Here's an interesting little tidbit about chapter four: when I first started on the revival of Pandora's Box, it was this chapter that I had outlined first. I've always had this habit of writing my stories out of order, based on what I either liked most or decided was important enough to center the rest of the story around. Setting description. Character internal monologues. Dialogue excerpts. Essentially, more than a third of this chapter was already written out before I'd even gotten chapter two done.
(It only takes so long in between chapters because I go through SEVERAL editing processes once I piece everything together linearly, and also have a full time job and hectic daily schedule.)
I do want to once again thank all of you both reading and reviewing. It's always so humbling to see those story stats numbers go it, be it for somebody's favorites list or even just the hit counter. I also wanted to address a few important notes:
1) Jou's crest is...extremely confusing. The American English dub calls it Reliability. The Japanese subtitles I've been watching translate it to Faithfulness. Yet the "official" translation is—of all things—Sincerity. While, yes, I purposely went with Mimi's original Purity for her Crest in this story, the decision to keep Jou's as the dub Reliability was simply because it worked better as a demonstrable trait. And yes, that is important. You'll see in a couple chapters why….
2) There's a lot of negativity being spewed towards the 02 kids, so I wanted to restate that I actually DO like them. My decision to make them antagonists wasn't born out of malice, but simply because it worked best for the story I wanted to tell. No other reason. I have been doing my best to try and give them a little depth beyond "these are the bad guys look how bad they are" and I hope people understand that there will be absolutely no narrative character bashing in any way. Any referenced insults are meant to come from a strictly in-character perspective as a means of demonstrating the lack of unity amongst them.
3) SHIPPING. Believe it or not, there are actually no intentions of writing Sora wither either Taichi or Yamato at this time. Why not? Simple: it wouldn't fit into the story I wanted to tell. And in case you haven't noticed a trend amongst my reasoning for half the things I do...yes, my decisions to also go with Jou/Mimi and Takeru/Hikari despite a lack of canon establishment are also primarily because that's what works best. On top of that, I do like to write about relationships beyond the romantic kind. I have a weakness for siblings, in case it wasn't the most obvious thing ever, but also solid or even unexpected friendships. So I'm trying to throw a whole mix of combinations to demonstrate different dynamics between such a diverse group of individuals. You know, kind of like what was (amazingly) done in the first season.
And now, with that said...onto the fun!
PANDORA'S BOX
(Episode Four - "Klisi")
"Uhh...Koushiro?" Taichi sent his longtime friend a dubious glance. "Are you sure we're in the right place?"
The boy in question nodded, although his expression kept alternating between definitely sure and...not so much.
Confusion was understandable. Four hours had been spent seemingly wandering in a random direction. Neither Koushiro nor Hikari could justify themselves beyond insisting to the others that they just knew, although the fact that they continued to corroborate one another's directions was enough to keep the rest of the group going. By the time they eventually stumbled out of the woods, the hype had been built. This is it, they said, only to turn and find...
...a large, sandy beach. With a seemingly endless sea before them, waves gently lapping at the edge of land.
"It should be here," Koushrio had reverted back to muttering under his breath. He closed his eyes, recalling the image that had been earlier implanted into his mind's eye. There. He could see it so clearly, as if it were standing before him now. Except it wasn't. "A large castle, right over there. Larger than that one Devimon created to fool us. Only a lot more real."
"Sounds lovely," a half-asleep Mimi commented while yawning, raising her hand in attempt to cover her mouth.
Jou glanced down at her with a worried look in his eye. That was the third time inside of five minutes she'd yawned like that. On top of that, he'd noticed she'd been having trouble staying on her feet for some time now, and there were dark shadows beneath her normally bright eyes. Yeah, okay, it was getting late. Sure, they were all tired from the walk—himself included—but this seemed an unusually extreme reaction. Even by Mimi standards.
But what concerned him most was the fact that she'd actually tried to hide it from everyone. Mimi never hid anything. If she had an opinion, the whole world had to know. Maybe both of them. If she was tired, then she would spend every six steps dragging her feet. Just enough to get her point across. Only not this time.
After Koushiro had shared his story with everyone (something about three boys wearing black, upside-down blended Crest symbols, and dark digimon eggs), and Jou had been forced to fill in some of the more embarrassing gaps of his own encounter-
(Though, on that subject, he did have to admit Mimi deserved a lot of credit for keeping her expression fairly neutral throughout. Watching him nearly fade away, according to Taichi and the others, must have had an ameliorating effect on her temper; her only reaction was to squeeze his hand a little tigher when he'd gotten to the part about his vision blacking out)
-idle conversation had taken over. Subjects ranging from soccer to the stage. Mimi had made a point of bouncing back and forth through the crowd, vying for Taichi and Sora's attention at random intervals in the mist of their heated debate over soccer teams. Something about travel times, hotels, and the locker rooms of host schools. She'd chimed in every so often when a destination she recognized was brought up, being the self-described "travel expert" of the group. And when even she could no longer keep up with the longtime friends' rapid-fire banter, she drifted back and ended up in a detailed discussion with Yamato over proper lighting and sound checks.
"Hikari-chan?"
The sound of Takeru's concerned voice drew him out of his musings, attention turning to the young boy only to find him staring straight ahead.
He was staring at Hikari.
Somehow, she had made her way down to the beach without Jou noticing. From where they stood, none of them could see her expression, but her head was tilted upward and her body language spoke volumes. She didn't respond to Takeru's call. It wasn't certain whether or not she had heard him over the wind. She stood for almost a full ten seconds, staring at something that none of them could see.
Then she raised a hand, placing it flat on the air in front of her. Not a moment later, a light began to shine from her chest. Pink at first, radiating from where her Crest had once rested against her chest, growing brighter and brighter until her whole body was soon bathed in a soft, white light. The light pooled into her hand and began to spread outward.
The air around her shimmered and warped. Beginnings of a door emerged. Literally appearing out of thin air. Only—no, wait, it wasn't a door. More like a stone archway. An entrance. It was connected to a small bridge with a moat beneath it...then a solid, wooden gate...walls...reaching higher and higher, until-
Koushrio grinned smugly through his own amazement: "Told you we were in the right place."
