Arukenimon and Mummymon are back, twelve years after the end of 02. Scouting on behalf of Koushirou, they find a small corrupt sector spawning blobs that break down and absorb everything they touch. Meanwhile, Oikawa forces himself to regain his human shape, leaving him deathly weak and in the care of Gennai and Koushirou.
Chapter Three: Standing Up
"Um," Mummymon said as he threw his binding attack from both hands, sounding very put-upon, "Arukenimon, my lovely tomato, can you get that one over there?"
"For crying out loud," Arukenimon muttered, and wrapped the indicated blob with another layer of Spider Thread from where she sat, annoyed, on the cool gray ground, on the opposite side of the small group of hatchling slimes. They had been managing the nest for some time now, tiring themselves out with a near constant stream of Snake Bandage and Spider Thread. Their nerves were getting raw.
"The Chosen will come soon - they'll know what to do," he said encouragingly.
"I'm getting tired of watching these things eat my beautiful silk," she grumped.
He sighed. "They're not getting tired of my bandages, either. Look on the bright side, at least they're not growing."
"Ugh.. Well, don't jinx it," she muttered.
A shadow passed over them, and they cringed instinctively, looking up. "An Airdramon!" Mummymon shouted.
"That had better be them," Arukenimon scowled.
Through the treetops, they saw the flying serpent shoot past again, back the other way, and then the distinctive sound of giant insect Digimon wings filled the air. Kabuterimon appeared through the trees and made a slightly heavy landing, weighed down with three passengers. The spider woman watched keenly as Gennai put down the person he was carrying and fussed over him, while Koushirou and Kabuterimon jogged towards them.
"Took you long enough," Arukenimon began. "Don't forget we're doing you a favor out here, busting our-"
"I'll take over for you here," the Digimon interrupted.
"You're needed - come with me." Koushirou insisted.
"Needed? What's this?" she scowled, allowing the Chosen to lead her back towards Gennai.
"Mr. Oikawa attempted a full corporealization despite insufficient available resources. Now he needs some of your strength to survive," the young man said matter-of-factly.
Arukenimon scoffed. Oikawa? What was the idiot boy talking about?
"Don't worry," Gennai greeted her, "with your help, he'll be fine."
She looked at the man laid out before him, in shock. Her heart pounded and she felt a little unsteady, dozens of memories bubbling up to the surface of her mind. It really was... It really was him. The familiar purple trench coat was gone, replaced by dark brown Guardian's robes. The cold, hard look she was used to was gone too. He looked almost.. innocent, like this, and with a rush of cold she wondered if she knew this Oikawa at all.
As she stood in silence, Koushirou handed her a Digivice sized object that felt warm and strangely electric in her grip. "This is a regulator," he explained, not noticing the way she was staring at her former master. "It will help you give energy to him, without putting yourself in any danger."
"How.. how did this..."
"Haven't I been telling you Oikawa would be back eventually?" Gennai patted the unconscious man's arm. "Looks like he decided now is the time."
Arukenimon held the regulator out towards him.
Gennai held his breath. He wasn't sure she would be able to willingly give up part of her life force like this, even if she wanted to.
She looked at his ashen face, not understanding why his frailty made her feel cold and frightened. This wasn't fair - he'd been a ghost for years, and that had been fine. Now, without warning, he was back - and more a ghost of her past like this than the butterflies had ever been. Everything she had spent years deciding about him was suddenly up for question again. What if she'd been wrong?
She closed her eyes and concentrated on the regulator. After all, she didn't need to understand her feelings, did she? All that mattered right now was the straightforward part - that she wanted to help Oikawa.
Gennai was on the point of suggesting Mummymon come to help her, when the device in Arukenimon's hand began to glow. He smiled and then broke into a grin as glowing points of energy flowed from the monstrous Digimon to the pale white figure before her.
Arukenimon opened her eyes and saw her bright success. Much to her annoyance, her throat tightened up and her eyes watered.
"Are you ok?" Koushirou asked, as Arukenimon gave a couple of choked coughs.
"She's fine," Gennai intervened, figuring it was a good idea to spare the spider's dignity. Koushirou shrugged, satisfied, and wandered off towards Kabuterimon.
"Mmnh," Oikawa muttered, scowling and rolling half over.
Arukenimon stopped, her hands hovering uncertainly. "Boss?"
He sat partway up and blinked at her. "Arukenimon?"
"Yes, sir."
"Give... me your hand."
She did, and helped him to his feet.
He looked into her eyes, feeling like there were a million things he needed to say. "I... I can't ask your forgiveness," he began.
"Stop," she croaked, "Just save it for later."
"You need rest," Gennai agreed.
He closed his eyes and shook his head, stepping towards the dark area. "No. I'm responsible for this."
