A flash of light, and Dice heard distant voices, of a life half remembered.
"I told you it was great, ne?" The spotted Nyaromon said.
The haze of light returned, erasing the image and leaving only an echo of words spoken seemingly a long time ago.
"... can't leave you..."
* * *
Dice breathed hard, letting out a pained gasp looking around, unrecognizing. He coughed and gasped again as the pain in his chest sent him into darkness.
* * *
Again, the darkness parted with a burst of light so bright it hurt.
Dice sighed. "I can't seem to put it into words, Gatomon, it's as if the weight of life was suddenly not so heavy, but... constant. A feeling, as simple as a small tickle on your back, but... it's always there."
She smiled back at him. "You talk almost as if you were really depressed."
"Depressed? No. Only... tired. So very tired." He said the last part with a soft breath almost whispering it. "What am I worth for? Will I fulfill my dreams?"
"And what would that be?" she asked, walking up to him.
"Letting my spirit free." Dice said, dropping down on his back quite heavily, and looking up at the domed ceiling of the castle. "I feel trapped, somehow, and I can't understand why."
"Dice..." Gatomon whispered.
Images blurred and again the pain and smells of the real world came back to him.
* * *
"Gatomon..." Dice said, spitting an alarming quantity of blood. "Maybe... was... it..."
"Dice! Dice!" Gatomon shouted as the last strength he had used to keep his eyes open left him. * * *
Domino's mind was a blur. She couldn't think straight. What had she done?? Oh Lord... had she really...? In a daze, her eyes flicked about their surroundings. She saw the children, their faces shocked and pale, their eyes confused and stricken.
No...
She saw the spot where Wizardmon had fallen, another victim of Myotismon's brutality...
No...
She swung her head around. She saw Gatomon, her large blue eyes filled with tears of grief, anger, confusion, and half a dozen other emotions Domino couldn't even begin to name...
No.
She saw Dice... his body pooled in blood, the spear of ice slowly melting away beneath him.
No!
Saw his chest rise and fall in erratic breaths, saw his face contort in pain with each breath he drew--
"No!!" she cried, leaping to her feet. "This is wrong! This isn't what I wanted!" She spun in a frantic circle, as though hoping to pluck a solution from the air. "Please... there has to be something we can do! There has to be a way..." Her knees felt weak. "There has to be a way to save him..."
With that, her bones seemed to melt into jelly, and she collapsed again, trembling, to the ground. She squeezed her eyes shut and absently reached one paw out toward Dice.
Don't die, Dice... she pleaded. Don't die... don't' die on me again... don't leave me again...
"Remember, love is a bout sacrifice, Domino..." Wizardmon's voice echoed in her head just then.
Her eyes snapped open.
Sacrifice...?
Her thoughts were suddenly crystal clear as Wizardmon's words reverberated through her mind.
Yes, she thought, that's right... Loving someone is about caring for them more than yourself... Love is about doing whatever it takes to make sure that person is happy... She willed her legs to support her once more. And... well...
"That's all sacrifice is... is giving up something good for the chance... at something better."
She had said that... hadn't she? She narrowed her eyes. Yes... and she stood by it. Shakily, she got to her feet. It was time to live up to her words.
"Gatomon," she said slowly, and the Gatomon looked up at her, a mixture of remorse, fear, and a little bit of resentment in her eyes. Domino set her jaw. "Move, Gatomon."
"What?" Gatomon asked numbly, as she was pushed aside by Domino.
"What will you do, Domino?" Tai asked, a little doubtfully noticing the familiar glint of her eyes, when she set her mind on something.
Dice started to become Digidust slowly, much like what had happened to Wizardmon.
Domino narrowed her eyes, then looked at Tai, a forced smile on her lips.
"I will do... what I must," she said vaguely, and left it at that.
She walked softly over to Dice. "'No one has the right to take the life of another'," she said, more to herself than to him. "I told you that, didn't I, Dice?" She shook her head. "I have betrayed my own words, dear brother... even if by accident... your life was never mine to take..."
She didn't bother to wait for him to respond. She wasn't even certain he could. She watched as the creeping transparency moved up his body as it began to break away into Digidust.
"It's okay, Dice..." Domino whispered. "Everything will be okay... I'll fix things. I'll set it right again... okay?" She laid her paws on his head. "I will make it right again." She let her forehead fall upon his. "But you must promise me not to screw up again, Dice," she said, a warning tone in her voice. "I can only do this once, you know...?" She lifted her head. "Here goes nothing..." she said almost inaudibly.
The words formed upon her lips before she even had the chance to think about them...
"All to ashes must return, all to dust becomes; All to death must eventually go, and All to darkness runs...
