I wanted to have this out for Odaiba Day. However, it just wasn't ready yet. So, sorry it's late. But Happy (late) Odaiba Day! I hope you all celebrated your digimon day well! I got my 3 year old into Digimon over the past three weeks and have been enjoying rewatching the first two seasons! He's decided (without any prompting) that Patamon is his favorite. Proud Mama here! Anyway, please enjoy and please review! Thank you all so much for all the reviews for the past chapters. They help keep me motivated!
*Trigger Warning* Blood/Self Harm.
Sick.
He was sick to his stomach.
Patamon wasn't listening anymore. No one was listening. He told her. Ken heard it too. And yet they were still here, calling all of them, calling Matt here.
Everything he had done these past two months was for nothing if they became involved now. All of them were now direct targets for Wisemon. Did they not see him about to walk to his death for their sakes earlier? Did they not understand that next time they wouldn't be so lucky? Did they think if Wisemon took any of them, that he would hesitate to give himself up to save them?
He swallowed hard, fighting the bile he could feel rising in his chest.
He had pushed them all away. He had done everything he could to keep them safe. He had done everything short of killing himself—the thought churned his stomach.
He slid open the door to the room he was in, puking into the lush grass just outside the door in the dim evening light. He coughed and gasped, fighting the pain that radiated from his chest. He looked down at the water he had thrown up—he hadn't eaten in a few days now, so there wasn't anything else on his stomach.
His hands shook as they rested on the edge of the veranda. Gripping the edge of the wood tightly, he inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to regain his composure.
Tears slid down his face as he stared into space, lost. Every other time he'd had that thought, he pushed it away. He had never entertained the thought of how he could do it in a controlled situation—outside of pure panic like he had done before.
He leaned back, straightening and turning back to look in the empty room. Nothing except a clean table, a bookshelf, and a desk… his eyes stopped on the decorative glass vase, filled with ornate driftwood pieces.
He shook his head. No. This wasn't the way…
But…
Wasn't it the only way to keep them safe? Wasn't it the simplest answer to all of this? Wasn't it the fastest? The easiest? He looked down at his wrist, at the red lesion scarring his wrist from before.
He narrowed his eyes at the scar. His mind was relatively calm as he thought aloud. "It wasn't deep enough before…"
He stood up, his legs threatening to give out on him as he stepped into the room and slowly made his way to the vase. He gently removed the contents out onto the desk and eyed the seemingly harmless item with trembling hands.
He knew that it was possible that someone would hear it break, which meant he wouldn't have time to hesitate. Once he broke it, he had to commit. There was no second guessing.
He felt numb looking at the vase in his hand, blinking slowly he inhaled, holding his breath he closed his eyes. "No…"
Sharp pain coursed through his head, making him wince. Flashes of Ken and Kari at Sanzomon's mercy. Sanzomon attacking the ruins where Matt and the others were inside. Wisemon looming over him with his outstretched hand. Kari's body lying in a pool of blood.
GATE.
#
The sound of glass breaking sent a jolt through everyone in the room.
"What was that?" Davis raised an eyebrow at the door leading further into the house.
Kari looked at Ken, but he was already on his feet, slamming the door open.
"What's going on?" Matt hollered after him.
Ken ran down the hall and shoved the door open to the room he knew T.K. was in. It took a second for him to comprehend what he was seeing. His blood ran cold. No, no, no! Glass shattered across the floor in front of where T.K. was kneeling.
Blood.
He shot into the room, his knees slammed into the wooden floor and he grabbed T.K. from behind, taking hold of his forearms and forcing them apart. The glass in T.K.'s right hand, covered in blood. Ken's hand almost slipping from his left arm from the slick blood ran over his skin. He readjusted his grip around T.K.'s wrist, feeling the pulse of blood flow through his fingers. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Ken screamed.
T.K. fought. Hard. Ken almost losing his grip as T.K. tried wrenching his arms away from him. T.K. cried out as he threw his weight forward, trying desperately to free himself from Ken's death grip.
Ken growled, trying to find the leverage to force the glass away from T.K.'s body. "T.K.!" He shouted as the blond screamed, trying to wrench his arm from Ken's grasp. "Stop!"
T.K. cried out and leaned forward forcefully, almost freeing himself from Ken, tears running down his face. "Let me go!"
"This isn't the answer!" Ken screamed. "This isn't it, T.K.!"
T.K. let out a sob, gasping as he continued to struggle against Ken's desperate grip. "Let go…!"