Everything was just as he had insisted. A large castle appeared before them in all its glory, the ocean behind it fading away to reveal more forest. An illusion. Some kind of hologram. Maybe. Or maybe the data of the castle itself had been altered so that anyone who didn't know exactly what to look for-
"Hikari-chan!"
For the second time, Takeru cried out his best friend's name as the younger girl began swaying on her feet. The moment her light faded, she collapsed to the ground.
Taichi was at her side in an instant, pulling his little sister into his arms. "Hikari? Hikari, are you-?"
"I'm alright, oniichan." She answered. Stirring in his hold for a moment before blinking her eyes open and smiling wearily up at him. "Just tired."
His shoulders slumped in relief, and he nodded.
The rest of the group slowly crowded around the two siblings. Close enough to reassure themselves that Hikari was, indeed, alright, but far back enough to allow her some air. Only Sora dared close the distance between them and the Yagami siblings, coming to a kneel at Taichi's side and placing a sisterly hand on Hikari's shoulder. Hikari reacted by placing her hand on top of Sora's, and it was momentarily enough to satisfy any lingering doubts.
Ahead, the gates opened. A group of cloaked individuals emerged. Three of them. Guardians.
Entrusting Hikari to Sora, Taichi stood up and took a step forward. His chin was held high, eyes shining with the very Courage he born on his Crest and in his heart. The newcomers approached. He scanned them over with an understandable wariness. Everything about them, at first glance, would have seemed enough to convince him a few years ago. Robes nearly identical to those they had seen of the Guardians years before, right down to the fabric shades and belt.
As had those of the Impostors both Jou and Koushiro previously encountered; physical appearance was no longer enough for him. He needed more. The safety of his friends and family were at stake; hard as it was for him to be skeptical, he couldn't risk that on a naïve deception.
"Who are you?" he asked.
There was no immediate answer. Strike One.
Instead, they continued to approach as if they hadn't heard him. Until they were about five meters' distance back. From there, they formed a horizontal line, completely blocking the path behind them. Taichi tensed, and heard the sounds of everyone behind him following suit. He tore his eyes away from the three alleged Guardians only once, just for a second, to check on Sora and Hikari. Sora was looking to him, apprehensive. Hikari's expression was...unreadable.
"Greetings, Chosen." The one in the center addressed them, drawing back Taichi's attention. Just in time to see all three of them give a...bow. A deep one. Humble. Respectful, even. "We've been awaiting your arrival with great anticipation."
An eyebrow raised, but he wasn't convinced. "You knew we were coming?"
"Of course, Courage. We were the ones who summoned you."
"And you couldn't have thought to give us the address before got here?" He heard Mimi grumble from behind. It was almost enough to make him smile.
"Why?"
"I would have thought that was obvious." The one to the left lifted a hand from beneath his robes and motioned to the skies above "You are here to save the Light of the Digital World."
Six pairs of eyes, Taichi's included, immediately looked up.
It was nothing they hadn't already taken note of at some point, individually. The lack of stars. No moon. Just as there had been no sun during the daytime. And yet, equally similar to the day, there was just enough light around them that they could still see. A mysterious, sourceless glow that couldn't have been coming from anywhere above.
Only two didn't look up. Hikari kept her gaze on the Guardians, while Takeru was looking at her. From where he stood, it was impossible to gauge if her utter lack of reaction meant she didn't believe them...had yet to register their words...or, like the others, simply assumed they were referring to the stars above.
Takeru suspected otherwise.
"What's wrong with it?" Sora was the first to speak up after a moment of contemplative silence. "Why have the stars gone out? And the moon..."
But the Guardians shook their heads. "All will be explained soon enough. You have my word on that."
For what that's worth, more than a few minds thought to themselves.
"For now, however, you must rest. All of you. Your journey has been long, and you are not at full strength."
Taichi opened his mouth to argue, but found that he couldn't. He looked to Hikari, still in Sora's arms. To Mimi, unabashedly using Jou as a secondary support to keep standing. To Koushiro, whose eyes were unusually glossy given he hadn't so much as glanced at his computer the entire time. Even Takeru had a weary look on his face. In fact, of the eight, only he, Sora, Yamato, and—strangely enough—Jou appeared visibly unaffected by the hour.
All those nights spend in the digital world. Falling asleep by a meager campfire. Taking shifts looking out for any signs of danger. The open air. The hard, cold ground. Functioning on little to no sleep. It all seemed like another lifetime ago now. They were out of practice.
"We've...dealt with worse," he commented lamely, then shifted his weight in awkward resignation. "But I suppose you have a point. It can wait until morning."
Koushiro sent him a pointed glare at that. He caught it out of his peripheral vision, which made it all the easier to pretend he didn't see it. Typical; leave it to the bearer of Knowledge to find frustrating in prolonging answers, even if it were for the right reasons.
"Very good. Please, come this way."
Another bow, as equally synchronized and deep as the first, and the trio turned to lead them back into the castle.
Taichi didn't follow. Not right away. First, he turned around to fully face the rest of the group. Making sure to meet each and everyone single one of their gazed, whether sleep deprived or fully awake. They all seemed equally skeptic, but at the same time...he also saw no fear. It was enough for him; together, they headed inside.
Behind them, the air warped and shimmered once more. The entire area dissolved back into the hidden illusion of a perfect, peaceful seaside.
o*0*o
Hot baths. Shampoo. Fresh sheets. Warm blankets. Even a chance of clothes awaited them all.
As if all that weren't enough, Mimi was utterly thrilled to find that the pajama set laid out for each one of them matched both their sizes and tastes perfectly. Well...almost; Hikari was practically swimming in her long-sleeved coral top and matching pants, despite insisting that it was both warm and comfortable. Apparently, all she really cared about. Mimi, meanwhile, reveled in her soft, short-sleeved pink button up top and shorts. They fit her like a glove and felt like silk. Sora's outfit was similarly appropriate, consisting of shades of blue and white that complimented her tanned skin and fiery hair in a way Mimi knew the tomboy would never truly appreciate. Some people just had no appreciation for the fashion world.
