Chapter 5

Taiko sat at the small table in the cafe and gestured to their drinks. "It's becoming more obvious, isn't it?"

"What?" he asked.

"If things were the correct way, don't you think we'd have different drinks?"

Michio studied his coffee and then Taiko's cappuccino. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I mean, I've drunk coffee, of course, but I always put a lot of sweetener in it." He shrugged, "But yeah, I'm not liking the sugar so much anymore."

Taiko nodded. "Yeah. I've liked sweets, but not as much as I seem to now."

Michio nodded again and the two sank into silence. He knew they were both avoiding it. He opened his mouth but Taiko spoke first. "All right, let's just get this over with it. What happened the other night…"

She bit her lip. "Was it...I mean...why me? Was it just because I'm a.." She glanced at her chest, "... a girl who used to be a guy?"

Michio froze as he lifted his mug. "I thought you didn't want to talk about it."

She glared and Michio chuckled. "You're giving me the same look I used to give guys."

Taiko's eyes darkened even further. Michio cleared his throat. "I…" He sighed, "I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe because you're going through the same thing as I am." He frowned. "Up until a few days ago, I was a girl who was attracted to boys and now I'm a boy attracted to girls. I guess part of me still is, so…"

Taiko's angry eyes drooped and her face softened. "S-so that was the only reason?"

Michio shook his head. "No! I mean, we're friends, right? I like you…"

Taiko nodded. "Just not like that."

Michio frowned. "Well, what about you? Why'd you…" He glanced around, but the only other customers were at the table on the other side of the cafe. He still lowered his voice, "...almost do...that with me?"

Taiko muttered into her drink. "Because I...I wanted to…"

Michio blinked. "What?"

Taiko whipped her head up. "I wanted to, all right! Part of me felt the same way you do! That it's not a weird being with you as it would be with some other guy." She rubbed her eyes. "Damn it! My stomach feels like it's on a roller coaster."

Taiko bit the inside of her lip in an attempt to keep from crying. Why were her damn emotions all over the place?

Michio cleared his throat. "Um, look. So we switched like this, but that doesn't mean we still can't be...us, right? There's nothing stopping me from still being a chef."

Taiko paused and then nodded. "Yeah, and I can still go into politics," Taiko said.

"Not gonna settle down after getting married?" Michio asked with a smirk.

Taiko snorted. "Some kind of prissy housewife? Don't bet on it."

She stared Michio in the eyes and her cheeks darkened. "Do you really see yourself dating girls, getting married, and even becoming a father?"

Michio hesitated before answering. "It's not something I ever thought I'd think about, but, even when I was younger, I wanted a family." He shrugged, "I still do."

"Yeah," Taiko nodded, "Me too."

Michio chuckled. "Well, tell you what, if we're stuck like this, why don't we just get married?"

Taiko blushed even more. "What?"

Michio was blushing now as well. "Well, after everything we just said…"

Taiko thought of herself in a wedding kimono, standing beside Michio. "I…I don't want to think about that yet."

A chime filled the air. "Did your D-terminal just beep?" asked Michio.

She nodded and fished the device from her purse. Her face paled. "It's from Hikari. An SOS."

Michio swallowed. "Are we going?"

Taiko narrowed her eyes. "She's my sister. Of course, I'm going. To hell with the damn warning."

Michio smiled. "Yeah, let's go."

The Digital Gate deposited them in a bustling city littered with buildings with a South Asian design. Agumon and Palmon appeared beside them. "Back again so soon?" Palmon asked.

"We've got no choice," Taiko sighed, "The others are in trouble."

"Where are we?" Michio asked.

The two digimon studied the area. "Looks like the shore of the Southern Ocean," Agumon answered.

Michio nodded, "Koshiro said the floating island was out there."

"Great," Taiko grinned. She held her digivice towards the water and shifted it until a set of lights started to blink on the screen. "There they are."

"How do we get there?" Palmon asked, "We can't fly."

Taiko waved them towards a small hut that displayed a sign advertising air transport. "Hey, you got any cash?"

