Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own When the World's Not Ending, by Smartalec121 or any of their associated works.
Off the Beaten Path
Chapter: 20/ Faith in Uncertainty
Once upon a time, Takato would have felt nervous about tests he had forgotten to study for. Reflecting back on his time before becoming a Tamer, it struck him as strange as how miniscule his problems then were. It might as well be a whole lifetime ago.
No digimon attacks, he thought, tugging off his pajama top. Only wondering about homework and chores and what kind of trouble Kazu would get into with the teacher. Which was usually a lot. He scratched at a scar, thin and pale, running along his side near the lower end of his ribs. He drew in a deep breath, trying to still the rapid, anxious drumbeat of his heart. The effort failed.
He glanced at the time, wondering if he had enough time to attempt meditating again. The J-Reaper – Jeri – hadn't specified a specific time for the meetup, but Yamaki suggested making it early. He quickly gave up on the idea of trying to center himself. His emotions were too uneasy to try settling down right now, and since it hadn't worked at all since attending his martial arts class, he saw no point in trying now.
Picking up his blue hoodie, he clutched at the soft fabric with both hands. Some tension bled into his grip and he twisted his clothing tightly until his knuckles went white, as though he were trying to throttle it.
"In and out," he said softly. "I can do this. I have to do this."
Loosening his grasp, he slid his hoodie over his head and it settled over him gently, covering his scars. Gathering up his digivice, cellphone, cards, and housekeys, he put each of them in their accustomed places. Frowning, he looked about, feeling as though he were missing something.
What could it be?
His eyes fell on his goggles, hanging off the back of his chair, basking in the morning sunlight. There lay his answer.
Gogglehead.
The nickname floated up from the back of his mind alongside Rika's voice, giving it an oddly affectionate tone. He headed over to them and picked them up. The plastic felt warm to the touch. Running his fingers over the elastic strap, he noted how worn it looked. Even the yellow rims around the goggles' lenses were smudged in places. He found himself wondering how the child's toy had managed to hold up so well over the years and why he continued wearing them. They were useful in digital fields, but hardly durable and they made him look funny. Briefly, he toyed with the idea of leaving them behind, but habit and doubt overruled him. He drew them on and their familiar touch fit snugly onto their accustomed spot.
"Okay," he nodded to himself. "Let's do this."
He hung back for a second though, taking in the sights of his room. Even after everything, he saw bits of his younger self still clinging to this place, reminding him of who he had been before Guilmon, Henry, the Devas, and the madness of the D-Reaper. To the right of his bed, sitting left of a small window, was his desk, upon which lay piles of paper stacked neatly. He didn't have to look through its contents to find old sketches and drawings of steadily increasing quality. Books and manga that he read before and still on occasion did.
My dreams were different back then. I wanted a digimon so much and now…now I'm dealing with more than I know what to do with. If I knew then what I know now, I don't know if I would still want to be a Tamer.
He sighed and hung his head. He had trodden this ground often enough he might as well have worn a groove in his brain.
No, that's not right. I'm just kidding myself. I'd just think that I could change everything; that I could do better. I would think it was important that I still fight anyway. Because the Devas and the D-Reaper would still come anyway and even more people would die if I didn't. And Guilmon… I would miss Guilmon so much. He's a part of me and he's my best friend. Not being a Tamer would be like murdering him.
His phone buzzed. Taking it out of his pocket, he saw Kenta's message waiting for him. As if on cue, his mother called from downstairs.
"Takato! Your friends are here!"
"Okay!" he called back. Pocketing his phone, he left his room to join them. He found his parents at the bottom of the stairs waiting for him. His mother had a worried look on her face, but she did her best to hide it behind a brave smile. His father's expression looked grim and anxious. He nodded to his son in greeting.
"Hey," Takato said, making his way down the stairs. His voice came out awkward and uncertain. He hated this part. He always came up short on words that would comfort his parents. "Guilmon and I… We'll be back before dinner. I mean, it shouldn't take that long, but you know…"
"Come back safe," Takehiro said with an encouraging smile. He then planted a big, warm hand on his son's shoulder. "We'll leave the lights on for you."
"I will. I promise." He turned to his mother and did his best to reassure her with a hug. She squeezed back tightly.
"We'll have ice cream," she said in a thick voice. She almost choked at that and Takato saw tears filling his vision in response. He could only nod wordlessly. With great effort, he pulled back and, saying goodbye to them, he turned down the hall toward the bakery's side door. Exiting the alleyway, he found Kenta, Suzie, Lopmon, MarineAngemon and Guilmon all waiting for him.
"Hey guys," he greeted. "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Kenta said, looking over at MarineAngemon to be sure. The tiny fairy fiercely nodded his head.
"Pih!"
"He says he's ready too."
"I'm ready if you're ready," Guilmon beamed, and Lopmon nodded in agreement.
"As am I."
Suzie hesitated at first. Her attention was focused tightly on Takato and her fists were clenched so tightly that the whites of her knuckles were showing.
