It's way too cold here.
That was the first thought that ran through Yoko's mind when they had finally made it to the Ice Zone. The change of temperature between the icy area and the Mountain Zone was unexpected, surprising, and made no sense. At least, it didn't make any sense to her. Tadashi probably knew more about that kind of thing than she did, but she was pretty sure there shouldn't have been that big of a drop in temperature. It wasn't like they had gone that far north, and the elevation wasn't much different. Having been the only one who decided to wear a skirt to school on the last day, she was freezing cold. It didn't help that she had a tank top on and a jacket that literally did nothing to protect her from the wind.
Wrapping one of her arms around herself, she shivered.
She wasn't the only one who was cold. Despite being pressed on Dorugamon's back with his face buried into the Digimon's fur, Judai was shaking from the cold since he was wearing shorts. Even Mikami was trying not to shiver from the freezing winds that whipped around them. Dobermon looked pretty cold, too, because of his short fur. Tadashi and Shizuka were sitting close to each other on Garurumon's back, Biyomon nestled in the girl's arms. Out of everyone, the only three doing well were the wolf, Kyubimon, and Dorugoramon. None of the three were affected much by the cold thanks to their thick coats. Of course, Leomon was ignoring the cold—he probably felt it, but he had no doubt trained to endure a range of conditions such as the cold. Gatomon was clinging to the lion's shoulder with a happy look on her face.
Then there was Daiki.
She didn't know how he wasn't shivering. Even though his upper arms were the only areas that were really exposed to the air, his gloves weren't thick and had been ripped, so they couldn't give him much protection.
Sometimes I wonder if he's completely human, she thought to herself with a smile.
The wind suddenly picked up. She let go of herself to wrap both arms around Daiki, pressing her cheek against his back.
"Cold?" he asked.
"A little bit," she answered. She had to force herself to keep her teeth from chattering.
"You want to sit in front of me instead? Might be warmer."
The offer was tempting, but it wouldn't be a good idea to stop just so she could move to get up in front of Daiki. Then they'd be even colder. She simply snuggled closer.
"Do you have a nuclear radiator inside you or something?" she mumbled.
"Nuclear radiator?"
"Your fault for being so warm."
"Is that all I am to you? A heater?" he joked.
"It's not like you're my adopted big brother or anything," she said.
"I thought I was your bodyguard."
"That too."
"Glad to know," he told her, smirking since he knew she couldn't see it.
She was rather cold, though, and he could feel it through his clothes. He could just imagine how the others were faring. Maybe Leomon knew a place where everyone could warm up? They had walked quite a distance anyway, so they were overdue for a rest. He leaned over just enough to whisper in Kyubimon's ear. Luckily the wind carried his words away from Yoko. The fox slightly sped up her trot, reaching Leomon. Gatomon noticed them first, waving at Yoko, who was careful when waving back. The cat tapped Leomon, causing the lion to turn to look. Even though he knew Yoko wouldn't be happy with him, Daiki still had to get everyone rested and out of the cold.
"I think it's time we found someplace to rest," Daiki said.
The lion folded his arms with a thoughtful look. "The distance we have covered is acceptable. I agree. There should be an abandoned outpost nearby that can serve as a shelter."
"This isn't because of me, is it?" Yoko asked, frowning.
Daiki twisted around to look at her. "You and everyone else," he stated. "Can't have anyone getting sick or anything."
"That doesn't make me feel better," the redhead whined.
Shifting, he rubbed her head and grinned. "Sorry. I'm a bodyguard, not a counselor."
"A poor excuse is better than none," Kyubimon said pointedly.
Daiki gave the fox an offended expression when she eyed him out of the corner of her eye. A pleased look appeared on her face, and she looked forward. She turned when Leomon shifted directions, ignoring Daiki while he ranted. Behind him he could hear Yoko giggling, but she couldn't help herself. The sight was funny considering Daiki usually got along with his partner. Then again, he did have a tendency of getting riled up over little things. Especially if those "things" included anything that might hurt his pride.
Dobermon reached Leomon, shivering. Mikami looked at the lion with a raised eyebrow. "What are we doing?"