One life to another leads, one to all connected; Every thing is intertwined, A thousand loops intersected..
And so a thousand lives are floating, in a sea of time and space, And when one flame of life goes out, Another takes it place..."
A glowing white corona surrounded Domino and Dice, and Sora lunged forward at the realization of what Domino was doing.
"No, Domino--yamero!! Stop! Don't do this!" the girl shouted.
"Domino, don't give up your life for that traitor!" cried Mimi.
But it was too late. Even if she had wanted to, there was no way for Domino to stop the spell now. She felt lightheaded as her energy began to flow from her body into Dice's.
What had become Digidust slowly began to re-solidify, and what had become transparent was now opaque again. There was a general gasp from the children at the amazing sight.
Don't waste your life this time, Dice, Domino thought, and then she fainted, her energy gone.
"Domino!" Sora yelped, and lunged forward as the Gatomon pitched forward.
"Matte--Sora!" Tai cried, and yanked her back. "Minna, mite!" he gasped as the silver light around Domino's fallen body began to intensify. Brighter, and brighter it grew, until they all had to turn away and shield their eyes.
Dice slowly opened his eyes, as his sight cleared by the brilliance of Domino's light, he could feel something leaving his body, but couldn't see it.
As the children watched both Gatomon, a small black and angry red sphere seemed to float out of Dice's chest, and evaporated in the white radiance of Domino's spell.
When it disappeared, Dice seemed to hear what Domino had thought. "Don't waste your life this time, Dice..." her voice echoed in his mind, and he tried to sit up without result.
"NO! DOMINO! DON'T! YOU CAN'T DIE FOR ME! NO!" Dice shouted, startling the kids and Digimon around them. I'm sorry... forgive me... I... had to...
Domino's final thoughts echoed through Dice's mind...heard by him alone...
"NO!" Dice shouted, tears falling unhindered down his cheeks. "You can't, Domino!" He whimpered. "You can't!"
Tai was at a loss, and a shared look with Matt revealed the other boy was as lost in this one as himself.
Before, Dice had been the enemy, ready to kill them. He had spared Tai once, but then had returned to the other's side; Against them. But now... he couldn't believe that the same creature that had attacked them so cruelly was the same as the Black Gatomon that lay at their feet, trying to struggle up to stop his sister from sacrifying herself for him.
The other Dice wouldn't have cared.
The other Dice would have blown up with all of them rather than let them close.
The other Dice would've been trying to kill Domino during her spell- casting, not stop her at the cost of his own life.
Tai couldn't stand it, and turned away, only to look back as Dice's whimpers forced him to do so.
No... Domino... how could you? How could you? Sora fumed, covering her face with her hands. How could you sacrifice yourself for him? I don't understand!
Tai clenched his fists. Chikusho... he thought, how can it end this way? Even if Myotismon is gone... now Domino is gone, too? What about happy endings??
The light slowly faded, and the children carefully lowered their hands from their eyes.
"What in the--?"
Tai let out a cry at the sight that met their eyes.
Domino's body was no longer that of a Gatomon, that was for certain... but... shouldn't there have been no body at all? With all of her energy gone, should she not have become Digidust and faded away completely? "Everyone... look... look at... that..." Tai whispered.
Dice stared, too dumbfounded to even breathe.
Where the body of a Gatomon had fallen, the form of a young girl now rested. She was light-skinned, with chestnut brown hair that fell softly around her slim shoulders. She wore faded-looking blue denim jeans and a long-sleeved hunter green shirt with sleeves that were a little too long for her. She wasn't very tall, probably only about as tall as Joe, but somehow, Tai got the impression she was older than them.
"Tai... who... who is that?" Mimi asked, a little bit afraid.
Tai shook his head. "I... don't know..."
The girl stirred, and Tai protectively put one arm out in front of Sora and Mimi.
"D-domino?" Dice whispered.
The strange girl slowly pushed up to her elbows, as though she was having trouble moving. Her arms quivered, and she seemed to be having difficulty getting beyond being on all fours.
She lifted her head, and her eyes met Dice's. Dice hesitated.
Her eyes... they were green... just like Domino's had been... But... but surely this... this human... could not have been...
"We are all more human than we admit..."
Dice gasped inwardly. Could that be... Could what she had said really been true? Could there have really been a time when he and Domino were human siblings?
"Domino?!" He practically shouted. Startling everyone.
The girl stared hard at Dice, as though willing her eyes to focus, and Dice suddenly noticed she wore a peculiar necklace.
Tai noticed it, too... it was a black cord, with and unusual pendant... It was small, of an odd shape... and it glowed softly the color of indigo.
It was...
"A crest..." Tai breathed. "She has a crest..."