Murmiksmon paced the floor of the stone temple as the Chosen and their partners slowly came back into consciousness. He grinned at their confusion and horror upon finding themselves bound to the stone wall by a set of metal bands. "Welcome back," he said, "I hope you had pleasant dreams."

"Screw you!" Daisuke snapped.

Murmiksmon laughed. "Such defiance."

"What now?" asked Koshiro, "You've got the power you were after, so what do you want with us?"

He laughed. "Did you wonder how I was able to evolve from d'Arcmon to HippoGriffomon?" He did not wait for an answer before continuing, "I was exposed to a digivice."

"Exposed?" Koshiro asked.

Hikari gasped. "Were you a Chosen partner?"

Murmiksmon was silent and Hikari nodded. "You were, weren't you? What happened to your partner?"

Murmiksmon growled. "You don't need to know anything about that! What you do need to know is that I understand the power to evolve at will."

"It's not like we can do it whenever we want!" V-mon protested.

"That's right," Tailmon hissed, "We need our partners around, to borrow their energy."

"Even we don't know how it works," Tentomon added.

Murmiksmon grinned. "Yes, I know. That's why I'm going to examine you to see how it does."

The group gasped a collective, "What?" All save Iori, who protested, "But you're already at the Mega level."

The demon shook his head. "I believe there's a level beyond that of a Mega. "He smirked, "And I will find it after I rip you apart and absorb the energy from your partners."

Michio leaped to the ground and took Taiko's hand to help her off the Sabirdramon. Agumon and Palmon slid off with no problem. "Thank you!" Taiko called, waving as the giant digimon flew back into the sky, "Now let's find the others."

Michio nodded and motioned to the stone temple. "I'm guessing in there."

Michio and the digimon followed Taiko through the door. After stepping past a short hall littered with large boulders, a large cavern opened before them. Taiko was about to step into the room when Michio pulled her back.

"What?" she hissed.

Michio pointed. "Over there."

Taiko bit her lip to keep from calling out her sister's name. Hikari and the other Chosen, along with their partners, were tied to the wall. She nodded to Michio and started forward again, moving slower this time.

Hikari was the first to notice the two gender-swapped-teenagers. She hissed and made sounds with her throat. The other Chosen and digimon then noticed them, with Daisuke shifting his body as best he could with his arms chained to the wall, pointing his feet to the side.

The gender-swapped-teenagers turned and Michio hissed while a chill crept up Taiko's spine. A demon digimon busied himself with something on a stone altar with his back towards them. "Murmiksmon!" Agumon whispered.

"Who?" Taiko asked.

"An evil digimon from long ago," Palmon said, "But I thought he was deleted."

Taiko growled. "It's probably d'Arcmon. She got the power she wanted."

"So what do we do?" Michio asked, "Take him out first?"

She shook her head. "Free the others. That's what's important."

Michio nodded. "Right, gotcha."

They started for the others, using the uncarved rock formations as cover. They froze as Murmiksmon started laughing. He twirled on his feet and fired a ball of dark energy. Taiko and Agumon dove to one side while Michio and Palmon fell to the other. The stone they had been hiding behind vanished in a burst of light.

"Oh, it's you two," Murmiksmon snickered, "Still having issues with your recent slide evolution?"

Michio blinked. "Slide Evolution?"

Taiko snarled. "We haven't evolved!" She shook her head, "Never mind that. Let the others go right now."

Murmiksmon crossed his arms. "Or what?"

Michio pulled out his digivice. "Or we'll free them any way we can."

"No!" Hikari cried, "You can't! If you evolve your partners…"

She trailed off and Koshiro jumped in. "By the state of your digivices, I'm gonna guess that you've only got a few more chances before they're repaired completely."

"And he's a Mega!" Tentomon added.

"But you have no idea how to swap our data back anyway, right?" Taiko asked.

"Well, yes, but…"

Taiko turned to Michio and they both turned to their partners. "We're with you, no matter what," said Agumon

"Yeah," Palmon nodded, "I told you before, no matter what you look like on the outside, you're still you inside."

Taiko grinned. "Then let's do it.

"Agumon evolve to Sunflomon!"