Tempting to peek in on the boys next door was strong. Just to see what they'd been given for the night. Compare notes. In fact, if Sora hadn't immediately chastised her for the idea, she might very well have done so.
"Weren't you practically falling asleep on your feet a half hour ago?"
"Well, yeah," Mimi began sheepishly, before offering the happiest of sighs. "But that was before I had that refreshing soak. Didn't it just feel wonderful?"
Sora smiled in amusement from her seat on the bed behind Mimi, shaking her head once before returning to her previous task: running a brush through Mimi's long, wet locks. Fingers navigating through some of the more stubborn tangles. Despite her insistence otherwise, the fact that Mimi had been too tired to do her own hair after their bath was all too telling. Fortunately, while Sora wasn't exactly an expert in proper hair care—she kept hers short for a reason—even she could figure out how to work a brush.
"Mimi-chan, it's been less than a day. You're acting like you haven't seen a bath in months."
"With the day we've had, it felt like months!"
...admittedly, she wasn't wrong.
Besides that, Sora was forced to admit that the steaming waters were great for her ankle. The pain was almost completely gone now, unless she put her weight on it in a particularly awkward manner. Even then, she would have never known if she hadn't needed to climb up onto the bed alongside Mimi.
The sound of a sliding glass door drew both their attentions. Hikari was halfway towards stepping out onto the room's outdoor balcony when Sora called to her. Concerned. Hikari was usually a quiet girl by nature, but still...
Yet there was nothing but a smile on Hikari's face as she turned back to explain: "I'm just going out for a bit of fresh air. I won't be long."
It was hard to argue with that. "Alright. But...be careful. Taichi would never forgive me if you got sick again."
Nodding in her agreement, Hikari slipped through the door before shutting it softly behind her.
o*0*o
The air was cool. Pleasantly so. Occasionally, a gentle breeze would kick up and blow across her face.
Hikari leaned on the balcony railing for a long time in silence, staring out at the view. Whatever illusion had been cast to conceal this place from view, it didn't seem to work from within the walls. Oh, there was still a seaside, alright. Far in the distance. She could just barely make out the movement of waves on the horizon. From the bottom of the balcony's reach and beyond, however, were nothing but luscious trees nearly as far as the eye could see.
A cliff. The castle had been build on some sort of cliffside, and yet it was completely invisible to anyone who didn't know where to look. Or how to reveal what was right in front of them.
She closed her eyes, resting her chin in her hands. Listening.
Silence was her only answer. Until the footsteps coming from the adjacent balcony. Takeru's footsteps. She knew without even having to look, just as she'd known how to show the others the castle it seemed only she could see.
Hikari could never fully explain how she knew half the things she did. Why she could hear voices the others couldn't, or see things that she shouldn't. Only that, since she was old enough to remember, she had always been certain and was never wrong. Usually, it was little things. A familiar presence she had never seen before. Trust that a new face was friendly. When a separation wasn't meant to be permanent. When someone close to her was sad or in pain or their heart had darkened so considerably she could literally feel the influence.
"Are you mad at me?"
Then there were the things still beyond her reach. Those not-so-little uncertainties that made her feel small. Helpless.
From where he stood, Takeru winced. The thought of his best friend ever having to ask him something like that...
Then again, he understood why. The last time they'd spoken, things had been tense. She was afraid. He was afraid for her. He'd agreed to her plea, but he hadn't been happy about it. And it showed. On top of that, they hadn't had time since to attempt to resolve anything.
For the last four hours, they'd barely even spoken. She'd spent most of that time with Koushiro at the front, the two sharing an unlikely mutual understanding of the path ahead. He'd sporadically conversed with Jou while listening in on his brother and Mimi's business talk. Age difference aside, the youngest and oldest Chosen found themselves on common ground in more than a few areas. He'd legitimately lost track of time discussing local eateries in the Odaiba area, including a particular bake shop down the road from Jou's cram school that made the most delicious melon bread.
By the time they'd reached what they thought was the edge of the woods, her attention had been immediately been drawn to the barrier only she could see. Then the Guardians had appeared. Then the group had been subsequently divided by gender and ushered off to two separate quarters for the night.
He hadn't meant to avoid her for so long. It had just...happened.
"No. I'm not mad." He shook his head. "It's just...you kind of scare me sometimes, Hikari-chan."
Her eyes sprung open, and she turned to look at him. "I do?"
A nod. He closed as much of the (physical) distance between them as possible. Only a few feet and two thick guard-railings remained between them. He leaned against the ledge in a position mirroring hers and turned his head to directly meet her gaze. His eyes were sad. Remorseful.
"I know you don't meant to." The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, but he needed to be honest. "But...if I hadn't been there in the woods with you earlier today, would you have told me what happened?"
She didn't answer. Not verbally; her gaze lowered, the guilty expression plastered all over her face telling him everything he needed to know.
His fists clenched tightly, whole body tensing. True to his word, he still wasn't mad, and yet...it was an answer he'd known was coming, but had clung to that small glimmer of Hope that it wouldn't. And he didn't know how he was supposed to feel about that.
"Why? Why do you always keep things like this bottled up inside? I thought...I thought we were friends."
The look on her face when he said that...
"W-we are!" She stumbled over her own words, looking very much like she was trying to keep from crying. "You're my best friend!"
He wanted to believe her.
No...he did believe her. Nothing would have stopped him from believing her. All those years spent communicating back and forth. Those brief visits, whenever possible for either of them. Mailing late into the night—something they probably would have been doing right now, if they'd been back home. Yagami Hikari really was his best friend in the entire world, and that's why this whole thing hurt him so badly.
"Then why?"
"I..." Her voice cracked. "I don't want to worry anyone unnecessarily."
