"What did I do wrong this time? Didn't I make all the calculations correct?! Why can't I find the solution?!"
She shouted, frustrated, at one of the dozens of white boards filled with equations around her. She let herself fall backwards on the hundreds of open books, notebooks and general papers that covered the floor.
Above her, there were walls formed by irregular pieces of metal put together. They had as many written things as the white boards and papers attached to them. The musty smell characteristic of dark and humid places was strong. There was a faint ray of light coming from a small window in her left. Was it already morning or still morning? The passage of time had no meaning for her. She pulled a pendant from under her grey jersey and looked at the yellow rock inside it. The representation of the sun rising on the sea's horizon had brought tears to her eyes for countless years.
"I'm going to find the solution. I'm almost there." She promised, again, placing the pendant back under her jersey. She turned her head to the window and noticed that the sunflowers she had put in the vase had already wilted. That was not good.
She sat up and looked for her brown cape among the papers. After finding the dirty piece of cloth, she stood up and picked the red goggles hanging on a corner of one of the boards. While putting them on, she tried to ignore the purple tattoo on her right hand.
Chapter 18: Endless darkness
Early in the morning, after they ate the rice balls and tea Homura had prepared for them, the woman invited the children and the digimon to a large room that she used as a dojo. The ceiling was high, the floor was covered by lustrous wood and the only furniture there was the gray cupboard in front of the wall opposed to the entrance. Kanda was waiting for them there, wearing a white robe. Homura was wearing a purple kimono.
The kids lined one beside the other, across from the adults. Each one of them received an earplug with a microphone integrated to it, except for Takeru. The digimon stayed in front of their partners. Kanda had brought a black laptop and two silver discs from his travel base and displayed them on the floor. Homura went to the cupboard and opened it. From a shelf above a kendo sword, she took the cubic metallic container for the orb and the pair of tiny handcuffs for Nanomon. She proceeded to give the container to Koushiro and the handcuffs to Jyou, rejoining the other adult after that.
"These are portable wormhole creators connected to the pyramids." Kanda explained, pointing to the discs on the floor. "When a side of the disc is pressed, the gate is closed and the complete disc stays on the side where it had been pressed. After you cross, I'll close the gates from this side and reopen them once the mission is complete."
"We'll watch you through the hacked cameras in the pyramids." Homura added, pointing to the black laptop lying on the floor. "One more thing: it would be safer for the digimon to evolve before going into enemy territory. Nanomon probably has something dreadful waiting for you." Homura spoke in a morbid tone that made Kanda roll his eyes.
"Don't mind Homura-san, she's always been the pessimistic of the group." The man adopted a joking tone.
"Like always, you ignore my intuition, Kanda-kun. Have you not learned from your past mistakes?" Homura scolded, crossing her arms.
"Don't give me that face." Kanda pouted.
"It's the only face I have." She said, raising an eyebrow.
"That's true." He laughed.
Mimi could not avoid giggling. In that moment, she realized that those two had, indeed, known each other for ages.
"I agree with Homura-san about the need to evolve!" Jyou said in an enthusiastic voice, grabbing his digivice and smiling at Pukamon.
"I need to make a serious warning." The floating digimon suddenly spoke in an exaggerated serious tone. "You're going to see my perfect form for the first time. Please, try not to be overwhelmed by my awesomeness."
"Well, in this case, I advise you not to be overwhelmed by Lilymon's graciousness." Mimi spoke in a playful tone, blinking with her left eye. The good vibes coming from Jyou and his partner warmed her heart.
"Pukamon evolves to… GOMAMON! Gomamon evolves to… IKKAKUMON!"
After the white creature appeared, gray light came from Jyou's digivice and enveloped the monster.
"Ikkakumon super evolves to… ZUDOMON!"
"It's massive!" Takeru exclaimed, amazed at the giant who had a shell on his back and a shiny hammer in his hand.
"He's also very strong and brave!" Jyou added, smiling broadly.
"I admit that he looks cool." Mimi smirked, grabbing her own digivice. "But be ready for Lilymon!"
"That's right!" Tanemon affirmed, embracing her partner's enthusiasm. "Tanemon evolves to… PALMON! Palmon evolves to… TOGEMON!"
Green light came from the girl's digivice and enveloped the plant digimon.
"Togemon super evolves to… LILYMON!"
"She's incredible, Mimi-kun!" Jyou shouted in admiration. "Look at how high she flies! I bet she's very fast!"
"She's also strong enough to carry a monkey rock star in bride style." Mimi complemented.
"I had never heard that slang before but… sure, whatever you say!" Jyou laughed.
"Those four seem to be full of energy since they got their crests." Tentomon said. By his left, Piyomon nodded.
"But soon we'll have our crest too, right, Sora?" The bird digimon tried to imprint excitement to her voice.
"Sure." Sora replied, giving her partner a small smile that did not convince Piyomon.
"There's still the issue of removing the crest from the orb." Koushiro commented in low voice.
"Don't you worry about that!" Kanda assured the kid. "I'll make Nanomon tell me how to get it out."
"Are you sure Nanomon knows how to do that?" Takeru asked. The boy, who had been by Koushiro's side, approached the man. Tokomon followed him, but kept his eyes on the floor for some reason.
