A voice in the back of her mind urged her to check her Digivice. For nearly half an hour she had been ignoring the desire to do just that, focusing her thoughts on how her friends were doing. Her eyes raised to look at the door of Beelzemon's room. The urge doubled in strength at that moment. Subconsciously she slid her hand into her pocket, only to remove it when she realized what she was doing. What in the world was going on her with? It had been well over a month since she had even wanted to think about the thing, so why did she suddenly want to mess with it?
The only way she was going to get an answer was to check it.
With a resigned sigh, she pulled it out. The mere sight of it made her clench her hand.
She turned it on and then froze.
The screen flickered to life.
It was working.
Biting her bottom lip, she quickly turned it off. How was it working? More importantly, why was it?
Did it have anything to do with…Beelzemon?
Could it? If so, just how long had the damned thing been working? No, there was no way that could be the reason.
She got to her feet to head into the other room. Startled by her entrance, Yoko, Salamon, and Purimon all looked up at her from where they were sitting on the floor. Seeing her biting her lip, the three exchanged a worried glance.
"You okay?" Yoko asked.
"My Digivice." Her voice wavered despite her not wanting it to. "It's working."
"It is? But isn't that a good thing?" When Mikami began to shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Yoko climbed to her feet. She held her hand out in front of Mikami. "Here, let me see."
"What if it—" Mikami stopped herself from finishing the sentence. Just when she thought she had finally worked through what happened, her mind decided that she wasn't over it yet. "I can't."
"Just give it here."
Yoko's stern voice was a surprise to Mikami, but she realized that the girl was just trying to help. She pulled out the purple device and handed it over to Yoko. Rejoining Purimon and Salamon, Yoko sat down and began to tinker with the Digivice. Though she was curious, a part of Mikami couldn't bring herself to join the three. There could be any number of reasons why it was working. Thinking about the possibilities made her stomach twist into knots. She would leave it up to Yoko to figure it out. If it was worth her knowing, Yoko would tell her.
As she wondered what was taking so long, she noticed that the three of them seemed uneasy. The blood seemed to have drained from Yoko's face, leaving her unsettlingly pale. Salamon had taken a step back and shook her head. Purimon raised her head to so that Mikami could see the thoughtful look on the Digimon's face.
"Mikami, this…this says that—"
"Hey!"
Spinning around, Mikami swung open the door and rushed out of the room. Yoko and Salamon scrambled to their feet and were right on her tail. The shout had even drawn Beelzemon out of his room. Mikami placed her finger to her lips as she turned to him. She was handed her Digivice by Yoko and took it without looking at it. Before Yoko could say anything about Mikami's reluctance, she mouthed the word "later" to Yoko. Understanding that she was focused on their current problem, Yoko nodded.
"Whoever's in there, come out now! We know someone's here."
Mikami met Beelzemon's gaze again and shook her head. "Alright, we're coming out!"
The three were met with two Digimon when they exited the building.
One of the Digimon was a puppet just barely taller than Mikami. In his hands he held a massive hammer, the top of which looked like the chamber of a gun. The other was a clown two heads above the puppet. On his back were four sheathed daggers. She glanced over at Yoko's Digivice as information flashed across it. The first was Puppetmon and the second was Piedmon. Both were Megas.
They were screwed.
"Oh, would you look at that. Some of the DigiDestined are here," Piedmon said in mild surprise. "Might not be who we're looking for, but I'd say Laylamon would be happy if we were to take care of them."
"Let's smash 'em up real good!" Puppetmon shouted gleefully.
"Leave them alone."
The sound of Beelzemon's voice behind them caused Mikami, Yoko, and Salamon to turn around. They watched him walk out the building and past them. Despite his best effort at hiding it, they could see the slight limp in his right leg. He came to a stop in front of them, his narrowed eyes fixed on the two intruders. Piedmon snorted while Puppetmon let out a bark of laughter at Beelzemon's attempt to intimidate them.
"We had heard about you running off, but to think you'd be dumb enough to join the DigiDestined," Piedmon said with a sneer. "Let me tell you, Laylamon wasn't happy to hear about that stunt, but once she finds out about this, she'll be furious. As much as I'd like to just kill you, we have orders to bring you in. If you're smart, you'll come with us."