Everyone stared at the Crest, except for Dice, who couldn't tear his eyes from her own. "It is you... are you really my... sister?"
"Am I..." Dice shook his head, it couldn't be. "Domino?"
The girl blinked at Dice, then looked down. She let out a soft cry at the sight of her hands, and quickly sat back on her feet. She raised her hands to her face, and then felt the sides of her head.
"My... ears..." she whispered, and her hands moved until she could stare hard at them. "What... what happened to me...?" She glanced up at Dice, and her eyes suddenly looked different. A wry smile split her face.
"No, you're not Domino, silly..." she said, and winked one large green eye at him. "I am..."
She understood... she understood now...
"WHAT!?" Joe shouted.
She laughed, and glanced over her shoulder at the children.
"It's me... it's me, guys," she said, a big goofy grin on her face. "I told you... I told you, didn't I?" She carefully rose up on her knees, her arms out to her sides. Being bipedal would take a little practice, that was for sure. She wagged one finger at Tai and Joe. "You guys didn't believe me when I told you who I really was..."
She turned back to Dice. "Neither did you..." she said snidely. She narrowed one eye. "D'you believe me now...Kitty cat?"
She folded her arms over her chest.
Dice then seemed to realize where he was. He looked at Gatomon, a little afraid of being rejected. However, the other Gatomon, ignoring everyone else, jumped at him and hugged him with all her strength, crying softly. Dice hugged her back, fighting his own tears.
"Gatomon... I'm so sorry..." he cried into her shoulder. Domino smiled, and shook her head. She walked on her knees to where the two Gatomon embraced.
"Dice," she said softly, "I'm the one who should be sorry..." Dice looked up from Gatomon's shoulder, not understanding. "But... it was me who betrayed you... all of you... even..." He couldn't continue, closing his eyes he hugged Gatomon closer.
The female Gatomon sniffed and caressed the back of his head softly. "Don't worry Dice... *I* forgive you..."
Domino nodded. "Don't be sorry, Dice... It was I who failed you... I tried, really I did... but no matter what I said, no matter what I did... I just couldn't get through to you," she said. "I'm sorry it had to come to this... I'm sorry I had to hurt you... before I could help you..."
Tai walked forward. "No, Domino. Everyone chooses his or her own way... even Dice." he finished a little more coldly than he wanted.
"Tai's right..." Dice said, his voice muffled by Gatomon's fur. "I don't know why... all I wanted was to be with Gatomon... but every time I tried... I seemed to hate everyone even more..."
Silence.
Joe took a tentative step forward. "Domino...?" he said. "Is it... really you?"'
Sora crumpled to her knees. This was impossible!
Tai narrowed one eye, and then walked more quickly over to Domino. She blinked rapidly.
"Tai?" she gasped softly as the boy reached down, his hand going for her neck. She yelped and jerked back, tumbling onto her rump as his hand shot out and snatched the cord around her neck, snapping the thin black twine.
He stared hard at the crest.
"A crest," he said softly, and looked at the girl. "You really have a crest..."
She gazed at him, uncomprehending. "A crest?"
He showed it to her. "Look," was all he said.
Domino attempted to stand, but was having a little difficulty with the whole two-legged deal, so resorted to walking on her knees again. She grabbed Taichi's wrists and pulled them down so she could stare at the crest. She plucked it from his palm.
"It is..." she said. "You're right..."
"Crest?" Sora asked. "But... how? I thought there were only 8 of us?"
"Crest of what?" TK cried excitedly. "Crest of what??"
Dice and Gatomon released each other, both with soft pink patches on their cheeks and walked up to them, holding hands.
The kids shot Dice some glares, but Gatomon didn't slow down until they reached Devinne.
Izzy typed furiously at his computer, until he finally shouted in triumph.
"Gennai say's that's the Crest of Loyalty! He also says that he thought it had been lost forever!"
Domino snapped her head around. "Loyalty?" Domino echoed.
"Whaddya mean 'lost forever', Izzy?" Tai asked. "I thought there were only 8 crests, wasn't that what he had told us?"
"Anyway, he say's that Domino's Digivice will soon appear after we've found the 9th Digimon..."
Izzy finished.
Domino looked at her hands. "Wait... waitasecond," she said, closing her eyes. "Are you guys saying that I... I'm one of..."--she looked at Tai-- "one of you?"
"But how're we gonna..." Dice started, then stopped as everyone but Gatomon and Domino winced when he said 'we'. He stomped to stand next to her and continued, facing the other Digidestined. "How are WE going to find... what are YOU staring at?!" He asked a little fed up with all the 'bad wolf' stuff.
The Digidestined were ignoring Dice and staring at Domino's Tag, as it shone brightly when Dice had stepped next to her.
Domino noticed it too.