"Of course I'm sure." Kanda lowered his voice. "In the files of the Academy, I came to know that Nanomon used to work under Seraphimon in the old days. He's most likely the inventor of the dark orbs."
"All the digimon should evolve." Homura spoke authoritatively, looking at Piyomon and Tentomon. Then, she glanced at their partners and noticed certain uneasiness in their expressions. She bit her lower lip.
"Alright, it's time to go!" Kanda announced, kneeling on the floor and pressing each disc with a hand. The objects created two tears in the space-time continuum above them, large enough to let the monsters pass. Tentomon and Piyomon quickly evolved to Kabuterimon and Birdramon, without Koushiro or Sora bothering to say anything. The two children from the soccer club seemed to be avoiding looking at each other.
Takeru could not see the other kids behind the large square portals that emitted a strong white light. After they had crossed, Kanda pressed the discs again and the portals closed. The boy walked a few meters to his right and sat on the floor, cross-legged. He observed the adults setting the computer up. Tokomon sat by his right.
"You could've said good-bye or good-luck." The white digimon told him
"You realize that Sora-san used your condition as an excuse, right?" Takeru asked. "She wanted me to stay behind."
"Of course I realized that." Tokomon replied. "But to be honest, I'm not upset for not having to go there. I did just come back to life."
"Sorry." Takeru muttered, looking down. He had not intended to be insensitive, but he was anyway. That was becoming a frustrating trend. He glanced at his partner, wondering about what to say. How could someone tackle the subject of death and rebirth? The child was sure that no regular human would be able to do that. Despite that conclusion, he still tried.
"Tokomon…" The boy hesitated. "Do you… I mean… if you want to talk about how you're feeling, I can listen to you. I might not know how to respond but I'll do my best."
Tokomon stayed silent for a brief moment. He smiled, but Takeru perceived sadness in his friend's round eyes.
"Death is a more definitive thing for humans, right?" Tokomon asked in a tranquil tone, keeping his eyes on the pair of adults a few meters away.
"It is…" Takeru murmured, looking away. "I haven't actually lost someone to death before… it's not that I'm not grateful that you're here with me now. It's just…"
"I'm sorry that my death wounded you so severely." Tokomon had a sorrowful voice. "However, I don't regret sacrificing myself for you."
"You remember it, don't you?" Takeru questioned, shrugging. "You said that you remember too much."
"Please, don't ask me to tell you about the things I came to remember." Tokomon pleaded, softly.
"But…"
"I don't want to remember sad things." The digimon forced a smile. "The time I've spent with you was the happiest I've ever had."
Takeru looked at his partner and noticed small drops of water at the corners of his eyes. He stretched his hand and placed it on his friend's head. His finger could sense the warmth under that short white fur. Tokomon's heart was beating, his lungs were taking air in and out, his stomach was digesting his breakfast and his brain was most likely thinking on depressing things he wished to leave behind. Takeru was not mature enough to understand mortality. However, Tokomon did not need him to understand.
"Okay." Takeru said, closing his eyes and pulling Tokomon for a hug. "I'll make sure to give you even happier times."
"Thank you, Takeru."
The boy opened his eyes and saw Patamon grinning to him. He hugged his small friend tighter, saying:
"Welcome back."
Floating at the top of the above pyramid, the orb should not have a diameter larger than five centimeters. It was all black, except for a red luminous point.
Mimi, Koushiro, Lilymon and Kabuterimon left the portal and found themselves right under the orb.
"This is going to be a piece of cake!" Mimi felt full of confidence. Sora had been acting a bit gloomy the day before, but Mimi was sure that the older girl would rejoice once she had her crest delivered to her. Crest of love… that's perfect for Sora-san!
"Okay, Koushiro. Give me the container." Lilymon asked the boy. Koushiro did not seem to have listened to her. He was staring at the dark sphere floating ten meters above, as if mesmerized by it.
"Koushiro-han?" Tentomon called him, touching his left shoulder. The boy blinked, took a step back and looked down.
"Sorry…" He said, giving the cube to Lilymon. "I think I've just spaced out right now."
"Caught up theorizing about the orb?" Mimi asked, grinning at him.
"Are you feeling alright?" Tentomon asked, concerned.
"Yes, of course." Koushiro replied. "I can play…"
"Play?" Tentomon was confused.
"Did I… just say that?" Koushiro asked, seemingly scared. He took a look back, finding no open portal where it had been a few minutes before.
"Mission accomplished, Mimi!" Lilymon announced, returning with a shaking cube in her arms. "It's kind of hard to keep this thing closed, though."
When Lilymon landed, Koushiro put a hand on his left leg and sat down, showing a pained expression.
"What's wrong?" Mimi asked.
"My leg… it hurts…" It was difficult for Koushiro to concentrate enough.
"When did this happen?" Tentomon's voice was full of concern and confusion.
"Kid, what's the problem?" Homura's voice came from the earplug he was wearing. Why did it sound so low?
"I can play…" The words were coming out from his mouth against his will. "I know how important tomorrow's game is…"
The flashes were appearing out of order and Koushiro could not escape them. He did not know what was happening around him anymore.
"Sora-san!" Mimi called the older girl by her earplug. "There's something wrong with Koushiro-kun! He said that his leg hurts! And he's murmuring something about a game!" It was when Mimi noticed something that resembled black smoke coming out from the cube's edges. "Wait! The container… there's something dark leaking from it!"
