AN: First of all, I am very sorry for the delay. I actually wrote about 2k at the beginning and the rest in the past two days, Jyou was most uncooperative. But now we can finally close the first arc pertaining to the Crest of Reliability, which consisted of three chapters: Alekhine's Gun, Absolute Pin and Checkmate. Hope you liked the little chess references there.
This chapter is shorter than the previous two, but I really wanted to end it here, it felt right.
They hadn't slept all night. He had figured it was their best chance of putting as much distance as possible between them and the rest of the team, who shouldn't notice their absence until they were far enough. Jyou didn't want his friends to follow in case things went wrong. He clenched his fist, his strides growing longer and more desperate as he became angrier. Not that his anger was directed at anyone in particular but the situation was aggravating enough without him having a natural axis to lash against.
"Jyou," Gomamon said, "Are you sure we shoulda left?"
"You too, eh?" he said, unable or perhaps unwilling to keep the resentment out of his tone.
"No, that's not it," the Digimon corrected wisely, "But leaving in the middle of the night makes us look … shady."
"Hm." Jyou had considered this, of course, but the decision to take such actions had been made in careful consideration of the team. While Taichi refused to talk to or about him, the rest of them had been more vocal and he had awkwardly stumbled into many a conversation regarding himself and his disastrous performance as a Digidestined. Despite the fact that they had gone through great measures not to actually say the words, their feelings were undeniable and clear: they were severely disappointed in Jyou.
He supposed he shouldn't really blame them and had strived to avoid just that, but his efforts were futile as he felt himself despairing at the extent of his perceived failure. There was another reason for him to choose to leave in the middle of the night, but he was a little more loathe to share it with Gomamon. Jyou knew that despite his good reasons he could not deny the fact that he had abandoned his friends in the middle of a fight. It was fine while the confusion lasted but come morning someone would realise he'd been gone and he would have nothing to say for himself.
His instructions had been clear: no one had to know where he was going. Still, knowing that did not stop him from feeling like the lowliest, most wretched creature in the Digital World. It had taken every bit of will-power he possessed to leave his friends in the dark while he embarked on such a shady, shaky mission. He hadn't felt his best the past few weeks, and he could tell even Gomamon was taking its toll.
As they travelled, the terrain grew softer and the trees grew thinner. It wasn't long before he could hear the distant sound of the waves, and he realised with just a little surprise that they had come closer to the coast than he had anticipated. They stopped once morning arrived and their surroundings were considerably less hostile. The abandoned town had several well-hidden nooks that they could choose from to rest in, so they settled on an abandoned house whose roof was partially caved-in. The walls were covered in ivy and there were weeds and wildflowers growing inside where the floor had broken and given way to the earth beneath. The place didn't smell as humid as other buildings they tried before, though there was that definite smell of abandon that made Jyou's heart heavy. Still, the standing walls looked solid enough and there was enough of a roof to protect them from the sun or rain, at least until they regained their strength.
"Don't forget to eat something," Jyou reminded Gomamon, whose face was already stuffed as he nodded.
"Yeah," he said between bites, "'ou too."
They slept through most of the morning, though Jyou woke up just shy of the evening to fix himself a meal consisting of tin biscuits, one ripe fruit that resembled a pear, and a couple of sticks of salted, dried meat. He took his time to chew his food, drinking water with seeming abandon given how close they were to a freshwater source; but the entire time he was wondering where the rest of the group was. He shuddered to think they might have followed his path, and the thought made him uneasy enough he resolved to wake Gomamon and get back on the road.
It was then that he heard it.
Jyou shook Gomamon's shoulder a little roughly, pressing his finger to his lips as he quietly made his way across what had once been a living room, careful to keep his back pressed to the crumbling wall. The windows had been boarded a long time ago but there were slits where the wood had rotten and Jyou pressed his face to it, his dark blue eye narrowing as he sought for some indication of movement in the otherwise empty streets. Gomamon had crawled across the floor to the adjacent room, his eye fixed on an impromptu peephole he carved with his claw.
It took a moment for either of them to notice anything but the earth beneath their feet rumbled deep and low in what seemed to be a rhythmical pattern, almost military in its rigidity. The first sight they caught of them nearly blinded Jyou. Down the street came more Digimon than he had seen in these past months combined. It was a small battalion; the knights shone eerily as they marched dutifully under banners he couldn't recognise just yet but had a growing inkling of whom they belonged to.
Jyou beckoned Gomamon and quietly drew himself to the furthest side of the crumbling house.
"D'you want me to take them on?" Gomamon asked, hitting his chest proudly with a paw.
Jyou shook his head.
