Hello again.
Everything needed to be said has already been stated in the Author's Note for Chapter One. However, one thing I did want to address with regards to this chapter, in particular, is the fact that while, yes, the connection between the myth of Pandora's Box and a certain Crest will play a large role, this is meant to be an ensemble story.
So, for this chapter, Jou will take center stage with secondary focus on a few others. Also, one of the first major plot points is strongly hinted at. I'm sure some will even guess where I'm going by the end. The Next Chapter will continue this theme, albeit with another temporary main character. And so on and so forth. Each subsequent posting will reflect as such, with the Three to Four characters listed in the summary meant to be specific to the latest chapter.
And, yes, I have purposely omitted Digimon involvement for the time being. There is a reason for that, rest assured.
PANDORA'S BOX
(Episode Two - "Asclepius")
It had been years since Jou's first memory of landing in the Digital World.
The reentrance was...not much of an improvement.
With a loud, quite possibly over-exaggerated groan of pain, the boy slowly sat up and adjusted his glasses. When that didn't help matters any, he pulled them off and hastily wiped them off with the bottom of his shirt. Ah, better. Somewhat. He blinked twice, allowing the world around him to come back into focus.
Trees. Thick bark, sparsely dotted with leaves consisting of a wide spectrum of colors. Some yellow, some red, some brown, some even multiple shades on a single leaf. As Jou watched, a strong gust of wind blew one of them free of its branch, taking it for a whimsical ride through the air on its way down. Significantly gentler than his own trip to the ground. That same wind blew across his face not a moment later. Cool. Even a bit on the chilly side.
His lips pressed together in a thin line at the realization: autumn. But if it was autumn here, then that meant the two worlds were out of synch once more.
But by how much? He wondered, along with what further implications it all could possibly mean. Would they spend another several months in the Digital World, only to find a single afternoon had passed back home? ...or, perhaps—and there was something he was sure the others hadn't even considered when they'd all agreed to return—would it be the other way around? A single afternoon here equalling missing out on an indeterminate amount of time longer?
Endless possibility flashed in his mind, each more concerning than the last. Right then, however, he could only be certain of one thing: out of everyone, Yamato was probably the most grateful of all for the current season. The had landed in a large pile of leaves by the edge of the clearing. Less fortunate, however, was the fact that Hikari had landed directly on top of him. Presently, Jou could hear her attempting to offer her most sincere apologies as she untangled herself from his lap. The fact that it was the younger of the Yagami siblings might have had something to do with the fact that he seemed to be taking it well; he even offered a smile and gentle, brotherly tousle of her hair in response. Insisting that he was fine, it was no problem.
(One could only imagine the utter horror that would've ensued had it been Taichi that landed on top of him.)
Two friends accounted for. Next, Jou turned his head and caught sight of a mop of unruly, brown hair maybe ten feet to his left. Taichi was having a very personal conversation with the ground, incoherent to anyone but the two of them. When he finally lifted his head, however, Jou noticed a large gash on his forehead. Relatively minor—probably wouldn't need stitches—but already caked with blood and dirt and in need of immediate attention. Equally pressing was the look on Sora's face not too far behind him as she massaged one of her ankles. Signs of swelling were already visible. Sprained, at least.
Well, there was only one way to find out.
Glasses pushed further up his nose, the bearer of Reliability set to work. His legs wobbled a bit under the sudden weight that came with standing up, but he managed to maintain both balance and some semblance of dignity just in time to find where his medical bag had landed.
"Don't move. Either of you."
He had come prepared. In the front compartment were gauze, bandages, and medical tape. Taichi was first. Were he a different kind of person, Jou might have made a quip or three about him being the one to end up with a head injury. Instead, he remained almost eerily calm as he reached for the younger boy's chin, tilting his head slightly downward to get a better look at the wound. Any and all protests were promptly ignored as he reached for one of the antiseptic towelettes in the side pocket, ripping the sterile package open and pressing the moist cloth directly onto the wound.
The gesture earned him a series of choice words on Taichi's part, which—in turn—earned him a lovely swat on his forearm, courtesy of Sora.
"Language," she murmured, as if out of sheer habit.
"Look at it this way," Jou offered, trying hard not to smile at the affectionate display of heated glaring Taichi sent his childhood friend. "You could've needed stitches. I have needles in here, and I know how to use them."
For roughly half a second, Taichi looked as if he was about to protest. Then he thought better, and kept his mouth shut.
Once his first patient was taken care of, Jou turned his attention to Sora. He had been right about the swelling, but what concerned him slightly was the degree. There was no way her ankle should have flared up that quickly. He hadn't thought the fall knocked any of them out, but now he was starting to reconsider. Either that, or Sora had landed before of any of them.