"Mimi, I can't hold it!" Lilymon shouted right before the object was forcefully opened and a wave of darkness flooded the place. Mimi's communicator stopped working and the cameras distributed in the pyramid exploded. Soon, the darkness enveloped Koushiro. Tentomon was pulling him by his right arm but could not move the boy. Mimi and Lilymon grabbed his left arm and tried to pull him away from the substance, with no success. The darkness was becoming thicker and the boy less visible in it.
Suddenly the floor was broken and a familiar voice filled almost all of them with hope.
"KOUSHIRO-KUN!" Sora yelled.
And then the darkness targeted her.
Before that, inside the below pyramid, Jyou, Sora, Birdramon and Zudomon had found themselves in front of a closed triangular door. The perfect level digimon smashed it with his hammer, allowing his partner to come in and shout "YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!"
Nanomon, who was a few meters in front of the door, simply lifted his long metallic arms and said, nonchalantly, "I surrender."
"Is this a trick?" Sora asked, without entering the room. Jyou did not listen to her question, instead hurrying to handcuff Nanomon.
"Mission accomplished!" The sixth grader announced to Kanda, who was listening through the earplug the boy had. Jyou was relieved and excited that everything had been resolved so quickly. "Don't try any trick, Nanomon!" The boy tried to imprint authority to his tone. "Those handcuffs are programmed to disable your attack systems! It's pointless to resist!"
"I already surrendered, kid." Nanomon sighed, as if he was bored with the situation.
"This is weird, Jyou." Zudomon voiced his concern, after following Jyou into the room and pointing his hammer at Nanomon. "Why would this guy give up so easily?"
"Maybe he got intimidated by your imposing appearance." Jyou guessed. Zudomon's cheeks became red as he looked in the other direction, bragging:
"I-it can't be helped! My perfect form is simply too cool for this world. And my ultimate one will be even cooler!"
"There's a chance your ultimate form is an ocean angel who flies around, looking cute." Nanomon commented with indifference.
"Wait! I'm going to fly? I'll have actual wings?" Zudomon was interested.
"You can already fly as Pukamon." Jyou recalled.
"Not to very high places." Zudomon replied, frustrated.
"YOU HAVE TO TAKE ME THERE!" Sora's shout came from the outside. Jyou went there, signalizing for Zudomon to keep an eye on the robot digimon.
"I'm not going to take you up there, Sora!" Birdramon seemed to be on the verge of tears.
"Koushiro-kun is in danger because of me!" Sora had increasing desperation in her voice. "If something bad happens to him, I won't be able to live with myself!"
"Danger?" Jyou was confused. "W-what are you talking about, Sora-kun?"
"Open a path to the above pyramid and take me there!" Sora ordered her partner, ignoring Jyou.
"Try to understand, Sora-" The digimon began to cry.
"If you don't take me up there, I will never forgive you, Birdramon!"
The girl's exasperate tone shocked Jyou so much that he froze at his tracks. Birdramon's determination proved not to be as strong as Sora's. The bird monster opened a hole on the ceiling and flew up with the girl on her foot.
Zudomon had watched everything from the room. Wanting to go to where his partner was, he grabbed Nanomon with his free hand and walked there.
"Jyou, what just happened?! Why did Sora do that?" Zudomon asked, placing Nanomon on the floor. The human did not say a word, merely staring in shock at the hole on the ceiling and the holes above it.
A tear in space suddenly appeared in front of them, through which Kanda walked into the pyramid. Jyou turned his face to him. The man stopped in front of Nanomon, visibly enraged.
"What did you… how did you…?" Kanda was shaking. "That was not how orbs are supposed to work! What did you do to activate it without Sora or me being there?!"
Nanomon looked into the man's wide open eyes and showed him the largest and most disturbing smile he could, saying:
"I didn't have to do anything. This was entirely your doing. I have to say I didn't think you'd be stupid to the point of bringing along the new bearer of love and, as it seems, someone with whom she shared a mirror."
The first reaction of Kanda was to be paralyzed. He opened his mouth and eyes and let his arms fall by his sides.
"Look at you." Nanomon spoke in a taunting tone. "You can brag as much as you like but in the end you'll always be that idiotic weak kid."
Kanda clenched his fists and glared intensively at the little robot digimon.
Sensing that the man was about to do something regrettable, Jyou tried to stop him:
"Wait! I-I don't know what happened up there, but if someone got captured-"
"How could you just let her go there?" Kanda inquired, turning to Jyou. "Haven't I told you that Sora shouldn't go near the orb?! How could you just stay still and watch her do it?!"
"I…" The sixth grader trembled in shame. "I-I'm sorry, I couldn't… it was too fast, I-"
"Don't talk like that to Jyou!" Zudomon got angry. "You were the one who put everybody in this situation! You were the one who said that there was nothing to worry about!"
Kanda paled, looking away from the boy and Zudomon. He picked Nanomon up and marched back to the portal. Zudomon devolved to Pukamon and went after the man along with Jyou.
In the above pyramid, Mimi looked astonished at her surroundings. Sora was nowhere to be found. Lilymon devolved to Tanemon and had a mortified expression. Koushiro was sitting on the floor a couple of steps ahead, stretching his arm in the direction where Sora had vanished. Under the floating dark orb, there was a crater created by Birdramon.