Hearing Laylamon's name made his entire body tense up. "I am not going with you. Leave. Tell Laylamon I will never work for her again."
"Unfortunately for you, that's not an option. We're going to follow Laylamon's orders, even if it means beating you until you're almost dead."
He took a step forward, but a flash of light caught his attention. Angewomon moved to stand beside him, tilting her head towards him. The way she looked at him was hard to describe, but it was different than before—almost as if she knew something that he didn't.
"We're not going to let you do this alone," the angel said.
Piedmon burst into laughter. "As if a puny Ultimate could do anything! And Beelzemon, no matter how much you try to hide it, it's easy to tell you're hurt. Just how do you plan on beating us?"
"We'll find a way."
The clown sneered. "Deal with Beelzemon, Puppetmon. I'll handle the angel."
Puppetmon hefted his hammer over his head and leapt forward. He swung the hammer downwards. To avoid the strike, Angewomon and Beelzemon jumped in opposite directions but were thrown off by the slight shockwave that followed. Just as he regained his footing, the air was knocked out of him. Dust and sand flew up around him, obscuring his vision. It took him a few seconds to realize that Puppetmon had managed to hit him. Pain flared up in his right side when began to stand. He stumbled and reached down for his gun, but his hand met empty air. Confused, he looked down. Both of his guns were gone.
He raised his head to see Puppetmon coming at him again. With the hammer being swung towards him, Beelzemon jumped and rolled out of the way. Another swing forced him to climb to his feet. If he was hit again, it would more than likely down him. Soon he was too busy dodging to do anything else, barely staying out of the way of the massive weapon.
Angewomon turned and made to help him when Piedmon slid in front of her. With a wave of his hand, he sent out a blast of air that knocked her back several feet. She slid to a stop and leapt into the air while nocking an arrow. She let loose several arrows. Every single one missed its target and dug into the ground as Piedmon practically danced around each projectile. Switching tactics, she stretched her arms out with her hands pressed together and then swung her hands outwards. Pink energy formed a four-pointed star between her hands.
"Heaven's Charm!"
The energy exploded when it hit the ground, spraying sand in every direction. Angewomon searched the smoking hole for any signs of Piedmon. Though she saw none, she knew the attack missed him. She was about to move when she felt something sharp cut open her back. The pain was made worse when Piedmon kicked her down to the ground. Electricity coursed through her, causing her entire body to freeze up. Her mouth hung open in a silent scream, unable to make a sound.
A swift swing of Puppetmon's hammer sent Beelzemon crashing through one of the other buildings. Boards snapped under the force, crumbling on top of Beelzemon. Groaning, he shoved the wood off and pulled himself out of the ruined building. He managed to get up on one knee, but that was as far as he got. Angewomon managed to climb to her feet. Unsteady, she stumbled slightly and struggled to find her balance.
A wry smirk appeared on Piedmon's face as he looked at the two, pleased by he and his companion's handiwork. Puppetmon was doubled over in laughter, holding himself up on his hammer.
"Talk about pathetic. To think you were one of Laylamon's top dogs," Piedmon said. He turned his attention to Angewomon. "And you. You're supposed to be one of the Chosen Digimon, yet you couldn't even scratch us!"
"Little weaklings! Can barely even stand!"
Balling his hand into a fist, Beelzemon punched the ground.
"Laylamon won't be happy about the condition you're in now. A shame that it wasn't avoidable." When Piedmon looked to his partner, he was smirking. "Puppetmon, it's time to take Beelzemon home."
"Time to go night-night."
As Puppetmon lunged at Beelzemon, Angewomon leapt in between and crossed her arms in front of her. Just before the hammer hit her, Yoko let out a desperate, "No!", and silver light engulfed Angewomon. Something formed on one of her arms that caused a deafening clang when the hammer slammed against it. The light faded away to reveal a tall angel donned in blue and gold armor with several metallic golden wings. On her left arm was a shield the same color as her armor and in her right hand was a large javelin. Though a helmet hid her eyes, her judgmental gaze could still be felt.
She pushed, sending Puppetmon staggering backwards. Mouth agape, Piedmon stared at the angel.
"Ophanimon," Yoko whispered in amazement.
