Chapter 7: Knowledge

He was floating. Or at least that's what it felt like. Tai opened his eyes; blinking several times as white clouded his vision. He waved his hand in front of his face. "I'm still in one piece…" He thought groggily as he closed his eyes against the bright light whilst trying to stand, was he lying down? He couldn't tell. What had he been doing? They had gone to the digital world to escape the ooze and were on their way to a digiport when…! His eyes shot open ignoring the discomfort from the brightness of his surroundings as unpleasant memories flooded into his brain.

"Oh you're awake…thank goodness!" Tai whipped his head around toward the direction of the voice. The white finally started to fade revealing several fuzzy blobs within his line of sight, one of them was walking (or was it gliding?) toward him. Finally features started to fall into place; soft brown hair held back with one single clip, arms adorned in long fusia fingerless gloves extending toward him, tank top half white half the same fusia as the gloves, yellow shorts revealing plenty of leg and pale pink sneakers.

"Hikari! You okay? What is this place, you brought us here right? How'd you do it?" Tai bubbled expectantly as she got closer he reached out to grab her hand but stopping when he looked into her eyes. Her pupils were missing, a faint white glow taking their place.

"You're…who are you? This possession thing is getting really fucking old already! Get out of my sister right now damnit!" He vented as he shook her by the shoulders.

"Ah! Um…sorry! One second!" He stopped when she replied, tears formed on the side of her eyes as she scrunched them shut in concentration. The white around them began to swirl and fade revealing a large room with tatami flooring and paper walls. The room was very sparse with a small tv flickering and buzzing in the corner being the only other focus besides the large black table they were now standing beside. It only came up to Tai's knees and had eight steaming cups of what Tai assumed was green tea waiting to be drunk inside cylindrical off green cups on pale cup holders resting in front of eight flat cushion seats placed around the table. His examination ended when he spotted his team lying in various positions along the great empty expanse of the room, his attention was recaptured by Hikari as her chest began to glow. A misty light poured out of her, it was so bright Tai was forced to close his eyes again.

"They're fine by the way, the trip was a little bit bumpier then I had hoped so you all slept for a while aheh…" Tai's eyebrows twitched in annoyance at the new face. Things could get weirder he supposed, though he couldn't quite think of how at the moment. For all intents and purposes this newcomer looked perfectly normal if you discounted her pure white hair which cascaded down her shoulders forming large pools at her feet and lack of pupils. Her face was small and heart shaped. Her skin was a pearly white, almost translucent. The thin white dress she wore stopped before her knees; it was very plain but did accentuate her boyish frame. Tai thought she looked about 16 or 17 "Bet a million to one she's waaaaay older." He contemplated. She um'ed and ah'ed, seemingly waiting for him to start the impending conversation, twisting her dress between fingers crumpling it.

Tai chose to completely ignore her for the moment as the others, excluding Hikari, slowly got to their feet. Koushirou helped Mimi up; she clung to his hand like it was the only thing holding her together not even bothering to check out the new surroundings, just staring forward vacantly as Koushirou helped her sit on one of the cushions. Joe groaned, shaking his head he sat at the table as though nothing had happened and took a sip of the tea. Takeru was lifting Hikari into his arms bridle style, glaring at the new girl with unhidden rage emanating from his usual carefree demeanour. Sora was lying on the floor still, Tai could tell she wasn't sleeping any more but she made no move to get up.

"What did you do to Hikari, if I don't like your answer I can't be held responsible for what I might do." Takeru seethed through clenched teeth. Takeru had never been very good at dealing with being upset; Tai could tell that even though he meant what he said he was just trying to control the fear and crippling sadness he was feeling at the loss of his brother and possible loss of Hikari, focusing all his energy on being angry.

The girl looked truly afraid at his comment, rapidly waving her arms in front of her face as she spoke. "She's fine! I had to use her because I…um…can't leave this place without a container and she…um…holds my attribute, it might have hurt her head a little when I was establishing the connection-"

"A little!" Takeru burst.

"-but it won't hurt her any more I swear! She just…uh…needs some rest!"

Tai sighed, this girl was obviously telling the truth and she had saved them. He sat down roughly at the table, propping one knee up and draping his arm over it he motioned for her to take the seat directly opposite him. Takeru flanked him on his left, cradling Hikari in his arms. Sora stood slowly, saying nothing she sat down on Tai's right.

"Sit. Talk." Tai commanded. The girl ran over, almost tripping on thin air before sitting down rapidly on her knees and fidgeting with her dress under the table.