Even as she spoke the words, she knew how weak her excuse was. Of course they were going to worry. Takeru...Taichi...some days, that's all it felt like they did. All any of her fellow Chosen had ever done. Worry about her. They'd worried when it was discovered she was the missing Eighth Child. They worried each time she collapsed from sickness. Whenever she grew the slightest bit feverish. When her whole body shivered from inexplicable cold.
"...I'm sorry, Takeru-kun."
Three words.
That was all it took for him to forgive her. Because he knew she meant it. She might keep things from him, but she had never lied. Maybe he was being too soft. He couldn't help it. Everything that had been gradually building up inside of him since the start of their conversation dissipated with a long exhale of breath until there was nothing left. His fists relaxed. His shoulders slumped.
"I'm sorry, too." He didn't want to start a fight with her. Not here. Not now. While he didn't regret the things he'd said... "I don't want you to get hurt. I care about you."
"I know." He had always cared because that's what Takeru did. Even now, he cared enough not to continue to drag things out. That's the kind of person he was, and that's what forced her to steel her resolve and take a deep breath before telling him: "Tomorrow."
"Hikari-chan?"
"I'll tell them tomorrow. Everything. I promise."
It took a second. Watching her expression. Her eyes. Then...even before he smiled, Takeru felt an overwhelming rush of relief wash over him. His trust in her hadn't been misplaced. He'd gotten through to her. It might not have solved the underlying issue, but it was a huge step in the right direction.
"How's your fever?" The was little else to be said, so he opted to change the subject.
As he suspected, Hikari's face noticeably brightened. This time, she could offer him exactly the answer he wanted to hear. "Gone. I must've sweated the last of it out in the bath."
"Are you sure?" This time, his tone was less accusing and more teasing. That lingering twinge of doubt was still present, but he tried to cover it up with remnants of their usual banter. "Maybe I should check..."
She played along, leaning forward just enough that he could reach over and place a hand on her forehead. Using his free hand to compare it with his own temperature. Much to his delight, Hikari had been true to her word. There was almost no difference between them. Yet one more small, but meaningful victory.
Told you, her eyes said.
You did.
His hand started to pull back, but...somewhere along the way, the back of his fingers started lightly trailing down the side of her face, right along the edge of her hairline. Brushing some of the loose strands back. Lingering near her cheek. His eyes followed the movement with a strange curiosity, as if his body were functioning on autopilot and he were little more than a spectator. It was strange. Strange, but at the same time, it still felt...right.
Hikari, meanwhile, followed his gaze with her own. Watching his reaction to his own gesture. She, too, seemed at ease with what was happening. Curious. Like she was waiting to see what would come next.
The silence between them was no longer tense, but sweet. A single, tender—if bewildering—moment to enjoy one another's company. Not unlike earlier that morning, in front of the school. No more unspoken words. No more secrets. For a fleeting moment, not even a Digital World in danger. Added to the fact that Hikari had promised him she would talk to the others, and Takeru was actually starting to feel hopeful enough to-
But then Hikari let out a sudden gasp: "Takeru-kun!"
His eyes widened.
She was glowing again. Only this was unlike any other time he'd witnessed before. He'd seen her glow white and he'd seen her glow pink and he'd even seen her glow that strange magenta-like color earlier beside Koushiro. He'd seen her inexplicably Light the way to finding her brother amidst a maze of underground tunnels and he'd seen her activate her Crest to trigger an evolution. Be it Tailmon, or someone else's digimon.
This time, however, she was glowing yellow. The color of Hope.
"Takeru-kun..." For maybe half a second, she looked worried. Unsure. Even a little frightened. But then, he saw hints of relief. She even smiled. "...it's happening to you, too."
Confusion. For all of a second. Then, he looked down. Sure enough, he was glowing—specifically, he was glowing pink. The Color of Light.
He was glowing Light, and she was glowing Hope. Like their Crests were playing some sort of practical joke on the two of them and had switched places when they weren't looking. What's more, as Takeru continued to ponder the strange phenomenon, Takeru realized something else. He was getting stronger. More powerful. A renewed energy coursed through his veins, like that time Yamato tricked him into chugging a double expresso.
A thought occurred to him, and he looked to Hikari in concern...but, if anything, she looked even more revitalized than he. Her cheeks were flushed with a healthy color, and even her eyes had that sparkle in them that spoke of warmth and happiness.
He opened his mouth to say something, but before the words could get out, the light faded. Both of them.
Slowly...even a little awkwardly, once he realized what he was doing...Takeru lowered his hand. It fell to his side limply, fingers still tingling from the physical contact. What had yet to fade, on the other hand, was the energy they both had felt. Or the distinct smile on her face that he had seen too many times before.
Like she knew something he didn't.
Then again, Takeru didn't really understand how Hikari knew half the things she did, anyway.
o*0*o
Taichi let out an over-exaggerated groan as he entered the boys' quarters, his normally spiky locks weighed down from the water of the baths. He had his arms stretched over his head, a towel around his neck, and a pale blue long-sleeved pajama top casually slung over one shoulder. The matching drawstring slacks hung loosely front his waist. Soft and comfortable.
He stopped just long enough in the doorway to appraise his roommates' current positions. Koushiro and Jou were sitting on one of the nearby beds, engrossed in something on the former's laptop. Much to his relief, the PineApple book had survived its prior assault with little more than slight discoloration to the upper right corner of the screen and a noticeable, but mostly cosmetic chip in the casing. Judging from the few seconds' worth of conversation overhead, Taichi guessed they were playing a game of some kind. Chess or Two-Person Solitaire or Minecraft or whatever it was highly academic kids enjoyed competing in.
Either way, they couldn't have been playing for very long; both boys had already changed for the night as well, donning brown and grey pajama pants, respectively, with matching white t-shirts.
Yamato, meanwhile, was leaning against the fall wall, cooling about as cool as ever. The dark green wife beater that had been offered to him looked almost as comfortable as the black sweatpants that came with it. Arms crossed over his chest, he was eyeing something just beyond the balcony doors with a very blatant smirk on his face.
Taichi immediately took the bait: "Something amusing going on out there?"