"How can this be? I'm no Digidestined," she insisted. "I'm just a kid who..."--she screwed up one side of her face--"well, okay, I admit I was having one hell of an identity crisis for a while there... but... a Destined?" She paused, almost as though it were too much to comprehend. "Could I really be...?
Dice turned around, and stared at the glowing tag... then felt something.
She closed her fingers over the tag, and looked at Dice.
"Could... could you be...?"
Domino extended the hand with the tag in it toward Dice, and gasped as the purple light grew stronger.
"I... you..." Dice looked at the new Domino closely. "I feel something from you..."
"Like a thread, connecting your heart to her own." Gatomon finished.
"And the need to protect her..." Palmon added. "That's..."
"That's what we ALL feel..." Agumon stated.
Domino nodded, but made no response. She then glanced at the other Digimon
Dice couldn't do anything but nod.
Patamon, however scowled. "I don't believe it!"
Domino face faulted. "But..."
"That... black Gatomon has already betrayed us! How can he be the Digidestined Digimon of LOYALTY?!" Patamon insisted.
They all snapped their heads toward the little orange Digimon.
"Patamon?" TK asked.
"Well... think about it!" Patamon growled. "He did that! How many people and Digimon did he BETRAY? He should be the Digimon of betrayal, not Loyalty!"
Domino seemed to shrink. She shook her head. "Patamon's right, you guys," she said, and Dice felt his blood run cold. What was she saying? Domino shook her head. "There must be some mistake, I can't be the Destined of Loyalty... I couldn't even save my own brother..."
Dice balked. Wait... what? Had she just put the fault... on herself?
She eyed her tag again. "There must be a mistake," she said again, and moved to hand the tag to Tai. "This can't be for me..."
Gatomon jumped at that, glaring at Patamon. "Shut up, Pork chops! He didn't betray his friends!"
Dice and Domino both looked up at her from that.
"He fought and saved us many times before this trial even began!" Gatomon growled. "Gotsumon, Pumpkinmon, Wizardmon, and myself! We were all he knew, we were his family when he thought he'd lost it all!"
"Gatomon..." Dice whispered. Then looked back at Domino.
"What have YOU lost, Digidestined?!" Gatomon asked. "He lost his mentor! His sister! He had to fend of by himself to make a place in the world. He met Gotsumon and Pumpkinmon, befriended them and almost got killed by Monochromon to save them! For what? It wasn't for the sake of getting something! THAT was loyalty! When he met me and Wizardmon, then helped us on our quest. That was friendship and loyalty. He saved me once from attacking Tyrannomon when he and Wizardmon were completely battered. Both risked their lives for each other and me that day. And now..." She sighed. "Gotsumon and Pumpkinmon died... helping you."
Matt and TK winced at that.
Gatomon continued. "And today... Wizardmon..." she gulped. "If he didn't care..." she whispered. "then why did he turn around when he heard his friend cry out, ignoring the danger of the spear?"
Now it was Domino's turn to wince.
Domino's features hardened. "I don't understand though," she said, and dropped to one knee beside Gatomon. She shook her head. "I see how Dice proved Loyalty... but why me? I didn't do anything so spectacular to earn a crest because of it... all I did was make a mess of things. I nearly killed my own brother... where is the loyalty in that?"
"I'm human again... so I figure my part is done..." She glanced at Dice. "Man, I'm gonna have a hard time explaining this to Mom..." Her eyes moved to Gatomon. "Take the Tag, Gatomon... find the real 9th Destined..."
Gatomon looked at Domino calmly. "You tried to do whatever you could to save BOTH the Digidestined and Dice... not once did you really turn against the other... you didn't almost kill Dice. You tried to distract him so he wouldn't hit you. Under normal circumstances he would've avoided it easily. You said so yourself."
"But..." She glanced at the tag. "But I don't know what to do with this..."
She glanced at Tai, for surely the leader of the Digidestined would have the answer.
Tai blinked, and rubbed the back of his neck.
Gatomon pressed the tag into Domino's hand. "You ARE the 9th Digidestined. You already have a Digivice."
She blinked. "I do?"
Gatomon nodded to her belt, and sure enough, there was one.
Domino face faulted again. "Um... how did that get there?" she wondered aloud, unclipping it from her jeans. She turned it in every which direction. "It looks like a Tamagotchi..."
Dice stared at her. "A what?"
She looked at Tai. "So... what happens now?" she asked.
Tai shrugged. "I really don't know. But you are a Digidestined. Let's get to our parents and then we'll decide."
Domino's eyes snapped open wide. "Ohmigosh! That's right!" she looked to Sora. "Sora! My mom's still at your house!"
"Well, let's go then!" Tai shouted.