"No, they're too many," he began, "But we should follow them. They'll probably lead us straight to –,"
He never could say where they would lead them.
Half of the wall blew up in his face, and Jyou barely had any time to throw himself to the ground and cover his face from the debris crumbling above him. His body ached in different places where pebbles had hit him like projectiles, and he wasn't fairly sure if his glasses weren't broken.
Gomamon, however, had much quicker reflexes than his human friend. He had jumped straight into the hole made by the strange explosion, focusing his entire energies on changing forms. Jyou coughed as he made out the silhouette of Ikkakumon; he rolled on his side to escape the dust and heat of the now almost completely caved in house as Ikkakumon roared and tore at the ranks of Digimon closing up to him.
"I thought I'd smelled something funny," a voice said.
Jyou tried to leave but he was yanked off the floor by a cold steel hand that held him by the collar of his shirt, lifting him up to what remained of the roof in one lithe jump. His eyes were stinging and he could only see a blur of colour and blinding light before him. He groaned, thinking how close he had been to heal from his previous injuries…
"Jyou!" Ikkakumon roared, "Hang in there!"
He coughed, wiping his eyes as best he could and adjusting his glasses, which had miraculously survived the rain of cement and wood. Ikkakumon was fighting against the Digimon charging against him, a horde of Knightmon that attacked with swords and lances both from close up as from afar. Their armour shone evilly and he realised that too, was a weapon. Despite how many Ikkakumon took out, their ranks were not thinning.
The grip that was holding Jyou was excruciatingly painful and he tried to yank himself away but stopped once he could get a good look at his captor. The Digimon towered ominously above him, her armour a fierce rose and gold, her shield shining down on the battle waged below. Her face was completely covered but Jyou didn't need to see it to know who this Digimon was: LordKnightmon, whom Gomamon had always spoken of most highly. Given the circumstances, Jyou couldn't quite agree with him.
"Let – me – go!" Jyou spat out, but LordKnightmon paid no heed to his words and only watched placidly as her soldiers trampled on his dear friend. "Ikkakumon!" he yelled desperately, unable to tear his eyes away from what was rapidly becoming a vicious bloodshed.
"Jyou!" Ikkakumon said, "Help me Digivolve!"
But try as he might, he could not channel the energy needed to reach Ultimate. He Digivice on his hand shone with a strange light, and he could feel his broken crest burn cold against his naked chest, hidden under his shirt. Jyou's eyes widened as another Knightmon reached Ikkakumon, cutting a deep slash on his right flank. He didn't notice that LordKnightmon had released him, nor that she was stepping away from him and reaching an arm to her back. There was a flash of light that nearly blinded him and the whooshing sound of an object moving at an incredibly fast rate; then a deafening roar that shook the foundations of the crumbling building on which they stood.
"I'm trying but – but, nothing's happening!" His eyes widened. "IKKAKUMON!"
Jyou watched in horror as his friend was run through with a lance, his body falling crudely to the dirty floor as his form was reduced to a bloody and beaten down Gomamon. He tried to jump down to him, throw himself into his falling form and somehow protect him, but all he could do was drown the silent cry that constricted his throat as the steel hand of LordKnightmon closed upon his wrist, hauling him quietly and carelessly up.
"Bring the Digimon as well," LordKnightmon commanded, "QueenChessmon will like killing him herself."
He was no longer listening, his eyes fixed on the pathetic form of his friend being carelessly bound and tossed as luggage. His blue eyes never left his and his heart stopped as he recognised the beaten, resentful look sent his way. Jyou had failed Taichi, Hikari, Mimi … and now he had failed his dearest of friends.
-x-
He saw it long before they reached the place. The towers peeked into view from behind groves of trees, creepy and alluring as they beckoned him closer. Both towns they had passed had been deserted, but he could sense activity here as various Digimon popped in and out of sight, bustling into movement and not caring about him or Gomamon. They cleared the way for the army to waltz by, unhindered by the locals or other Digimon passing through, but Jyou was in no state to notice this or anything else much. His hands were bound by thick chains and he was pulled by the hand of LordKnightmon herself, as if she trusted no-one else with the task of leading a bound and broken prisoner into an occupied town.
They marched straight through in direction of the fortress that they had seen from afar, across wide roads and into the grove of trees carefully grown around it. Jyou felt numb, unable to remove the image of Gomamon being run through with a spear, out of his mind.
It wasn't long before they reached the fortress and he was escorted to a dark and damp stone dungeon, left alone (and unchained) for the first time since they were captured. Gomamon was left on the adjacent cell, thick bars separating them. His friend was a mess, but Jyou couldn't imagine himself looking any better. They'd been through too much, too soon and now all they could do was wait for a miracle that wouldn't happen.