Gennai put a hand on his shoulder. "Not alone, you aren't."
He stopped and looked at the guardian. "You have no idea.."
"Then tell me!"
He stared hollowly at the gray and black area, wishing he'd never been born. How could he explain to Gennai, to Arukenimon, that his mistakes were still haunting them?
He sighed, looking ancient, defeated. "When - when I died... When I gave my energy to the Digital World, when I wished I could make up for my mistakes... I was a wreck. The wretchedness I felt when I realized what fate I'd led the children to, and my old feelings of loss and isolation were incorporated into the Digital World, where they festered."
Gennai blinked. It kind of made sense - the Digital World would have been unsure of how to handle human negative energy. Arukenimon just listened, uncomfortable, not knowing what to think.
"Finally they corrupted this sector and created this symptom of sickness, a nightmare Digital plasm, sating its loneliness and emptiness by absorbing everything. I sensed it yesterday... I knew I had to face it in person," he finished, walking towards the nest. Arukenimon and Gennai traded glances and followed him.
Mummymon finally caught sight of his former master and gaped, dropping his hands. "Boss?" He broke into a massive grin and ran to him, grabbing a very startled Oikawa in a strong hug. "It's so good to see you! Uh.. what's wrong?"
Oikawa's eyes were shut tight and leaking tears. He didn't feel he deserved that kind of forgiveness. "It's nothing," he managed. "It's.. good to see you, too."
"How have you been? What was it like being a lot of butterflies? How did you come back?"
"Please, Mummymon.. I'm tired," he said, looking miserable, and marched on towards the nest.
The Digimon stood, confused, a hand lifted after him. Arukenimon stopped by his side and together they watched their master walk away. "He wouldn't talk to me," he said, more confused then hurt.
"He thinks all this is because of him."
"Oh." he blinked. "And that means he can't talk?"
Arukenimon shook her head and didn't explain.
Gennai was trying to get in Oikawa's way, but the man kept resolutely dodging him. "Please, Yukio," the Guardian begged as he was shouldered aside, "This can wait until you've recovered. It's too dangerous for you now."
"Don't be foolish. You have no way to stop this. If I don't deal with it now it will get out of control."
"You don't know tha-"
"I do!" he gave Gennai such a fierce look that the Guardian backed off a step. "I know - because it's me."
They stopped before the ponderous slimes and Gennai evaluated them distastefully. "What do you mean, it's you?" he asked, concerned. These things had grown from a cast-off part of him, but they weren't him in any meaningful way. The man was confusing fault with personal responsibility, spawn with self.
"The butterflies - they were me. This," he pointed accusingly at a wobbling slime, "is me."
Gennai shook his head, wishing Oikawa would listen to him. "Yukio.. that's not really-"
"Gennai! Please! Leave me alone!"
"No! Yukio! Hear me out..."
Arukenimon and Mummymon approached hesitantly. "What's going on, Boss?"
He hung his head. "I will fix this." He seemed to be talking to himself.
"We need to work together," Gennai pleaded.
"Leave me alone!" Oikawa roared, and a faint purple aura burst into life around him.
Arukenimon and Mummymon gasped and backed away reflexively. Gennai moved in front of them and frowned at Oikawa. "Maybe we should give him some room," he suggested, and together they backed off a few meters. Alone at last, Oikawa turned to stare at the wobbling slime.
Mummymon looked miserable. "What's wrong with our boss?" he begged Gennai.
"Forgive him," the Guardian said, tired. "He just.. feels too strongly."
Arukenimon narrowed her eyes. "If that aura meant something, you'd tell us, wouldn't you?"
"It's probably just emotional energy bleeding off. He's just not ready to see the two of you yet."
Mummymon frowned. "Why would seeing us..?
Arukenimon growled impatiently. "We remind him of what happened."
"But.. That's not fair! That doesn't even make sense!"
Koushirou approached the others, utterly failing to notice the tense atmosphere. "There's good news and bad news," he reported. "These things are more like a phenomenon than a creature. They're incorporating a lot of matter and energy without increasing in size. Eventually they'll get full, and won't be able to move or absorb anything else."
"And the bad news?" Gennai prompted.
"They can probably contain half the mass of the Digital World before that happens."
"So what can we do about it?" Arukenimon demanded.
Koushirou shrugged. "I'm not sure. If it's possible to suspend them in some sort of energy field..."
"Or just drop them down a deep hole?" Mummymon suggested.
Gennai shook his head. "Allowing these things to bore straight down through the Digital World's surface would create worse problems than this."
Koushirou shrugged. "There's little point in idle speculation. Arukenimon, Mummymon, we'll need your help to bring one of these things back to my lab, so I can get started on a solution."
But Mummymon was worriedly watching his old boss, who was staring the largest slime down.