"Looking for shelter."
The brunette deadpanned. "Are you serious?"
"Yes."
She dragged her hand down her face. "We wasted a lot of time yesterday because of what happened. We really should go as far as we can."
"Within reason, of course. Risking everyone by exposing you and your friends to extreme conditions that could harm you is unreasonable."
"Not to mention almost everyone is freezing," Daiki stated. "And don't try to tell me you're not cold."
"You just love proving me wrong," Mikami muttered. "But you're right." She turned back to Leomon. "So, you know where we're going?"
"Of course," Leomon answered. "In fact, it shouldn't be far from here."
"I'll trust you on that."
The wind had picked up considerably by then, roughly blowing and causing snow to swirl around the group. It was probably a good thing that Daiki and Leomon had decided to find shelter since the snowstorm was getting worse. Everyone was relieved when Mikami told them what they were doing, even Shizuka. While Garurumon and Dorugamon were fine at that moment, both of them were worried about their partners and friends, so they eagerly agreed with choice. The two Digimon even began to sped up to better match Leomon, Kyubimon, and Dobermon's pace.
While trudging through the snow wasn't an ideal way to find the outpost, it was their only option. After a fair moment of searching at the spot where Leomon remembered the building being, they finally found it hidden under a massive mound of snow. Since the entrance was a thick, solid metal door, it took the effort of both Leomon and Dorugamon to pull it open.
The humans climbed off their partners to walk down the stairs, the Digimon close behind. Leomon pulled it closed, slamming the inner lock down with a nod of satisfaction. Daiki was the first to reach the bottom of the stairs and enter the room at the bottom. It was large enough for everyone to fit comfortably and spread out, which they did. A fireplace was situated at the center of the back wall, and Biyomon lit it, settling down in front of it. Two tables were pushed together in the far left corner with various things spread across them. Noticing the cluttered tables, Daiki strolled over.
He looked at the supplies and items with a contemplative look. As his eyes scanned everything, he noticed a folder and picked it up. He flipped it open to glance at the papers inside.
These are recent, he thought, looking at the report. This is talking about the rescue mission we staged, to get everyone out of the fortress…
"Leomon," he said, turning. The lion looked up at him. "When was the last time someone was here?"
Leomon blinked. "Months ago. Why do you ask?"
Daiki held up the folder. "Because someone was here recently, and they left in a hurry."
Surprised, the lion walked up to him. Daiki handed the folder over so Leomon could examine it.
"You are right. These cannot be older than a few days, if that. Hmm, it appears that is some information about the Dark Crystals…"
Mikami, Tadashi, and Shizuka joined them. Leomon passed the folder to Tadashi, who waved towards the table with a nod to his sister. She shoved various things aside until there was enough room. Placing the folder down, Tadashi pulled out the papers and spread them out, reading through them quickly. He began to read the last page and suddenly stopped. A confused look appeared on his face as he looked between the last two pages, squinting while he read.
"That's…strange. There's a page missing."
"Really?" Mikami leaned over, shifting to stand at his side.
"Yeah. Here, look." He pointed to the end of the second to last page. "It mentions something about destroying the Dark Crystals, but it's ripped. This page skips to an entirely different subject, which mentions a plan to build a base in one of the other zones."
"So the page might still be in here," the brunette said, "or they could have gotten rid of it."
"Or taken it with them," Daiki added.
"But why only one page?" Tadashi grumbled. "What made them leave behind almost everything else?"
Silence fell over them as Tadashi thought over possible reasons. Maybe urgent business had come up, or they had received orders. But the way everything was strewn about, with only a single page missing...What if the cause of their abandoning the building was that something had frightened them? And if so, what could have possibility scared them enough to make them leave with only a long enough pause to grab the lone page? It had to be something terrifying. Otherwise, he didn't see anyone leaving in such a hurry.
A rumble cut him off as he opened his mouth to speak, following by everything around them shaking.
"Everyone out, now!" Leomon shouted as he bounded up the steps.
"But we just got in here!" Yoko complained, scrambling to her feet.