"Gomamon…" Jyou began, but the Digimon did not stir.
Jyou sat with his back against the wall, his eyes fixed on the still form of Gomamon as he waited for him to wake up, to open his eyes, to move at all.
-x-
A day passed, then two.
Jyou's back was rigid and there were knots in his shoulder blades that he tried to get rid of with little success. The cell that contained him was still as cold as the first day and the food he was given was bland and unsavory but he had eaten without complaining. He felt helpless and useless, desperate for being unable to do nothing but wait. His dark blue eyes were fixed on the cell next to him, where Gomamon used to be. It had taken his friend hours to finally wake up; even when he did, he had been too weak to talk or move much.
He had then been taken by the guards hours ago and Jyou had been left alone in the cold, dark dungeon. The whole place smelled of salt and wet sand, but the smell of old fish was the worst of it. Given the state of the dungeon walls, he guessed that they were directly above sea level.
Hours passed before someone came to fetch him. The same Digimon that had captured him before, the one who had nearly mangled his friend to death – she was opening the door and commanding him to get out. Jyou rose, the knot in his stomach tightening when he saw she had no intentions of letting him see Gomamon again.
QueenChessmon will like killing them herself.
He followed her in silence, wincing at the heavy fall of her footsteps before him. She did not bind him or hit him, and Jyou thought she may have sensed he had no intentions of escaping her custody. Not without Gomamon, at least.
So, he thought with a hollow smile, this is how it ends.
LordKnightmon led him through travel-worn stairs and dimly lit corridors, walking in a straight line until they reached a couple of turns and the way became wider and airier. All in all, he thought there were worse ways to walk to one's end.
"Where is Gomamon?" he chanced to ask, his voice quieter than he would have liked it to be.
"Your Digimon partner is being dealt with," LordKnightmon replied, "As will you, DigiDestined."
He had gone cold and quiet again, but for completely different reasons. He was being dealt with … which meant that he was still alive. Right now, Jyou was prepared to take even that. They had passed large wooden doors guarded by Knightmon on either side and were now walking briskly towards the room where he expected QueenChessmon to be.
He wasn't wrong. The Digimon looked bigger and more terrible than he remembered, though it may have had something to do with the fact that she was sitting placidly while Gomamon lay in a messy heap before her.
"Your partner, Kido Jyou," she said in a quiet voice, "Has much to learn about cooperation."
Gomamon spat.
"I'll be dead before I cooperate with you, witch."
It seemed to Jyou that she actually smiled.
"That can be easily arranged. LordKnightmon," she ordered, and the Digimon before Jyou rose her head. "Try to persuade him, will you?"
He never saw the punch coming. Before he knew it, Jyou was lying on his side, his eyes wide and bulging, tears prickling at the corners as he held to his impacted stomach. He groaned and he could hear Gomamon scream obscenities at his attacker, but the sound of his blood rushing to his ears deafened him momentarily.
"I will ask again," QueenChessmon said in a sickly, sweet voice, "What do you know about the Digi-Eggs?" She stood, walking towards the small Digimon and kicking him with the heel of her boot. Gomamon screamed, and Jyou tried to get up, yelling at her to stop.
"We know nothing!" Jyou told her desperately, "We don't know where they are, or – or how to use them even," he groaned again, "Please just – just let him go."
LordKnightmon chose that moment to deliver another blow, and then she too, kicked him. "No-one said you could speak, human."
"Jyou…" Gomamon moaned weakly, "Please. Help me – Digivolve…"
Despite his pain Jyou reached his Digivice, but it remained as cold and unresponsive as it had when they were captured. Still, his desire to be of some use to Gomamon overwhelmed his sense of logic and he summoned every bit of anger he had held on to for the past few weeks, using that as fuel. His Digivice grew colder and there was a dark sort of light emanating from under his shirt, where his tag and crest were.
"Gomamon," Jyou said, "Digivolve."
It was as if his words had always had the power of making him Digivolve. Gomamon nodded grimly and he could feel his energy draining as Gomamon redirected it to change forms, but something was going terribly wrong. He could feel it and he could see it as the light dimmed and instead of the usual and familiar form of Ikkakumon, a horrible, eye-less monster stared back. The thing looked as he imagined Ikkakumon would, if he had been dead and left to rot in the desert sun. Parts of his skin were missing and his fur was matted, lackluster and bristling. He could see his enormous ribs sticking out, the horn on his forehead a testament to all that was wrong in this world. And empty eye-sockets with a dim light that made him look even more monstrous, fixed on Jyou's small figure.
