Disclaimer: Every chapter I do not own this. I created the fictional story with already created characters and only hope that I did them justice in this portrayal. None of the digimon characters are mine or digimon. They can have Fiermon and Freitmon to. He is the most intelligent villain out of all of them so far.
On a side note here, I strongly believe throughout the whole series Takeru has always had separation anxiety due to his parents divorce at a young age. I believe this is why their is such a drastic change in his personalities from all three ages. In the first season he was a bit whiny and irritating, but in 02 he seems nonchalantly normal with some slight anger issues. Lastly in tri, he seemed more disingenuous and blended in with everyone except Hikari and to an extent Meiko. Only with extreme angst did this shell of his come undone. We never got to feel the impacts of divorce from the show, but just were told it happened and he could freely mention it without any pain like in Tri. This combination with Angemon's sacrifice might have culminated in the Takeru we see in Tri. Though, this might be looking too deeply into it. I do know it is common for kids to blame themselves for divorce and it's not something that ever leaves. This is so common place in our society now it's almost as if the psychological issues regarding divorce are left for the kids to pick up the pieces. They are not really resolved. I know this was a bit long, but I wanted to end this on a poetic note. Divorce/Parent Separation is the impact that shatters the human heart. And, though the child can rebuild their lives repairing their heart piece by piece over time, though they place them back in the image of the heart, the cracks still remain.
Chapter Twelve: Holy Alignment
Takeru froze horrified Hikari was about to go through the same trauma he had just went through by the multiple vectors of Frietmon. He knew he could not let that happen to her especially after all she had already been through.
"Hikari!" Takeru yelled trying to grab onto the vector, but he felt a powerful surge pull him to the ground, another vector preventing him from moving. "Leave her alone!" he shouted struggling to move. "Hikari!"
"Quiet Child of Hope," Freitmon glared, Takeru feeling the vector squeezing him. "The inquiry must be made and not even you shall interfere."
Takeru watched helplessly staring at Hikari having her mind searched, her eyes portraying both helplessness and fear.
"Oho!" Freitmon beamed. "How very, very interesting! Homeostasis, Yggdrasil I see why you both have targeted her so much now. She is indeed the very embodiment of light...but therefore casts the deepest shadow," he said tapped his finger against his chest. "The key to both light and darkness, Hikari Yagami..." he said said letting her go. Takeru, broke away from the vectors and sliding caught her before she hit the ground.
"Takeru," she said weakly limp in his arms.
"It's ok," Hikari he cooed. "I'm here now."
She looked away from him, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. You're about to find out," she said covering her eyes. Takeru stared at her surprised she was biting her lip.
"Hikari,"he said concerned, turning to see Freitmon responding to his torturous attacks.
He snapped his head forward as Freitmon grinned from cheek to cheek with jagged teeth. "...She gives off false light," he said as if they were mere insects in comparison to him "Her light is all shine no warmth. It's more like the hollow glow of the moon than the piercing rays of the sun. It is a fragile light that has been broken time and time again."
Takeru gripped her tight. "I know you know about her past. And Ophanimon. And her being possessed. Nothing you say could ever make me care any less for her. Do your worst!" he yelled out, calming down when he noticed Hikari look at him strangely.
Freitmon's grin change to a frown. "Will you bear responsibility for your sin or will you yet rely on someone else's hands to sully them further for you Child of Light? It is your burden to tell, but if you insist on denying it, then I will let the truth be known."
Takeru stared as Taichi and the others call out to her confused.
"Hikari, what did you do?" Yamato wondered annoyed.
"Hey, calm down," Taichi said. "My sister has not done anything wrong."
"We should just talk this over first," Sora said wincing recovering from Joe's treatment.
"Easy you need to rest," Joe cautioned rubbing a cotton swab on her cheek.
"I really think we just need to hear her out," Mimi added patting Palmon on the head.
"I'm sure we'll find out you were at no fault at all," Koushiro said jabbering into his cell phone.
"What you're still at it?" Tentomon questioned.
"Never hurts to have a back up program," he said texting like he was a madman.
Takeru looked into Hikari's eyes who could not stare back at him. "I'm with you. Don't hide yourself from me," he said turning her cheek toward him with his hand. "Don't shut me out like before Hikari. Remember the Dark Ocean? I don't ever want to lose you to such a place again."
"You're never going to forgive me Takeru," she sniffed. "I've done something so horrible to you I can't even describe it," she said staring at him afraid.
Takeru felt his veins tighten not out of anger, but out of frustration she felt she could not tell him. "What happened Hikari?"
She fought back her tears and held nothing back from him.
"When you were in the hospital I had an encounter with Homeostasis. She explained to me how with the current technology the hospital had available you would not survive the night. My brother would have become a murderer and you...you would die."
Takeru briefly swallowed. He wondered if Freitmon had never told him if she would have ever told him the truth. But he remembered doing something similar with Patamon's infection. He hid it from the others because he could not bear losing Patamon. In a sense he felt like he deserved to be told like this as penance for his selfish choice. Now he knew how the others felt at that time.