"How bad?" He asked.
She shrugged, attempting a smile to hide the wince. "Not too bad."
Bad enough. That was going to be a problem; still, not knowing what else to do, Jou reached for one of the larger boxes containing both ice and heat packs. He pulled out one of the former, cracking it several times to release the cold before holding it to her skin. She hissed softly at the contact, but thanked him as she leaned down to take over.
"Give it about twenty minutes, then take the pack off. Any more than that, and you'll risk giving yourself an ice burn. And I know this is probably asking for a lot, but try to stay as put as you can."
Sora nodded her understanding of the directions. "What would we ever do without you, Jou-senpai?"
"I don't know. What did you do the last time?"
He meant it as a joke, but even as the words passed his lips, Jou realized there was a little too much truth to it. How many times had the group been split up during their first adventure? Both voluntarily and through unforeseen, unavoidable circumstances. And into how many different arrangements? With their track record, he was almost certain the eight of them had spent more time separated than they had as a cohesive unit in all their adventures.
Worst yet, as he got a better look of their immediate surroundings, his heart sunk. Yamato, too, seemed to have noticed. He called for Takeru, growing more and more concerned each time he was met with silence.
"Mimi-san and Koushiro-san are missing too," Hikari added in a low voice. Concerned. Her eyes kept flickering between her brother and Yamato, not sure which boy she should worry over more.
Jou could empathize as to why; Taichi might have been her brother, but Yamato had only just gotten his younger sibling back. It didn't matter that Takeru had grown considerably. That he was nearly as old now as Yamato himself had been during their first adventure.
"Takeru!" Fists clenched tightly at his sides, Yamato looked back to the rest of the group with an all-too familiar anger in his eyes. "I don't believe this. We only just got here! How could they-"
He was cut off by the sound of rustling bushes nearby. Everyone immediately tensed, all eyes turning towards the source.
A moment later, Takeru stumbled out. There were leaves in his hair. His clothes were rumpled. Dirt covered several exposed patches of skin, including a noticeable streak of mud still dripping down the side of his face. There was a slightly wide-eyed look to his expression. Dazed. Confused. But, otherwise, unharmed.
"...don't ask," he murmured in embarrassment, bowing his head when he realized how everyone was looking at him.
Yamato's shoulders slumped in visible relief. "Don't scare me like that, Takeru!"
"Sorry, nii-san."
Hikari approached him not too long after, saying something too quiet for Jou to make out. Whatever it was, though, it caused Takeru's cheeks to burn a bright red. She chuckled softly at his reaction before reaching up to help him pull some of the foliage from his tangled locks. He resigned himself to this fate a little too quickly, not even trying to argue with her.
"Which leaves two." Even on the ground, one hand pressed to the bandage on his forehead-(which Takeru did a double-take upon noticing)-Taichi managed to make his voice sound commanding. A stark contrast from how he most likely felt. He was the leader, after all, which meant all the responsibilities that came with the position. "Mimi and Koushiro can't be too far behind."
Jou was the first to nod. "I'll go look for them."
"But Jou-"
"No buts, Taichi." There was a noticeable smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Already, he could feel four five pairs of eyes on him. Staring in amazement.
A few years back, that kind of attention would have had him even redder than Takeru. Those days, he had still been something of a nervous wreck. Always worrying because he was afraid nobody else would. His mind was determined to point out every little thing that could go wrong. Too many things. The responsibilities drilled into him by his parents...by the examples set by his two older brothers...had carried with him for far too long.
Oh, sure, Taichi was still the leader. In Jou's mind, he would always be their leader. But Jou was the oldest. Plus, in this instance, he had legitimate medical veto powers.
"You and Sora-kun need to rest. Hikari-kun, too." The girl was still sick, after all. He hadn't forgotten that. "Besides, I won't go far. A quick scout of the area, and I'll be right back."
Just in case, he spared a glance over at the two youngest. Hikari had already made her way to a nearby fallen tree branch, strong enough to support her weight and high enough that she could sit comfortably while stretching her legs out in front of her. Her face was still pale, but her eyes seemed as focused and alert as the moment she'd stepped back into her living room. Takeru was sitting on the ground to her left. The two were engrossed in a conversation of their own. Clearly in no position to argue with him.
That left the remaining three to convince.
"I'll be fine," he continued, before turning to Yamato. "Besides, I need you to stay behind and make sure they-" he indicated to Taichi and Sora "-stay put."
"Hey!"
"No promises," Yamato couldn't help grinning.
Particularly as Taichi looked about two seconds away from attempting to literally stand on principle.
o*0*o
Five minutes into his patrol, Jou heard the sounds of rushing water. A river, perhaps?