He crawled back in astonishment and yes, fear. He was afraid of this monster that was not Gomamon, could not be his sweet friend…
The monster roared and swiped at LordKnightmon, who leapt easily out of his way. She yelled for reinforcements and as a score of Knightmon appeared and surrounded the beast, who was already breaking through the tiny hall and seeking the courtyard. Jyou fell back and looked for QueenChessmon, but she seemed to find it all very amusing.
"So you weren't lying," she said with a chuckle, "You really have no idea what's going on with those crests of yours."
Jyou backtracked, looking at the destruction this monster was orchestrating, and back at QueenChessmon. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"Watch, Kido Jyou," she told him, "What your corrupted little heart has brought into existence."
She approached him slowly, deliberately so. Jyou was too stunned to move, too terrified of her words to fear her presence, too. The huge mallet in her hand was even huger than he remembered, its force a menacing presence before him. She knocked him around with it a couple of times, ignoring his groans and his grunts or attempts to escape.
"How can you be the Bearer of Reliability?" she asked disdainfully, "You couldn't protect your friends. You could do nothing for your poor partner out there, dying a little more with every moment you live," she sneered, "You can't even save yourself."
He closed his eyes against a new blow, not bothering to try and keep the tears to himself anymore. She was right, she was absolutely right … Jyou had been breaking his head trying to understand how he was supposed to bear such a crest if he was the least reliable person in the whole group. The only times they'd been in any real danger had been because of him, and he knew that he ought to leave them, find a way to protect them from afar but … but he had failed them, again. What else was there for him to do?
"Luckily, he doesn't have to."
Jyou looked up weakly at the sound of that voice.
"Yamato?" he asked, his voice an octave above a murmur.
The blonde smiled swiftly at him as he rushed to help him up. In the commotion, QueenChessmon had been driven back by a flurry of attacks as Birdramon rained fire on them, and the worst of the battle had concentrated on the courtyard and near the coastline. He could hear them, his friends' voices mixed with the roars of the monster that was SkullIkkakumon and the clash of metal of the many Knightmon joining the fight. His heart beat faster – they were in danger, how did they even find him?!
"Come on," Yamato said, "We're needed back there."
The courtyard was a mess. Several structures had been destroyed during the battle and he could see the ocean stretching beyond the castle grounds – they had been closer to the beach than he had realised. He could see the Knightmon closing in on his friends, followed by hordes of Chessmon variations that were seeking to hurt, maim and kill them. Jyou wanted to yell at them, carry them one by one to safety but he couldn't do anything in his state and Ikkakumon … God, Ikkakumon was a danger to them too.
Hikari was yelling at Tailmon, throwing rocks at a confused PawnChessmon to draw his attention while Togemon came up from behind and sucker-punched him into oblivion. Mimi was cackling madly, as if she found that extremely comical and then Taichi – Taichi was there too, fighting alongside Greymon and trying to subdue SkullIkkakumon (he thought they'd know it be him by now) as if nothing had happened before.
But when QueenChessmon appeared again and took a swipe at Angemon, Jyou's fingers tightened around his Digivice and it began to glow in a kinder light, the darkness evaporating slowly as he held it. She looked back at him, and he could imagine the surprise in her face as she saw him standing.
"What do you suppose you're doing?" she asked him mockingly. She approached him, mace swinging menacingly from side to side. "You're finished, Kido. I told you as much last time."
He didn't know how he found his voice.
"No," he said quietly, "You're finished, QueenChessmon."
"Oh?" She seemed to find him amusing, like a puppy trying to pull off a particularly cute trick. "And how are you planning on doing this?" She swung her mace, hitting a confused Garurumon out of her way easily, as if he weighed no more than a little kitten. Yamato was too far away to notice and even if he had, there was very little he could have done to prevent it. She jumped and landed above an irate SkullIkkakumon, as easily as if he had been another pet. He looked in pain, half-dazed and half-crazy.
"See what you have done?" she said, "You are unworthy of bearing that crest."
"Jyou!" Sora yelled from above, and he imagined her eyes welling with tears, "That's not true Jyou … don't listen to her!" But several attacks reached them and she crashed to the floor with Birdramon, who quickly shifted back to Piyomon. They were both grabbed and captured by Knightmon.
He gripped his Digivice tighter – LordKnightmon was engaging Garurumon and Greymon at once, seemingly tireless as they raged against her. Just a bit longer, he begged.
"I've thought that myself, you know," he said casually, as if it was a conversation that he'd been scheduled to have with her. "Countless times." Every bit of him hurt and his throat was dry and sore from wanting to scream at the torture he'd seen Gomamon endure.
