--o--o--o--
Chapter 17
Understanding
--o--o--o--
"I don't understand," Kyuubimon said to her tamer as they sat by the fire at the mouth of the shallow cave where the other members of the team were sleeping. "It's certainly a private matter between Coyomon and I, and to be discreet is understandable, but why try to pretend it doesn't happen?"
"It's embarrassing," Rika muttered.
Kyuubimon sighed. "Just when I think I'm beginning to understand you--" She stopped and lifted her head. "Terriermon's coming."
The small digimon slowed down as he approached the pair, glancing toward the cave to see if anyone else was awake. Rika didn't fail to notice this. "What's wrong?" She asked him.
Terriermon gave her a sickly grin. "Well-- Henry and I were telling Istaqamon about the fight with Beelzemon-- and when we got to the part where he nearly killed Kyuubimon-- uhm-- well-- Istaqamon freaked out a bit." He winced a bit at the glares he got from them but hurried on, wanting to get it over with, "and I when I told him Beelzemon wasn't dead, he-- well-- he sorta took off. I think he's going after him."
"Oh great," Rika snarled, "just when we need to stick together and concentrate on getting out of this miserable place, that flea-bag decides to take off on us!" She unclipped one of the digivices from her belt and thumbed it on. "Yeah-- there he is-- almost out of range, now."
Kyuubimon glanced at the direction locator and then turned to leap out into the darkness in pursuit of her mate.
"Oh no you don't!" Rika said, "I'm not going to loose both of my partners in one night!"
"Rika," Kyuubimon said, urgently, "don't you understand? If he finds Beelzemon, one of them is going to die!"
"'One of them'? What an odd way to put it," came a voice from the darkness. The three at the fire turned to see Kayamon's eyes glowing with reflected firelight as she cautiously approached them. "Don't you think father will win?" She sat and neatly curled her tail over her forepaws.
"Beelzemon was badly hurt and he's very weak now but he--" Kyuubimon began.
"Or would you be upset even if father did win?" her daughter continued.
There was a long, uncomfortable silence.
"I'm just trying to understand," Kayamon said quietly. "Things were so simple until I met humans. They seem to complicate everything."
"Hey," Rika said, "I'm standing right here, you--"
"Hush!" Kyuubimon said sharply to Rika, who blinked in surprise but stopped talking. The kitsune turned back to her daughter. "Please go and find your father. Tell him I said to come back right away. I don't want him to harm Beelzemon."
Kayamon looked back and forth between tamer and digimon and then stood. "I don't understand why not, but I will tell him what you said." She raced off into the night.
"I gotta tell you," Terriermon said, "I'm not too sure why we shouldn't let Istaqamon finish him off, either. We don't have to tell Jeri or--" He looked up and saw the expression on Kyuubimon's face. "Oookay-- I'll be getting back to guard duty now."
--o--o--o--
Yasuramon watched the approach of Azulongmon with some doubt. He was truly enormous-- a degree of magnitude bigger than she was-- but size had little to do with relative power where digimon were concerned. No, what bothered her was the roiling lighting storm that he wore like a cloak as he flew. It would seem to indicate that he was very, very upset.
Behind him, on the distant horizon, she could make out a red glow that shimmered with strange energies unknown to her. That too, was worrying. But worst of all was what lay beyond the mysterious red presence. Beyond it was-- nothing.
--o--o--o--
Beelzemon stumbled across the dark dessert, barely strong enough to lift his boots from the sand. He had no idea where he was going but he had started walking and there hadn't seemed to be any good reason to stop. He wondered how everything had gone so wrong. He had acquired power beyond his wildest dreams-- and it had brought him nothing but grief.
He sensed the approaching digimon and turned, relieved to have an excuse to end his weary plodding. The ripple of violet light that played across the armor of the running figure gave him some idea of its strength and he felt almost relieved. He wasn't going to have to suffer his crushing despair for much longer, it seemed.
--o--o--o--
"Stop pacing," Rika said to Kyuubimon. "You're driving me nuts."
"I wish you would have let me go," Kyuubimon said as she forced herself to sit. "I don't know for sure what Kayamon will say to him or if he will understand how much I want him to come back.'
"I don't want to let you go," Rika said. "I-- I need you."
Kyuubimon looked carefully at her partner. There had been a very odd tone in her voice. "I'm sure you would be safe enough while I was gone. With Guilmon's new ability to bio-merge with Takato they could--"
"That's not what I'm talking about." Rika said, staring into the fire. "I don't care about that."