Just as he was prepared to investigate further, a second sound reached his ears: a scream. Sudden, piercing, and loud enough that it was close by. A girl, judging from the pitch. Sputtered and frantic and almost certainly in danger.
Jou's heart leapt into his throat as one girl in particular came to mind: "Mimi-chan!"
Instincts carried his legs faster than he thought possible as picture after picture began forming in his mind. Did Mimi know how to swim? If so, how strongly? He couldn't remember if the subject had ever come up, or if he had seen her in the water. All the while, he could think of little else besides hoping he reached her in time...
Past two more trees. One last bush he practically flew over. There. A river bank. The waters looked pretty fast. Maybe ten feet wide. And deep; despite a crystal clear surface that sparkled brightly in the sunlight, he couldn't see more than a few feet below. Frantic, he darted his head from side to side. Looking, hoping, pleading with any higher power that would listen for a sign.
Less than a second later, a single head broke through the surface near the middle.
"Help me! Please!"
It wasn't Mimi.
There was no time for shock. No time for much of anything before that head disappeared below the surface once more. In the back of his mind, a certain warning light went off telling him something wasn't right. A certain something Shuu had mentioned some time back about drowning victims. There was no time for that, either.
Shrugging the pack from his shoulders, he glanced around for something that could be used to help pull them both back to shore. Nothing. Not even a decently sized branch.
More than twenty seconds had passed since he made it to the bank.
Desperate times called for desperate measures. This went against everything he believed about safety, but he steeled himself and began wading inward. The current was stronger than he first suspected. Fortunately, he had grown enough over the last few years that his more solid frame was able to withstand it. Maintain his balance. Even...
He took a deep breath and dove in.
Ten seconds passed.
On the eleventh, he surfaced. A petite figure was grasped firmly in his hold. Limp. Whatever she was wearing weighed heavily in the water, but he gritted his teeth until they were both ashore. Only then, as he laid the young girl out on the grass, was he able to pause for breath and get a better look at who he had just rescued.
She was young. Mimi's age, if not younger. A face he didn't recognize. Fair and round. Long hair. Brown, maybe, but at the moment it was so thoroughly soaked that it appeared black. Most unusual, however, was the manner of dress she wore. Robes. Thick (which explained the sheer amount of dead weight) and white, with a simple braided rope tied around her slim waist. Drenched as they were, they clung to her form enough to confirm gender, but beyond that, it was impossible to tell where they had come from.
Or where she had come from.
Tentatively, Jou knelt down. His own breath slowly evened out as he gave the girl a gentle nudge. There was no response. Next, he reached for her wrist. There was a pulse. Faint, but steady. Good. When a second nudge proved about as useful as the first, however, he checked both her nose and mouth of signs of air flow.
His fear was confirmed; she wasn't breathing.
"Come on..." He turned her head to the side, but no water came out. Next, he straightened her throat and pinched her nose and leaned in to administer mouth-to-mouth. Four strong breaths, then pulled back to see if her chest began to move. Nothing.
He leaned in again. Another four breaths, deep and strong enough to puff out her cheeks.
Or, at least, that's what he'd intended. But, on the third breath, he felt signs of movement. Specifically, her lips...which were...kissing him?
His whole body froze. Slowly, he pulled back and sat up. Only she followed his every movement as if he were pulling her were some invisible string. Contact lasted for another full second before they parted. In that time, it was Jou's turn to forget how to breathe; he stared after her, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.
Only then did her long lashes flutter open, and he found himself peering into a pair of bright, light brown eyes.
"...hi, there." Her voice was soft, with a touch of humor behind it. The kind that was meant to thinly veil her confusion. She broke eye contact long enough to glance around, taking in their current surroundings. None of it seemed familiar to her, so she turned back to her rescuer in question. "What's going on? Who are you?"
I could ask you the same question. And he meant to. The intention was there, just as soon as his voice decided it wanted to start working again. Except, before he could utter a single syllable, a sharp gasp came from behind him.
His head jerked around.
Mimi was standing at the base of a nearby tree. Her eyes looked oddly glassy, though it could have been Jou's imagination, because he was fairly certain she was glaring at him. Hard. Right before she spun on her heels and stormed off in a very Mimi-like huff.
It was so in character for the girl he remembered way back when that he had absolutely no idea what just happened.
"Mimi-chan!" A weak cry escaped his lips, as he rose to his feet. It did little good, however, as Mimi was already out of sight.
Not knowing what else to do, Jou turned back to the mysterious girl in desperate hope that maybe she could provide an explanation.
There was no one there.
"What the-?" He nearly jumped in surprise. But she...I was sure...
He looked both left, right, and—just to be absolutely sure—back out across the river. Nothing. No one. It was as if she had never existed at all; if it weren't for the fact that there was a definitive person-sized puddle of water at his feet, he would have thought he was going crazy. Scratch that. He was definitely going crazy.
