A/N: Prompt for this chapter is last.

Dripping Water
Chapter 15 - time to stand up (Akari)

Taiki didn't often run away from challenges, but the ones he did shy away from were the ones where he had to dig deep into himself. Even after all these years, Akari didn't quite understand it, but maybe it was because she was outspoken and brash and had four brothers and couldn't hide much of herself if she tried.

Taiki was the opposite: an only child who, mostly, only had his mother at home with him and was very good at burying things inside and never seeing them again.

The Digital World, for good or ill, helped dig some of those things up.

And they'd made a lifelong friend in Zenjirou (and maybe Kiriha) too.

What about Nene? she wondered. Amano Nene who'd slipped in and out of the shadows, who looked like an angel but had made a deal with the devil, who was trying to save her sister and was employing every strategy in the book to do it, regardless of the costs involved…

Even Kiriha who'd thought himself ruthless had trembled in front of her tenacity. And Taiki simply couldn't grasp her willingness to sacrifice everything else. He didn't have just one person he'd give life and limb to protect. And Akari could understand that. She had four brothers after all – five if she included Taiki – and if someone told her to pick one, she could never do it. Parents were the same. How could a parent pick one of their many children? Taiki's parents had it easier. There was only Taiki to choose from. But Akari's parents had five kids. If they could only choose one… which one?

Of course, that was a slightly different scenario as to what Nene faced. It was her little sister for the world. Her little sister for the Code Crown, for the destruction of the human and digital worlds. And maybe they didn't have any other family. No parents. No other siblings. No friends. Maybe, for Nene, the choice was that simple. It wasn't that simple for the rest of them.

Come to think of it, she didn't know that much about Kiriha's life in the human world either. There was a sense of betrayal and loneliness, and Taiki and Zenjirou had picked up on both of those as well. But did he have family? Friends? He'd been after power in the digital world but power to what end?

And she wondered how things would be different when they went back. Had Kiriha taken the opportunity to address things that had been left in the air? Was he comfronting his demons? He'd certainly spent time and effort studying them, studying Taiki in particular. And Zenjirou said they'd gotten into a sparring match.

Definitely sparring, Zenjirou had affirmed, when a sceptical Akari had asked if it wasn't a fight masquerading as a spar instead. Well, she thought to herself afterwards, he'd certainly done better than Taiki.

Though maybe, if Taiki could make it past this hurdle, he and Kiriha could get along better as well.

.

Taiki drifted between resting and studying and a heart-to-heart talk with Shoutmon. Akari left them to it.

She brought up snacks and drinks once his room was quiet.

Taiki was still awake, leafing through a textbook. Shoutmon was nowhere to be seen, so Akari assumed that meant he was in the Xros Loader, with the others. 'Hey.' She offered a tired grin.

Taiki mirrored it. 'Hey. Sorry about all the trouble.'

'You say that every time you work yourself sick,' Akari said, exasperated. 'But that's the only way you learn, sometimes.'

'I guess so.' Taiki looked down at his textbook, then gave it up. 'I don't think my grades are going to be much better though, even with all this extra time to study.'

'Thinking too much about other things?' Akari asked. She handed a glass over and kept the other for herself.

'Some things,' Taiki agreed. 'My brain doesn't want to be sensible. Rather…' He hesitated. 'It's afraid of being sensible.'

'Meaning?' Though she has a pretty good idea. Still, it was better if he said it.

'I should talk to Tatsuya. I'll keep about thinking what might be, otherwise.'

'You took us out for Marine Day,' Akari said quietly. 'When we came back from the Digital World. And you challenged Zenjirou to a kendo match. He refused, because we all felt like you were trying to tie up loose ends… but the truth is you may not get another chance. We only have this because the Code Crown is in pieces. Who knows what time will do when we piece it back together. And who knows what will happen if we can't.'

'We will,' said Taiki. 'From what we've seen so far, the Code Crowns won't hide quietly; someone will dig them out. And there's us and Kiriha, and the Twilight Army and the Bagra Army… Four big groups searching them out. While it's possible some individuals or smaller groups in the shadows, they'll eventually get smoked out. We have Wisemon's research ability. The others have similar things. And the spy networks as well…'

'Spies are creepy.' Akari shuddered. 'It's hard to know who to trust if you consider spies thrown into the mix.'