"You could say that." A pause, mostly for dramatic effect. "Takeru and Hikari-chan are out there right now."
Whatever reaction Yamato had been expecting...to his surprise, Taichi merely rolled his eyes. "Should've known. It's like they can't go a single night without saying goodnight to each other."
Yamato blinked once.
Twice.
"...you knew about this?"
"Knew about what?" Taking a step back, he reached for the towel around his shoulders and began wiping at some of the excess moisture in his hair. "That they stayed friends over the years? Kind of obvious, don't you think?"
Yamato stared at the other boy in partial disbelief.
Taichi didn't seem to notice: "It's one of the few things I can actually tease her about. I mean, considering how often they exchanged mail the last few years, you know-" Only then did his brain catch up with his mouth. Sort of. He froze in place, peeking out from under the towel with a sheepish look. "Sorry. I forgot. You...wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
It took far longer than Yamato would have liked to admit to figure out what Taichi was implying. Oh. That. The fact that, while he and Hikari had the luxury of getting to grow up together, Yamato and Takeru had been separated by a bitter divorce and far too much distance to make regular visits possible.
"No, it's...fine." What else could he do but shrug? The past was past, and his mother and brother had even just recently moved back to Odaiba. When all this latest Digital World business was over with, he would still get to see them more often than he used to. "It doesn't bother me. Honest. Besides, it's not like I never got to see him. We've tried to talk as often as possible."
"Good." To his credit, Taichi looked genuinely relieved. Both on the brothers' behalf, and at the fact that he hadn't completely stuck his foot in his mouth. "I'm glad."
The sound of the sliding glass door echoed in the room just then, and in stepped Takeru. The boy had a dazed look on his face. For some reason, he kept staring at his hand. Occasionally wiggling his fingers.
"Takeru? What's wrong?" Yamato kicked away from the wall, turning fully towards his brother in concern.
"I..." Takeru began. Then hesitated. He knew what to say...sort of...just not how to describe it. "I can't really explain how it happened, but...I just felt Hikari-chan's Crest."
Across the room, Jou let out a yelp as he fell backwards off the bed. Koushiro, too, seemed more than a little taken aback, alternating between a wide-eyed stare sent their way and peering over the side of the bed to make sure his former game opponent was still conscious. (He was.)
Yamato smacked his forehead. "Her CREST, you two. He said her CREST."
A cautious glance was sent Taichi's way, hoping for Takeru's sake that Taichi's ears were working better.
Fortunately (for everyone involved), they were; Taichi appeared more startled by Jou and Koushiro's respective overreactions than Takeru's words, only fully registering them after a moment. The actual words. Though even that wasn't enough to stop him from sending the boy a questioning look.
"Why would Hikari's Crest activate? What were you two doing out there?"
"Nothing!" Came the reply. A little too quickly. (Behind him, Takeru heard Yamato quickly cough something into his hand and tried his hardest to ignore him.) "We were just talking."
"About what."
"Her fever." It wasn't a lie. There might have been certain other topics that came before, but the moment everything started, they'd already moved past that. "I wanted to make sure she was feeling alright after today, so I put my hand on her forehead and mine to compare and...we kind of started glowing."
Koushiro raised an eyebrow. "Both of you?"
"Yeah."
"What color?"
He should have expected Koushiro, of all the Chosen, to immediately think of something like that. "Hikari-chan was glowing yellow." Suddenly, it became very difficult for Takeru to make eye contact with anyone in the room. "I was glowing...pink."
Four pairs of eyebrows raised, including a set that appeared over the edge of the bed just for the reaction. The rest of the boys shared glances among themselves. Surprise. Recognition. Confusion. More confusion. Uncertainty. Caution. Even Yamato was suddenly short on jokes. Flashbacks to what happened earlier, with Hikari and Koushiro...their colors merging...played out in each of their mind's eyes. In that case, the cause could easily have been attributed to the influence of that strange woman who'd showed up
But this? With no sign of danger, and no other outside influence, Hikari and Takeru had...what, exactly? Traded Crests?
"Maybe..." Koushiro began.
Everyone turned to look at him. Takeru included.
An awkward three seconds passed before he gave up and shrugged. "I have no idea."
"You're okay, though?" Taichi asked, giving the boy a careful once over. In some ways, Takeru was almost like a little brother to him, and while his biological brother was standing right that, that didn't stop him from feeling concern of his own. "And Hikari? She's okay too? I mean, weirdness aside...how do you feel?"
Now there was a loaded question.
"Confused, mostly." Again, it wasn't a lie. "Otherwise, we're both fine. Better than fine."
o*0*o
"...are you sure?" Sora asked
Hikari nodded. "If anything, I feel better now than I did before."
The two sat on one of the beds nearest the window, voices kept to a low hush so as to avoid waking Mimi; the poor girl had passed out not long after Hikari had left the room, in what was supposed to be Sora's bed for the night. Right in the middle of getting her hair brushed, of all things. Sora hadn't the heart to move her, and instead tucked in her and relocated her things to the next bed over.
Even now, Mimi's light breathing was the only sound in an otherwise heavy silence. The walls were far too thick to listen in on the boys' conversation, though Hikari could only imagine what Takeru was telling them.
"That's...weird," Sora finally commented. She sat back against the bed's headrest and pulled her knees up to her chest. "I've seen your Crest activated before. Even without an evolution. But how were you two activating each other's Crests? That shouldn't be possible."
But Hikari shook her head. "I don't think that's what happened."
"You don't?" Sora tilted her head to one side. "Then what do you think?"
Hikari's position shifted into something similar to Sora's, except she rested her head atop her knees. Curled as tightly as she was, in the dim light that shone through, Sora couldn't help note just how small she seemed. Even helpless. Ironic, given there was every possibility she was the strongest of all the Chosen.
"I think...we were sharing our power."
Sora's eyes widened. "H-how?"