"You've failed all your friends," she pointed out.
But Jyou only nodded and smiled. He knew what he had to do.
"I know that," he said quietly, "But they didn't fail me."
She leapt down and began to walk towards him, her mace poised menacingly for one last deadly swing.
"I have captured them," she told him, "And I will break them, like I broke you two."
The Digivice grew warm in his palm, the crest shining against his chest engulfed him in a warm, bright light that seemed to ease the pain a little, for a while. He reached inside and held it in his hand but it was no longer cracked and cold. It shone, pristine and perfect. Jyou's smile widened.
Even if he accepted all QueenChessmon said about how much he'd failed his friends, she could not deny the truth that they hadn't failed him. That though Taichi had been angry at him, he had come with the rest of them to rescue them. Hikari and Mimi were here, unconcerned about the injuries they had sustained because of him. Neither Yamato, Takeru nor Sora fail to lend him their strength when he needed it and that was more precious than anything else they could give him. It wasn't only that they could constantly rely on him for anything – it was that Jyou could rely on them, too.
And he wouldn't fail them again.
"Ikkakumon!" he called out, raising his fist towards the agonising beast as he reached for the strange Digi-Egg that they'd had no idea how to access before. "Digimental Up!" The strength and suddenness of the transformation took everyone by surprise, and Jyou's eyes widened as the monster that had been his friend was engulfed in it, emerging bigger and more powerful than he had ever seen him. He hadn't known what he had expected, but when he saw the elongated neck of a creature that looked like it belonged to mythological tales, he knew in his heart that his friend was back.
"What is this?" QueenChessmon shrieked in outrage as she drew away from the monster.
"I am Plesiomon," he said in a deep, reassuring voice, "You have toyed with my friends long enough." His jaws opened wide, showcasing rows of sharp teeth as it bellowed: "Shaking Pulse!"
Jyou watched as they delved into a ferocious battle – huge, prehistoric creature versus the knightly figure of QueenChessmon. He fought with teeth, tail and fins and she countered his physical attacks with her gigantic mace, matching his strength with her speedy and forceful swings. Jyou remained focused on them, trying to concentrate his entire energy into helping Gomamon (now Plesiomon) as he ran as fast as his legs would carry him to try and liberate his friends.
"Heart Breaker!" he heard QueenChessmon yell.
With Plesiomon on their side, the Digimon regained their confidence and were quickly turning the battle again, destroying one enemy after another. But they were exhausted and it showed with every new opponent that they faced, which took just a minute longer than the last.
QueenChessmon was laughing maniacally as she delivered blow after blow on every bit of Plesiomon she could reach until he turned his head back and roared violently at her.
"Hydro Impact Crusher!"
The attack was stronger than she had expected and it knocked her down. He snatched her discarded mace in between his jaws, closing them down hard and breaking the thing into tiny bits. Spitting them out, a blast of energy gathered around his teeth, like a shark suddenly implanted with electric braces. Jyou put his bloody hand against his friend's body, a small but reassuring weight as the beast regarded its prey.
QueenChessmon's armour was dented in many places, cracked in others. Her cape was torn, half burnt and dirty with her blood and maybe Jyou's – maybe others' too. Her hair was dirty and tangled and she was a sorry sight in comparison to the first time they had seen her. But she was not weeping or crying in outrage. In fact, Jyou thought she bore her defeat rather stoically.
"Did you bring us here?" Jyou asked her quietly, knowing he had to ask.
She did not struggle to get up, but her body shook with laughter.
"I do not have the power to summon humans from their world," she replied in a cheerful voice.
"Do you know who did?" he asked again. It seemed to him that she was looking straight into his eyes, though he could not see beyond her visor.
"Yes."
"Will you tell us?"
"No."
Jyou sighed, his hands balling into fists.
"I hope you are reborn into a kinder Digimon," he said, and he almost felt sorry for her. But Plesiomon released the energy he had been holding onto and her body quivered for a moment before it began disintegrating slowly into specks of dark matter.
She looked straight at him then, and she was smiling.
"I will not be reborn at all, Kido Jyou."
Around them, the Knightmon were slowly coming out of their reverie – the ones who had survived, at least, and they were unsure of what was happening. They were mumbling to themselves as they released their captives, surprised as they saw the state of their friends and of their castle.
"What? What do you mean?" Jyou asked, almost desperate.
"Look around you, Bearer of Reliability," she told him, "You will never again see any of the Digimon fallen here today."