Recovering from his initial shock, Piedmon scoffed. "So you Digivolved. It's still two against one. Once we're finished with you, we'll be taking Beelzemon."
"No, you won't."
"As if you're going to stop us."
"I will."
Both charged her.
While Puppetmon charged head on, Piedmon circled around. Another swing of Puppetmon's hammer was blocked by Ophanimon's shield. She shoved him back, only for him to start wildly swinging his hammer.
A sharp pain in her left side alerted her to Piedmon, but when she spun around to attack him, Puppetmon swung again. She raised her shield in time and leapt back to avoid another hit.
Then both of them were on her.
She tried multiple times to hit them with her javelin. Every time she went in for a strike, the one she aimed for would dodge and the other would attack. They made sure one of them was between her and her friends to make sure she wouldn't use any major attacks. The only thing she could do was block and dodge.
Mikami felt her chest tighten as she watched the battle. Even though Ophanimon was strong, she still wouldn't be able to win against both of them. There had to be some way Mikami could help. Something, anything she could do. Her hand tightened around her Digivice. If it was working again, that meant she could use it. Maybe there was some way she could give Beelzemon enough of a boost for him to keep fighting. It was a long shot. There was no way of knowing whether or not it would work. But if there was the slightest chance it could, then she would take it.
She immediately felt a familiar tug in her chest. It made her nauseous, as it was the same tug she had felt each time Impmon had Digivolved. She did her best to push aside her thoughts to focus.
Feelings not his own rushed through Beelzemon. Overwhelmed by the sheer strength of the emotions, he stopped breathing for a few seconds as his mind tried to understand what was happening. For a brief moment he thought he would lose consciousness. Then a sort of power he had never felt before flowed into him. It dulled the aches throughout his body. Gritting his teeth, he shoved himself to his feet. He instinctively met Mikami's gaze, knowing deep down that she was the one responsible.
He ran forward, energy circling his claws. Piedmon saw him only when he was within range; Beelzemon's claws raked down the clown's back. In retaliation, Piedmon lashed out with one of his daggers, nicking Beelzemon in the chest. Beelzemon stepped away and pressed a hand against the wound until it stopped stinging.
"How? You couldn't even stand," Piedmon hissed. "So how are you back on your feet?"
"I couldn't explain it even if I wanted to," Beelzemon answered. "Not that I would ever tell you."
"It doesn't matter. I'll just knock you back down again!"
With Piedmon distracted by Beelzemon, Ophanimon focused on Puppetmon.
He charged and swung his hammer. She blocked and retaliated by jabbing her spear forward, but he jumped backwards.
The two began a strange dance of attacking, blocking, and dodging that dragged on for far too long. Puppetmon was surprisingly nimble, making it hard for Ophanimon to get in a hit. After several minutes of the routine, she managed to ram him with her shield, forcing him to put distance between them.
She spared a glance at Beelzemon. Judging by the way he was struggling, the boost Mikami gave him was already beginning to lessen. The fight needed to end soon.
Grabbing the wooden cross on his back, Puppetmon dodged Ophanimon's spear. He threw the cross at Ophanimon like one would a boomerang. Ophanimon smacked it away with her shield, sending it spinning upwards through the air. Wires wrapped around it and dragged it back down, hitting her in the shoulder. She grabbed hold of the cross and the wires, then tugged. Puppetmon yelped in surprise when she began to spin. She went faster and faster until she finally let go.
"Beelzemon, duck!"
Startled, Beelzemon turned to look at her and dropped down when he saw Puppetmon flying through the air. The puppet slammed into Piedmon, followed by his cross hitting both of them, knocking them to the ground. Piedmon shoved Puppetmon off onto the ground and froze when Ophanimon's spear plunged into his companion's chest. Puppetmon looked at Piedmon with wide eyes before disintegrating.
"I suppose you two weren't as strong as you thought," Ophanimon said as she approached. She grabbed hold of her spear and pulled it out of the ground. "Anything you want to say?"
He glared at her at first, his mouth drawn back in a snarl. Then he seemed to realize something, relaxing before smiling ruefully. "It doesn't matter if you beat Laylamon. This world's fate is sealed."
"What are you talking about?" Ophanimon asked, but Piedmon was silent. The grin on his face made her step forward to grab him. "What do you mean? What does Laylamon have planned?"