Mimi could not comprehend how all of that had happened. The mission had been a success. Everything had gone according to the plan. Why was the container not enough to hold the darkness? Why was Koushiro being surrounded by it? Why could they not free him? Why did Sora…?
She knew why Sora had done that. Mimi had told her about Koushiro feeling pain and about the leaking. The younger girl had not thought that Sora would rush immediately into danger to help them. In her confusion and desperation, she was not thinking at all. And now Sora had disappeared.
"Koushiro-han!" Tentomon called his partner, shaking him gently. Koushiro was not reacting. He kept his arm stretched and looked, horrified, at the orb. A pair of tears fell from his eyes.
"Mimi, I'm sorry." Tanemon said, next to the girl. "I wasn't strong enough… I couldn't…"
"Don't beat yourself up." The girl told her partner, picking her up and hugging her. "None of us could do anything."
Despite saying that, the feeling of powerlessness was overwhelming. Just like with Tonosamageckomon, now something terrible had happened to Sora and Mimi hadn't been able to do anything. All she ever had to offer were words, but words could not stop any of those tragedies. Being optimistic, idealistic, confident… what was the point of any of that? In the end, no matter what she did, Mimi only kept watching people suffering.
"Koushiro-han, talk to me!" Tentomon was still trying to make his partner react. "Please! You're scaring me!"
A cutting sound came from his left, equal to the ones they heard when the portals to the pyramids opened and closed not long before.
Homura ran into the pyramid, accompanied by Takeru and Patamon. Astonished, they took in all the information in their surroundings. The woman had a horrified expression. She went to where Mimi and Tanemon were.
"What happened?" Homura asked.
"Darkness forced the container open…" Mimi recalled, glancing at the open cube lying on the floor a couple of steps away. "It went after Koushiro-kun… then Sora-san came and the darkness… Sora-san… was swallowed by it with Birdramon"
The girl could no longer hold the tears in. Takeru watched Mimi from distance, feeling as if something was breaking inside him. Although he had occasional disagreements with her, the boy could not stand to see someone he cared about in that state. He approached Koushiro and Tentomon and could not bear to look for too long at the boy. The redhead's devastated expression shattered his heart in pieces.
The youngest child glanced at the dark orb that had a small luminous red spot in it. Was Sora inside that thing? Kanda had told them that nobody had ever escaped from an orb. But Nanomon had invented the orbs! That digimon would know what to do to rescue Sora, right? She could not stay trapped there forever. Not because she wanted to protect him…
"KOUSHIRO-HAN!" Tentomon cried when the boy passed out. The other children and their partners rushed to him. Homura picked the cube up, went to where the orb was and, in a jump, grabbed the sphere and sealed it in the container, landing safely at the other side of the crater. She turned back to the alarmed children trying to wake their friend up and felt her heart getting heavier.
"I'll leave the portal open for you. I need to put this in a safe place."
Homura headed back to the dojo in a hurry. There, she saw Kanda violently stepping over Nanomon on the floor.
"Please, stop it! You're going to kill him!" Jyou tried to reason with the man.
"We gain nothing if he dies!" Pukamon supported his partner.
"I won't stop until he tells me what I want!" Kanda roared, pressing Nanomon against the floor with more force.
"I know that you've wanted to do this for most of your existence." Nanomon said, grinning. "Sadly for you, I've disabled my capacity to feel physical pain."
Kanda removed his right foot from above the monster.
"There are other ways for me to make you talk!" The man affirmed.
"I'm sure you've stored something wicked in the main base just for me." Nanomon had a calm voice. "But you'll need to wait until everybody moves to their temporary new locations."
Kanda paled, which amused Nanomon.
"I know you would want the base empty to avoid me revealing the truth of the deadly banquet to anyone. You're far from being unpredictable."
"I'll be sure to surprise you." Kanda promised.
"Kanda-kun." Homura called him.
He turned to her. The man's eyes locked on the cube she was carrying.
"Sora and Birdramon are inside the orb." Her voice was almost inaudible.
"Sora-kun?" Jyou gasped.
"It had targeted Koushiro… we saw it in the computer before losing communication." She continued, looking down. "I don't know how that could happen… that wasn't supposed to happen…"
Kanda took a step in her direction and Homura took two steps back.
"Don't get close to this! It could swallow you too!" She reprehended.
"The orb needs at least three hours before being able to swallow another compatible victim." Nanomon informed. "By the way, good to see you again, Homura."
"Don't you talk to her!" Kanda ordered, kicking Nanomon so hard that the monster was thrown against a wall and passed away. Jyou wanted to go check if he was okay but the man's glare made him stop.
"I'll hide this somewhere else… somewhere safe…" Homura murmured, leaving the dojo with large steps. Jyou ran after her. She ran from him.
"Stop!" Jyou yelled. "Where are you taking Sora-kun?! What is happening to her right now?!"
Her lack of reply angered the boy deeply.
"DON'T YOU THINK YOU OWE ME AN EXPLANATION?!" He screamed. The woman in his front stopped moving but did not turn back to face him. They were in a corridor.
"Kanda-san said that there was nothing to worry about!" Jyou reminded her, bitterly. "He said that there were no traps and that everybody would be safe! Then, why was Koushiro-kun in danger? Why did all of that happen?!"
