3. The Melting Ice Caps
It was so close… the portal was only little farther away.
Her legs were too short to just hop, step, and jump her way there, but she was sure as hell gonna try. She had to make it, otherwise-
A very loud crash jolted her from her thoughts. The girl leaped to the ground, crouching as the second missile exploded meters ahead of her. Well, so long as they kept missing that badly, she was going to make it!
Amano Kotone had to pray for her good luck to not run out for just a little bit more. She rushed forward, broken sneakers flapping, sweater about to fall off of her bloody back and-
All sound left her ears in one blow, followed by sight. Everything with white. Her feet stumbled and she fell, rolling and surrounded by pain.
When she came to, her body was bleeding afresh and she laid in the clearing. She couldn't feel her legs, or her arms. With all of the strength she had left in her body, Kotone pushed herself up with her hands. She almost sobbed with the effort, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. She had promised her sister after all. She would stop crying, until she saw her again. She had to apologize, for everything.
If only she had been a bit stronger. If only they could have made things right.
The others had done it without her, but now… now they were trying to destroy it, the happy ending. But was it a happy ending without everyone there?
Would it be a happy ending without her?
Hah. She grinned. Of course it wouldn't.
Before the next volley of shots could reach her head, Kotone pushed forward with the last of her strength, and leaped into the portal.
She hoped her enemy was seething. It would serve them right.
"The Xros Code is a mysterious energy, produced in replacement of Digital Soul, due to a lack of forced evolution. Forced evolution in itself is not bad when brought about by the right sort of emotion and drive behind it, and so long as it is temporary, but it is dangerous when used for the wrong reasons like a weapon. The Xros Code is to make up for this, and can be used to..."
"Yuu," Tagiru groaned from the comfy armchair, graphic novel in hand. "Reading out loud again..."
"Sorry," Yuu muttered, looking up from the tome he had been going over for the past week. "It's really interesting though. Helps me think."
Tagiru gave him a look from across the floorspace. "I know, but at least read something that makes sense!" This stuff was making his head spin.
"I'm getting there." Yuu licked his thumb and turned the page, patient only due to years of experience. "The Xros Code is how we have the power to perform DigiXroses so it is important."
"Did that weird knight guy go after you because of that?" Tagiru's voice turned that odd flinty way whenever he, or anyone, really, brought him up now. Yuu had no clue why. It wasn't like Tagiru had been the one under his armored thumb. It wasn't like he wasn't going to be all right.
"Probably," he replied, deciding to end the train of thought before it set itself on fire. "I was the most vulnerable one anyway."
They both went quiet for a while. Then as Tagiru seemed ready to speak, there was a very loud boom. The nearby windows shuttered, prepared to break, and the air smelled of smoke.
Yuu heard Nene scream and bolted without a second thought, book left open on a page of code. Tagiru was right on his heels.