No, he took it back; he could go crazy after he caught up with Mimi. If he caught up with her.
o
"That was pathetic."
At the sound of Daisuke's voice, Miyako shimmered back into existence. Still in precisely the same seated position she had been ever since Reliability had dragged her out of the river. A second flicker, and the white robes were replaced by her usual black dress, hair and eyes both returning to their usual color as well.
"It worked, didn't it?" Undeterred, she rose to her feet and moved to squeeze some of the water from her hair and clothes. Her balanced showed no signs of having nearly drowned a moment prior. The illusion had been perfect, but it hadn't saved her from actually getting wet. "Now shut up and toss me the antidote."
His back was pressed against the tree, arms folded over his chest. Watching her with an indeterminate interest. A moment later, one of his hands appeared holding a single, black vile of liquid. He waved it in the air and moved as if he intended to pass it over...then paused.
He rose an eyebrow in question. "What if I don't?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "I'll remind you, it's supposed to take at least twenty minutes for full effect. There's a lot I could do to you in twenty minutes' time."
"Yeah, right."
Still, the vial went flying. Miyako caught it with one hand, popped the cap off, and downed its entire contents in a single gulp. Sighing in satisfaction, she wiped the rest of the now ineffectual poison from her lips as she felt the counteractive effects already beginning to course through her system.
o*0*o
"...should we ask?"
"I'm not saying anything. Are you?"
"Not a chance."
Once upon a time, it had been a rare sight for the two boys to be seen standing side by side in solidarity. United by a common fear.
"Then that settles it." Grimacing, Taichi reached up to rub at his forehead. The bandage itched. "I've already been injured once today. No way I'm tempting the princess' wrath so soon after."
Yamato's eyes widened as he raised a finger to his lips and shushed him. "Quiet! She'll hear you!"
Fortunately for the pair, Mimi showed absolutely no signs of hearing their whispers. Or, if she had, she was too busy alternating her attention between murmuring strings of incoherencies of her own and sending the occasional heating glance Jou's way.
At one point, she let out a deliberately loud humph. Taichi and Yamato both flinched.
They were the only ones.
Nobody could explain why the normally close friends were suddenly at odds with one another. It could only be assumed that something had happened in the half hour since Jou had gone off looking for her, only to have Mimi storm into the clearing followed by a soaking wet Jou. Who looked like a pitiful, drowned rat in more ways than one.
The boy's hair was still plastered to his forehead, glasses partially obstructed by beads of water yet to be wiped away. Words of desperation towards the bearer of Purity gone unanswered before he finally gave up in favor of making himself useful. Fortunately for him, Hikari was one of the few he trusted not to ask questions as he checked in on her condition. Pulse and temperature. Skin pallor. She was still tired, but at the moment, she didn't look nearly as exhausted as he felt.
At least something was going right for them right then.
Across the way, Takeru was thinking something vaguely similar, though one would hardly know judging from his expression. He was unusually silent, his usual smile and waves of radiating energy already depleted from his earlier...mishap. Contemplation wore at his facial features heavily, making him seem momentarily older than his eleven years.
"I know that look."
It spoke volumes about how lost in thought he had been that he hadn't even notice Sora approach. Although, stumble over might have been a more accurate phrase, as she had long since foregone any semblance of grace in favor of keeping as much weight off her injured ankle as possible. Reflexively, he shifted some of his own weight over to make room for the older girl, peering up at her with a weak smile.
"What look?"
She gave him a knowing one of her own in return, as she took a seat beside him. If she made any realization towards the fact that he barely had to crank his head to meet her gaze any longer, no indication was given.
"I still remember that day as clearly as you do," she began, even though it was far from an answer to his question. Leaning back, she used both hands to support her upper body weight as she glanced upward. "You were both so young at the time. I think the only thing worse than seeing how sick she was was the way you were looking at her."
You were both so young.
Hypocritical, maybe, given that she hadn't yet hit her teenage years at the time, but also true. Hard as it had been to go through all of that at eleven, she could never imagine having had to do so at eight. Even with their older brothers by their side. No sooner had poor Hikari managed to escape from Myotistmon's viral clutches, finally making it to the Digital World with the rest of the group, than she'd collapsed right in the middle of the road. Afraid of speaking up sooner because she hadn't wanted to slow anyone else down. Not wanting to be a burden.
And Takeru...forced to watch his newest friend, a girl his own age, suffer in silence as her life was at risk yet again. This time, from something none of them could help her fight. How his eyes had shimmered in fear. Like he wanted to cry, but refused to do so in front of her. Never before or since had Sora been so convinced the boy was truly the bearer of Hope, the way he had clung to his optimism. For her sake.