"QueenChessmon!" came LordKnightmon's voice, but the queen merely turned her head towards her vassal, who had abandoned her quarrel with Greymon and Garurumon (much to their gratitude, as they were more than exhausted).
"Go," she ordered, and before anyone could do anything she disappeared in a flash of pink and gold.
QueenChessmon was more than half gone by then. "There is no mercy in my Lady's plans, and no chance of redemption. You too, will fall."
The silence that remained after the last of QueenChessmon disappeared was oppressive. Jyou fell to his knees, panting hard. Plesiomon grunted, the sound low in his throat as he returned to the more comfortable form of Gomamon. The creature collapsed into a messy heap, too exhausted to keep himself up and away from the gore left in what had once been a rather beautiful courtyard.
The Digimon that remained seemed to wake up from a trance, apologising profusely for the damage they may have caused the DigiDestined, hurrying to clean up the mess and help their guests to some comfort in gratitude for releasing them from QueenChessmon's dark bounds. Jyou was barely aware of being lifted by a couple of Knightmon and being taken inside, his eyes closing before he could remember that he'd been incarcerated by these very Digimon the past two days.
When he woke up several hours later, his body immediately demanded that he fall back asleep. He was vaguely aware of his surroundings: a large, comfortable and warm bed, thick comforter, a soft breeze rolling in through the window … Jyou could smell the salty air and he took one deep breath before lazily opening his eyes. It was nighttime, he realised at once. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and reached blindly for his glasses, which he found on top of a wooden bedside table to his right. The bedroom was large and airy, its windows had been left open. There was a tray laden with food and drink that he imagined would have been very nice when warm, but as he was in no position to argue, he brought a heel of bread to his lips and drank the cool water.
With increasing embarrassment, Jyou became aware that he was in absolutely fresh clothes too, and it mortified him to wonder who had been in charge of washing and changing him. Shaking his head and the terrible blush that burned his cheeks he slid out of bed, his feet falling softly on the cold stone floor. He found a pair of slippers by the edge of his bed and was silently grateful once more before he fully remembered where he was and why he was here.
Panic coursed through him for a moment before he realised that if he was so well taken care of, it must mean that his friends were okay too, and they had been offered sanctuary by the Digimon they had managed to save. The thought comforted him as he padded out of the room and into the large, open hall.
He hadn't expected the first person he'd run into would be Yagami Taichi, but in hindsight, it couldn't have been anyone else. Taichi was sitting on the floor right next to Jyou's door, and he appeared to have been sleeping. He woke with a start, looking at Jyou with an annoyed, almost angry expression.
"Jesus! You scared the shit out of me, Jyou," he muttered angrily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and muttering something about people not letting a man sleep where he may fancy it.
Jyou's eyebrows went up, but he looked dutifully apologetic as he inclined his head just a fraction. "I apologise for not expecting you outside my door," then he added, "I should be more careful, next time."
Taichi yawned, getting to his feet in a movement so graceful he could've been Yamato. He stretched his arms above his head and turned to look at Jyou lazily. "You're an idiot, you know," he began quietly, and Jyou felt less and less humored by his attitude. He seemed to realise this soon, because his smile was easier the next moment, his expression softer. "How can I convince everyone I'm a good leader if my charges keep getting lost?"
Jyou's eyes dropped, his confidence suddenly lost. "I – I'm so sorry," he said, and he meant it. "I didn't want to get you – any of you, involved. But if you hadn't come I'd – Gomamon would … I just …" he paused, sighing and smiling up at a slightly nonplussed Taichi. "I guess I just wanted to say, thank you."
Taichi shook his head softly. "We would have come for you anyway, you had to have known that," he said, and he was very quiet when he did so, "I was angry at you –"
"I know. You had every right to be," Jyou interrupted, but Taichi made an exasperated tch sound.
"That's the thing though. I really didn't have any right to be. You were just doing what you thought best," his voice lowered, "We all are."
Jyou looked at him, releasing a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Taichi's words were more than he could have hoped for, and he felt as though an immense weight was lifted off his chest. He smiled at his friend again, impossibly glad that they could finally put that behind them.
"Was I out for long?" he asked.
Taichi shrugged. "Several hours. Gomamon's still resting. Plesiomon nearly gave Koushiro an aneurism," he continued conversationally, "I don't think you realise just how much you did for us, Jyou."
The older boy pushed his glasses up his nose. "Tomorrow will be a long, long day," he said simply, and Taichi actually laughed.
"Only for you."
"I suppose that's only fair," Jyou admitted with a small sigh. He turned back towards the door, his fingers lingering on the brass doorknob. "Good night, Taichi-kun."