"T.K.!" Matt grabbed his brother by the shoulders, kneeling in front of him.
T.K. froze at the sound of his brother's voice, his eyes shut tight and his head lowered. He was struggling to breathe in and out without gasping. His heavy breathing was the only sound in the room now. Ken's entire body was shaking.
"T.K., look at me." Matt tightened his grip on his shoulders. "T.K."
T.K.'s arms relaxed, and the broken glass fell to the floor with a definitive clack. Ken slowly let go of T.K.'s right arm but was keeping hold of his left one. Finally looking down, he saw blood oozing from between his fingers—T.K. had cut his wrist again.
Matt's gaze dropped to what Ken was staring at. Grimacing, he looked away, focusing on his brother's pale face. "T.K."
T.K. ignored him.
Matt closed his eyes and moved his head forward, so he was pressing his forehead to the top of T.K.'s head. T.K. was shaking, and each breath he took grew shallower. "Why?"
T.K. tried, weakly, to pull his hand away from Ken, but he wouldn't allow it. "Let go…" he breathed.
"No." Ken refused firmly.
Matt pulled T.K.'s attention to him with his stern voice. "You're done pushing us away. We're here now, like it or not."
"You don't get it…" T.K. whispered hoarsely.
"What don't I get?" Matt hissed.
"Go home…" T.K. whimpered.
"I'm not leaving." Matt snapped. T.K. winced at his raised voice. "You can't be that stupid, T.K."
"It doesn't matter anymore." His voice shook. "I'm going to die either way."
"No, you're not!" Matt growled.
"Yes, I will!" T.K. opened his eyes and yelled, his voice breaking. "I didn't push you away for no reason. I didn't do all of this by myself for no reason! I did what I had to, even if that meant doing it alone."
Matt pulled T.K. close, wrapping his arms around him tightly. "But you're not alone!" Matt couldn't help the tears that fell down his face.
T.K. tried to pull away, his resolve nearly broken. "Stop." He pleaded pathetically.
Matt pulled away from T.K. slightly, speaking low, desperately. "Let me help you."
Tears were falling down T.K.'s face onto the floor between them. He opened his mouth to speak, but inhaled sharply, shakily, fighting another sob. "You can't…"
"T.K. please." Matt begged.
Davis was abruptly beside Ken, a bandage wrap in his hands with gauze and antiseptic ointment, Joe following him in, rolling up his sleeves.
Ken stared at the supplies for a minute before shaking his head. "I can't…"
Davis saw the look in Ken's eyes. "You can let go now."
Ken closed his eyes and lowered his head. "T.K., you almost… God damn it…" Ken's voice quivered.
"Ken…" T.K.'s voice shook.
Ken looked up, blinking away tears. "You don't get to give up. You don't get to choose this."
T.K. finally met Ken's eyes for the first time. "I'm not choosing this because I want to." He clenched his fist, slightly raising his arm against Ken's grip. "You've backed me into a damn corner. You're making me choose between myself and you, and if you thought for one damn second, I'd choose myself…" his voice broke, tears falling down his cheeks. "Damn it…" he winced; the pain coursed up his arm from the deep cut.
Matt reached his hands up to T.K.'s face, making him turn to look him in the eyes. "Did you stop and think what it would do to me, if you…" Matt was visibly shaking, and it was apparent he was trying to keep the anger from reaching his voice. "…if you killed yourself?" He could barely make the words audible.
T.K. closed his eyes and tried to pull away, but Matt refused him the luxury of hiding from this.
"I know, I get it. I know you wouldn't choose yourself. But, T.K., that's why you need to let us in, let us help, so there's someone willing to choose you." Matt's voice quivered. "Don't you know how much you mean to me?"
T.K. looked into Matt's eyes, his expression darkened, somber. "I don't want to fight anymore…" He breathed. "…I'm not worth it."
Before Matt could open his mouth, Ken had let go of T.K. and grabbed Matt's arms, pulling him away. "Matt! Don't!"
Matt ignored Ken, trying to break free from his grip. "What the hell do you mean, not worth it?" He screamed. "You're my brother! Do you really think I'd accept that shit from you?"
T.K. shifted away from Matt, instinctively, his raised voice sending him into a silent panic. He couldn't breathe, and the sound of his brother's rage was quickly fading in and out. He reached up with his right hand and held his chest. He couldn't catch his breath.
Matt turned to face Ken. "Get off me—!"
"He just tried to kill himself!" Ken shouted over him.