There was still no answer. Jyou felt anger boiling inside him. Kanda and Homura were adults! Adults were supposed to watch over children, to protect them, to advise them! Had those two been lying to them all along? Did they use his group without caring to tell them the real risks they would face? Were they simply manipulating kids without caring for what could happen to them? That was abominable!
"You brought us here." Jyou made a dry affirmation. "You and Kanda-san didn't even ask us if we wanted to come to this world! You didn't even care to explain us anything until Tamaki-san ran into us! We had left home thinking we'd stay a couple of weeks in a summer camp and then, suddenly, we were in a strange place and monsters kept trying to kill us! Do you even understand how much we've suffered? How much trauma we've been through?! And now Sora-kun is trapped in a supposedly inescapable prison and you won't even talk to me properly?! Do we all mean so little to you? Do you see us as just pawns to be used?"
Jyou could not stop himself from crying. What did happen to Sora? Why did he not stop her? She was right in his reach and he could not do it. But if he had stopped her, would it have been Koushiro in the orb? Sora was feeling guilty. Why? Did she know something and kept it from him and the others? Was Jyou not trustable enough to know?
"I'm sorry." Homura muttered.
Her tone of voice made Jyou uneasy. It was not the usual intimidating one, but a tone of voice that conveyed regret and shame.
"I just wanted to keep the world safe." Homura's voice came out almost inaudible. "Kanda-kun said that we could only protect the world by bringing new children here. I thought… I really thought things would work out this time. I thought I had become strong enough to guarantee that. I didn't even think about the impact this world would have in your lives. I just thought about that promise."
"Promise?" Jyou asked.
"When we first arrived here, we were told that this world needed us." Homura narrated. "Nanomon, Piximon, Gennai… they told us we were the fated heroes who would bring peace to the Digital World… I really believed in that. To every digimon we found, I promised that we were going to bring peace to the world. I thought I was some sort of brave warrior. I used to watch TV dramas about samurais with my Mother when I was growing up. It was my dream to be like one. My Mother was sick and could not leave her bed… and Father was always working… he promised on his life he would find a cure for her. But he didn't."
"I'm sorry." Jyou said, looking down.
"He said he had to atone for it… because promises should be taken very s-seriously." Homura's voice broke and she kneeled on the floor. Jyou and Pukamon approached her and stayed by her side. The woman continued to talk. "I promised… I swore that I wouldn't stop fighting until the world was in peace. After we lost Shinsuke-kun, I promised Otae-san that I'd avenge her brother. But she didn't want to fight anymore… she didn't want to do anything… I called her a coward for it. I pushed her to keep on going… I pushed everybody to keep on fighting… I never stopped. Even while everything was falling apart around me… even after I became this thing... I put on a scary mask… I put on armor and I kept fighting. Alone."
"Where's Otae-san now?" Jyou inquired.
"I don't know." Homura murmured. "She was the first to leave. I was so angry at her… I couldn't understand how she could abandon us like that after everything we did for her."
"Did she ever ask you to avenge her brother?" Pukamon questioned.
"She didn't have to!" Homura became defensive. "I just thought… I thought that if we did it I would see light in her eyes again… I would see her smiling again… I just wanted to make her happy… and she left. After that, all I had was the promise I made to the digimon to protect this world. I've been doing my best. Endlessly fighting to protect the weak and punish the abusers… but the more I slay, more wrongdoers appear… and when I noticed I was being called Demon."
Jyou did not know what to say to her. He regretted directing his anger at Homura. The adult had done terrible things, despite having the best intentions. She had hurt others, even those for whom she cared, because she believed to be doing the best for them. That person was not a strong and intimidating adult. What Jyou saw in that moment was a scared child, someone who had tried too hard to fulfill an ideal and ended up pushing others away and destroying what she wanted to protect. There was a part of the boy who was grateful for seeing the errors in his behavior and views before it was too late. And that part of him that was capable to feel such a thing while confronted by the woman's tragedy filled the boy with guilt.
"I've just been lying to myself, haven't I?" Homura asked. "I haven't been doing anything good. Instead of protecting, all I do is destroy lives. It's what I do to digimon… it's what I did to you… to my friends… to her. I shouldn't have allowed you to come to this world. I'm despicable… worthless…"
"I don't regret coming to this world." Jyou affirmed. "Even though Sora-kun is in a terrible situation now, I'm sure we can help her! I won't give up. After coming to the Digital World, I've begun to trust in my own capability. I've come to understand more about myself and about others. I'm grateful for that. I'm happy that I've changed."
"I forgot how it feels to be optimistic." Homura commented. "My group lost hope too soon."
"Mine will never lose hope!" Jyou stated.
"You really mean that, don't you?" Homura asked, showing a little smile that contrasted to her face washed by tears.
"Of course I mean it." Jyou smiled back. "I mean everything I say. Don't you know which crest I have?"
They both smirked. Pukamon, who had been floating close to Jyou during the entire conversation, did not smile. After listening to Homura's story, a new concern was born in his heart.
After Homura, Jyou and Pukamon left, Kanda took the unconscious Nanomon to his travel base, where he put the monster in a cage integrated to the wall, at the level of the floor. The base was circular; its diameter should not be larger than five meters. There was a pillar at the center of the floor, above which Kanda would put his laptop to control the base. Across from the cage, there was a brown bag the man had brought for a reason that had nothing to do with Nanomon.