"It was something Takeru was thinking at the time. Or maybe what he was feeling." The look in his eyes when he touched my face like that. She could still feel that slight tingle against her cheek where his fingers brushed against her skin. "He was smiling when I saw his Crest start to activate, only...I felt it too. Like he was sending me this amazing sense of...warmth. And comfort. His Hope. He was sending me his Hope." The serenity to her expression soon faltered, however. She frowned. "But then I started to get worried that I was taking too much from him. He wasn't stopping, so I..."
"You started sending your energy right back at him," Sora deduced.
Hikari nodded.
It sounded utterly fantastic. Even by Digital World standards. Hikari was one of the only Chosen who had ever been shown to share her Crest powers before, sure, which included going so far as to trigger an evolution in digimon besides her partner. Not as a result of the Angel prophecy, but by expelling so much raw Light that every digimon in the immediate vicinity claimed to burst with a sudden, renewed...well, almost like a new lifeforce itself.
Still. The idea of her sending that energy to another human, and for him to be able to do the same...
Or was it really unique to the young couple? Sora thought back earlier to the light show between Hikari and Koushiro. How their Crest colors-albeit activated by that strange woman who'd showed up out of nowhere like she was a female Gennai or something-practically melded into one another until it was difficult to tell where Knowledge ended and Light began. Had the same thing happened to Hope and Light? Or was this something else entirely?
"...definitely weird." She sighed. In the end, there was little point in worrying. Hikari seemed to benefit from the exchange, and by her own words, Takeru was fine too. Close as they were... "But also kind of sweet. If you stop and think about it. I mean, he obviously cares about you if he's willing to do something like that." (Voluntary or otherwise.)
Hikari mirrored the older girl's smile at that, only hers seemed even brighter. Her fingers absently fiddled with a pair of strings hanging around her neck. Whatever they carried were hidden beneath the top of her pajama shirt, concealing them from Sora's view, but were clearly very important to her. She'd been wearing them since before their return to the Digital World.
"Yeah. I know."
She always seemed to know a lot of things, Sora couldn't help note.
o*0*o
Hikari stirred several times in her sleep. Rolling from one side to the other and then back again until, eventually, she settled down on her back. And grew still. Just moments before her eyelids fluttered open.
Sitting up, she rubbed at her eyes before glancing at the other two girls. Mimi was still asleep, expression soft amidst a flurry of no doubt pleasant dreams. Sora, too, had long succumbed to a state of blissful unconsciousness. The room was quiet. Utterly and absolutely. Not even the ticking of an old analogue clock could disturb the peace. The one hanging off to one side of the room was digital. Because of course it was.
Worst of all, neither girl snored...which, strangely, was one of the things keeping her from immediately falling back asleep. Hikari might not have been able to remember her nightmare, but she could recall the way it felt. Hallow. Empty. Alone. She needed the lull of her brother's heavy breathing to sooth her. That constant reminder that Taich was always right above or below her, depending upon who was sleeping in what bed that night.
She tried staring at the wall separating the two rooms, as if she could will Taichi's presence. It was no use. The walls were too thick.
Only then did Hikari finally realize the original reason she'd woken up in the first place. Oh. Luckily, she remembered exactly where the toilet was. Right next to the girls' baths, down the hall and to the left. She remembered passing by it when they walked down earlier to wash up.
Throwing the sheers from her body, she got up and padded her way across the floor in bare feet. Three pairs of slippers awaited her by the door, all identical, and she slipped into the nearest ones before opening the door and stepping outside, shutting it behind her without a sound.
More silence greeted her. And darkness. There were no windows in the hallways. Some light streamed in from a select few open doors, but for the most part, Hikari's eyes had to adjust before she dared risk a step. She looked both ways for any signs of life. There were none. She was completely alone, save for the distant splashing of water somewhere down the hall. The baths must have still been running, she figured. At least it gave her a good idea which direction to start heading in.
She made it about twenty steps before a chilling whisper reached her ears:
Child of Light...
Hikari froze. Literally. The temperature in the room fell twenty degrees almost immediately. And kept dropping. That splashing sound she thought had been the baths grew louder. No, not a splash. More like the crashing of large waves. Ocean waves. Her eyes widened as she felt a frighteningly familiar tingle travel down her spine.
That sound. That voice. She'd heard them both once before, back in the forest. Only, this time, it was calling to her, directly.
o*0*o
Mimi wouldn't normally consider herself a light sleeper. She couldn't be. Not with the kind of life she'd led. Not with parents like hers, who weren't afraid of showing their overly amorous affection for one another at all hours of the day and night. (Really, they set a bad precedent of romantic expectations for her growing up.) Not with the time spent at summer camp. Or in the Digital World, sleeping out in the open with boys who had the audacity to snore.
(She still did understand, to this very day, how neither Sora nor Hikari ever seemed bother by Taichi's inability to refrain from sawing wood in his sleep.)
Yet, she found herself startled awake in the middle of the night without a single shred of evidence that anything was wrong. The lights were still out. Not a single boy was anywhere to be found, nor evidence of a potential prank. And, as she let out a soft yawn and glanced over, both Sora and Hikari were still-
Wait.
Sora was still sleeping in the bed next to her, but Hikari was nowhere to be seen.
"Maybe she had to use the toilet?" Mimi murmured to herself. A reasonable enough assumption. In fact: "...actually, so do I."
Her theory about Hikari's absence was further verified by the time she got to the door. There were only two pairs of slippers on the ground. Their gracious hosts had definitely provided three; Mimi remembered comparing them while they had all been in the baths together. Taking one of the last remaining pairs for herself, she tapped the toe to secure it properly on her foot before opening the door and stepping out into the hallway.
Where she almost immediately caught sight of Hikari's silhouette
"There you are!" She greeted the younger girl with a warm smile. It was difficult to see in the low light, so she walked right up to her. "I was wondering..."
Her voice trailed off.
Hikari hadn't smiled back. She hadn't turned at the sound of Mimi's voice. She didn't even seem to register that Mimi was there at all, let alone speaking to her. Her posture was stiff, eyes peering out into the dark hallway with a vacant expression. Seeing something that wasn't there
"Hikari-chan?" Mimi called again. More tentative this time. "Hikari-chan, what's wrong?"