Hikari turned her head away and shut her eyes tight. "I begged Homeostasis to do something for you," she explained, "but she could only help digital beings. The only thing Homeostasis could do was take another's life force and merge it with another. In doing so I have left you with a terrible burden," she coughed, nearly having a fit, her appearance looking sickly from the strain of explaining herself.
She turned over her hand and stared at it. "Look at your hand," she said holding her hand so it would not shake.
Takeru turned it over and inspected it, the same odd marks on it in correspondence with Hikari's right hand.
"You didn't..." he said not able to believe it. "...I'm not...I'm not worth throwing your life away for! " he exclaimed panicking, grabbing onto her arms. "Why did you do it? I'm not..." he put up one arm to his face and left it there.
He couldn't say anything more to her. Why would anyone give their life for him? When he had a hard time being honest and deceiving others and being unable to make decisions? He had no idea so anyone could be so...accepting of him. He did not deserve her kindness or her affection...or a family. He felt terrified to even move let alone look upon her.
"...You don't see yourself as worthy enough to live right?" Hikari interjected his thoughts only resting her hand on his forearm, "Like you don't deserve it? You sacrificed everything for me to protect me because you cherish me. How could you not think I would do the same thing for you?" she said tenderly lowering his arm.
"Look at me please," she said her voice breaking. "Takeru."
Takeru felt his whole body shake as she calmly stared at him. He stared at her, afraid as if he had to shield himself away from her. He could not believe the compassion and love reflecting in her amber eyes for him. No, this wasn't a fleeting happiness. This felt so much stronger than that. When did she first look at him with those kind compassionate eyes that made him want to fight the whole digital world to protect her? He felt the bitterness of his past catch up to him leaving a sour taste in his mouth, but yet, he felt a pleasant sweetness replace it as he found himself smiling, calmer and more cheerful than any other time than he could remember. He felt strength return to him, daring to reach out for her desperately, but unable to say anything, not knowing how to say words of adoration. He had spent his whole life after his childhood creating an image of himself not even knowing if it was real or if he was real. He had just floated through life above it all avoiding attachment to anyone. Now that he thought about it, even though it was just an innocent friendship she had kept him grounded to this life connected to the world around him. And now...
He looked at his hand and reached forward to Hikari's, feeling her soft hands touching his as if he felt a side of Hikari he had never experienced personally before, some part he had never seen. He found himself wrapping his fingers around Hikari's, Hikari a bit shy, but also wrapping around his hand until their right hands were interlaced. He felt his heart pound in his chest, his palm pulsing with Hikari's. He had never felt such closeness to her before. He had never been able to feel like this, but he knew that in this moment, no, not just in this moment, but always, he never wanted to let her go.
"What's wrong Takeru?" she asked tenderly. "Your hand feels so warm," she said squeezing it.
"Nothing's wrong Hikari," he said lowering his head. "I just...wanted to tell you thank you. There's a million things that I wanted to always talk with you about, but, even after all this time I felt intimidated to talk to you about them. It wasn't because I was afraid to talk to you exactly. It's just that I felt I didn't have the right to talk to you about those things. I know it's kind of late to say this," he paused, really thinking about what he would tell her. "I know I've caused you a lot of grief, both you and your brother, but even after all I've put you through you've given me time and time again the Hope I needed to keep living my life, even painfully...because I knew no matter what happened you would be there supporting me, as my friend, and, I hoped one day as something more. I wanted you to look at me like I could be someone you could depend on. And when I found out you cared for me the way I cared for you I was not ready for it. Please, forgive me."
He felt her hands touch his face and stare at him.
"If we both don't regret our choices then what do we have to be sorry for?" she smiled radiating understanding. "I am just so relieved, so happy. I wanted to know just why I cared about you so. Whether the younger Takeru I knew as a sweet little boy, or the young man who rescued me through all the darkness and was always there when I needed him," she said as if reflecting about their past together. "When I stare into those azure calm eyes all of my fears melt away," she smiled blushing slightly.
Takeru tenderly brought his lips close to hers. "Mine to," he smiled, the two of them smiling as they always had, as if they had been secretly hoping one day they could reveal the secrets of their hearts to each other. Takeru knew one day he would have an answer for his burdens, but felt that it was inevitable he would either give up on life or find a new reason to continue on. For Hikari to return his love when he struggled every day to feel anything even close was a miracle he could not put into words.
Like a blazing siren Freitmon's voice shattered their moment together.
"This is inconceivable!" Freitmon shouted. "To bear the darkness of another is completely contradictory to light and hope! The purpose of each is to vanquish the darkness, not sustain it!"
"That's where you're wrong Freitmon!" Takeru observed as Taichi stood up starting his usual digileader monologue. "We can't erase the parts about us we would sooner wish we could forget. That's what makes us who we are! But we as digidestined, no, we as human beings accept each other's faults and bear them, something you could never understand!"