For all the time he had spent fantasizing about capturing the robot digimon, that scenario had never occurred to him. Now that he thought about it, he realized how he had been playing Nanomon's game all along. He had let his own arrogance and hatred go over his head and did exactly what his enemy wanted: get the new bearer of love trapped. Did the digimon anticipate Kanda's entire plan and was just waiting for the disaster to unfold? Did he, somehow, know that Koushiro had shared a mirror with Sora at some point? That should not be possible. Even if he knew, he could not have anticipated that one of them would necessarily go after the orb.
A sudden realization hit Kanda.
The container he had created was supposed to hold the orb even if its target was nearby. Yet, the dark matter concentrated in the sphere was capable of overpowering the containing system to go after a target that was not even its primary one. Had the incident with Koushiro not happened, the kids would have returned from the pyramids and Sora would have been close enough to the orb to make the dark matter force the cube open and trap her. So, it all boiled down to two possibilities: either Nanomon had created an orb that was a lot more powerful than the ones Kanda had encountered, or his container had been sabotaged.
It had to be the first option.
Nobody knew where he was going. He made sure to check it. There were only two digimon whose memories he could not see. But one of them could barely keep recent memories and the other would never risk exposing her to the enemies of the Academy. The only logical answer was that Nanomon had altered the orb.
"No quite what you dreamed, right?"
Nanomon's voice brought Kanda back to reality. The man saw the small robotic digimon standing up in the cage. He was dented in many parts and had part of the glass protecting his brain cracked. Nevertheless, he still exhibited a tranquil smile.
"I haven't dreamed even once during centuries." Kanda stated, taking two steps in the digimon's direction and looking him down.
"I gave you a body that does not require rest, nutrition or any other bothersome physical needs a human body does. You should be grateful for receiving such a terrific gift." Nanomon scolded the other.
Kanda was under the impression that he could hear his own heartbeats getting progressively faster. But he had to remain calm. Losing his cool earlier had only given Nanomon an upper hand in their psychological battle. Kanda had to reverse that. Don't let him get into your mind, he reminded himself.
"Is guilt eating you up?" Nanomon asked.
"I have no reason to feel guilty." Kanda affirmed.
"Sure." The digimon smirked. "You're not as good at lying as you believe to be. I remember when you and the others came to this world. You were shaking from head to toe and still tried to look brave for Otae."
Kanda clenched his fists, feeling sweat covering his forehead. How dared he speak about Otae? How dared he say her name after what he had done to her? After what he had done to all of them? But Nanomon would have what he deserved. It was only a matter of patience.
"She broke into my southern underground laboratory ten years ago." Nanomon spoke as if delivering trivial information. Kanda raised his eyebrows in surprise, immediately regretting the involuntary action. Nanomon smiled. "You didn't know about it. What a shame. If she had told you what she found in that laboratory, you would've figured out already how the bearer of love can be saved."
"I'll make you tell me how she can be saved." Kanda made sure to sound threatening, lowering his body to look into Nanomon's eyes. "You will tell me exactly how you modified that orb and-"
"I didn't modify anything." Nanomon informed. "The dark orb is the ultimate prison. Why would I change something that is perfect?"
"You modified it! I know that you did it!" Kanda shouted, punching the wall next to the bars of the cage.
"I did not." Nanomon had a bemused tone. "I made a countermeasure for it, though. Without Seraphimon knowing."
"What countermeasure?" The man inquired.
Nanomon smiled broadly before replying:
"Go ask your girl friend, Kanda-chii."
That answer made Kanda grab Nanomon between the bars and hit his head on the wall, making the digimon pass out again.
In the pyramid, Mimi, Takeru, Tanemon, Patamon and Tentomon observed the unconscious Koushiro, who was lying on his left side; his computer backpack was still on his back. The redhead was shaking and seemed to be in pain. Nobody had been able to wake him up.
"Do you think he's having a nightmare?" Tanemon asked.
"I hope it's just a nightmare." Tentomon had a gloomy voice.
"He was almost swallowed by the darkness." Mimi remembered, shaking. She was sitting next to Tanemon by Koushiro's right, while Takeru, Patamon and Tentomon were by the boy's left. "If Sora-san had not appeared, it would have been him in the orb now… she only appeared because I told her-"
"She would've felt guilty if Koushiro-san had been captured in her place." Takeru said. "She sacrificed herself to save him..."
The blond child glanced at Patamon, sat on his right.
"But why did the darkness go after Koushiro?" Tanemon wondered.
"Maybe Kanda-san and Homura-san lied to us about it only targeting Sora-san." Mimi theorized.
"It's more likely Nanomon's doing." Takeru disagreed.
"Remember when we saw Nanomon in that video in the factory?" Mimi asked. "He was crying…"
"Kanda-san told us that Nanomon was an evil digimon." Takeru said.
"He didn't tell us why." Mimi retorted. "Neither did he tell us how he came to be Headmaster of the Academy! Or why he pretends to be someone called Gennai! What happened to this Gennai person? If Kanda-san is the Headmaster, why didn't he send his underlings after Nanomon instead of us?"
"Maybe he didn't trust his underlings…" Takeru theorized.
"Maybe Nanomon knows things that Kanda-san doesn't want anyone to know!" Mimi concluded. "He has too many secrets."