Nothing. Not even a blink. Hikari was so still that Mimi was starting to worry she wasn't even breathing.
"Hikari-chan, what-" She reached for the younger girl's hand, and immediately pulled back with a sharp gasp. Her fingers were cold as ice. Maybe colder. Even from that split second of contact, Mimi could feel the residual sting permeating the skin of her own hand.
Eyes widening in horror, Mimi took a step back. Then another. Still no reaction. Her breath caught in her throat just in time for her to turn and make a dash for the boy's bedroom.
o*0*o
"Taichi-san! Ta-i-chi-sa-n!"
The boy in question found himself being rudely shaken away to the rhythm of his own name. He winced, swatted twice at the air, and was rewarded for his efforts by more shaking.
"Yagami Taichi, wake up NOW!"
THAT got him up with a start, turning towards the source with a heated, if still unfocused glare. He blinked twice, registering from the sheer amount of pink offending his immediate field of vision that this had to be Mimi. A third blink. His visiion finally cleared. Yup, definitely Mimi. A glance at the wall told him it was far too early to get up. Another at the adjacent beds told him she'd already managed to succeed in waking the rest of the boys up as well, each one sending their own looks of bewilderment and annoyance her way.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Either oblivious or apathetic, Mimi sighed in relief. "Taichi-san, you have to come quick. It's Hikari-chan!"
If he hadn't been awake before, he was certainly awake now. "What happened? Where is she?"
"I don't—I don't know!" Standing up, she retreated back a few steps. Her gaze alternated between Taichi and the door to the hallway, which she'd left open. "She's standing out in the hallway right now, only she won't answer me. And her hands..."
Taichi was up and halfway out the room before she could even finish.
Mimi followed close behind, with the rest of the boys right on her heels. A frantic Sora was already in the hallway, standing in front of the prone form of Hikari, calling to her over and over. Hands on Hikari's shoulders, head tilted downward in vain effort to make eye contact. Only when she caught sight of Taichi approaching did she look up.
"I heard Mimi-chan calling for you," she explained, shoulders slumping in guilt. One night. One night she'd been entrusted to look after Hikari, and this happened. "Taichi...what's wrong with her?"
Taichi stepped in, taking Sora's place. He tried to rest a hand on Hikari's arm, and immediately winced at the chill radiating from her. Even through the thick fabric of her pajamas. His heart was racing, mind awash with all kinds of thoughts as to what could be causing this. Broken air conditioner? No, not even that would have her feeling this cold. And when he shoved his faece right in hers, he got nothing. No response. Not a flinch. Not even a blink.
"Hikari...Hikari!" He tried to shake her, voice growing more and more frantic as precious seconds ticked passed. "Hikari, can you hear me?"
"No. She can't."
The group turned back towards Takeru. His expression was dark. Eyes lowered. Fists clenched at his sides. But in spite of all that, he looked neither surprised nor confused by the current situation. And that was what worried them most; if Taichi didn't know better, he could have sworn...
"Let me."
Taken aback by the certain to his tone, Taichi stepped back without a word of protest. Fueled by a desire to see what he would do. Watching with narrowed eyes as Takeru took his place in front of Hikari. The boy seemed to hesitate for a full second before lifting a hand, flinching once, and...gently placing it on Hikari's shoulder.
Almost immediately, she gave a sharp inhale. Life turned to her eyes, which proceeded to look straight up at him.
"Niisan," Takeru called back without breaking eye contact. "Go back to the room and get a blanket."
Yamato's whole body straightened. "A...blanket?"
"I don't have time to explain. Just go. Please."
Despite the franticness to his tone, Takeru somehow managed to sneak a 'please' in there. Typical. Still, Yamato didn't have time to shake his head at his younger brother's perpetual politeness. He made a dash back to their shared room, returning soon after with one of the large comforters. The one from Takeru's bed, coincidentally enough, which had been closest to the door.
Not a moment too soon, it seemed. By the time he returned, Hikari had already begun to shiver. Violently. Her lips were blue. The temperature in the hallway was easily warm enough for half the boys to wander around without shirts on, and yet she was dangerously approaching hypothermia.
Takeru grabbed the comforter without a word of explanation, wrapping it tightly around her. Enveloping her so completely that only her face stuck out. From there, he began rubbing at her arms frantically, trying to bring back some of the warmth to them. It briefly registered in his mind that this was the same blanket he had been wrapped in just a few moments prior; he wondered if his own body heat was still trapped inside. If so, he wondered if Hikari could even feel it.
Leaning in, his forehead not quite touching hers, he whispered something only she could hear. She nodded in response.
All the while, the remaining Chosen could do little more than stare. Jou's mouth was agape. Mimi's was covered by both her hands. Sora couldn't stop sending nervous glances between the two of them and Taichi, who looked all of two seconds from exploding—just as soon as he figured out what, exactly, he was supposed to be exploding over.
"Takeru..." he began. His voice was unusually tight. Low. "...did you know this would happen?"
Takeru didn't answer, but only because Hikari beat him to it.
"D-don't be mad, on-niichan. Please." Though violently chattering teeth, she peered around Takeru's shoulder. "I made him p-p-promise not to t-tell."
"Tell what?" Sora stepped in, placing a hand on Taichi's forearm. She could sense his distress. When he turned back to her, she silently shook her head. Warning him not to say any more until the young couple were given a chance to explain themselves.
Takeru glanced down at Hikari. She nodded sadly, eyes lowering in what could only have been interpreted as guilt. He'd warned her. Only a few hours ago, they'd been standing just outside on the balconies, and he'd chastised her for not telling the others sooner. And now they were forced to find out exactly the same way he had.
"This happened before." Takeru explained. He couldn't bring herself to look at the others, so he kept his gaze focused on Hikari. (I'm sorry, her eyes kept saying to him over and over again. I know, his said right back.) "When we were in the woods, searching for Koushiro-san. One minute, she was walking beside me, and the next, she'd frozen in place. Exactly like you saw her now. Calling to her did nothing. She couldn't even hear me, like she was somewhere else completely. Only, when I touched her shoulder..."
