Chapter 18: A Place to Return

"Home is important,
Whether a box by the road
Or a mansion on the hill;
We all desire a place to return to.

When the sky weeps rain,
And the storm rages around us;
When they beat us back and drive us away,
We're always seeking somewhere to go."

Year: June 12, 2308
Location: DigiDestined Base, Americanus North Pack-Neutral Border

Strike gazed around at the brunt stone and melted plastic of what had been their base, his foot kicking up a pile of debris. "What happened here? Where are they?" he irritably kicked at the debris again, methodically dialing Crystal's number as he scanned the alley.
Ryan sat down on what had been a metal trashcan tipped on its side, impmon plopping onto the stone alley floor beside him, and turned his gaze back to the older boy. "They're not answering, how long have we been gone anyway?" he held back a yawn as he leaned against the scorched brick wall, "You don't think they were here…"
"No!" Strike snarled, the phone at his ear again as he began rummaging through the brunt scarps, "Pick up already Chris…"
Ryan sighed and shifted his gaze down the alley again, a pink and white dog digimon suddenly popping out of a digiport. "That's weird…" he stood as the dog trotted down the alley to stop at his feet, black ash staining its pelt now.
Strike grumbled something and tossed a half-melted tarp aside, his fingers hitting redial again as he searched for anything of value.
Ryan watched him, wondering that he didn't comment on their visitor, and turned his gaze back to the dog digimon, "Hi?"
"Hi, I'm Labramon and we're going to be partners…" the digimon piped suddenly, circling around him with her pink tail wagging happily.
"I'm his partner." impmon hissed, standing up to glare at the intruder, "Where did you come from anyway fuzz-ball?"
"Here, there…I've been around and back…" she stopped and studied the impmon, her tail pausing for a beat before wagging at full speed again, "And we can both be partners, lots of kids have two…don't they?"
"Uh…not really, but I did hear it was possible…" Ryan interjected, afraid they might start a fight, and pulled out his digivice to study it.
Labramon sat down then, clearly satisfied with her inspection, and cocked her head up at the boy, "Don't you like me? We're both dogs…"
"I…" Ryan stopped as the digivice flashed suddenly, the screen now split neatly along the diagonal, "I guess we are partners…"
Impmon hissed at that but Strike suddenly shushed them, his hand to his ear as he tried to listen to something.
"I got it Chris, we'll get over there then…yeah, yeah, it's been a while…" Strike leaned against the wall opposite Ryan as he spoke, Chris's responses just scratchy background to the others, "No I didn't plan on it…we're back now anyway. Zev? He took off as soon as we landed."
After a few more minutes of idle chatter Strike clicked the phone shut and slumped against the alley floor, coronamon beside him now as the digimon tried to comfort his partner.
Ryan shifted uncomfortably, kicking up a fresh cloud of ash as he watched the older boy. When the silence had stretched on several minutes he finally dared to speak, "So…what happened?"
"They left a few days before the attack, setting base at the twins' place near the tri-border…" Strike glanced at him a moment before turning to the sky, dark clouds threatening rain overhead, "We've been gone a month…"
"A month? Jeez…" Ryan shook his head as he stored his two partners and followed Strike's gaze to the sky, "We can't do that again…"
"It was not a choice to begin with…" Flare's voice was quiet, his gaze never leaving his partner, "For now we should regroup, they will likely attack again soon…"
Strike nodded slowly, rising back to his feet as he managed a small smile for his long-time friend, "Yeah, let's get moving."

Location: Rock Pick County, Americanus North Neutral

"I told you they wouldn't see…" Zev sat on the edge of the building's roof, surveying the destruction done to the small town below. Garurumon was lying down at his side, the wolf digimon only half paying attention, while kudamon snaked at his neck to glance at the darkdestined on the roof behind them.
"Thank you…" Koko averted her eyes as she wrapped her arms around mikemon, her other partner stored for the time being.
"You're a destined too, I saw that tag before you put the crest in it…" Zev shifted his gaze back to the girl, one hand rubbing garurumon's shoulder as he fingered his own tag, "Will you go back to her?"
"I don't have anywhere else to go…" she stepped up to the edge beside him, her gaze scanning the mess below, "The others suffer too…I can't abandon them…"
"Chaos does it for pleasure…he enjoys this…" Zev waved his hand at the town before resting it back against his partner, "Do you?"
"No…" Koko sighed, letting herself drop as her wings instinctively spread, catching her before she hit the ground. She angled back up and hovered before the wolf-boy, mikemon hissing now, "What will you do when the crest calls to you? The ocean lies just below the cave…"
"The crests have nothing to do with it; there are others that abandoned Pride…"
"At the cost of more lives…" Koko turned then, hugging mikemon tighter, and shot off as fast as her wings would carry her.
"True…the legend says this war can't end until all the light crests come together…" Zev leaned against garurumon as he watched her go, his thoughts drifting back to the others.
Kudamon uncurled from his neck and snaked down to rest in his lap, the smaller digimon's words quiet, "Only when all the lights spark together can the flame be ignited…and there the sacrifice will be made again for peace…"

Year: Unknown
Location Unknown

Rekke was curled on the tabletop this time, his feet pressed hard against the back wall and his partner curled against his neck, while he slept.
The bulb swung above them in its ever-continuous rhythm, flicking between dim and bright now as it threatened to go out, while the papers on the wall fluttered in some unseen breeze.
Rekke shivered suddenly, his eyes snapping open to scan the cramped room as he shifted back to a sitting position.
Mausumon grumbled something and curled into a tighter ball against his hand, clearly tired of the disturbances to their quiet home.
"Samaya…" Rekke managed a partial smile for his sister, his usually bright eyes dull now as he regarded the visitor.
Samaya scanned the room a moment, shivering herself as she set cutemon on the floor, then returned her gaze to her brother. "It has grown cold here…Rekke…you waste away trying to cling to life…" her eyes softened as she stepped closer to him, rubbing her hand along mausumon's spine.
The mouse digimon shivered against her touch for a moment before relenting and uncurling to regard her. "Come to wake us again?" the mouse yawned as he shifted tired eyes to her, his tail curling around his small body.
"Beḷaku said he would come soon…when was that though?" Rekke's eyes were half closed again as he watched her, his own hand protectively against his partner.
"Do not lose hope sahōdara, he will find a way to free you…" Samaya turned back to her brother then, tapping a finger against his cheek to keep him awake, "The council will meet again soon, they will find a better peace…"
"Mmmm…the light flickers…the wind comes in again…I do not control such things…" Rekke yawned, blinking to focus on her again, "The spirits do not seem so dangerous after living here so long…what place do we still have in that world?"
Samaya sighed, turning back to her own partner as she kicked against the floorboards, "There must be something…I don't want to lose you…" She was close to tears now as she sat down beside the rabbit digimon, her gaze turning back to her brother, "It's not the same anymore…"
Rekke carefully crawled off the table, grunting slightly as he landed painfully in the only floor-space left, and laid a hand against her cheek, "Don't cry sahōdari, time is not up yet and the other world still needs you."
"They need you too, please…" she tried to wipe away the tears but failing in that she finally rested her head against his shoulder and wept, her whole body shaking against his thin frame.
Rekke sighed, wrapping her in a hug as he twisted to a more comfortable position braced against the wall of boxes.
The two digimon looked on without comment, cutemon now perched on the chair to give them room.