"She'll be fine, you know. She's her brother's sister: stubborn to a fault."
The corners of his lips twitched upward. Leave it to Sora to say what he needed to hear. To make him instantly feel that much better.
"I know." His eyes lowered, slightly embarrassed she had been able to read him so well. "I just..."
"...can't help worrying anyway?"
He nodded.
She reached up to place a hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Try thinking of it this way: if Taichi isn't freaking out yet, you can probably relax."
This time, he laughed. It was fleeting, lasting no more than a couple of seconds, but the sudden rush of air expelled from his lungs felt like releasing a small weight that had been compressing him. He felt his shoulders slump in relief.
"Besides," Sora continued on, pleased with his reaction. "We don't need to scramble in search of medicine. We have Jou to-"
"JOU!"
The entire group jumped in unison at Mimi's abrupt cry. Precious seconds were wasted staring after her in question before they realized she wasn't screaming in anger. Not anymore. It was fear that read across her face and in her eyes.
When they followed her gaze, they saw why.
Jou was unconscious, crumpled into a tight ball at Hikari's feet. His glasses, which had survived the rushing waters, had been knocked off as his head his the ground. It would have been a lie to say the color drained from his face, because—if anything—some had been added. Specifically, a dull, ashy-grey that was affecting not only his skin color, but his hair. And clothes. The entirety of his form, to be precise.
Which proceeded to flicker out of existence for a fraction of a second.
Whatever animosity previously between them was forgotten; Mimi rushed to his side, collapsing to her knees as she shook his arm with everything she had. Calling his name over and over again. The others could only watch in a stunned silence, confused and horrified as her eyes quickly welled with tears. On Jou's opposite side, Hikari had gone pale—and, for once, not from sickness. She looked as if she wanted to say something, anything at all, but each time her lips moved, no words came out.
Taichi was at her side in an instant, a protective arm around his sister's shoulders as he stared down helplessly at Mimi and Jou.
"Hikari...what happened?" he asked her.
She shook her head. "I don't know. We were talking about medicine when he got this...weird look on his face. I asked him what was wrong, and he just...collapsed." A thought occurred to her, and she glanced nervously at him out of the corner of her eye. "You don't think I got him sick, do you?"
"Of course not," he replied back immediately.
But she wasn't convinced. His answer had been a little too immediate, like he hadn't given it a single thought. Because, if he had, he wouldn't have been so certain.
"He's right, Hikari-chan." Takeru added, coming to her other side. She turned to look at him. "I was sitting right next to you when you collapsed, remember? And I'm fine. If you were that contagious, I would've gotten sick long before Jou-san."
She bit her lip, hesitant to agree, but...it made sense. Enough to appease her into a nod of agreement. For now. Not knowing what else to do, she sighed inaudibly and rested her head against Taichi's shoulder. Her eyes squeezed shut, mind momentarily drowning out the sound of Mimi's continued sobs. Sora's words of encouragement. Taichi and Yamato's added input. Takeru remained otherwise quiet for the moment, but she could still sense him sitting beside her, and that was enough.
Almost.
Logic aside, there was still a small part of her that couldn't help wonder: if she really wasn't the cause of his sudden illness...what was?
o*0*o
Miyako entered the dimly-lit room with her head held high, a grin on her lips, and a wide stride. Though her steps echoed off the high ceiling, announcing her present, neither occupant saw fit to so much as lift their head in acknowledgment. Not even as she paused in the doorway.
Well, that was a slight blow to her ego.
There was no time to pout, however, with Daisuke close behind. Instead, she kept going until she reached the outer edge of what it was that had them so seemingly captivated: a large, tabletop map. Several faceless figurines were strategically placed, most of them isolated to one small corner while a lone figure had been cast westward. They managed to hold her interests for precisely as long as it took for her to walk along the outer edge, lightly ruffling Iori's hair in a playful manner on the way to coming to stand at Ken's other side.
The youngest of the group appeared mostly unfazed by her actions, waiting until she was beyond arm's length before calmly smoothing out the misplaced strands.
"I didn't think it was possible, but you look even more pleased with yourself than usual."
"Because it worked." Leaning forward, she rested both arms against the edge to support her weight as she reached for a small bowl of berries. Neither of them showed any signs of stopping her as she picked out the largest one and took a healthy bite. "He never suspected a thing. I'm just that good."
The corners of Ken's lips turned downward. He refused to look at her.
Daisuke, on the other hand, had absolutely no issues meeting her gaze directly. Or raining on her one-girl parade. His foot tapped impatiently, both at his own current lack of orders-(he had never been very good at sitting still for too long)-and at her overly confident attitude. Part of him was still convinced her plan was too stupid to actually succeed, given the severity of what she had been told to do. "It's still not a guarantee. That whole prophecy thing was really vague. Not to mention, we were told that trace amounts could run its course without the need for an antidote."