"I know!" Matt hissed.
"Then get yourself under control!" Ken yelled in Matt's face.
"Who the hell do you think you are?!" A sharp gasp silenced Matt's eruption. "T.K.?" He shoved Ken away and leaned in, grabbing T.K. gently, his hands shaking. T.K. was gasping for air, coughing, shoulders shaking. "Shit! Joe—"
Before Matt could say anything else, his friend was shoving him out of the way. He wouldn't have moved so easily if Davis hadn't been behind him, yanking him up.
"What is your problem!" Matt turned to face Davis. He stopped, forgetting until that moment that Davis was not a child anymore, almost matching him in height, and could probably hold his own against him if he had to. The look Davis gave him spoke louder than words. Shrugging Davis off, he turned his attention back to T.K.
"T.K." Joe spoke softly, but firmly. "T.K., hey, I need you to open your eyes and look at me. You're having a panic attack."
T.K. only shook his head, scrunching his eyes closed tighter. "I… I'm… I…" he couldn't get the words out. "I'm sorry…" he choked. "I'm sorry I let you… down, Matt." He could feel someone holding onto his left arm, pressure being applied to the cut—the pain that it caused making him feel nauseated.
Matt physically recoiled at T.K.'s words. They hurt. Worse than the words he'd spoken over the phone. "T.K., you didn't…"
Joe took T.K. by the shoulders and made him straighten. "T.K." His voice was stern. "Look at me."
T.K. squeezed his eyes closed tighter. He winced, letting out a pathetic groan. "I'm so sorry…"
"Hey. It's okay. Just take in a deep breath." Joe looked scared. "T.K. Slow down. Just focus on me. Slow inhale. You can do it."
But he couldn't. He couldn't breathe. Everything felt so suffocating. Cold, shaking hands cupped his face and her lips were on his—he inhaled sharply, pulling away. "Kar…" he opened his eyes; everything was going in and out of focus as his body refused to listen.
"T.K." she whispered shakily. "Breathe."
And just like that, he inhaled slowly, although unsteadily. The sudden oxygen going into his body made him lightheaded. "I'm sorry…" he murmured between shallow breaths. "…I'm not strong enough…"
"You are strong, T.K." She was crying, tears streaking down her pale face. "You have to keep fighting."
He shook his head. His breath hitching. "I can't…"
"Do you remember what you said to me?" She stared him in the eyes. "You said, 'Ask me to stay'. I'm asking, Takeru. I'm asking you to stay." Her voice went weak. "Please…"
T.K. leaned forward, pressing his forehead to her shoulder, still trying to catch his breath. "Kari…" he bit his lip.
Matt couldn't take his eyes off his brother. He was still taking in very shallow, shaky breaths. "T.K.…"
Ken murmured from behind him. "The bleeding, it's already slowing down. It doesn't look like he reached the artery." He looked down at his hands, T.K.'s blood slowly dripping onto the floor from his fingers.
Matt let out a deep breath. "Thank you, Ken."
Ken gave a single nod, clenching his jaw. "I almost didn't make it in time."
"T.K.?" Kari sounded scared. "T.K.!"
"Whoa!" Joe shifted suddenly, catching some of T.K.'s dead weight as he went limp. "Matt, help me lie him down."
Matt quickly helped Joe get T.K. on the floor, running his hands over his brother's pale face. "Joe?"
Joe felt T.K.'s pulse and grimaced. "With this much blood, I can't believe he didn't hit the artery. But if he had, the bleeding wouldn't be slowing like this. Regardless, the amount of blood he lost is significant." He reached up to that T.K.'s left arm from Sora, who Matt had just noticed took over for Ken and had applied gauze to the wound, holding pressure to it.
"He did hit the artery. Though, just barely." Everyone stopped to look up at Gennai standing in the doorway, a grim expression on his face.
Joe shook his head. "No, the bleeding has tapered off significantly."
Gennai shook his head. "It's because he has the Crest of Light inside of him. The healing properties are extensive." He saw the concern growing in their faces. "He had every intention of ending his life. Ken's interference and the Crest of Light are the only reason he's alive."
Matt looked from Gennai to T.K. and then to Joe. "But he will be okay, right?"
Joe didn't bother looking up at Matt as he began inspecting the cut. "Physically, if what Gennai is saying is true, he'll be fine. But Matt…" Joe looked up and made eye contact with his friend. "T.K. just tried to commit suicide. He's not okay. He not mentally stable and he will need—"
"That's not true." Patamon's shaking voice silenced Joe.