Story by Hikari and Wanderer D
* * *
A flash of light, and Dice heard distant voices, of a life half remembered.
"I told you it was great, ne?" The spotted Nyaromon said.
The haze of light returned, erasing the image and leaving only an echo of words spoken seemingly a long time ago.
"... can't leave you..."
* * *
Dice breathed hard, letting out a pained gasp looking around, unrecognizing. He coughed and gasped again as the pain in his chest sent him into darkness.
* * *
Again, the darkness parted with a burst of light so bright it hurt.
Dice sighed. "I can't seem to put it into words, Gatomon, it's as if the weight of life was suddenly not so heavy, but... constant. A feeling, as simple as a small tickle on your back, but... it's always there."
She smiled back at him. "You talk almost as if you were really depressed."
"Depressed? No. Only... tired. So very tired." He said the last part with a soft breath almost whispering it. "What am I worth for? Will I fulfill my dreams?"
"And what would that be?" she asked, walking up to him.
"Letting my spirit free." Dice said, dropping down on his back quite heavily, and looking up at the domed ceiling of the castle. "I feel trapped, somehow, and I can't understand why."
"Dice..." Gatomon whispered.
Images blurred and again the pain and smells of the real world came back to him.
* * *
"Gatomon..." Dice said, spitting an alarming quantity of blood. "Maybe... was... it..."
"Dice! Dice!" Gatomon shouted as the last strength he had used to keep his eyes open left him. * * *
Domino's mind was a blur. She couldn't think straight. What had she done?? Oh Lord... had she really...? In a daze, her eyes flicked about their surroundings. She saw the children, their faces shocked and pale, their eyes confused and stricken.
No...
She saw the spot where Wizardmon had fallen, another victim of Myotismon's brutality...
No...
She swung her head around. She saw Gatomon, her large blue eyes filled with tears of grief, anger, confusion, and half a dozen other emotions Domino couldn't even begin to name...
No.
She saw Dice... his body pooled in blood, the spear of ice slowly melting away beneath him.
No!
Saw his chest rise and fall in erratic breaths, saw his face contort in pain with each breath he drew--
"No!!" she cried, leaping to her feet. "This is wrong! This isn't what I wanted!" She spun in a frantic circle, as though hoping to pluck a solution from the air. "Please... there has to be something we can do! There has to be a way..." Her knees felt weak. "There has to be a way to save him..."
With that, her bones seemed to melt into jelly, and she collapsed again, trembling, to the ground. She squeezed her eyes shut and absently reached one paw out toward Dice.
Don't die, Dice... she pleaded. Don't die... don't' die on me again... don't leave me again...
"Remember, love is a bout sacrifice, Domino..." Wizardmon's voice echoed in her head just then.
Her eyes snapped open.
Sacrifice...?
Her thoughts were suddenly crystal clear as Wizardmon's words reverberated through her mind.
Yes, she thought, that's right... Loving someone is about caring for them more than yourself... Love is about doing whatever it takes to make sure that person is happy... She willed her legs to support her once more. And... well...
"That's all sacrifice is... is giving up something good for the chance... at something better."
She had said that... hadn't she? She narrowed her eyes. Yes... and she stood by it. Shakily, she got to her feet. It was time to live up to her words.
"Gatomon," she said slowly, and the Gatomon looked up at her, a mixture of remorse, fear, and a little bit of resentment in her eyes. Domino set her jaw. "Move, Gatomon."
"What?" Gatomon asked numbly, as she was pushed aside by Domino.
"What will you do, Domino?" Tai asked, a little doubtfully noticing the familiar glint of her eyes, when she set her mind on something.
Dice started to become Digidust slowly, much like what had happened to Wizardmon.
Domino narrowed her eyes, then looked at Tai, a forced smile on her lips.
"I will do... what I must," she said vaguely, and left it at that.
She walked softly over to Dice. "'No one has the right to take the life of another'," she said, more to herself than to him. "I told you that, didn't I, Dice?" She shook her head. "I have betrayed my own words, dear brother... even if by accident... your life was never mine to take..."
She didn't bother to wait for him to respond. She wasn't even certain he could. She watched as the creeping transparency moved up his body as it began to break away into Digidust.
"It's okay, Dice..." Domino whispered. "Everything will be okay... I'll fix things. I'll set it right again... okay?" She laid her paws on his head. "I will make it right again." She let her forehead fall upon his. "But you must promise me not to screw up again, Dice," she said, a warning tone in her voice. "I can only do this once, you know...?" She lifted her head. "Here goes nothing..." she said almost inaudibly.
The words formed upon her lips before she even had the chance to think about them...
"All to ashes must return, all to dust becomes; All to death must eventually go, and All to darkness runs...