"Oh, trust me. What I gave him was more than just a trace amou-"
"We don't need to hear the details!" He cried out, face scrunched and holding a hand up in protest.
She let out a scoff, more amused than annoyed at the interruption. "Please. You're just mad I got to kiss one of them before you."
"Am not!"
"Are too!" The laughter could no longer be contained. Her weight shifted enough to leave her partially learning against Ken, whose eyes were still coldly searching the map. Paying neither her nor Daisuke any heed.
(On his other side, Iori noticed the boy's fists clench tightly at his sides. His knuckles had already gone white.)
"You're not exactly subtle about it, you know." She continued, obviously to the rising tension in the room. "We all know about your crush."
"It's not a crush!"
"Fine. Whatever you want to call it. Crush. Infatuation. Or maybe you actually think you're in love."
"Nike..." Iori warned her.
But it was too late. First, Daisuke turned right back around and exited the room the way he came. A moment later, Ken stood up straight—nearly causing her to fall over from the sudden lack of support—and quietly followed after him. Neither boy so much as said a word of parting as they disappeared down the main hall.
For her part, Miyako seemed more put out (though not upset, Iori noticed) at Ken's disappearance than Daisuke's. She followed their retreating forms with her eyes for a full three seconds before turning back to Iori.
"Was it something I said?"
o*0*o
They needed Koushiro.
Taichi was convinced this was more than mere coincidence. The one person, out of all of them, who might have the slightest idea was was happening. Who had the most direct access to answers if he didn't. Sure, the fall from their world momentarily scattered the group. Sure, this had happened before. But everyone else had long since been accounted for. More than three hours had passed, and there was still no sign of the red-haired boy.
To make matters worse, the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Or the weird; sun-showers were not unheard of in Tokyo, but the last time Taichi paid attention in science class, he could have sworn it was mentioned that clouds were needed for rain. There wasn't a single one in sight. Wind blew at them from two different directions, depending upon which was most inconvenient at the time. Between Sora's twisted ankle and Jou's unconscious form, it had taken more luck than skill to get the group to shelter. Yamato had helped the former, offering himself as a human crutch, while Taichi and Takeru teamed up to haul Jou. Hikari and Mimi lingered close behind, until they'd come across a large rock cave.
But not before the ground shook beneath them. An earthquake. Because of course.
By the time Taichi had mustered up enough self-fueled Courage to suggest a search party, he had been rewarded with four pairs of incredulous stares for his effort. And another flicker from Jou that, if he didn't know better, he would have assumed was deliberately timed to further mock him. The only problem was that he was right. Weather glitches or no, their friend was still out there somewhere. The longer they waited, the more he was at risk.
Mimi had volunteered to stay behind. Insisted, was more like it. Since the boys had placed him down on a makeshift bed of leaves, she'd refused to leave Jou's side. His symptoms had worsened, and he was now flickering once every other minute. She'd pulled him into her lap, using the cold compress he'd given Sora earlier to sooth his forehead. His skin wasn't as warm as Hikari's, but she could've sworn she remembered him feeling cool to the touch in the past. Did that mean he was feverish now? Or was she overthinking it?
With Mimi watching over him like a hawkmon, however, that left another dangerous argument open. Neither Sora nor Hikari were willing to sit put. Sora insisted that her ankle was feeling okay enough for her to manage a decent amount of ground, and Hikari...well, as Sora said, Hikari was her brother's sister. Their stubbornness combined, Taichi found himself outranked for the second time that afternoon.
He did manage one compromise: Hikari wasn't to go out alone. Takeru volunteered to stay with her, to the surprise of no one, which was enough to satisfy Taichi. Mostly. They started off East. Sora went South, retracing known steps just in case, while Yamato headed West. Taichi went North.
Which left Mimi alone with Jou. Not for the first time, although this time, she was the one looking after him.
The irony of the situation hadn't escaped her. In the silence of isolation, her mind couldn't help wandering back to that moment. Years ago, after so many obstacles and battles fought, yet before they'd really gotten a chance to know one another. Ready to head off yet again. All except for her. How old had she been at the time. Nine? Ten? Already witnessing the deaths of so many friends. Being expected to fight a fight she wanted no part of.
She'd had enough. So she chose to stay behind.
For once in her life, it hadn't been a cry for attention. Selfish, perhaps, but with every intention of accepting the consequences that came with her decision. She wouldn't have blamed a single one of them it they had all left her behind. Except Jou chose to stay. More than that, he promised to look after her until they were ready to meet up with everyone else again. Until she was ready.