Matt turned to face the little digimon who was walking up to his unconscious brother. "Patamon?"
"He's not mentally unstable." Patamon reiterated. "He doesn't want to die."
Joe shook his head. "I get that, Patamon. But this isn't rational. From what I understand, T.K. has been under severe stress. This is a symptom of that stress—"
"T.K. doesn't want this!" Patamon shouted, angry. He was so angry. Angry at T.K., at their friends, at Wisemon and especially angry at himself. "He doesn't want to die!"
"He tried to kill himself!" Matt spoke between clenched teeth, fighting back more tears.
"I failed him, Matt! It's the only way left he knows will protect everyone!" Patamon was sobbing. "Do you know how hard it's been, listening to him talk about killing himself? Asking me to kill him?!"
Ken's stomach turned at the digimon's words. He almost lost it, grimacing he swallowed down the bile rising in his throat.
Matt couldn't speak, tears sliding down his cheeks.
"It's because I couldn't protect him on my own. And now he's facing the one thing he's been fighting so hard to prevent—watching you all get hurt or worse, trying to keep him safe. What other choice have we given him?"
Matt stared at the crying digimon, chest tight, fists shaking. "You can't be defending this choice…"
"Of course not!" Patamon cried. "But you can't blame T.K.! It isn't his fault! We all forced him into this, just as much as Wisemon! We all did! You kept chasing him and I failed to protect him."
Kari scooped Patamon up from behind, sobbing into his fur. "I didn't mean for this…" her voice broke. "But he will die if we don't do something. We had no other choice, Patamon! I can feel the darkness. I can feel how much danger he's in… I couldn't leave him here to die alone!"
Tai kneeled behind his sister, placing his hands on her shaking shoulders. "Kari…"
Matt shook his head and wiped his eyes with his arm, looking back down at T.K. "We will stop Wisemon. If it's the last thing I do, I will make that monster pay for what he's done to my brother… I swear…" he closed his eyes and lowered his face, whispering. "Don't give up on me, T.K., please."
Gennai kneeled beside Joe. "Let us get T.K. to his room. You can finish tending to his wound there. Once he's stable and everyone has collected themselves, we can discuss things further."
#
T.K. opened his eyes slowly. He blinked once, twice, a third time—what had happened? The bandages around his wrist reminding him quickly. He shoved himself upright, looking around the room—it was dark, but he could make out he was in the room Gennai had given him before. He glanced down at his clean, bandaged wrist. He grimaced at the memory.
"Hey."
T.K. stiffened. He hadn't realized someone was sitting in the back corner of the small room, watching him. Of course, they'd be watching him. He swallowed hard, trying to remove the lump in his throat. It didn't work. He couldn't say anything. He couldn't even look up at him.
Matt sighed softly, leaning forward in his chair, running his hands over his face. "How are you feeling?" He looked and sounded exhausted.
T.K. didn't respond.
Matt pursed his lips before continuing. "Can we talk?"
T.K. remained still, refusing to open his eyes.
Matt stood, crossing the short distance between him and T.K., sitting on the end of the bed. "Please?"
T.K. opened his eyes, but he couldn't look up at his brother.
"You should have told me the truth." Matt muttered.
T.K. let out a shaky breath. "I couldn't."
Matt sighed. "Why?"
T.K. opened his mouth, his eyes fixed on his lap. "I…" he closed his eyes, defeated. "How could I?" T.K. murmured. "How could I look you in the eye and explain… convince you to just stay out of it? I couldn't possibly have expected you to just go along with it."
"T.K." Matt let out a deep breath. "That's not how this works—"
"Matt…" T.K. finally met his brother's eyes. "…Wisemon won't stop just because you're here."
Matt frowned. "I'm sure you're right. But you're hanging by a thread on your own. Your way isn't working either."
"Nothing's working. That's why I—" His voice caught. He pressed his bandaged arm against his body ashamedly. Tears welled up in his eyes and he had to look away from Matt.
Matt shook his head, but there was no anger in his concerned expression or his voice. "Patamon explained why you…" he trailed off, unable to say the words out loud. "Listen, T.K.—"
"Stop." T.K. shook his head.
Matt ignored T.K.'s protests. "We will come up with a plan and we will solve this, together."
T.K. looked up at the ceiling, trying to collect himself, swallowing hard. "It's not that simple."
"But that's the thing, T.K., it is that simple. We've made our choice. And I wish you had given me, given everyone, the choice to begin with."