"I don't understand, Rika," Kyuubimon said quietly, "But you're my tamer and I will abide by your wishes. I want to do more than protect you-- I want to make you happy. I know you don't care to hear it, but I do love you--"
Rika flung herself at Kyuubimon and buried her face in the thick, white mane, sobbing, "I love you, too! I love you and I don't want to lose you! Not like Leomon-- not to Coyomon-- I-- I--"
Kyuubimon stroked Rika's back with her muzzle and made soft, comforting sounds. "If you hold me in your heart, there is no way you can lose me, Rika."
--o--o--o--
Beelzemon looked up at the massive Ultimate, not really caring who he was or why he was intent on attacking him but the glowing runes on the armor drew his eyes and he read them almost reflexively. Among the other powers he had been given by Zhuqiaomon was the knowledge of the ancient digirunes and he'd never had the chance to use that ability before.
He had only finished the first line when he began to laugh.
"Hahaha! It's dog-boy!" he howled with glee as he finished deciphering the writing. "He's all digivolved and has a new master!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Istaqamon frowned at him.
"You mean you don't know?" Beelzemon fell to his knees and clutched his sides, laughing uncontrollably.
Istaqamon looked down at himself, not understanding. Impmon had always been unpredictable and unstable. Had his defeat driven him insane? Beelzemon had been looking at the runes. The ones Yasuramon had placed on his armor as a parting gift.
Yasuramon.
Rika had often snidely compared Coyomon to a coyote that they had seen in some cartoons on DVD that Takato had shown them one afternoon. It was only because she knew it annoyed him: If there had been any truth to the accusation, a lit lightbulb would have appeared over his head in that instant.
"Oh, frikkin' Tesla!" Istaqamon shouted. "What does it say?"
Beelzemon lifted his head but was unable to speak. He fell on his back and just pointed at the decorated breastplate, gasping and convulsing with laughter.
"Tell me!" Istaqamon roared.
"Or-- or what?" Beelzemon gasped out between guffaws. "You'll kill me? Isn't that-- what you were-- were going to do-- anyway?"
Istaqamon blew the top off of the nearest mesa with a Fire Vortex attack.
"Okay-- okay, I'll tell you," Beelzemon chuckled. "But only because I want to see the look on your face!" It took a heroic effort but Beelzemon got it out all in one go: "'Hi, my name is Coyomon. I'm friendly but not very bright. If found, please return me to Yasuramon, Sovereign of the South. (small reward)'"
The expression on Istaqamon's face was everything Beelzemon had hoped for.
--o--o--o--
Kayamon cleared the jagged ridge in one graceful leap and saw her father in the distance. He was bending over a dark form that was lying on the ground. She didn't feel much distress at being too late to stop him. She thought it was an incredibly foolish thing to want to spare a powerful enemy in the first place.
Her mother was so strange. Such a good fighter and just as beautiful as her father had always told her but she had these odd quirks-- defending that weird human child and now, misplaced--compassion? Was that the right word?
She mentally shrugged. No matter. He father would tell her what to do. He always knew the right-- Her thoughts were interrupted by the brilliant flash in front of her as Istaqamon and the prostrate Beelzemon disappeared in a massive eruption of light and energy. She skidded to a stop and tried to blink the after-images from her vision. When she could see again everything had changed.
--o--o--o--
Rika was curled up against Kyuubimon's flank, half dozing when Kayamon came racing back into camp. When Rika saw what was hanging from her jaws she came instantly and fully awake. She grabbed a fistful of Kyuubimon's mane and tugged urgently, rousing her partner from her light sleep.
Kayamon spat out the bedraggled Impmon and licked her lips as if she was trying to get rid of a bad taste.
"What happened?" Kyuubimon demanded. "Where's Istaqamon?"
"He-- he's back there," Kayamon said tossing her head over her shoulder. "I don't know what happened but he's changed-- and something's really wrong. Please, mother!" The graceful digimon who had faced down a Sovereign without a qualm was shivering and her voice quavered, "Please help him!"
Rika gave her partner a look of understanding and accord. "Go," she said.
--o--o--o--
"That--" roared Azulongmon, "--is what your ambition has aroused!"
Yasuramon flew by his side, watching in horror as the very fabric of the Digital Dimension dissolved and was absorbed by the red tide of the devouring thing.
"How could I have known?" she pleaded with him. "I would never have-- I--" She trailed off into to silence, stunned at the enormity of what was happening to her world. "We must fight it somehow," she said with sudden resolve.
"Baihumon, the strongest of us, has battled with it. He could do no good and nearly perished in the attempt."
Yasuramon turned and smiled at Azulongmon. It was an expression that bore a distinct likeness to the cruelest that had ever graced the face of the lowly Kunomon. "Baihumon fought it alone, didn't he? Typical." Her voice dripped scorn. Yasuramon angled her wings and began a sweeping turn to the South. "Follow me. I'm going to introduce you to some digimon who understand the value of teamwork!"