He had stayed for her. Even then, Mimi couldn't quite explain the feelings welling up inside her when she realized what was happening. It was like a mixture of surprise, gratitude, flattery, and...something else. Seeds that would begin to grow with the passage of time. With the knowledge that he was there for her when she hadn't realized she needed him to be. With a friendship that had not only continued after their return to the real world, but strengthened.
With the chance she had no to repay a debt long past due.
Tears that had been welling in her eyes for some time finally flooded over, streaming down her cheeks in unabashed wave over wave. The first drop of many fell upon Jou's cheek. He didn't flinch.
She could barely stand it. Her last words to him had been in childish anger. As if she were still that spoiled princess he'd met all those years ago. Like she'd never bothered to grow up. Learn from her mistakes. Realized what he meant to her...and what she, more than once, suspected she might mean to him.
Smoothing away some of the hairs from his face, Mimi bent down and lightly pressed her forehead to his. She shut her eyes tight and whispered a muffled I'm sorry. For everything. For getting mad over something that she had no right to. That whatever this was had infected him. That she wasn't strong enough, or smart enough, to know how to fix him...
o
Unbeknownst to her, as she thought of how much she wanted him to wake up again, a faint glow appeared on her chest. A teardrop not unlike those she had already shed, with two circles inside it. A symbol of Purity.
THE symbol of Purity.
It brightened until the light engulfed her completely, bathing her in a pale green. From there, it spread to Jou, until the two shone with such an intensity that, for a full second, the entire cave seemed even brighter than the day.
Then, it was gone. Retreating back where it came from, where it fell dormant once more.
o
A sharp inhale, the sound echoing off the cave walls. It hadn't come from her.
Mimi lifted her head, sitting up just in time to watch Jou's chest noticeably decompress. Breathing. He was solid again. His color was rapidly returning. She gasped, hands rising her her mouth as she watched a steady rise and fall consistent with non-labored breathing.
"He's..."
"He's what?"
She turned to see Sora limp back into the cave, using a hand to support herself along the wall. Not far behind were Taichi and Yamato. All three of them stared at Mimi expectantly for a long moment, awaiting the answer to Sora's question.
"I...I don't know!" Mimi's whole frame was trembling. Fear. Relief. Excitement. Hesitation. She didn't understand any of it. "But look!"
They looked.
He might as well have been taking a nap. There was no more flickering. No more ashen-grey. Though he had yet to wake up or show signs of stirring, it grew increasingly clear that there was no longer a single visible thing wrong with him. Almost as an afterthought, Mimi even reached down and pressed two fingers to his carotid artery-(coincidently, something he had been the one to show her how to do a few years back)-and nodded in confirmation. His pulse was still steady. That didn't mean he was completely in the clear, of course, since they still had no idea what had happened in the first place, but it was a step in the right direction.
"Maybe he got over it?" Taichi offered lamely.
"You don't just get over something like that," Yamato countered. He stepped inside the cave, moving to get a better look for himself. "Something must have stopped whatever it was. A virus. Infection. Poison—"
"You think he was poisoned?"
Yamato shrugged. He looked uncomfortable even suggesting the idea. "It would make sense, would it?"
"No." Sora shook her head from where she still lingered in the entranceway. Taichi was beside her, alternating his gaze between the group and the immediate area outside the cave. No doubt keeping a lookout for the others. "He was gone for maybe ten minutes. There were no attacks. We would've heard them. And Jou, of all people, would know better than to randomly start eating poisoned berries along the way. Unless he miraculously ran into someone aside from Mimi during that time, I seriously doubt-"
It was then Mimi let out a sudden gasp of realization: "That bitch!"
Her outburst urned shocked looks from every conscious member of the group.
"Mimi?" Sora questioned with raised brows.
The younger girl's face had twisted into a very interesting bright shade of red. Not from embarrassment at her own choice of language or the attention it got, but from sheer anger. There was a certain fire in her eyes as she turned towards the general direction of the entrance of the cave and glared hard. Not at Taichi or Sora, but at something past them both that no one else could see.
"She must've done it. Somehow. I'm sure of it."
"Who?" Taichi was getting that feeling again. The one that urged him to look to Yamato for help. "Are you saying you two saw somebody else while you were out there?"
Teeth clenched, Mimi could just barely muster a nod. "A girl about my age, I think. I saw them sitting together by the river side. She was...ooh!" Her voice erupted into a sound that could only have been described as part growl, part squeal. "She was kissing him!"
You could have heard a pin drop in between the sound of wind rustling the leaves in the distance. Three sets of jaws simultaneously dropped. Momentarily speechless.
"...well, now we know why you were giving him the silent treatment earlier."
*SMACK*
"OW! SORA!"
"Shut up, Taichi," The girl hissed at him, completely unsympathetic as he cradled the back of his already injured head.