"I didn't want you to get hurt." He looked at Matt, tears running down his pale cheeks as they made eye contact.
Matt frowned, but there was no rage in his expression. "T.K., that doesn't matter, I'm your brother. It's my job to be there for you when you need me, no matter how dangerous it is. Just like when we were kids. It didn't matter if it was the Dark Masters, Devimon, or any of the other digimon that were trying to kill us. I didn't care how much danger it put me in, I would protect you no matter what."
"I couldn't take watching you get hurt, especially because of me." T.K.'s voice shook. "And…" his voice caught.
"And?" Matt frowned.
"I… I didn't want you to have to watch me… I didn't want you to feel guilty if I…" He closed his eyes and let out a frustrated hmph. He opened his eyes and stared at Matt, more determined. "I didn't want you to have to live with the guilt if you couldn't stop me from… I wanted to push you away so that if I died, it wouldn't hurt you as much. I—"
Matt's eyes widened at the realization. Closing the small gap between them, he pulled T.K. into a tight hug. "T.K." he whispered into his brother's hair. "You idiot…"
"I'm sorry I let you down…" T.K. whispered shakily.
"T.K." Matt pulled away from T.K., looking him in the eyes. Both boys had tears running down their faces. "Don't you ever give up."
"Matt…" T.K.'s breath hitched.
"You can do this, T.K." He spoke firmly. "I have faith in you, we all do. But it won't help if you don't have faith in yourself. No matter what happens. Take back the control. You fight to the end!"
Those words were so familiar and comforting. He couldn't fight the pain any longer. T.K. broke. He buried his face in his arms and started crying. His body hurt as he inhaled sharply, trying to compose himself. Matt had him wrapped in his arms again, letting T.K. cry uncontrollably.
"Shh. It's all right, T.K." Matt breathed. "We'll get through this."
Once T.K. regained some composure, he muttered, subdued. "Did Gennai tell you everything?"
"He explained the gist of it." Matt inhaled slowly. "I'd rather hear it from you though…"
T.K. nodded, but he remained silent.
"T.K.?" Matt shifted lightly.
"Hm?"
"You know I don't hate you, right?" Matt's voice shook. "I never resented you. I never hated you. God, T.K., you're the most important person in the world to me."
T.K. held his breath, clenching his jaw, trying not to cry again. "I know…" he breathed.
Matt tightened his grip on his brother. It didn't matter that T.K. was nearly his height or that he wasn't a child anymore. "I love you, you idiot. Don't you ever think I don't."
"I know…" T.K. murmured. "I'm sorry…" he bit his lip, trying not to let the sob break loose from his burning throat.
They remained silent for a long time, and Matt had shifted so that his back was against the wall and T.K. was resting against his chest and shoulder. It wasn't until sometime later, that Matt snapped himself out of his internal thoughts, and realized T.K.'s breathing had evening and looked down to see he'd fallen back to sleep, probably still weak from the blood loss and tired from everything else that had been happening. He caressed his brother's face, moving his wavy blonde hair back. "I will protect you, no matter what."
#
Tai sat on the floor in the dark, staring between his knees at the floor. He couldn't focus, the only thing flashing through his mind was T.K.'s arm covered in blood and the horrified look on his sister's face as she nearly collapsed in his arms. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision, realizing he was crying. He lifted his arm and wiped them away with his sleeve. Taking a second, he looked around, just realizing how dark it was and that he was alone. When had that happened? There had been others earlier, right?
He shifted and leaned his head back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. "Damn it…"
A light noise made Tai close his eyes and lower his face. The door slid open and shut quietly. After a few seconds, he felt someone sitting beside him on the floor. He swallowed hard and tried to even his breathing.
After another few seconds passed by, Davis whispered lightly. "I don't think you were wrong, Tai."
It surprised him to see Davis sitting beside him, but he quickly shifted his gaze back to the floor. "How can you say that, after what just…?" His voice caught.
Davis wasn't looking at him either. Out of respect or maybe because he didn't really want Tai to see him in the state, he was in either. Tai couldn't be sure; he didn't dare check to see.
"If we had come after him sooner, I don't think we would have known how bad things were, and he may have pushed us away entirely." He sighed. "He needed our help, but I don't think we could have given it to him until now."
"Stop." Tai mumbled. "Stop trying to make me feel better."
Davis finally looked up at Tai. "That's not what I'm trying to do."