"Ok…um…where should I start?" She mumbled. Tai hit the table with his fist, causing the tea to fly out of the cups before landing inside them again.

"The beginning." He spoke with annoyance thick in his voice and on his countenance.

"Um…sure! I'm…um…you can call me Shin! I'm…well… I'm the core of this world."

"What? That's ridiculous; this world was created from man's excess data." Koushirou argued.

"Yes that's exactly right…um…I am everything that's good in the digital world! Where we are right now is…uh…technically the centre of the digital world, this space was created for me so I…um…could leak out to the rest of the world. I give life and colour to the trees, the land, the fish and the digimon!" She babbled.

"I see. You're saying you act as the hard drive for the whole digital world. But why do you have that appearance?" Koushirou pestered further.

"Ah…um…well I'm not entirely sure about that. I am me…um…and I am not." She stammered out.

"Oh thanks that cleared everything right up." Tai said sarcastically.

"Yes…well I'm sorry I can't be more clear about that…to my knowledge I've always been. I am here in this form but I am also all around the digital world." She responded, seemingly unfazed.

"Like a starter programme." Koushirou mused.

"I suppose…um…but not just me. You know how…uh…there is good and evil in the digital world? Well if you can think of me as "the good bits" then there…uh…has to be bad bits. The other side of the coin…uh…the other "me". You've already met her…my twin Zui…I'm afraid she took your friend." She stated the last part sadly, as though she herself had committed the crime.

"You mean that…thing that took Yamato?" Tai rumbled in a low voice.

"The very same, if there is light there is dark. She has always been just the same as I." She answered.

"Wait, if you guy's have always been why didn't we run into you before? Why wasn't the world suffering from this Zui's influence in the first place?" Joe queried.

"It was! The digimon you encountered…uh…all of their evil stemmed from her. Just as I leak into the world from here she to had her dwelling place. She was…um…confined to a cave…um…the one you and your friend encountered." She addressed Sora who responded in an almost hysterical tone "We conquered it! The darkness in there was a manifestation of our own inner fears and doubts! We beat it!"

The girl shrank away from Sora's outburst but replied all the same. "Yes you did. But do you…uh…do you remember what happened to it?"

Sora faltered, she shook with emotion and bit her lower lip. "It dissipated into the cave."

"Exactly…um…the dark feelings of your friend let him enter a place humans never should have gone. She…uh…used your human influence, your…um…um…human 'data' to access the outside world." When they gave her blank stares she flustered about before pointing at the flickering tv. "See that? She has one too…um…we are both effectively sealed within these domains so…um…these are our only access to the world we essentially created. I watched all of you during your adventures!" She clapped her hands gleefully at that before carrying on "But this thing should…uh…only be able to view the digital world. When you guys left I couldn't see you anymore. Unfortunately…um…because of the energy you gave Zui she was…uh…able to access your world as well. Now these terminals…um…usually only allow us to watch but…uh…do you remember that last fight with Piedmon?" She asked.

"Of course, how could we possibly forget?" Joe complained.

"Well…Tai you were heavily injured…um…then Yamato came and saved you right? What you didn't know was I helped him do it."

"What? Yamato saved me through the power of his crest!" Tai exclaimed.

"Yes…but I am very much attached to you all so…um…when you were hurt I focused everything I had into the terminal…uh…giving his crest a…um…boost." Tai blanched at her reply. Koushirou hummed into his hand, excepting it as a possibility.

"So what you are saying is you can influence this world directly with your own will if you give it everything you have? Interesting…" Koushirou commented.

She smiled at him apparently taking it as a compliment. Her smile soon fell as she started speaking again. "Yes but I'm afraid this is what Zui used…when you saw her she was in a base state correct? Well that must have been…uh…because she made contact with someone in the…um…'real' world and gave them some of her power…uh…I believe you called him Bastard? Through him she…uh…conspired to bring you back…um…I think she holds your friend Yamato in high regard."

"High regard! Did you not see what she did to him? With him!" Sora yelled. Tai placed a comforting hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "It's ok Sora…let her finish." He soothed. She worried her lip more and crossed her arms but said nothing else.

Shin, who had started to panic at Sora's rage, settled down and continued. "What I mean is…she wanted him. Um…I believe she thinks of him as a…uh…saviour of sorts. You see we are the core of this world but…um…we don't get to enjoy it. We are trapped, I can never leave here. The only way would be if I…uh…stole Hikari's body…um…I would have to make physical contact with her…um…what I did before can't really compare. She has a strong affinity with me…um…her power of light is really quite impressive…uh…but if I did this it would drain her both physically and mentally. This is what has happened to Yamato…if you will recall Zui couldn't even begin to manifest herself in the world until Sora's hand was cut…um…that was the physical connection."