The door was flung open once Leomon unlocked it, and he shoved his back against it to keep it open. Daiki grabbed Yoko, dragging her up onto Kyubimon. The twins climbed onto Garurumon, Biyomon perching on Shizuka's shoulders, and Judai ushered Gatomon onto Dorugamon before getting up himself. After she made sure everyone was ready, Mikami jumped onto Dobermon's back. The group of Digimon vaulted up the steps and leapt out of the building. Leomon didn't bother to shut the door, running after the group once they were out.
Unable to help themselves, everyone turned to look back. As they watched, the building disappeared, swallowed by a widening crevice. Unfortunately, the ground was continuing to crack and spread out quickly in all directions, including the way they went. At the rate they were going, they wouldn't outrun it, and Biyomon still didn't have the energy to Digivolve.
Beneath them the ground began to break, cracks webbing through the ice. Pieces broke away, falling into the grey abyss below. Dobermon's hind paws dropped as the ice he was running on vanished, and he struggled to dig the claws of his front paws into the ice below the snow. Dorugamon swooped down, reaching down to grab the dog and Mikami, but Dobermon lost his grip and fell. The others did as well, Leomon included, and Dorugamon didn't hesitate to follow down after them. However, just as he reached Kyubimon, a piece of ice slammed against his head. Judai and Gatomon cried out as he lost consciousness, reverting to his Rookie level.
Snow engulfed them.
~0~
Realizing she couldn't breathe, Yoko frantically lashed her arms out until she felt open air. She moved around until she finally broke out of the snow pile and took in deep breaths. Somehow she had landed in a massive mound of snow that had been deep enough to break her fall. Glancing around, she saw massive ice walls lumbering upwards around her. She jumped when she heard coughing, spinning around. Mikami had dug her way out of the snow. Daiki's head popped out soon after. The brunette looked at Daiki before shoving her arms down and pulling Impmon up. Renamon, carrying Salamon, walked up to them. Leomon had Judai draped over one of his shoulders, and Gabumon and Dorumon under each arm. Shizuka was basically dragging her brother along with Biyomon flying beside her.
"Everyone alright?" Mikami asked while laying Impmon onto the snow.
"Dorumon has yet to awaken," Leomon reported.
"A big piece of ice hit him in the head," Salamon said, shifting in Renamon's grip.
A groan from Judai prompted Leomon to kneel and lean so that the boy slowly slid off onto the ground. Judai blinked his eyes open before wiping his hands across his face.
He moaned and let his arms drop to his sides. "Am I dead?"
"No," Tadashi sighed, pulling away from Shizuka. "Gabumon?"
"I'm okay," Gabumon said. "Just a bit shaken up."
"I do believe everyone is," Renamon stated as she handed Salamon to Yoko.
Face brightening, Yoko hugged Salamon and looked the small pup over. Salamon did the same to Yoko, making sure the redhead hadn't been seriously injured in the fall.
"Hey, big ears, wake up," Mikami grumbled.
She flicked Impmon's forehead, which made his eyes blink open quickly. He swung his arms up to place his hands on his forehead while staring up at Mikami in partial confusion.
"The heck happened?" As he stood he grunted and glared at his partner. "We fell but—where are we?"
"Inside the Frigid Crevice, unfortunately," Leomon answered with a sigh. "It must have significantly widened since the last time I was here." He looked up and narrowed his eyes. "The top has, at least. If I had to wager a guess, I would say we slid down."
"Huh?" Impmon followed the lion's gaze until he saw what Leomon was talking about. The walls were relatively close to them until a certain point. From there it opened up, with the crevice widening and the walls sloping outwards and upwards. Leomon was right. They had probably hit that slope and slid the rest of the way. "Well, that's…weird."
"We should look for a way out," Renamon said.
"Do you know anything about the crevice?" Yoko asked. She looked up at Leomon.
The lion shook his head. "There is not much I know," he admitted. "Only that there are paths within, some of which do lead to the surface. Where they are located is something that I do not know."
"Looks like we'll be wandering around then," Shizuka grumbled.