Tai gave him a skeptical look. "Then what is this? It sounds an awful lot like you're trying to clear my conscious."
"I'm trying to make myself feel better." Davis leaned forward and pressed his forehead to his knees, wrapping his hands behind his neck. "Everyone is blaming themselves, Ken, Matt, Kari, you…"
Tai watched Davis carefully. "And you."
Davis flinched. "This is all my fault."
Tai looked up at that, the pain in Davis' voice making him frown. "What does that mean?"
"I made a mistake." Davis frowned at the floor, guiltily.
"We've all made mistakes." Tai tried to reason.
"No." Davis' jaw tightened. He swallowed down the lump in his throat, closing his eyes. "That first night… when we were in those ruins looking for T.K." He paused. "I saw him."
Tai frowned. "You what?"
Davis let out a soft groan. "I didn't know…"
"Are you telling me you found him, and you just let him walk away?" Tai's heart was pounding.
Davis lowered his face. "It wasn't like that."
"Davis!" Tai hissed.
Davis looked up at Tai, tears brimming in his eyes. "He didn't look hurt. And the look in his eyes, the sound of his voice, Tai… he was begging me not to say anything."
Tai saw the guilt in the younger boy's eyes, knowing full well it mirrored his own, if not surpassed it. "Is that why you went to Ken and went back to find him?"
"I didn't realize until it was too late, that what I did wasn't the right choice." Davis's voice shook. "I didn't know, Tai. I tried to fix it. I went back for him…"
"Davis…" Tai's voice calmed. "We didn't know that things would end up like this."
Davis sighed loudly, covering his face with his hands. "If anyone gets to feel guilty, it's me."
Tai gave Davis a nudge. "We can't focus on what we can't change, right? We have to focus on what's right in front of us."
"He's in front of us." Davis sounded more confident, but he didn't look it. "He needs us."
Tai let out a deep breath and reached his arm behind Davis, gripping his shoulder tightly, pulling him into a tight side hug. "We will figure this out. All right?"
Davis closed his eyes, tears he'd been fighting all this time finally slipped down his cheeks, he quickly wiped them away and buried his face in his arm to hide his tears. "Yeah…"
#
Sora's heart hurt as stared down at the sleeping girl in her lap. Kari had been so exhausted from earlier that she fell asleep crying in her arms, still clutching Patamon tightly. Now Patamon and Gatomon were curled up against Kari's stomach, and her head was lying in Sora's lap.
Sora smiled sadly at the girl, who was no longer a child. Someone had asked if she had siblings a few years back and she answered yes without skipping a beat, T.K. and Kari were family to her. After everything that had happened in the digital world, they were all like her family, but those two were so small during that first adventure that she had subconsciously adopted them as her own baby brother and sister.
She reached down and moved Kari's long, loose hair back behind the girl's ear. Caressing her pale face softly. "We'll get through this…" she murmured lightly.
A moment later Mimi slipped into the dimly lit room and sat down next to Sora and Kari. "Hey…" her voice was gentle. "How's she doing?"
Sora smiled at Mimi weakly. "She's still sleeping."
"Poor thing…" she leaned in and rested her head on Sora's shoulder, closing her eyes. "Both of them."
Sora nodded and laid her cheek against Mimi's head. "I wish we could have helped sooner."
"Mm…" Was Mimi's quiet response.
Kari shifted in her sleep. Sora watched for a moment as she relaxed again. "Where's everyone right now?" She whispered.
Mimi straightened and looked toward the door. "Matt's still with T.K., Izzy is with Gennai and last I saw, Tai and Davis were in the main room together. Everyone else went back home for the night, to prepare for what's next."
"What is next?" Sora asked, discouraged.
Mimi shook her head. "I just do what Izzy and Tai tell me to." She gave a goofy smile before turning serious. "Honestly, this whole thing has my head spinning. I knew things were bad from what you were saying, but I didn't know it would be this bad."
Sora sighed. "I feel helpless. It's like I'm eleven years old again and I can't help the people I care about."
Mimi nodded. "It's just like watching the Dark Masters kill all of our friends one by one and we were powerless to stop them."
Sora looked at Mimi, seeing the tears sliding down her cheeks. "But we overcame that, and we'll do it again."
Mimi smiled through her tears. "Yeah. We have to." she looked down at Kari. "We have to…"
#
Izzy pressed his hand to his temple, his stress levels going haywire. Every time he came up with another hypothesis, Gennai would give him that look saying, good idea, but no.