"What about the liquid? What did it do to my hand, to the digimon?" Koushirou interrupted.

"Oh yes…ah…the substance you encountered is what she has been using to pollute this world…it's um…an extension of herself." Shin reported.

"I thought you said she was bound to that cave." Joe observed.

"Ah…well…the energy you gave her at that time…I believe it allowed her powers to develop further…a…um…upgrade. The liquid is all the digimon, colour and life of this world…basically all of my contribution…she has converted the data to…uh…suit her purposes…um…everything it touches feeds her data…um…making her more powerful. But…um…I can help you a little." Shin replied.

"Palmon was taken…Palmon was killed." Mimi whispered in an almost too quiet to be heard voice. Koushirou looked at her sadly and squeezed her hand under the table.

"Killed? Oh goodness no!" Shin spoke, Mimi gaped at her in astonishment. "She has been converted into…um…energy for Zui but her data remains undamaged…um…if you defeat Zui and…uh…send her back to the cave all the digimon will return-" She was interrupted by Mimi's squeal of delight as she jumped up and down, life and laughter returning to her eyes. She grabbed Koushirou's hands and pulled him up, dragging him into a twirl as she giggled excitedly. "Palmon's alive!" She pulled Koushirou forward into, to the others and his own surprise, a completely unexpected kiss. His whole face turned red as she turned away from him and hopped around the table. Joe slammed his face into the table mumbling incoherent complaints to himself.

"-to where they were taken. But there is a catch." Shin continued, Mimi hurriedly returned to her seat, worry once again plainly scrawled across her features. "As soon as Zui is defeated the digimon will be returned to their original forms, after that they will…um…again dissolve into data and…uh…loose their memories. A kind of automatic reset."

"What! Palmon will…forget me?" Mimi whimpered.

"Not necessarily! You do have a chance…um…you will have to wait in the area she was taken…uh…and once she reforms remove her from the data stream. Uh…the data stream will be a…um…pillar of light. Just…uh…pull her out." Shin instructed.

"Then that's what we will do! Right Koushi~" Mimi gushed. Koushirou laughed slightly at the use of his nickname, but nodded in agreement.

"Okay then Shin tell us how to beat her. How do we get her out of Yamato without killing him?" Tai asked.

"Ah…um…you won't have to worry about that. Once Zui has taken enough energy to physically manifest herself in the real world with…uh…her appearance and powers intact she will leave him on her own." Shin responded. Sora perked up at this before demanding "Really? She will let him go?"

Shin looked surprised at Sora's question before nodding her head sadly. "I'm really sorry but…no. She…um…won't be possessing him any more but…well…she'll have control."

"Control?" Tai repeated.

Shin sighed. "Any wound she makes…she'll have the power to fix them…but adversely…" Shin looked up forlornly as understanding rippled around the table. "Not only physical ones either. She'll have a choice before she leaves his body…um…to leave his mind alone or…take over. He'll become a puppet…with no free will of his own."

Sora felt the droplets of tears hitting her hands. This situation was so messed up. They should have been able to do something! It wasn't fair…they had finally expressed their feelings to one another. It simply wasn't fair. She glanced at Takeru, his hat hung over his eyes and he had shoved his face into Hikari's hair to conceal his pain from view.

"How long? How much time do we have before she finishes?" Tai asked. He was obviously holding back his emotions, curling his hands into fists and straining his neck in order to push them back.

Shin spoke miserably "I'd be surprised if she wasn't finished within the next few hours."

Silence reigned for several minutes that felt like hours before Koushirou spoke. "You said you could help our digimon." He motioned to their still forms.

"Ah…only a little…um…I can't fix them yet. My powers have dwindled significantly thanks to Zui…it took everything I had to get you here. But I can help! But for that I need Hikari." Shin replied.

Takeru hugged Hikari closer to himself protectively, her eyes fluttered open at the feel and she sluggishly reached her hand up to caress his face. He looked surprised for a moment at her smile before breaking down. He never could keep anything from her. She threw her arms around his neck as he began openly sobbing, clutching her shirt and hair almost painfully as he did so. She hushed him while the others looked away to save his dignity, stroking his hair and whispering sweet nothings into his ear. His breathing hitched a few times before he brought himself under control, pulling away from her and managing a small smile in response to her own.