"Can we wait for about five hours?" Judai asked. His voice was muffled since his hands were covering his face.
"No, we can't," the girl stated, grabbing Judai by the arm. She hefted him up even though he protested. "Do you really want to be stuck down here?"
Letting out a soft breath, Judai shook his head. "No…"
"Then let's go," Mikami said while brushing snow off of her clothes. "The sooner we get out of here the better."
"Sure, wonderful leader of ours," Impmon grumbled, still rubbing where she had flicked him. "Who hits someone like that?"
"You wouldn't wake up."
"Whatever!"
Deciding to take the lead, Mikami began walking towards the direction where ice was forming over the top of the crevice in the distance. Even if they had wanted to go the opposite direction, massive blocks of ice and what was left of the outpost blocked it. In fact, the group had been lucky to completely miss the broken building all things considered. Yoko glanced at the building and shuddered when she thought about the fact that she and her friends could have been inside when it fell.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when someone grabbed ahold of her shoulder, but when she looked she realized it was Judai.
"You okay?" he asked with raised eyebrows.
"Oh, um, yeah. Are you? I mean, with Dorumon and all…"
"I didn't get hurt…and Dorumon is made of strong stuff. He'll be fine, right?"
She smiled widely at him. "Of course he will."
"Dorumon is much stronger than he looks," Salamon stated with a knowing look.
"Yeah, you're right."
They made it to the portion covered by ice. The strength of the wind seemed to dramatically lessen once the group walked farther in, so it wasn't as cold. Near the top ice spiked outwards from the walls, and Yoko was glad they hadn't been at the top of that spot when they fell in. That would have led to serious injuries. In an attempt to distract herself from the thought, she glanced around. Beside her, Judai fidgeted, looking from her to their friends and eventually to the ceiling of ice above.
The farther they went, the more Yoko noted the holes and indentions in the ice. Most if not all of them ended a few feet in, though. Were there really paths? Then again, they were still exploring, so she needed to be patient. She just wanted to hurry so that they could get done and leave the Ice Zone. The cold was dampening her usually cheerful mood. She didn't like that fact at all. She had never done well in the cold and it was definitely showing.
Mikami abruptly turned, and Yoko perked up as they headed into a tunnel. If they were lucky, it would be the way out. That was what she hoped, because they really did need to get out of here. Not just because it was uncomfortable for her, but because they had Digimon to help and those crystals to destroy. They could go home once all this was over, though she did enjoy being with their new friends…
This is conflicting, she thought with a pout.
"I thought I heard someone this way."
She jumped at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, and so did a few of the others. Wheeling around, she found herself looking up at a tall, lean, white Digimon who looked like an inverted version of Devimon. Even Salamon was startled by the sight of the Digimon.
Oh no please don't hurt me please don't hurt me—
"IceDevimon?" Leomon said, somewhat surprised.
"Leomon," the white devil greeted, bowing his head. "My, it has been a long time."
The lion slipped past, gently pulling Yoko back once he reached her. "What are you doing here in the crevice, my friend?"
"I have taken residence here," IceDevimon answered. "I think the better question is as to why you and the DigiDestined are here."
"We fell in," Tadashi stated with a flat tone.
"More specifically, the ice under us cracked and then we fell in," Shizuka added.
IceDevimon shook his head slightly. "Then I am guessing you are trying to find your way out."
"Yes," Leomon said. "You would not happen to know—"
"Why should we trust you?" Mikami asked, cutting off the lion.
"I understand why you would be suspicious," IceDevimon replied. "I do greatly resemble one of the members of the Master's army. However, I can assure you that I am nothing like that…pitiful excuse for a Devimon." He said the last few words with annoyance in his voice.
Pitiful excuse? Yoko thought.
"At any rate, I am willing to help you," he continued. "Though night will fall soon."
"It's been that long already?" Impmon muttered. "Huh."
"I would like to offer you a place to stay for the night. After all, it is not wise to travel in this place at night. It is much colder when it is dark."
With a contemplative look on his face, Leomon glanced to Mikami. The brunette placed her hands on her hips as she huffed.
"…Alright, fine. We accept your offer."