"I don't want to believe that the person who used to have Sora-san's crest is our enemy." Takeru murmured.
"He wouldn't have to be an enemy." Patamon pondered. "He could be well-meaning despite doing questionable things."
"Homura seemed to be genuinely shocked at what happened." Tanemon pointed out.
They're right, Mimi thought. What they're saying makes sense. Why am I trying so hard to paint Kanda-san as the villain? Just like I tend to see Homura-san as a brute, ignoring the good things she did for us. I thought I was better than this. But it's so easy to put the responsibility on someone else… a lot easier than having to live feeling like this.
Big tears escaped from Mimi's eyes.
"Mimi-san, it's going to be alright." Takeru tried to comfort her.
"Sora is still alive inside the orb!" Patamon stated. "We just have to figure out a way to get her out!"
"Don't be discouraged, Mimi." Tanemon pleaded. "If you keep your spirit up-"
"Stop it!" Mimi cried. "Stop trying to make me feel better! Everything is awful! Tonosamageckomon was assassinated! Sora-san is trapped in a prison from which nobody ever escaped! Koushiro-kun can't wake up from a nightmare! How can I keep my spirit up? It makes no difference to be positive! It won't change anything!"
"Mimi-san, you can't give up!" Takeru stated. "Nothing good will happen if-"
"I can't do this!" Mimi shouted. "I just can't! It's impossible! What was I thinking when I told Tamaki-san that I would find a way for everybody to be safe and happy again? How could I promise that we would never be trapped in a spiral of despair?! I'm already in that spiral and I can't see a way out of it! I can't see us being okay again… I wanted to find a way to help the digimon and our world without having to hurt anyone… I can't see that being possible anymore! When my crest glowed, I really thought that it was possible. But then the next thing I know is that Babamon killed the Mayor and an angry mob attacked Jyou-san and Koushiro-kun! My words made no difference… and now Sora-san is trapped and I have no idea what she's going through or how to help her… I feel so useless… I can't do a damn thing for anyone!"
Mimi sobbed loudly and hid her face behind her hands. Less than a minute later, she felt little arms involving her. She moved her hands and realized that Takeru had gone to where she was and was now hugging her.
"W-what are you doing?" She asked, confused.
"I understand how you're feeling." Takeru told her. "The anger… the sense of hopelessness… but you can't let those things beat you up! You're a lot stronger than this!"
"I'm not-" Mimi tried to protest.
"Yes, you are!" Takeru did not let her deny that. "You believe in yourself and you don't give up on your ideals. You're not afraid of confronting others to defend them! And you're always so kind. I might not agree with you in many occasions, Mimi-san, but I truly respect and admire you."
Although she was overwhelmed by those words, Mimi managed to thank Takeru. She did not expect him to have her in such high regards. Maybe, she did have an impact on others after all.
Tanemon and Patamon smiled largely at the two children. Tentomon had been solely focused on his partner.
"Mimi-kun! Takeru-kun!" Jyou called them, coming through the open portal with Pukamon. He saw Koushiro unconscious and immediately approached him to exam the redhead.
"Sora-san… Sora-san…" Koushiro murmured in an anguished tone.
"He's dreaming about her." Takeru commented, letting go of Mimi.
Suddenly, Koushiro woke up. He looked around, confused, and sat up quickly. Tentomon jumped on him and hugged the boy tightly, letting Koushiro know how concerned he had been.
"Sora-san…" Koushiro called for the girl but she was not there. "I have to… I have to save her…"
"We'll save Sora-san, don't worry." Takeru assured the boy.
"Yes." Mimi said, wiping her tears. She wanted to believe in that.
"I can't… I can't stay here…" Koushiro said, closing his eyes fiercely and grabbing his hair. Then, he stood up on a jump and ran to the portal. The others followed him.
"I need to find her…" He kept murmuring.
Jyou pressed the silver disc and closed that portal, once they all had crossed. He had done that with the one connected to the below pyramid as well.
"What are you talking about? We know where she is!" Mimi said. "She's in the orb!"
"Homura-san hid the container in a safe place. It will be dangerous for you to approach it." Jyou informed.
Koushiro did not listen to them and ran, leaving the dojo and gaining the corridor. Tentomon flew after him.
"What's the matter with Koushiro-san?" Takeru asked, worried.
"He's not taking Sora-san's disappearance well." Mimi observed.
"We have to go after him!" Jyou affirmed.
"Let Tentomon take care of that first." Pukamon suggested. "His partner will know what to do."
"Koushiro-han, where are you going?!" Tentomon asked, once he managed to block the boy's way, five corridor turns later.
"I need to help Sora-san!" He replied.
"You're not going near that orb!" The digimon prohibited the other.
"But she needs my help!" Koushiro shouted. "It's my fault! I knew this could unfold and I let it happen anyway!"
"What do you mean?" Tentomon was confused.
"I saw a memory of hers in that mirror from the underground temple." Koushiro confessed, looking down. "It was just one memory… it shouldn't have caused this…"
"You knew that there was a risk of you being targeted and you went there anyway?" Tentomon asked, disturbed.
"I'm sorry." Koushiro whispered, letting himself fall to his knees. "I'm sorry for doing this to you… even though I had promised to take better care of myself… I'm sorry for disappointing you like this…"
"I'm not disappointed." Tentomon tried to comfort him, landing in front of Koushiro and putting his main arms on the boy's shoulders.