Sora had drawn blood from her lip at this point. She wanted to cry too, hell she was crying, but the one she wanted to hold her wasn't here. A new flame of hatred and resolve burned behind her reddish/brown eyes as she internally vowed to save him. She would never give up, no matter how hopeless it seemed. She locked eyes with Tai; equal resolve could be seen within his chocolate brown orbs. They could do it. They WOULD do it. The pain wouldn't leave her alone but she would plough on until her goal was met, no more crying until she could do so in Yamato's arms.

"You're awake…heh…sorry about that connection thing…um…it was the only thing I could think of…I wish I could have established it the first time you came back but…uh…I couldn't find you all very easily…um…it took a little while to locate you each time." Shin fussed. Hikari held a hand up to stop her excuses; Takeru had regained his composure and now sat with Hikari on his lap and his arms wrapped loosely around her waist.

"I heard it all. It was quite a strange sensation since I couldn't move my body but I understand you did what was needed. In fact I feel I should be thanking you for saving us." Hikari smiled, turning her hand palm up toward Shin. "Hi I'm Hikari. Thank you for saving me and my friends." The others nodded there assents and gave thanks of their own.

Shin blubbered, shaking her head from side to side. "No no! I didn't do anything special…ahaha…" She scratched her face absently while shaking Hikari's hand.

"What Zui has done to your partners is akin to storing data. She has basically placed a lock on them, forcing them into a dormant state. It seems to work a bit differently with humans but I don't really know why. While I don't currently have enough power to restore them completely I can, with Hikari's help, convert the data into something usable. Hikari will have to have strong feelings toward the digimon's owners in order for it to work. I believe Tai and Takeru are the only ones who fit the bill strongly enough." Shin spoke with more confidence after Hikari's friendly gesture.

"But I want to help! You can't mean to say I'm useless?" Sora uttered.

Shin shook her head vigorously. "No! You won't be able to fight but you are very important to Yamato! I could see it when he saved you…that bond could be the only thing that gets through to him. Even if he is under Zui's control I believe that you, with the help of his and your friends, can liberate him from her." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I thought it would be impossible at first. When Zui had taken over his body I assumed he would be lost forever. But you stopped him! I could hardly believe it but thanks to your words he fought against her and regained control for a brief time allowing Tai to escape. That should have been impossible…I can't imagine how strong his will to save you must be."

Sora breathed deeply. Closing her eyes, remembering how he had looked at her just before she had been whisked away, she knew in heart he was still fighting.

"Tell me what to do." Hikari requested.

"Now I am not really one for politics, my wife isn't either. I was thinking more of a dictatorship! I want to launch a full blown invasion!" Ethan chuckled happily as he paced the room, making exaggerated movements with his arms.

Yamato, or rather Zui, watched his antics with a fair amount of irritation. "That pesky Shin sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, I guess it doesn't matter nothing she does can stop me now. I have what I wanted." He was sitting on a rather ornate chair in the centre of the room, the only item there beside a flat screen television taking up the whole of the wall behind him. The carpet was a plush, purple velvet affair. The entire wall on his left side was windows showing the lights of a bustling city below, they were apparently in a tall building in the middle of Tokyo. Zui rested his elbow on the armrest, propping his head up with his right hand and crossing his legs. His left hand thrummed a steady rhythm on the opposing armrest. His dark red eyes flared in overwhelming irritation as Ethan went on and on, the skin beneath his eyes had sunken creating dark semi-circles and blood was still caked into his clothes.

"Um…Zui? Did I tell you just how happy it makes me to finally know your name?" Ethan gushed.

"Yes…about a thousand times. I have an excellent idea. Why don't you go and get me some new clothes hmmm? I believe I need a shower." Zui spoke in a very demeaning tone but Ethan paid it no heed.

"Yes yes of course Zui how rude of me! Feel free to use the facilities, everything I have is yours! But please don't enter my room, my wife just fell asleep." Ethan prattled happily as he donned his hat and coat and exited the apartment.

Zui sighed, running his hands through his golden tresses. "Won't you talk to me? You're mad now but I promise it will get better. I know it hurts but just endure it a little longer, I would think you would be happy you're helping me start fresh…"

Silence echoed through the apartment as he made for the shower, anger laced his voice as he spoke aloud to himself once again. "I knew I should have got rid of her…but it's ok. Just you wait my lovely Yamato, I have a wonderful part for you to play and once you complete it you will truly be mine. Body and soul."