Chuckling, IceDevimon walked past the group, motioning with his hand. Reluctant, Mikami trailed after him. Yoko stared at the demon's back in confusion. Judai leaned over to look her in the face.
"Um…Yoko?"
"S-sorry, that was just a bit…startling."
Judai nodded. "That was kind of a shock, since he…well, you know."
"He seems to be on our side," Salamon pointed out. "Somewhat strange, though."
IceDevimon led them to his home, which was a series of "rooms" connected by tunnels. Surprisingly enough, most of the floors and walls were stone. When asked, he informed them that he did have the occasional visitor and that making his home a majority of stone was so that those visitors would feel at home. He directed them towards two different rooms with spare blankets and enough pillows for a majority of the group. Both rooms had small fireplaces in the corners and were directly connected with each other.
Everyone settled in quickly for a good night's rest, but Yoko couldn't sleep. She sat bundled in her blanket at the far corner of the room, holding it tightly in her hands. Salamon was curled up asleep beside her, everything but her head buried in her own blanket. Placing a hand on the pup's head, Yoko gently stroked her partner's fur. She didn't know why she couldn't sleep, because it was warm enough and everything was quiet. She guessed it was because she had a lot on her mind.
She was worried, not just about the current situation, but also because of Dorumon. She looked up at the purple furred Digimon. Maybe he would wake up in the morning. Sitting there fretting over him wouldn't help any.
She closed her eyes and leaned back.
~0~
A loud yawn startled her awake. Locking her eyes onto Dorumon, she watched as he shifted to a sitting position. Judai, who was also awake, scrambled over to his partner with a wide grin. While he filled the Digimon in, Yoko and Salamon headed to the main room. IceDevimon and Leomon were talking with one another, the conversation slowly becoming heated. Making the decision to interrupt before the two began to argue, Yoko walked towards them with Salamon trotting beside her. The two Champions noticed the girls and quieted themselves.
"Sorry," she said as her gaze went to Leomon, "but I just wanted to tell you that Dorumon woke up."
"That is good."
"You guys sure are loud," Mikami stated as she walked into the room, rubbing her neck. "Anyways, we gonna leave soon?"
"Yes, we will once everyone is ready," Leomon told her.
Daiki walked out, followed by Shizuka and a stumbling Tadashi. Gabumon and Renamon did their best to help the half-asleep boy. Biyomon fluttered behind, and Impmon dragged himself after the group while muttering. Judai came dashing out of the other room with Dorumon running after him, both laughing.
"Everyone seems to be awake," IceDevimon grunted, a flustered look still on his face. "We should be going now."
He marched out. Leomon frowned at the retreating form of the devil, standing still even though Mikami and the others were heading out as well. Yoko stopped beside the lion while Salamon hurried past her to join their friends.
"What were you and IceDevimon talking about?" she asked, looking up at him.
Shaking his head, Leomon muttered, "It was nothing."
~0~
It had been a long day, IceDevimon decided as he stepped into his home. After more or less escorting the DigiDestined to the exit, they had bid him farewell and left. Nothing exciting had happened, but he had dealt with far too many instances of clumsiness than he had ever thought he would. Particularly the young redhead, who seemed to be a magnet for trouble. She had been distracted numerous times. Because of that she had not paid attention to her surroundings, causing her to trip and fall more than once.
He was about to go into his sleeping quarters when footsteps caught his attention. Turning, he found himself looking at an all too familiar samurai at his door.
"Musyamon, why are you here?"
The samurai gave IceDevimon a deadpan look. "To deliver a message. Might I ask as to why you are so…frazzled?"
"Assisting the DigiDestined, to be honest," IceDevimon muttered. "What is this message?"
"Harpymon is calling a meeting at the usual location. She was hoping you would attend."
"I will consider." IceDevimon folded his arms. "Before you go...it would be in your best interest to remember that you must be careful. If you continue the way you are currently operating, you will be discovered."
Musyamon harrumphed, turning and placing his hand on the side of the entryway. "Do not concern yourself over my doings, IceDevimon." With that said, he took his leave.