Oikawa sighed like someone watching their house being demolished. "Is this what you want?" he said to it, with hollow anger.
Mummymon realized what was going on and sprung towards him, shouting. "No - wait!"
But he was too far away. Oikawa had just stepped into the slime.
Mummymon cried out, horrified, skidding to a halt in front of it, as the others ran up after him. He plunged his arm in after his boss, but his claws missed their target. With a yell of pain, he yanked his arm back out, steaming, bandages peeling. He turned around and grabbed Arukenimon with his good hand, burying his face in her shoulder. "I don't want to see it," he said brokenly, "I don't want to see this..."
But Arukenimon just grabbed the top of his head in her hand and turned it back towards the slime.
Oikawa was floating in it, unharmed.
Koushirou blinked. "It won't absorb him? Fascinating."
"Fascinating!" Arukenimon yelled. "How do we get him out of there?"
A phone rang.
Mummymon blinked, realizing it was coming from him. He patted himself down and found the Digivice, while Arukenimon stared like he'd grown another head. "Uh.. Hello?"
"Hello, Mummymon," Iori answered. "Is Arukenimon there?"
She grabbed the Digivice before her partner could hand it to her. "We've 'noticed' something," she snapped, and pointed the screen at Oikawa.
Iori gasped.
"That wasn't very tactful," Mummymon scolded quietly.
"Are you close to a Digiport?" Iori asked urgently.
"We're nowhere near-"
Koushirou came to the spider woman's side to join the conversation. "You can port in through my laptop," he offered. "We could really use your help."
Oikawa floated, weightless and numb. He relaxed. He'd done it - satisfied the beast.
But as he thought that, he felt a pain in his ears, like pressure. "No... we're still hungry," his own voice echoed around him.
Shocked, he panicked. His sacrifice hadn't done anything!
...and now he was trapped! How could he keep on making such horrible mistakes? He could feel the devouring slime creeping all over him - he couldn't breathe.
"You won't die," his voice assured him. "We don't want to take you. You can't satisfy us."
"Then, please," he begged, "what do you want?"
"Everything else." It sighed. "We're so hungry..."
"This is all my fault," Oikawa said, crushed.
"We are all your faults," it corrected. "We're so lonely... Hungry... Longing. Like you. Longing forever, but we can have nothing. Taking forever and still having nothing. Do you have anything?"
"No," Oikawa said, miserably. Not even Datirimon could possibly forgive him for, once again, coming to the Digital World just long enough to die.
"Then you could lose yourself here, and you will forget, like us."
He was tempted, he had to admit it. But he'd decided long ago to champion this world, and that still took precedence over the miserable relief of giving up.
"You LIAR," his voice hissed around him. "You have loyalty." There was a stomach wrenching jolt as it shuddered. "You still have the hope you took for yourself! You can't lose yourself at all!"
Arukenimon was loathe to admit it, but Iori's presence calmed her nerves enough that she stopped looking daggers at anyone who spoke. It galled her that she found the company of a Chosen Child reassuring, but she couldn't help it - with the boy here, everything would be alright. At least Gennai and Koushirou didn't have that effect on her... That thought cheered her up a little.
Iori let them get him up to speed on the situation, a thoughtful frown on his face. "Where's Datirimon?" he asked, watching Oikawa, suspended inside the blob of slime.
"Who?" Arukenimon blinked.
"You know," Mummymon said, "the little tomato. The Boss's Digimon."
"He's not here," Gennai answered. "I thought about finding him, but there wasn't time. And now I'm not sure if... Well, if Yukio isn't going to..."
Iori shook his head. "You can't try to spare a partner Digimon's feelings. Datirimon would want to be here for Mr. Oikawa, no matter what."
Mummymon gave Arukenimon a tearful glance, and she rolled her eyes.
"Well then," Gennai was saying, "If you don't need me right now, I'll go and search for the little guy."
Iori nodded and Koushirou waved a dismissive hand, not looking up from his computer. "Good luck!" Mummymon called hopefully, as Gennai left the clearing.
"Yes, good luck, now what are we going to do?" Arukenimon snapped.
"Can we speak to it?" Iori asked. "If it's part of Mr. Oikawa, maybe I can reason with it."
Koushirou frowned. "I don't think so. It doesn't seem to have any senses whatsoever."
"It must have some senses. It attacked me before," Arukenimon argued.
Iori peered into its depths, trying to make out the details of Oikawa's face through the foggy slime. He wanted so badly to rescue him, to save him, like he had failed to do as a boy.
He was confident the slime wouldn't harm him. This shadow of Oikawa would recognize him as a friend, or at least as a Hida. If this was sadness, if this was loneliness, he could speak to it, he knew he could!
He raised a hand and touched its surface. He felt an electric tickle, pins and needles.
He closed his eyes and dove inside.