One life to another leads, one to all connected; Every thing is intertwined, A thousand loops intersected..
And so a thousand lives are floating, in a sea of time and space, And when one flame of life goes out, Another takes it place..."
A glowing white corona surrounded Domino and Dice, and Sora lunged forward at the realization of what Domino was doing.
"No, Domino--yamero!! Stop! Don't do this!" the girl shouted.
"Domino, don't give up your life for that traitor!" cried Mimi.
But it was too late. Even if she had wanted to, there was no way for Domino to stop the spell now. She felt lightheaded as her energy began to flow from her body into Dice's.
What had become Digidust slowly began to re-solidify, and what had become transparent was now opaque again. There was a general gasp from the children at the amazing sight.
Don't waste your life this time, Dice, Domino thought, and then she fainted, her energy gone.
"Domino!" Sora yelped, and lunged forward as the Gatomon pitched forward.
"Matte--Sora!" Tai cried, and yanked her back. "Minna, mite!" he gasped as the silver light around Domino's fallen body began to intensify. Brighter, and brighter it grew, until they all had to turn away and shield their eyes.
Dice slowly opened his eyes, as his sight cleared by the brilliance of Domino's light, he could feel something leaving his body, but couldn't see it.
As the children watched both Gatomon, a small black and angry red sphere seemed to float out of Dice's chest, and evaporated in the white radiance of Domino's spell.
When it disappeared, Dice seemed to hear what Domino had thought. "Don't waste your life this time, Dice..." her voice echoed in his mind, and he tried to sit up without result.
"NO! DOMINO! DON'T! YOU CAN'T DIE FOR ME! NO!" Dice shouted, startling the kids and Digimon around them. I'm sorry... forgive me... I... had to...
Domino's final thoughts echoed through Dice's mind...heard by him alone...
"NO!" Dice shouted, tears falling unhindered down his cheeks. "You can't, Domino!" He whimpered. "You can't!"
Tai was at a loss, and a shared look with Matt revealed the other boy was as lost in this one as himself.
Before, Dice had been the enemy, ready to kill them. He had spared Tai once, but then had returned to the other's side; Against them. But now... he couldn't believe that the same creature that had attacked them so cruelly was the same as the Black Gatomon that lay at their feet, trying to struggle up to stop his sister from sacrifying herself for him.
The other Dice wouldn't have cared.
The other Dice would have blown up with all of them rather than let them close.
The other Dice would've been trying to kill Domino during her spell- casting, not stop her at the cost of his own life.
Tai couldn't stand it, and turned away, only to look back as Dice's whimpers forced him to do so.
No... Domino... how could you? How could you? Sora fumed, covering her face with her hands. How could you sacrifice yourself for him? I don't understand!
Tai clenched his fists. Chikusho... he thought, how can it end this way? Even if Myotismon is gone... now Domino is gone, too? What about happy endings??
The light slowly faded, and the children carefully lowered their hands from their eyes.
"What in the--?"
Tai let out a cry at the sight that met their eyes.
Domino's body was no longer that of a Gatomon, that was for certain... but... shouldn't there have been no body at all? With all of her energy gone, should she not have become Digidust and faded away completely? "Everyone... look... look at... that..." Tai whispered.
Dice stared, too dumbfounded to even breathe.
Where the body of a Gatomon had fallen, the form of a young girl now rested. She was light-skinned, with chestnut brown hair that fell softly around her slim shoulders. She wore faded-looking blue denim jeans and a long-sleeved hunter green shirt with sleeves that were a little too long for her. She wasn't very tall, probably only about as tall as Joe, but somehow, Tai got the impression she was older than them.
"Tai... who... who is that?" Mimi asked, a little bit afraid.
Tai shook his head. "I... don't know..."
The girl stirred, and Tai protectively put one arm out in front of Sora and Mimi.
"D-domino?" Dice whispered.
The strange girl slowly pushed up to her elbows, as though she was having trouble moving. Her arms quivered, and she seemed to be having difficulty getting beyond being on all fours.
She lifted her head, and her eyes met Dice's. Dice hesitated.
Her eyes... they were green... just like Domino's had been... But... but surely this... this human... could not have been...
"We are all more human than we admit..."
Dice gasped inwardly. Could that be... Could what she had said really been true? Could there have really been a time when he and Domino were human siblings?
"Domino?!" He practically shouted. Startling everyone.
The girl stared hard at Dice, as though willing her eyes to focus, and Dice suddenly noticed she wore a peculiar necklace.
Tai noticed it, too... it was a black cord, with and unusual pendant... It was small, of an odd shape... and it glowed softly the color of indigo.
It was...
"A crest..." Tai breathed. "She has a crest..."