"You're not going to get an answer from me."
With no further words, Ophanimon threw Piedmon to the ground and stabbed her spear into him. Her face was neutral as he disappeared. She turned to Beelzemon, a silent question in her gaze. Beelzemon shook his head; he didn't have the answers that she wanted. A long sigh came from him. His shoulders lowered and his entire body wilted under the exhaustion he felt.
And then he collapsed.
She caught him before he hit the ground and held him. It wasn't surprising. If anything, she should have guessed that it would happen. Meeting the gazes of Mikami and Yoko, Ophanimon hefted Beelzemon into her arms. Now that what they had seen on Mikami's Digivice was confirmed, along with the fact that Beelzemon had been willing to fight for them, she was going to make sure Purimon fully healed him. She walked past the two humans and entered the building to find Purimon already waiting.
"Does Mikami know?"
"I'd be surprised if she didn't at this point," Ophanimon answered. Purimon followed her as she walked into the other room. Gently she placed Beelzemon on the bed. "Make sure he's healed."
Though reluctant, Purimon nodded and began to fix his wounds. "I still have my doubts."
"So do I."
As her Digivolution finally ran out, she glowed and shrunk until she was Salamon again. The pup sighed and headed outside to leave Purimon to her work. She paused beside Yoko and looked up at Mikami.
"He's my partner."
Though she couldn't see Mikami's face, Yoko had a feeling that she was mad at her. "I'm sorry. I tried to tell you."
"Don't. It's not your fault." Head lowering, Mikami stared down at the Digivice in her hands. "It explains why Beelzemon felt like he knew me."
"When did he say that?"
Silent, Mikami turned her back to Yoko. Eyebrows furrowing, Yoko stepped closer to Mikami.
"When did he say that?" Yoko repeated, becoming even more worried at her friend's reluctance to answer.
An uncomfortable silence fell between them. Mikami raised her head to watch the clouds. Yoko began to wonder if she needed to give Mikami time alone when she heard something. She glanced around in confusion, trying to figure out where it was coming from. When she noticed that Mikami seemed focused on something, she looked up to see a shape in the distance approaching fast.
"Why couldn't they have come back sooner?" Mikami whispered.
"I wonder what took them so long."
Garudamon swooped down and landed a few feet away from them. As soon as she lowered her hands, Daiki practically launched himself off her hand to run up to the trio. The others, though not as frantic, followed quickly. Once she had reverted, Biyomon did the same.
"What the hell happened?" Daiki asked, motioning towards the house that had been damaged.
"We ran into a little bit of trouble," Yoko said with a sheepish smile.
Shizuka raised her eyebrows. "Trouble? What kind of trouble?"
"There may have been a fight."
Narrowing his eyes, Daiki muttered, "I swear if—"
"Before you start jumping to conclusions, let us explain," Mikami said. Though annoyed by the interruption, Daiki closed his mouth. "Two Digimon named Piedmon and Puppetmon showed up looking for Beelzemon. He and Angewomon tried to fight them. It didn't turn out so well."
Yoko jumped in to continue the explanation. "Then Angewomon Digivolved into Ophanimon. With Beelzemon's help, she beat them."
"And…there's something all of you should know. You're not going to happy about it."
Confused, everyone watched as Mikami handed Daiki her Digivice. They gathered around him to look at it. Just as she expected, they weren't pleased. While Daiki and Shizuka raised their voices in anger, the others were frantically talking to each other and to Mikami. Worse of all, though, was the way Renamon bared her fangs at the news. Out of all of them, of course she would be the most upset.
All of them fell silent when Renamon growled. "So that's it? He's just being replaced by a murderer?"
"I understand how you feel, Renamon. I don't like this either. The last thing I wanted was to get a new partner," Mikami said. "I didn't choose this, but I'm going to accept it because it is what it is. At least we have another strong fighter on our side."
Deciding that she was done with the conversation, Mikami turned away to head into the building. To her it wasn't worth arguing about. Nothing could be done about it anyways; it was out of their hands.
As soon as she opened the door, Purimon pointed to the room Beelzemon was in.
"He woke up fairly quickly once his wounds were healed. I'm not sure if he knows yet."
"I'll explain to him."