"What else is there?" He finally asked, showing his frustration. He didn't want to admit it, but seeing the scene with T.K. earlier, even from afar, had shaken him extensively. He wasn't sure he was thinking clearly.
"It would be better to wait and come up with ideas once you know more of the full story." Gennai glanced toward the closed door to his study.
"Then tell me the whole story!" Izzy snapped. "Sorry…" he immediately apologized.
"The truth is, even with the whole story, we still have an incomplete puzzle. We know Wisemon intends to open this gate, at any cost. I'm willing to bet there's not an extent he won't go to accomplish his goal."
Izzy looked down at the computer screen in front of Gennai. An uncorrupted digimon analyzer of Wisemon on the screen. "I hoped I was wrong… but he is connected to Piedmon, isn't he?"
Wisemon
A digimon completely shrouded in mystery, it can appear anywhere in time and space via the Book. Treating the Book as a spiritual vessel, it frequently alters its shape to appear anywhere within the spaces and times which the Book has connected, and it is said that its true form remains within a separate dimension. Among researchers it is rumored that it is in the same family as Piedmon, and of the same Demon type.
Gennai shook his head. "This data, re-compiled by me and my counterparts years ago, was purely for the archives. I never thought we would need it in this capacity. His connection with Piedmon is surface level." He clicked on another page. "He also has connections with Daemon."
Daemon
A Daemon Lord Digimon that leads the many Devil and Fallen Angel Digimon. Like Devimon, Daemon was originally an Angel Digimon, and a particularly high-ranking one. However, because it raged in rebellion, against a being of goodness in the Digital World, it was deleted to the Dark Area. It has vowed to one day conquer the Digital World, in revenge against the being of goodness.
Izzy read the description slowly—it was one he had studied before, but considering that they had banished him to the Dark Ocean and sealed him away, he hadn't really fixated on it too much, not when there was so much else going on at the time. "He was deleted to the… dark area?"
Gennai nodded. "It is there that they may have had a chance meeting. He could have met with Wisemon there and possibly, even, be the reason that Wisemon exists today."
Izzy grimaced. "If that's true, the theory of opening a portal to the Dark Ocean and freeing Daemon is even more likely than bringing Piedmon back from MagnaAngemon's Gate of Destiny."
Gennai nodded. "But it's all speculation. It could open up to a whole new darkness."
Izzy sighed. "Honestly, I'd rather go on wondering forever."
Gennai typed into his computer, more data appeared on the multiple screens. "These primeval texts show us that the gate Wisemon is referring, opens by ritual." He pointed at the text that Izzy could only partially decipher. "It refers to the darkness on the other side as immense, without limit."
Izzy squinted at the digital texts and then frowned at another section on another screen. "These runes on this monitor, they were on the walls in those ruins that T.K. went to that first day." He pointed at a picture to the left of the texts. "I saw those when we were searching for him."
Gennai nodded. "T.K. took pictures of them just before they were destroyed."
Izzy smiled. "He may be under a great deal of stress, but I've always known he was smarter than people gave him credit for."
Gennai smiled. "You know, he figured out how to hide his digivice signal by asking you indirect questions."
Izzy blinked several times. "Really?"
Gennai laughed. "It surprised me too. Although he's nowhere near the level of you, or Ken. He's maybe closer to Yolei's intelligence if we're comparing people."
"At the very least. It takes a calculating mind to figure something like that out alone." Izzy looked proud. "Maybe he was paying closer attention to me than I thought, growing up. He's a smart kid."
Gennai sighed. "I hope that you and your friends keep that in mind going forward. Despite his desperate actions of late, he is painfully aware of his situation and his mind is working in a calculated capacity."
"Too calculating." Izzy frowned. "You can't be justifying his actions tonight."
He shook his head. "I do not approve of them, however, being of digital matter and not human, I can, unbiasedly, see the logic behind his decision."
"You think he did the right thing?" Izzy couldn't help the lump forming in his throat. "I can't accept that."
Gennai shook his head. "Nor should you."
"There's also the matter of the crests." Izzy inhaled, trying to compose himself. "They're all back and inside of T.K.?"
Gennai shook his head. "Only about half. I have the rest." He pointed toward the far corner. Silver bands with emblems representing their crests on each one. "I have condensed the power of the crests into those bands, retaining their powers not unlike the tags did originally."
Izzy stepped over to look at them. Two of them looked different. "What are these crests?"
Gennai answered without looking away from his monitors. "The Crests of Honesty and Compassion."