He smiled as he heard Taichi say in a sleepy half-yawn, "Good night, Jyou-senpai."
-x-
When morning came, Jyou learned a couple more things about this fortress and his condition. Mainly that doors didn't lock very well and that his heart was a weak thing and not to be messed with by three wide-eyed girls (and a boy) unable to contain their excitement. As soon as they had woken up, Mimi, Sora, Hikari and Takeru had crept into Jyou's room and having found him sound asleep but otherwise in good health, jumped into the bed and woke him up with a start.
"AHHHHHHHH!" the blue-haired boy yelled, feeling his heart thumping against his chest as if it too, wanted to escape.
Mimi and Takeru were twitching in howls of delight, while Sora looked apologetic and Hikari giggled shyly. Sora handed him his glasses and he took them gratefully, one hand still affixed to his chest as if he somehow hoped to keep his heart inside by doing that.
"What the – what even – is everything okay?" he asked, looking at them with the pained expression of a person violently brought out of his peaceful slumber.
"We wanted to welcome you back, Jyou-senpai," Sora explained, shuffling her feet, "It seems we may have overdone it…"
Mimi gave her a wounded look. "Of course not," she said matter-of-factly, "He's slept for hours. I was half afraid he was comatose."
"Or dead," Takeru added simply, as if it was a reversible state that neither should worry about. Both Hikari and Sora sent him filthy looks, but Mimi only laughed, patting Jyou's hand lightly.
"We missed you, Senpai."
Hikari turned to him too, the sour look melting into a sweet smile as she bowed her head respectfully.
"Sorry for waking you so rudely. I think we were too excited to know you were doing well."
Jyou would have liked to say that he remembered the whole exchange but he had been too scared, too dazed and too sleepy to be fully aware of what was going on. It was only a couple of minutes later, after they left, that he felt himself smiling at the hazy memory of his youngest friends coming in to see him. He felt immensely grateful and let himself fall back on the bed, his eyes fixed on the stone ceiling and his heart feeling lighter than it had in months.
It didn't take him too long to get out of bed, take a short bath and put on fresh clothes. Still apologetic, the Knightmon had sent someone to the nearest town to find their human guests appropriate attire, which was refreshing in a way but left him puzzled once more as to how they had even known his size. Still, he was only happy that he was fully able to dress himself this time.
The fortress was really a small castle with a worryingly large dungeon, he noted, but the structure was otherwise very pretty and had everything he may have needed. It was more rugged than the palace Mimi had lived in during their first adventure, but he thought he liked it better this way. The hallways were spacey and got lost twice while looking for the dining room, where he supposed his friends would be.
Gomamon was guffawing loudly, waving a paw at Jyou as he walked straight to him. His look softened and he threw his arms around his small friend, catching him in a bone-crushing hug that made Gomamon cough loudly and frown in an attempt to cover up his furious blush.
"Jyou!" he reprimanded, "There's people here, Jyou. Restrain yourself, human!"
"I thought I had lost you," he murmured softly, and Gomamon patted his back gently. He didn't care that people were watching; he had thought the worst for so long and seeing Gomamon laughing and fully recuperated made him happier than anything else.
"You'll never lose me, silly," he said with a smile, "I'm your best friend, remember?"
He settled on the table and his friends conveniently ignored the exchange, for which Gomamon was very grateful. Koushiro clapped him on the back to welcome him, and Yamato gave a nod of his head. Taichi had simply gone on talking as if nothing had happened, which made Hikari roll her eyes at her brother, but she chose not to say anything to make things awkward again.
The Knightmon's hospitality seemed without end, and they offered them a delightful spread of freshly baked bread, churned butter, milk, juice and cold meats. Having subsisted on canned goods and wild fruit for the past few weeks, they welcomed this change with enthusiasm.
"Really," one of them said, "We insist. You freed us from QueenChessmon and taking care of you is the least we can do."
They ate to their hearts content and Jyou was slightly embarrassed to realise how hungry he had been. He supposed prison food hadn't been really appealing, and so he scarfed down whatever he could get his hands on, rivaling Taichi for once. He was happy to see that the other Digimon were well-recovered, though Patamon was rolling around the floor whining about a grave tummy ache, well before breakfast was finished.
He was still nibbling at a piece of flaky sweetbread as they walked out to the gardens that overlooked a pristine ocean. Taichi had wanted to converse in one of the secluded rooms but Mimi had almost bitten his head off, claiming the day was too beautiful to spend it closeted indoors. She was looking much younger in that pale yellow dress she now wore, her skirts flowing as she turned and turned with Palmon in her arms. She stopped, her eyes slightly unfocused as she made her unsteady way back to a clear patch of green grass and dropped down like a ripe plum.