"I didn't want to make you worry." The boy had a sorrowful voice. "I didn't think… I didn't…"
"Did you really believe that nothing bad was going to happen?" Tentomon inquired.
"I guess… that made sense to me..." Koushiro replied. "I wasn't… I don't actively think about what could happen to me or how other people would be affected by it. I push those thoughts away…"
"Why do you do that?" Tentomon asked.
Koushiro took almost one minute to reply.
"If I look into myself for too long, I would find something ugly staring back at me."
Tentomon searched for the words that would make Koushiro feel better but could not find any.
"There you are!" Kanda said, coming from the corridor in their front. "I've been looking for you!"
"Kanda-san!" Koushiro gasped, standing up and looking to the man. Tentomon moved to the boy's side.
"I'm sorry!" The child hurried to say. "I should've told you something. Not long ago, Sora-san found a broken mirror and she gave it to me. When I touched it, I saw one of her memories. I-I should've told you… I should've…"
"A broken mirror you say?" Kanda frowned. "Where did you find that mirror? Where is it now?"
"It was in an underground temple under Infinity Mountain, in File Island." Koushiro replied. "I threw it in a lake there."
"Asclepius fountain?" Kanda seemed perplexed. "You threw the broken mirror in a lake that fixes everything?!"
"Is that a problem?" Koushiro questioned, concerned.
"Did something change ever since?" The man inquired. "To which extend was your access to Sora's mind?"
"Just one memory, like I said." The boy answered.
"One memory alone shouldn't have affected your mind to the point of activating the orb!" Kanda was skeptical.
"I'm not lying, I swear!" Koushiro was getting anxious.
"Then, what kind of memory was it? What did you see exactly?" Kanda demanded.
"A hurtful memory. I'm sorry but I can't give you the details." Koushiro apologized.
"What do you mean you can't?!" The man was losing his patience.
"Sora-san didn't want people to know about that! It was bad enough that I saw it!" Koushiro explained.
"What Sora wanted or not doesn't matter now!" Kanda shouted.
"It matters to me!" Koushiro yelled.
"Leave him alone already!" Tentomon confronted the adult. "Koushiro-han has been through a lot! He doesn't have to be harassed by you!"
"I'm not harassing anyone!" Kanda interjected. "But your friend's irresponsibility resulted in Sora being trapped in the sphere!"
"I'm sorry…" Koushiro muttered, beginning to cry. "I'll… I'll fix everything… I'll find a solution…"
That line reminded Kanda of a person he knew. He should have noticed it sooner. The loyalty, the predisposition to feeling guilty… not to mention that the two of them had the same crest! Maybe that kid could understand her better than Kanda ever did. Maybe she could listen to that boy. Koushiro was in a vulnerable state now. He believed that everything had been his fault. It should not be difficult for Kanda to convince the boy to do what he wanted. It was worth a shot.
"I have a solution for you." The man told Koushiro, kneeling in front of the boy and Tentomon.
"What do you mean?" The child asked.
"There's someone who knows about a countermeasure for the orb." Kanda told him. "It's someone I've been looking for. I had received my first clue to her location right before knowing what had happened to the crest of love. I was planning to go to that place after recovering the crest and apprehending Nanomon. I wanted to see if she was alright… I doubt she would want to see me, though."
"Can this person really help Sora-san?" Koushiro inquired, hopeful.
"Yes!" Kanda assured the child. "She knows a lot more than me or anyone else! She always knew…" Kanda showed a small smile, seemingly revisiting good memories. "She could do anything… it was almost like magic."
"We should call the others and go after this person, then." Tentomon suggested.
"That's a dreadful idea! She hates crowds!" Kanda said, frowning. "Besides, she wouldn't react well if she saw all those children. You have to go alone with Tentomon."
"Why me?" Koushiro asked, anxious. "I'm not good with people! Surely if you sent someone like Mimi-san instead-"
"It has to be you, Koushiro!" Kanda raised his voice. "If it's you, Tae would-"
"Tae?" Tentomon cut the other off.
"The former bearer of Koushiro's crest, Otae." The man explained. "She's still in possession of it and the crest of hope… that belonged to her deceased brother."
"Do you think that just because we share a crest she's going to listen to me?" The boy asked.
"She has a difficult personality. When she was troubled, we didn't have the faintest idea how to help her. We couldn't even tell what was going through her mind." The man recalled. "Among everybody in this world, you have the highest chance to get through to her. You already have something in common with her! Besides, don't you want to do something to compensate for not telling me about the mirror?"
"I'm not sure about this plan." Tentomon let out his concern. "Wouldn't it take too long to find this person? Wouldn't it be faster if we called the others?"
"I've prepared a tracking device and maps. The area you're going to is not populated. Also, she doesn't have an interdimensional base, which means that the place where she lives should be visible and accessible to anyone." Kanda informed. "This is the only chance of helping Sora that you have, Koushiro. Are you willing to take it?"
Koushiro wiped his tears with the back of his left hand and showed the man a determined expression.
"I'll do everything in my power." The child promised.
Kanda smiled brightly. In the end, everything would work out better than he had anticipated.
This month, this story completes one year. Thank you all for the support and the reviews.
Koushiro and Tentomon return next chapter, in: The magician's apprentice.