After a brief pause, Purimon moved to stand beside her. The healer placed a hand on Mikami's leg. "Your friends didn't take it well, did they?"
"No. I didn't think they would. Not that I blame them."
Leaving it at that, Mikami entered the room. Beelzemon was sitting on the edge of the bed with his arms resting on his knees. When he heard the door open he looked at her. She took a seat at the far end of the bed and leaned her back against the wall. Even though she knew she needed to tell him, she wasn't sure if she actually wanted to say it. It was something that could be used against her if he decided to go back to Laylamon. She doubted that he would do that, but she had to admit that it was a possibility. Before she told him, she wanted to be sure of what he was going to do.
"There's something I need to tell you, but I need to know what you plan to do now."
"I'm not going back to Laylamon."
"How can I trust you?"
"I put my life on the line to protect you."
That was true. During the fight he could have easily been killed. Then again, it could have been another attempt to actually get himself killed.
Yet he had put effort into the fight. Maybe he had finally realized how pointless throwing his life away was.
"You weren't just trying to die this time?"
"Well, I wouldn't have been able to protect you if I was." He said it with a hint of a laugh in his voice that made her tilt her head towards him. "I thought the fight would've proven that."
"I just want to be sure."
Seeing how she was hesitating, he frowned. "What is it you need to tell me?"
"You're my new partner," she blurted out.
He froze, red eyes widened in confusion and surprise. As he processed the information, he turned his head to stare at the door. "Your…partner."
"I understand if you're uncomfortable with it. Even though you're my partner now, I want you to know that you can still choose what you want to do."
"I don't have a choice."
She blinked. "You do."
"No matter what I choose, more innocent Digimon will lose their lives," he muttered. Mikami felt a pang in her chest at the regret in his voice. "Helping you as your partner is the only choice I really have now."
"They may be terrible choices, but they're still choices." Leaning to her left, she reached out to pat him on the back. "But I'm glad you're choosing to fight with us. It's probably hard for you to do this after fighting against us for so long."
The creaking of the door opening made both of them turn their attention to the new arrival. It was Renamon, who glared at Beelzemon as she entered. Kicking the door shut behind her, she folded her arms and leaned against it. Mikami felt like chiding the fox but wanted to avoid getting into an argument. Renamon regarded him for several seconds until she let out the breath she was holding. Wondering what Renamon was thinking, Mikami waited for her to say something.
"I want you to explain to all of us why you fought for Laylamon."
Beelzemon lowered his head.
"Renamon—"
"I will," Beelzemon said, cutting off Mikami's protest.
Renamon stepped to the side to open the door again. "Good."
Hunching his shoulders, Beelzemon stood and followed her out of the room. Mikami hurried after the two. Under the heated gaze of the group he seemed to shrink, sliding back away from them slightly. It wasn't the first time she had seen him act that way in response to someone, but before it had been because of Laylamon. Their immediate reaction to seeing him probably had him regretting his decision to agree with Renamon. He managed to straighten himself, though his uncertainty was still easy to see on his face.
"Get on with it," Shizuka said.
"I don't have a good reason for the things I did," he admitted, turning his gaze away from them. "I followed Laylamon because the vision of the world she built was the only one I ever knew."
"What do you mean?" Yoko asked.
"My first memory is of her. She told me what my purpose was and why it was my purpose."
Stunned, a round of whispering began, only to be interrupted by Dorumon. "You mean you don't remember anything from before?"
"No. The earliest memory I have is waking up to her. It was…" He paused as he searched for the right words. "It was as if I didn't exist before that moment. I suppose, in a way, she was my world. For a long time, she was the only thing I knew, and so I saw her as an anchor for my entire existence."
Disturbed by his explanation, everyone stopped talking.
Almost a minute passed when Tadashi spoke up. "I can only think of two explanations that make sense. Either you were created, or she did something to whoever you used to be."
"Why am I not surprised?" Beelzemon muttered bitterly. "She only ever saw me as a soldier. I was nothing more than a tool to be thrown away once I was no longer of use to her."
Gabumon decided to change the direction of the conversation. "You said Laylamon was an anchor for you. When did that change?"
"I suppose it was when I first met Mikami."
"Okay, so how do you two know each other?" Dorumon asked.