Freitmon stared at them flabbergasted. "If I am wrong, and if truly that is the essence of light to purify evil... if indeed what you say is true then you will survive the darkness, my Deadhand's onslaught!" he shouted as not vectors, but thousands of monstrous demonic hands were unleashed from the coffin ready to tear apart Takeru and Hikari.
"Show me the light!" Freitmon demanded. "Show me what power holy digimon have over darkness! Let me see the truth!"
Takeru grabbed Hikari's hand ignoring the powerful adversary protecting her as only he could. "Hey, you remember before," he said, "When we met each other again in junior high? It had been quite a few years since we last saw each other," he said recalling it. "It was like we picked up where we left off," he smiled lightly.
"Yeah..." Hikari replied. "...But even if you weren't there those years prior the memories of our adventures lingered. I knew you were still that same sweet boy you were before, but had a soft gentle spirit. And you were almost always by my side, like I had a protector watching over me always."
A bright light started to emit between Takeru and Hikari. He felt so light, so calm, so peaceful, his heart soared. He closed his eyes as something started rising from within and around him, but he could not tell. He turned towards the other digidestined, all of them completely enamored by the light.
Freitmon stared on confounded by the light they were emitting. He did not seem afraid of the light, but his concerned eyes portrayed the two of them as a threat.
Takeru stared at Hikari lighting up more brilliantly than ever before. Her gentle stare suddenly left her, the cold unfeeling eyes of Homeostasis having taken her over.
"What is happening?" Takeru asked, Homeostasis oblivious to his fretting.
Homeostasis turned towards him and the others. "It is time," she said. "Holy Alignment."
With that, Magna Angemon and Angewoman lit up into ferocious white lights and seemed to meld together. Takeru blinded, covered his eyes as a powerful being emerged, the two no longer two, but one.
"The Holy Judgment will be rendered," a voice said, both sounding of the former angels. It's face had been completely covered, a mysterious holy armor covering it's body, a sheathe at it's side but on second glance with no blade.
"What digimon is that?!" Sora shrieked.
"It's absolutely terrifying!" Mimi yelped.
"It's not in the database of digimon!" Koushiro added searching furiously. "You stupid cell phone why can't you find it?"
Takeru grabbed Hikari as the angel descended over them unsure whether to welcome it or shield her from it.
All of the dark hands swarmed the being, eight wings in total, four on each side. With the eight perfectly angled wings surrounding it, the being seemed to naturally repel the attack.
"Omnipresent Reckoning," it said calmly as all of the hands that reached out to touch or strike him withered away, obliterated even in darkness.
Takeru had never seen such power or such control before. The way it commanded itself had been like a god descending and decreeing it's will upon the world.
"Freitmon, your fears will be realized," it said. "You caused such devastation and pain you will be obliterated in the sacred light of holiness as punishment."
Freitmon stared back watching as the hands fell like dead worms out of his cofffin. He had nothing inside of it.
"Finally you're here," he said almost as if with delight. "ArchAngemon!"
"ArchAngemon?" Takeru contemplated allowed.
"Yes," Homeostasis said. "Your two crests powers' merged together. You could say it is a digivolution, but not a digivolution. It is a summoning,a calling from the heavens itself. It is the power I gave to the two of you aligning at the cost of your own individual lives," she explained. "ArchAngemon will slay Freitmon and restore order to the digital world."
With that the brilliance of Homeostasis vanished from Hikari's eyes and her gentle eyes quivered and opened.
"Takeru," she said as if she had just taken a turn, waited, and then it was her turn again, "ArchAngemon must have been written somewhere in the Digital Record," Hikari said standing up under her own power. "This digimon must have appeared before."
Takeru found himself smirking slightly. "Wow Hikari, I don't know if this would qualify, but I think our digimon might have DNA digivolved. What does that say about us?" he asked rhetorically.
He saw Hikari's face turn red and almost make a protest, but stopped. "It means some way or another we're partners," she acknowledged, Takeru waiting for her to say those words.
"You're right," he affirmed. He stared over at Freitmon curiously. Something about him seemed off, but he did not know what. It just left him with an uneasy feeling.
"You do not know how long I have waited for you to arrive to end this nightmare called existence," Freitmon said with his arms open wide. "Tear apart this infernal existence forever. It is your birth right Angel of the Highest! Very few can accomplish this task."
ArchAngemon cast out a book in front of him and in a mysterious writing he read in a language that no one could understand.
"That's the way," Freitmon said. "If it is truly you, the guardian of the hope and light that will make my end, then gladly reveal to me my folly." Freitmon twitched severely as if it was summoning all of the power it could muster.
"This one attack I have is based off of all the digital record's data," he revealed. "Truly angel digimon have been the undoing of many dark powerful ones. Devimon, Myotismon, Piedmon, and your power has been used to defeat others such as Machinedramon as well as many others. Yet I tell you ArchAngemon should you be unable to counter the darkness the light below you shall forever be...extinguished!"