"...huh. So that's what you all do when I'm not around."
Mimi's head spun so fast at the sound of the voice, her hair flew in her eyes. Frantically, she pushed them back and looked down. Jou was peering up at her through heavy lids. He smiled. She gasped. Pulling back as he moved to sit up. But the gesture was a struggle, and it took him several seconds to manage a decently comfortable seated position in between groans and a stiffness in his limbs. Like they hadn't been used in several hours.
A pair of arms were around his neck before he could properly center himself, head buried in his shoulder. He gave a slight cry of pain, but that seemed little to deter Mimi, who seemed determined to hug him as tightly as both their current levels of strength allowed. In time, he had little choice but to hug her back.
"It's alright, Mimi. I'm fine now."
All any of them could make out were muffled sobs in return.
Sora, meanwhile, was slightly more coherent: "Don't scare us like that again!"
"Sorry." He smiled up at her sheepishly. From there, eye contact was exchanged with the other two boys. Taking note of both Taichi still holding the back of his head-(he made a quick note to lecture Sora later about smacking boys with head injuries, no matter how stupid he was)-and the fact that Yamato seemed strangely calm given the fact that neither Takeru nor Hikari seemed to be within immediate sight. "I don't suppose anybody knows what happened to me."
"Mimi thinks the girl you met by the river poisoned you," Yamato was quick to respond before Taichi had the chance. "Me, I'm kind of curious as to what girl."
Mimi had something to say about that, apparently. Something only Jou could make out. And subsequently wince at.
"It's...shouldn't I wait until the others get back so I can tell you all at once?"
"Are you just stalling?"
"That too."
Laughter erupted among them all. Weak, but genuine. For the first time since Mimi had rejoined everyone, the tension between them all seemed to dispel. Koushiro was still missing—a fact which they would soon fill Jou in on, along with everything else he had missed while inconveniently getting poisoned(?) for being a good Samaritan—and the two youngest of the group had yet to return, one of whom was still sick herself. But for those few minutes' time, they could revel in the fact that they hadn't completely lost one of their own. Not yet.
o*0*o
The floor of the cavern shook without warning, throwing them both off balance.
Before either Dark Chosen had a chance to recover, it faded away to reveal...water. A shallow pool of black that swirled with every movement they made. The temperature around them dropped even lower than before; every breath they took came out in a thick cloud of smoke. Though they should have been impervious to the cold, twin chills ran up their spines. Both their eyes went completely black. Unable to resist the Call. Simultaneously, they looked up.
FOOL! A voice, deep and angry, echoed from somewhere unseen. YOU HAVE FAILED ME!
Miyako paled, knowing at once that she was the one being addressed. "N-no! That's not possible! I did just as you asked. Reliability was even-"
RELIABILITY WAS NOT THE TARGET.
"He wasn't?" Even Iori seemed taken aback, looking to his comrade with an unusual degree of concern. "But you said-"
I SAID TO ELIMINATE THE HEALER. WITHOUT HER, THEY WOULD HAVE NO DEFENSE. THEY WOULD BE LEFT WEAK. VULNERABLE
"...her?" Miyako's voice was weak with fear. She had screwed up. She had done everything that was asked of her-had been glad to-her plan had been flawless in execution, and she had still failed. It was an oversight that couldn't be foreseen, which was what made it all the more terrifying. "No. That's not right. You said the Healer, and Reliability was the only one our research said-"
But she was cut off as he body lifted off the flooded ground by some unseen force. It let her hang, feet dangling, for half a second before violently tossing her across the room. Her head smacked against the rocky wall on the far side. She slumped to the ground, hair falling over her face. The Master was not pleased with excuses of any kind, particular those that came with the implication that he was mistaken. He was never mistaken.
Not until Iori was certain her chest was still moving did he let out the breath he'd inadvertently been holding as well. Then, his posture straightened in an attempt to make himself look taller than his actual height. With Miyako unconscious, and the others out of the room, that left him the sole object of their Master's attention. A single move could either redeem or condemn him in the unseen being's eyes.
"What do you require me to do, Master?"
The response was silence.
Until his attention was drawn to the table map that reappeared in the center. Turning back, he waded through the water until he was standing at the edge once more. The pieces had moved again. Five of them now further East than they had been. Another two, even further in the same direction. North of them, a sole figure remained. It was that figured that was lifted into the air, carried over until Iori could reach out and touch it with the tips of his fingers. The lightest of brushes caused it to momentarily glow purple. Reacting to him, specifically.
Above the figure, four holograms appeared. Familiar images he had previously looked upon with little regard, even as they had sat before them. A question that how had the chance to be answered.
The message was received: "I understand, Master. He will be brought here at once."