"Right behind ya!" cried Michio.

"Palmon evolve to Growmon!"

Murmiksmon smirked and waved with his fingers. "Well, come on then, show me what you've got."

Growmon started the battle by spewing out a burst of fire. "Exhaust Flame!"

The demon stood his ground, allowing the flames to wash over him without even a flinch.

"My turn!" Sunflomon cried, "Sunshine Beam!"

Murmiksmon opened his arms, allowing the blast to hit him directly in the chest. His expression was unchanged, the force was too weak to even make him move.

"Come on!" he laughed, "I thought you were serious!"

Taiko examined her digivice; no change. She smirked. "Just a little warm-up. Sunflomon!"

Her partner flew towards Murmiksmon, her body starting to glow. "Sunflomon evolve to Lilamon!"

The plant digimon pivoted herself, no doubt intending to slam the back of her heel into the demon's head. Murmiksmon darted forward and grabbed her ankle before spinning around and flinging her like a baseball. "Growmon!" Michio cried.

The dragon dinosaur charged, evolving to MegaloGrowmon and catching Lilamon in his arms. "Thanks!" she cried, flying out of his arms.

"You got it," he grinned, "Now let's take him together!" The two cannons on his chest plate surged with red light. "Atomic Blaster!"

Lilamon stretched backward before throwing her arms forward, firing beams from each of her fingertips. "Lila Shower!"

The two energy beams twisted together into a swirling spiral. Murmiskmon batted it away with the back of his hand, sending it smashing into the ceiling above Taiko and Michio. The rock face crumbled and chunks rained down from above. Micho shielded Taiko as they both clambered to safety.

Murmiksmon rubbed the back of his hand. "That actually hurt." He narrowed his eyes, "I'm going to have to take you two seriously."

He shot forward, throwing a fist into MegaloGrowmon's stomach. Michio cried for his partner while Lilamon rushed up from behind, slapping the back of the demon's head in mad furry. Murmiksmon twirled around, knocking Lilamon back before dropping to avoid MegaloGrowmon's swing. He darted around the dragon's legs and formed a sphere of swirling flames in his palms. "Gehenna Flame!"

He rammed it into MegaloGrowmon's back and the dragon dinosaur roared before knocking Murmiksmon into the stone wall with his tail. "I'm getting used to this thing," he chuckled.

Michio grinned and Taiko frowned. "Come on, Lilamon! Don't let him show you up!"

Lilamon dove at the demon as he pulled himself out of the wall. "Lila Shower!"

He grunted as beams of light lacerated his chest. He threw a small ball of dark energy from his palm, one that Lilamon easily avoided. "And I'm getting used to being so much more agile."

Murmiksmon roared and threw his arms into the wall to push himself free. "Dodge this!" he cried, swinging his fist into Lilamon's face. She hit the ground and tumbled backward before jumping back into the air.

"I've had enough of you!" he screamed. He held up both palms, a Gehenna Flame in the right hand and a Necro Interrogation in the left. "Now die!" He threw both attacks into the ground, the shockwave sending both Lilamon and MegaloGrowmon into the wall. They both slid into a heap on the floor.

The other Chosen stared while Taiko and Michio screamed for their partners. Murmiksmon screamed as he rushed them, slashing MegaloGrowmon across the face. Lilamon came to his rescue, slapping the demon in the back of the head.

"Stop attacking from behind!" he screamed, whirling around and backhanding Lilamon in the face. MegaloGrowmon swung for him but Murmiksmon grabbed his fist, swinging the dragon dinosaur over his shoulder and onto Lilamon.

"No!" Michio cried.

The other Chosen and Digimon called out for their two fallen partners while Michio screamed. "No!"

Murmiksmon roared with maniacal laughter and hovered into the air, two more spheres of flame and darkness forming in his palms. "Now die, die!"

Taiko clenched her fists but felt something hard in her right hand; her digivice. She studied the device. It still had the same damage as before she started the fight. There was a still a chance for her to turn back into a guy, but there was only one way to defeat Murmiksmon.