"...you were able to bring her back," Sora finished for him.
That left at least one unspoken question in the air: why Takeru? Why not Mimi or Sora or even Taichi? Why was he the only one who could reach her?
"But where did she go?" It was Taichi's turn to ask. He seemed strangely calm, given the circumstances, although Sora's white-knuckled grip on his arm might have had something to do with it.
A question only Hikari could answer. So she did: "The Ocean."
"The...Ocean?"
A nod, followed by another, violent shudder.
Takeru subconsciously pulled her close, returning to his earlier task of rubbing her arms through the comforter. She leaned against him, both for warmth and support.
It was enough of a reaction to give everyone—including Taichi—reason to hesitate from questioning her further on the subject. For one so young, Hikari had always been one of the bravest. Selflessly sacrificing herself to keep her friends safe time and again. Confronting a digimon who'd had every intention of killing her. All with her head held high.
Right then, however? She looked absolutely terrified.
"There is little point in being afraid, Child of Light." A voice called to them from behind. "The Dark cannot exist without the Light, but the Light can all too easily submit to the Dark."
Hikari's eyes were wide with recognition; those words were an exact echo of those first spoken to her by that deep, haunting voice in her...hallucination? Vision? No, the encounter had felt much too strong to call it a mere vision. More like a visit.
"That's...but how did you know?"
The woman gave a serene smile from beneath her hood, which she soon reached up with both hands to push back. Shimmering black hair emerged, falling past her shoulders in tight curls. Her skin was heavily bronzed with a slight olive tone to her, and her eyes were so dark they looked almost black. A stark contrasted to the white and gold robes she wore.
"I know because it's True," she stated simply. "One of the greatest Truths in all the Digital World."
She took a step forward, clearly intending to approach Hikari, but was stopped by...just about everyone.
Knowledge and Reliability were at the forefront, the former in particular repeatedly eyeing her up and down in search of further answers. Purity hung back, eyes glazed over with worry for her dear friend (though not enough to keep her from glaring). Courage, Friendship, and Love flanked the two youngest on three sides. And Light was enveloped in Hope's arms as he held her that much tighter, fully intending to protect her in any way possible. So very much like what she would have expected from the Chosen that she could hardly feel frustrated at the display.
If anything, her smile brightened that much more.
"You need not worry. I can assure you, I mean Light no harm. In fact, I believe it is she who could best vouch for me."
Confusion swept across seven pairs of eyes. Hikari, too, nearly succumbed until the tiniest spark of memory ignored in her mind. A familiarity she hadn't even realized until she stopped thinking of the woman's clothes or hair or face, and focused on her voice.
"It's you!" She gasped. "The voice from the forest. When I was younger."
Pleased at finally being recognized, the woman gave a nod in belated greeting. "It has been a long time, Child of Light, has it not?"
The rest of the Chosen were about three seconds behind. Yamato was the first. A painful memory he would have rather forget, given his behavior at the time, which was why it surfaced for him sooner than the rest. The time he'd turned on his friends at the words of a manipulative digimon. Going so far as to start a fight with Taichi over...nothing, really. His own childish insecurities and problems.
Answers. That's what he'd screamed about, in a fit of tantrum during which he blamed everyone but himself. Why them? Eight different children with so little in common, brought to a strange world to fight a battle that didn't even involved them. Except it had. The mysterious Voice only young Hikari had been able to hear at the time had shown them that. Given them the answers he'd so desperately sought.
Now, it seemed, she was back for an encore.
"But..." Jou spoke up, adjusting his glasses. "I thought you said you couldn't manifest in any physical form? That was why you'd needed Hikari-kun's help to speak to us."
(Still lacking the memories of that time, Hikari's brows furrowed tightly together.)
"Not then, I couldn't." Although...as she held up a hand, it seemed to fade. A flicker in and out of existence, affecting her arm all the way up to her elbow. "There are a still glitches to work out—so to speak—but you'd be amazed at what you can do around here with enough time and practice."
"You mean what you can do," Koushiro corrected.
Neither confirmation nor denial followed. Just a contemplative hum. Meeting Knowledge's suspicious gaze with her unwavering smile. Not unlike the kind a mother would give to her young child when he didn't fully understand something.
"I can see we have much to talk about, Chosen. And since it would appear that sleep is a lost cause for now...please, follow me." With that, she turned and began heading back down the hallway without checking to be sure the group followed.
At first, no one moved. As frozen in place as Hikari had been. They all looked to Taichi. He looked back, meeting the gaze of each and every one of them before making his decision: he shrugged.
"Unless any of you have a better idea?"
They didn't.
o*0*o
Four simultaneous exhales. Four clouds of smoke. Four dark pairs of eyes fading back to their usual color before turning to one another with matching knowing looks.
"Even I have to admit," Iori spoke first. "Of all the camouflages, an Ocean? That's almost clever of them."
Daisuke snorted. "But not clever enough. We all saw her. And where she is, I'll be you anything the rest of them are. The map said so."
Ken nodded his agreement, though he was only half paying attention. The rest of his focus was on the girl beside him; Miyako was still rubbing at her temple every few minutes, brow furrowed. Through her seemingly perpetual smirk was an expression that spoke of pain. She had insisted multiple times during the journey that she was fine and to leave her the hell alone already, and yet...he wasn't convinced.
A loud roar erupted behind them.
They turned back to see their Dark digimon fidgeting from sheer boredom. The clawed dinosaur, in particular, was hopping from one foot to the other as puffs of fire occasionally sprung up in one or both its palms
"Oh, keep your pants on," Daisuke called to it. More annoyed than fearful. Now that he knew he was in control. "We wait for the signal, then we go."
"Don't forget-" Ken began.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Knowledge. Purity. Light. Hope. Not necessarily in that order. Doesn't mean we can't still have a bit of fun first."
For once, Miyako's expression read of approval: "I never thought I'd say this, Zelus, but...I'm liking the way you think."