Before answering, Beelzemon looked down at Mikami. After a moment of thought, she nodded to let him know to go ahead. He had a feeling they would be angry once they heard the story, but it was for the best to hurry and get it over with.
"She was abducted by two Digimon. I was returning from a mission when I stumbled upon them. After dealing with the Digimon, I took her to Laylamon's castle." He paused and waited to see how they would respond. Though he was expecting another outburst, the worst reactions were glares from Daiki and Shizuka. "I had considered taking her back to Block City, but I knew that I most likely would have been attacked on sight before I ever had a chance to explain. That would have put Mikami in danger. Instead I watched over her during her time at Laylamon's castle."
"Staying at her castle must've sucked," Judai said with a laugh.
"Definitely wasn't great. Though she does have an impressive garden." When several of her friends frowned at her, Mikami shrugged.
"Okay, so…why'd you do that?" Biyomon asked Beelzemon.
"It may seem strange, and I have no doubt that you won't believe me, but it's because I felt a desire to protect her. I recognized her despite having never met her before."
"Which would explain why you're her partner now," Tadashi mumbled.
Groaning, Daiki closed his eyes and began to massage his temples. "This shit makes me wish I was old enough to drink."
Shizuka snorted. "Yeah. You, drunk. That's the last thing anyone needs."
He shot a glare at her and opened his mouth to retort. When he saw the disapproving look he was getting from Mikami, he clenched his jaw shut.
"I'm not asking for forgiveness, nor am I asking that you put your trust in me," Beelzemon said, regaining their attention. "All I want is a chance to help you stop Laylamon."
"We'll give you a chance," Daiki said. "But just so you know, we'll be keeping our eyes on you. If you ever do anything against us or the Resistance, we won't hesitate to deal with you. Doesn't matter if you're Mikami's partner or not."
Mikami bristled at the threat. Her reaction went unnoticed.
"Understandable. I fully accept that possibility," Beelzemon replied.
Everyone was startled when Judai shouted, "Okay! Now that that's all settled, how about we get some rest? Yeah? Yeah."
Dorumon nodded. "We're all pretty tired from that fighting. I think Judai's right. We should get some sleep."
After irritated grumbles, everyone gave in. As Judai and the others shuffled into the second bedroom, Daiki turned to Mikami. The moment their eyes met she frowned at him. He cocked an eyebrow at her as he waited to hear what she had to say.
"You're an idiot, Toriya."
She turned her back to him and headed for the other room.
"What'd I do this time?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe it was you threatening to kill my new partner," she said with a hiss, waving her hand around.
"I didn't say anything about killing him."
She glared at him over her shoulder. "Please, do tell me what you really meant when you said you'd deal with him."
He floundered trying to find an answer. "What I meant was…well—"
"All you're going to do is make excuses for what you said. I don't want to hear it."
"Can we just talk about this for a minute? Please?"
Huffing, she turned around and crossed her arms. "Fine."
"I realize I screwed up when I said that. I was wrong to do that, okay? But I said it because I want to make sure that Beelzemon doesn't stab us in the back when we least expect it."
"He won't."
"You don't know that."
"I do."
Huffing, Daiki ran his hands through his hair and then began messing with it in frustration. "No, you don't! He backstabbed you once. What makes you think he won't do it again?"
"Because I do."
"Really? How do you know?"
"He did those things because he felt like he had to. He got desperate because he was pushed into a corner. If you had seen just how much Laylamon scared him, you'd understand. When I was at her castle, I got to see first-hand how terrified of her he was," Mikami said. She shook her head when Daiki rolled his eyes. "You might not believe this, but Beelzemon has morals. He had to go against them because of Laylamon. Now he can fight against her and follow his morals because he has people to back him up."
"You think that excuses his actions?"
"Of course not. Would you stop making assumptions? All I'm saying is that you could at least try to understand his side of the story."
"Right. A powerful Digimon too afraid to stand up for himself."
"Stand up against someone who took down the Royal Knights?"
A few seconds passed before he let out a defeated sigh. "Alright," Daiki muttered. "But don't expect me to be friendly to him. I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him."
"I get that. I don't blame you."
"Does that mean you forgive me?"
"I'll think about it later."
He grunted loudly and threw up his arms in exasperation as she headed into the other room.