'Think of every option, and then select a few,' said Taiki, as though he was quoting someone. 'The further you move along a specific path, the further away you move from some other paths. It's inevitable that you can't cover everything, in the end. It's about using your resources the best you can, in a way you and everyone else can be satisfied with. Kiriha banks heavily on power. Nene banks heavily on information. But Xros Heart… we've chosen something else.'

'Heart, of course.' Akari grinned. 'And how'd this turn into you comforting me again?'

'Misdirection?' Taiki offered, before wincing. 'I probably shouldn't suggest that, should I?'

'No,' Akari agreed, 'but luckily for you, I don't think it was misdirection. Still…'

'Still…' Taiki took a deep breath. 'I wonder how heavy I've made this weight.'

'You'll find out after you've delivered it,' Akari pointed out. 'Really, you're probably just too used to lugging it around. But considering what we're going back to, you could do with a little less on your mind, right?'

'Right, right.' Like he really needed another reason.

He probably did. He'd piled excuse upon excuse until he hadn't seen Tatsuya in years because of his own cowardice. And even with Akari pushing like this, even with Shoutmon pushing as well…

'Should I give Kiriha your address? Apparently he was hounding Zenjirou after school today.'

Taiki grimaced at the thought. 'No thanks.' His mother would give KIriha all the fuel he needed against Xros Heart, as mothers did, but aside from that… they weren't friends. Not yet. Not really. And his home was his home. There was still a barrier there.

Home was where friends came to visit, not rivals, after all. Maybe one day…

'Hey, you and Zenjirou have been getting along better with Kiriha, haven't you?' Maybe it was because he wasn't there, and the bits that vexed them about each other weren't in play as well…

'I hound him the same way I hound you,' Akari shrugged. 'He takes it about the same way too, to be honest. You two aren't so different.'

'Probably why we don't get along.' Taiki sighed, before shuffling out of bed. His head spun a little, but the cool drink Akari had brought up with her helped with that. And no doubt some fresh hair would help as well.

'Aren't birds of a feather supposed to flock together?' Akari wondered.

'Opposites attract,' Taiki countered. 'Really, to each their own but in our case, we highlight our own flaws and each others' too well, for now. And we both know it, too. One day, when we've settled our own demons and mellowed out a bit…'

Akari snorted at that. 'Most people think you're too mellow, you know?'

'Most people as in not my mother nor none of the digimon nor you nor Zenjirou nor Kiriha… and probably not Nene either.'

And Akari couldn't argue that point, because it was true.

.

The fresh air did feel lovely, after having stayed in bed for most of the last few days. It would have wrecked havoc on his throat but luckily his mother had the foresight to force a mask and scarf on him, so he looked a bit ridiculous but felt quite comfortable overall.

Akari was with him, which was comforting too. So was Shoutmon and the other digimon, in the Xros Loader. Even if this was something he had to do himself. Even if he had to lead the way. They were there and their presence was comforting.

'I feel like I'm marching off to war.' Taiki huffed a laugh, almost forced… but it was kind of a battle, wasn't it? Something he'd avoided even after throwing himself into real battles in the Digital World, against digimon that could have torn him apart. And it wasn't that he was unnecessarily restless. It wasn't like he wanted to fight until someone defeated him, or carelessly waste his life without having accomplished anything for himself.

Kiriha had said it, multiple times, that denying his own dreams for others was egotistical and he'd said it right back, that denying others their dreams for his own was egotistical as well. And they were both wrong and both right. Taiki just couldn't let himself settle on a dream because all dreams meant sacrifice and maybe it wasn't even all guilt but plain old fear saying Tatsuya had sacrificed too much for a dream that was near impossible, now, to come true.

The track was still soggy but the bleachers were dry and there were a few people there. All adults. And only two people on the track.

Akari gave him a light push. 'Go on,' she said. 'I'll wait over there for you.' She waved towards the crowd at the bleachers, and then she was gone and taking the Xros Loader with her.