Michio took her hand into his; his other own held his own digivice. Michio looked Taiko into her eyes and nodded with a smile. Taiko returned the nod, holding up her digivice.

"No!" Hikari cried.

Daisuke pulled at the handcuffs. "Free us and me and V-mon'll do it!"

Taiko felt herself smiling. They had made their decision. "Lilamon!"

Michio held up his digivice. "MegaloGrowmon!"

The two devices burst with light. Taiko felt the power course through her device and could also feel the damaged screen weave together like a healing wound.

"Lilamon evolve to Rosemon!"

"MegaloGrowmon evolve to WarGreymon!"

Murmiksmon's face dropped but then twisted into stone-determination again. "This changes nothing! Die! Die! Die!"

The two Mega Digimon shot into the air. Red energy shimmering with petals formed in Rosemon's palms. "Forbidden Temptation!"

Murmiksmon started to throw the spheres of darkness and fire but stopped as Rosemon's beam pierced his chest. The energy spheres dissipated as the demon heaved for breath.

"My turn!" WarGreymon cried, shooting past Rosemon and throwing a ball of orange light. "Gaia Force!"

Murmiksmon screamed as the attack ripped him apart, his data vanishing into the air.

Hikari gently opened the door. "Are you awake?" She blinked, "Oh, you are."

Taiko stood in front of the mirror in her school uniform, running a brush through her hair. "Morning," she grinned, "Almost done."

"I'm surprised you're already up," Hikari said.

Taiko shrugged. "I just feel more awake in the morning now." She put her brush down and gathered her hair into a ponytail. "Well, how do I look?"

Hikari hesitated and Taiko frowned. "Oh, that bad, huh?"

"No! No, of course not! I…it's an adjustment." She hugged her, "But like I said, you're my big sibling, no matter what." She gave a slight shrug, "I just need to get used to having a big sister."

Taiko returned the hug before pushing away to grab her bag. "I'd better get going."

Hikari blinked. "But, you still have…"

"I'm meeting Michio. We're walking to school together."

Hikari nodded. "All right. Good luck."

Taiko pulled on her sneakers and waved before skipping out the door. "See you later."

Michio smiled as Taiko exited her apartment building. "Well, nice to see that you're on time lately."

Taiko shrugged. "Must be that part of your personality coming through."

"Wonder how messed up your personality's gonna make me," he said.

She gave him a light punch in the shoulder. She paused and then sighed. "We're really gonna do this, huh?"

"What choice do we have now?" Michio asked. He pulled his digivice out of his pocket, fully repair with an orange tint. He saw that Taiko had her device in her hands, good as new, save for a slight green tint. "I'm sure we'll be fine."

Taiko rolled his eyes. "Yeah, why not? New sexes and genders, new school, new names, what could go wrong?"

"Yeah, guess I was trying not to think about all that." He sighed, "Just when I started getting to know the other students in our old high school and now I'm transferring again."

Taiko nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean, but there was no way in hell I was going back to our old school as…" She gestured to her body, "…this!"

Michio looked at his own new body. "Yeah." He paused and then pulled his school identification card from his pocket. His photo sat in the corner along with the name: Tachikawa Michio. "How did Koshiro get us registered under our new names?"

"It's more than that," Taiko said, "We needed real, official identities to even get registered for school." She shook her head, "It's probably better if we don't know."

"Yeah, I guess."

Taiko opened her mouth but closed it again. Michio raised his eyebrow and Taiko took a breath. "B-but, at least I'm going to be with you." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Michio wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Well, Miss Taiko Yagami, ready to go?"

Taiko bowed. "Lead the way, Mr. Michio Tachikawa."

Their hands entwined with each other and they began to walk down the sidewalk.

The End

Author's Note: Thank you for reading and please don't forget to review.

I will be posting the first chapter of my next fic, The Legacy of Courage Saturday. A sort of rewrite of my Legacy fic, so I hope you'll check it out.

I am also in the process of creating a personal website, where I will be posting original works. I'll have more on that next Saturday.

And, let's face it, 2020 has been a year of darkness. Let's hope the light shines back through in 2021.

Happy New Year.