Everyone stared at the Crest, except for Dice, who couldn't tear his eyes from her own. "It is you... are you really my... sister?"
"Am I..." Dice shook his head, it couldn't be. "Domino?"
The girl blinked at Dice, then looked down. She let out a soft cry at the sight of her hands, and quickly sat back on her feet. She raised her hands to her face, and then felt the sides of her head.
"My... ears..." she whispered, and her hands moved until she could stare hard at them. "What... what happened to me...?" She glanced up at Dice, and her eyes suddenly looked different. A wry smile split her face.
"No, you're not Domino, silly..." she said, and winked one large green eye at him. "I am..."
She understood... she understood now...
"WHAT!?" Joe shouted.
She laughed, and glanced over her shoulder at the children.
"It's me... it's me, guys," she said, a big goofy grin on her face. "I told you... I told you, didn't I?" She carefully rose up on her knees, her arms out to her sides. Being bipedal would take a little practice, that was for sure. She wagged one finger at Tai and Joe. "You guys didn't believe me when I told you who I really was..."
She turned back to Dice. "Neither did you..." she said snidely. She narrowed one eye. "D'you believe me now...Kitty cat?"
She folded her arms over her chest.
Dice then seemed to realize where he was. He looked at Gatomon, a little afraid of being rejected. However, the other Gatomon, ignoring everyone else, jumped at him and hugged him with all her strength, crying softly. Dice hugged her back, fighting his own tears.
"Gatomon... I'm so sorry..." he cried into her shoulder. Domino smiled, and shook her head. She walked on her knees to where the two Gatomon embraced.
"Dice," she said softly, "I'm the one who should be sorry..." Dice looked up from Gatomon's shoulder, not understanding. "But... it was me who betrayed you... all of you... even..." He couldn't continue, closing his eyes he hugged Gatomon closer.
The female Gatomon sniffed and caressed the back of his head softly. "Don't worry Dice... *I* forgive you..."
Domino nodded. "Don't be sorry, Dice... It was I who failed you... I tried, really I did... but no matter what I said, no matter what I did... I just couldn't get through to you," she said. "I'm sorry it had to come to this... I'm sorry I had to hurt you... before I could help you..."
Tai walked forward. "No, Domino. Everyone chooses his or her own way... even Dice." he finished a little more coldly than he wanted.
"Tai's right..." Dice said, his voice muffled by Gatomon's fur. "I don't know why... all I wanted was to be with Gatomon... but every time I tried... I seemed to hate everyone even more..."
Silence.
Joe took a tentative step forward. "Domino...?" he said. "Is it... really you?"'
Sora crumpled to her knees. This was impossible!
Tai narrowed one eye, and then walked more quickly over to Domino. She blinked rapidly.
"Tai?" she gasped softly as the boy reached down, his hand going for her neck. She yelped and jerked back, tumbling onto her rump as his hand shot out and snatched the cord around her neck, snapping the thin black twine.
He stared hard at the crest.
"A crest," he said softly, and looked at the girl. "You really have a crest..."
She gazed at him, uncomprehending. "A crest?"
He showed it to her. "Look," was all he said.
Domino attempted to stand, but was having a little difficulty with the whole two-legged deal, so resorted to walking on her knees again. She grabbed Taichi's wrists and pulled them down so she could stare at the crest. She plucked it from his palm.
"It is..." she said. "You're right..."
"Crest?" Sora asked. "But... how? I thought there were only 8 of us?"
"Crest of what?" TK cried excitedly. "Crest of what??"
Dice and Gatomon released each other, both with soft pink patches on their cheeks and walked up to them, holding hands.
The kids shot Dice some glares, but Gatomon didn't slow down until they reached Devinne.
Izzy typed furiously at his computer, until he finally shouted in triumph.
"Gennai say's that's the Crest of Loyalty! He also says that he thought it had been lost forever!"
Domino snapped her head around. "Loyalty?" Domino echoed.
"Whaddya mean 'lost forever', Izzy?" Tai asked. "I thought there were only 8 crests, wasn't that what he had told us?"
"Anyway, he say's that Domino's Digivice will soon appear after we've found the 9th Digimon..."
Izzy finished.
Domino looked at her hands. "Wait... waitasecond," she said, closing her eyes. "Are you guys saying that I... I'm one of..."--she looked at Tai-- "one of you?"
"But how're we gonna..." Dice started, then stopped as everyone but Gatomon and Domino winced when he said 'we'. He stomped to stand next to her and continued, facing the other Digidestined. "How are WE going to find... what are YOU staring at?!" He asked a little fed up with all the 'bad wolf' stuff.
The Digidestined were ignoring Dice and staring at Domino's Tag, as it shone brightly when Dice had stepped next to her.