Izzy smiled. "Yolei and Cody. Respectively."
Gennai nodded. "T.K. also has the crest of Kindness and Miracles."
Izzy raised an eyebrow. "Well, that makes sense, Davis lives off dumb luck. Of course, his crest would be the Crest of Miracles."
Gennai chuckled. "Very fitting, indeed."
A silence fell over the room as Izzy stared at the bands and crests. He pursed his lips. "Can we take the Crest of Hope away from T.K.?"
Gennai sighed. "That is what I am trying to do. It is the answer we have been desperately searching for."
"So, it's not that simple, is it?" Izzy ran his hands over his face. "We have our crests back, which means that once Hawkmon and the others returning with all our partners, we can at least hold our own against Wisemon until we can figure something else out. With at least eight ultimate level digimon, potentially twelve even…"
Gennai grimaced. "T.K. should not use the Crest of Hope anymore."
Izzy frowned. "MagnaAngemon is one of our strongest digimon in ultimate. His powers rivaled the likes of Piedmon years ago."
Gennai looked down guiltily. "There's more to it than that."
As Gennai explained what the powers of the crest did to T.K.'s body whenever Patamon digivolved past champion, a chill ran through Izzy. And on top of that, the white lie they'd told Patamon to give him the confidence to keep T.K. safe until other options were available—it gave him a sour feeling in his stomach. It was wrong.
"What would happen if Patamon reached mega?" Izzy's mouth felt dry.
Gennai averted his gaze before looking at Izzy with a sense of responsibility. "Considering the extent of damage his body would sustain… He would likely not survive."
"So, Patamon is out of the running unless it's a last resort and anything more than ultimate is basically signing a death certificate."
Gennai nodded, but there was a look in his eyes. "I have a theory. But it limits us even further."
Izzy already knew what he would say, as the thought had crossed his mind. "The Crest of Light?"
"If we keep Kari's crest inside of T.K., we lose the fighting power of both our most powerful digimon. Angewomon and MagnaAngemon are strongest against the darkness. Mephistomon is a fallen angel type and Wisemon a demon type—they'd be the most effective against the likes of them. However…"
"The benefits of the Crest of Light staying inside of T.K., far outweigh those of giving it back to Kari. At least, for the time being. This could even help him survive a warp digivolution, should we be faced with no alternative." Izzy seemed hopeful.
"True. But for instance, if he were to do so in the weakened condition he is currently in, it may not be enough." Gennai spoke cautiously.
"Do they know? T.K. and Patamon, I mean. That warp digivolution could be fatal?" Izzy felt nauseated thinking of it. Flashes of T.K.'s blood covering the floor earlier going through his mind.
"They know." Gennai confirmed. "I suspect that T.K. may be planning…"
Izzy's eyes widened. "He wouldn't…"
"It's not impossible to force a digivolution. We've seen it done too many times to deny the possibility." Gennai pursed his lips. "A forced warp digivolution…"
"You don't really believe he would do that, do you?" Izzy felt panicked, even though it was not an imminent threat. Just the thought it could happen sent his mind in a downward spiral. "Then, getting the Crest of Hope out of T.K. is not only imperative to his safety from Wisemon's ritual, but from himself…"
Gennai's downcast expression told Izzy that this was another issue Gennai had not touched on earlier with the others. "He's probably terrified of what will happen to Patamon, but I don't know if it'll be enough to stop him, under the right circumstances."
Izzy closed the gap between himself and Gennai, bowing rigidly. "Please, tell me everything you know. All of it. I know you want T.K. to explain some things and you want the others to hear, but I'm begging you, tell me." His voice caught. "I can't just stand here. T.K. needs my help and I can't do anything until I have all the information. Please…"
"Fine." Gennai saw the determination burning in Izzy's eyes as he looked up at him, surprised and relieved. "Do you have your computer with you?"
#
Wisemon stared at the perfectly undisturbed lake. Not a ripple blemishing the mirrorlike surface, reflecting the black moonless sky above.
Gennai's barrier was immaculate—nearly no one could sense the barrier itself, let alone what was inside. But Wisemon differed from other digimon. He, imbedded within the data of the world, was not fooled by the man-made code.
"Master?" Mephistomon bowed to Wisemon from the shadows.
"You will bring him to me." Wisemon's hoarse, echoing voice whispered. With his arm outstretched he pointed his palm at the water, and it rippled thickly, like oil, until it shuddered and gave way like water. "Go."