Jyou and Gomamon told them what had happened during the battle, why they had left so suddenly and without telling anyone, and how they had travelled under the cloak of night and been found by LordKnightmon and her army.
"… but I couldn't Digivolve," Gomamon was saying, "I mean, I tried – Jyou tried too, but it just wasn't working. I felt really weird. And then yesterday, I don't even know what he did, but it just worked. I could feel like myself again, and suddenly BAM! I was Plesiomon, whooping Chessmon butt from left to right."
He puffed his chest out and the other Digimon laughed a little, the Chosen Children joining in with a few chuckles. Only Koushiro wasn't laughing, looking seriously at Gomamon and Jyou.
"May I see your tag and crest, Jyou?" he asked.
"Of course," he said, passing it to his friend.
"Prodigious," the redhead murmured, turning it between his fingers. "It's incredible, it's completely fixed." He took out his own, which was cracked and dull and looked so different to Jyou's.
His dark eyes rose again.
"And you have no idea how this happened?"
Jyou shook his head.
"And the evolution?" Agumon asked.
"I actually thought of that thanks to you," he said, looking at Hikari and Takeru, "I was just winging it, you know? It's how you guys activate it." They knew he meant Daisuke, Miyako, Ken, Iori and the two aforementioned, but mentioning their names made them anxious again. They still hadn't been able to communicate to the real world, which was another issue weighing them down.
"Mhm," Koushiro began, "I don't think it's quite the same thing, but it was effective. Commendable work, Jyou-san."
"I'm worried about something though," Jyou said, "What QueenChessmon said, about the Digimon not being reborn at all. You don't think she was … serious, right?"
Koushiro looked grim, but he only lifted his shoulder in a shrug. "I can't tell if she had been lying or not," he admitted, "All information regarding her has been blocked and encrypted in a way not even Gennai can get through. For all we know, she could have been telling the truth."
"But that means…" Hikari began, and Gatomon looked gravely at them as she spoke.
"It means we should visit the Village of Beginnings, if we want to make sure."
"It also means we need to be extra careful," Koushiro continued, "And not risk you guys more than necessary." If that was true, then being defeated would end up in permanent deletion, a concept Koushiro was definitely not comfortable with.
"Then we'll need more supplies. I can go into town tomorrow and get them," Mimi said. With the amount of battles they'd been getting in they'd need a lot more supplies, especially if they kept getting hurt like Jyou was.
"I'll make you a list today," Sora added with a smile.
"Do you want company, Mimi?" Takeru asked with a cheeky smile, but before she could answer him, Yamato beat her to it.
"I'll go with her," he said simply. When they turned to look at him, he rolled his eyes at the lot of them. "We don't know where the Village of Beginnings is. Gabumon and I will try to ask around the town."
Mimi gave him a tight-lipped smile but said nothing else, focusing her attention to fussing over Palmon's flower, refusing to look in Yamato's direction.
"Yeah, well," Taichi said with a yawn, "We'll find ways to make ourselves useful too. Or we could just spend the day at the beach, too. I could definitely use a break."
Jyou sighed as he rested his palms behind him, stretching his arms as he did so. He closed his eyes briefly, allowing the sunshine to touch his face and warm him as he breathed in the sweet and salty smell of the ocean air. It seemed to him that the last couple of weeks had happened so long ago, given how far they were from where they started and how different they seemed to be.
"Oh," he suddenly said, blue eyes opening. "My rucksack. I left it where we met LordKnightmon. I lost all my things..."
"Met makes it sound like she didn't pulverize you," Takeru said with a sneer.
The older boy sent him a level but highly hostile look, but Sora intervened promptly before anything else happened.
"We got it back," she said, "It's how we found you. We were tracking you and figured from the state of that place that you were in trouble." She smiled. "I don't think I've ever seen Taichi-kun so worried."
But the young man in question scoffed, getting to his feet and failing to hide the blush in his cheeks. "I was not scared," he said defensively.
"No-one said you were. I said worried."
"Oh, Taichi-kun," Mimi sighed, "That's really sweet of you."
He pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing a laughing Agumon down into the ground. That stopped his laughter. "You're all delusional."
The friendly barter continued until tempers and voices were rising and Yamato had to stand in between Sora and Taichi, only to end up being yelled at by both of them. Jyou watched the exchange with increasing amusement as Yamato stormed away with both Sora and Taichi on his heel, muttering apologies in between clever quips aimed at the other.
You had to have known we'd come for you.
Jyou didn't think he'd ever forget again.