Domino noticed it too.
"How can this be? I'm no Digidestined," she insisted. "I'm just a kid who..."--she screwed up one side of her face--"well, okay, I admit I was having one hell of an identity crisis for a while there... but... a Destined?" She paused, almost as though it were too much to comprehend. "Could I really be...?
Dice turned around, and stared at the glowing tag... then felt something.
She closed her fingers over the tag, and looked at Dice.
"Could... could you be...?"
Domino extended the hand with the tag in it toward Dice, and gasped as the purple light grew stronger.
"I... you..." Dice looked at the new Domino closely. "I feel something from you..."
"Like a thread, connecting your heart to her own." Gatomon finished.
"And the need to protect her..." Palmon added. "That's..."
"That's what we ALL feel..." Agumon stated.
Domino nodded, but made no response. She then glanced at the other Digimon
Dice couldn't do anything but nod.
Patamon, however scowled. "I don't believe it!"
Domino face faulted. "But..."
"That... black Gatomon has already betrayed us! How can he be the Digidestined Digimon of LOYALTY?!" Patamon insisted.
They all snapped their heads toward the little orange Digimon.
"Patamon?" TK asked.
"Well... think about it!" Patamon growled. "He did that! How many people and Digimon did he BETRAY? He should be the Digimon of betrayal, not Loyalty!"
Domino seemed to shrink. She shook her head. "Patamon's right, you guys," she said, and Dice felt his blood run cold. What was she saying? Domino shook her head. "There must be some mistake, I can't be the Destined of Loyalty... I couldn't even save my own brother..."
Dice balked. Wait... what? Had she just put the fault... on herself?
She eyed her tag again. "There must be a mistake," she said again, and moved to hand the tag to Tai. "This can't be for me..."
Gatomon jumped at that, glaring at Patamon. "Shut up, Pork chops! He didn't betray his friends!"
Dice and Domino both looked up at her from that.
"He fought and saved us many times before this trial even began!" Gatomon growled. "Gotsumon, Pumpkinmon, Wizardmon, and myself! We were all he knew, we were his family when he thought he'd lost it all!"
"Gatomon..." Dice whispered. Then looked back at Domino.
"What have YOU lost, Digidestined?!" Gatomon asked. "He lost his mentor! His sister! He had to fend of by himself to make a place in the world. He met Gotsumon and Pumpkinmon, befriended them and almost got killed by Monochromon to save them! For what? It wasn't for the sake of getting something! THAT was loyalty! When he met me and Wizardmon, then helped us on our quest. That was friendship and loyalty. He saved me once from attacking Tyrannomon when he and Wizardmon were completely battered. Both risked their lives for each other and me that day. And now..." She sighed. "Gotsumon and Pumpkinmon died... helping you."
Matt and TK winced at that.
Gatomon continued. "And today... Wizardmon..." she gulped. "If he didn't care..." she whispered. "then why did he turn around when he heard his friend cry out, ignoring the danger of the spear?"
Now it was Domino's turn to wince.
Domino's features hardened. "I don't understand though," she said, and dropped to one knee beside Gatomon. She shook her head. "I see how Dice proved Loyalty... but why me? I didn't do anything so spectacular to earn a crest because of it... all I did was make a mess of things. I nearly killed my own brother... where is the loyalty in that?"
"I'm human again... so I figure my part is done..." She glanced at Dice. "Man, I'm gonna have a hard time explaining this to Mom..." Her eyes moved to Gatomon. "Take the Tag, Gatomon... find the real 9th Destined..."
Gatomon looked at Domino calmly. "You tried to do whatever you could to save BOTH the Digidestined and Dice... not once did you really turn against the other... you didn't almost kill Dice. You tried to distract him so he wouldn't hit you. Under normal circumstances he would've avoided it easily. You said so yourself."
"But..." She glanced at the tag. "But I don't know what to do with this..."
She glanced at Tai, for surely the leader of the Digidestined would have the answer.
Tai blinked, and rubbed the back of his neck.
Gatomon pressed the tag into Domino's hand. "You ARE the 9th Digidestined. You already have a Digivice."
She blinked. "I do?"
Gatomon nodded to her belt, and sure enough, there was one.
Domino face faulted again. "Um... how did that get there?" she wondered aloud, unclipping it from her jeans. She turned it in every which direction. "It looks like a Tamagotchi..."
Dice stared at her. "A what?"
She looked at Tai. "So... what happens now?" she asked.
Tai shrugged. "I really don't know. But you are a Digidestined. Let's get to our parents and then we'll decide."
Domino's eyes snapped open wide. "Ohmigosh! That's right!" she looked to Sora. "Sora! My mom's still at your house!"
"Well, let's go then!" Tai shouted.