"Uh, are you okay?" Takato asked worriedly. Suzie scowled and dropped her eyes.
"Sorry," she murmured. Takato blinked.
"Huh? For what?"
"Everything," she replied. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. "Okay. Now I'm ready."
The group headed off, making their way through the throng of people as they went about their business. As far as days went, it had a good start. The weather was warm and there were very few clouds in the sky.
"It's like they don't even know," Suzie observed. "Yamaki did send out the warning message, right?"
"Got it after waking up," Kenta confirmed. "I guess a lot of people are pretty used to it now."
"Are digimon like typhoons now?" Guilmon asked. Takato looked at his partner in bewilderment.
"Guilmon! How can you say that?"
"Because there's a warning when a wild digimon shows up and there's usually a lot of damage," Guilmon replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, a lot of digimon don't mean to make a mess when they come here because they're confused and scared, but it happens anyway. Scary storms don't mean to make a mess either, but they still happen."
"He's got a point," Suzie said. "I wonder if today there'll be a mess too."
"Let's aim for not making one." Takato clenched a fist. "Let's prove that digimon aren't all about causing problems. They can be here and be safe."
"You do remember that the D-Reaper is here, right?"
Takato's brow furrowed at that. "No," he replied to Suzie. "No, I didn't forget. I can't."
"We should still try though," Guilmon interjected. "It's a different D-Reaper from the one we knew and it has Jeri and Calumon inside it. Maybe we can reason with it. I mean, it didn't hurt us when it had the chance to, so why would it now?"
Suzie pressed her lips together tightly. Her own feelings were rather mixed, and she could see that the others shared the same sentiment. Alternate D-Reaper or not; biomerged with Jeri and Calumon or not; at the end of the day, they were still dealing with the D-Reaper. They couldn't afford to treat the situation with kid gloves.
They continued on wordlessly until they reached the edge of Chuo Park, where they found, as expected, the black vans of Hypnos waiting for them. Yamaki stood amidst a crowd of agents and technicians. Within the backs of the vans were what appeared to be monitoring equipment.
"Glad to have you all here," Yamaki nodded to the Tamers at their approach. "The park has been evacuated and cordoned off. No civilian access until further notice."
"That's good." Takato let go a sigh of relief. "Has anyone seen J… I mean, the D-Reaper?"
"One of my agents found two young girls matching Jeri's description waiting at the portal. One wore a green dress and the other a red one. They identified themselves as such and that they were waiting for you."
Takato nodded mutely, not sure what else to say. The tempo of his heart rose in intensity and he felt his consciousness grow a bit distant.
Don't faint! Don't!
"W-What about Kuzuhamon?" Kenta asked.
"Here," came the reply as a tall, slender woman wearing purple armor over a sleek, black bodysuit materialized behind Yamaki. The man acknowledged her with a subtle nod, not in the least bit fazed by her sudden and unexpected appearance.
"And Gaiomon?" Yamaki asked.
"Nearby," the shaman priestess replied. "He awaits my orders." She cocked her head to one side. "Titamon is on his way."
She felt Yamaki's gaze on her. Last night, she had spoken to her fellow compatriot and relayed the communique to the Head of Hypnos. The Sovereign had agreed to the alliance and that he would consider the latest news about the Chaos. Titamon made it clear that in the end he would follow the Sovereign's commands, whatever they were. She felt uncertain about the ambiguity in his words.
"The Sovereign is wise," she said, but she felt doubt creeping in her words. Yamaki, it seemed, heard it too.
"We'd better get started," he said before fitting an audio earpiece on. Tapping it, he adjusted the microphone attached to it. "Hata, are you listening?"
###
In the darkness of Hypnos' control room, Himiko stood, arms folded together and eyes up on the screens that surrounded her. On one was a bright red dot, pulsating angrily and marching along. To her right, Riley and Tally swiveled about in their chairs, performing their usual duties.
"Loud and clear," Himiko replied to Yamaki through her own earpiece. Her eyes followed the pulsing red circle. "Tracers have located Titamon and are tracking its progress. It will breach in the Chuo Park area shortly."
"Understood," Yamaki said on the other end. "We'll inform you once we've made contact."
"Don't take any unnecessary risks, Yamaki." Himiko adjusted her headset. "At the first sign of trouble, get out of there and fall back to Hypnos. We'll initiate our contingency plans to deal with whatever mess comes your way."
"Understood."
Himiko set the edges of her teeth against one another. She hated how calm and mechanical he sounded, but she wasn't about to berate him for maintaining his composure.
"Good luck," she said under her breath.
###
Yamaki heard Himiko's whisper of good luck as he and the Tamers entered the park. He felt slightly amused by the rather uncharacteristic display of concern for him and the others over the last several hours. So much of their relationship had been adversarial with regards to digital world policy, being given any kind of support from her felt alien.
"Takato," he spoke up. The boy glanced at him; his attention briefly diverted from the park path.
"Yeah? What's up, Yamaki?"
"Back when I first gave you the comm device; when you and your friends were heading out to the digital world to rescue Calumon, what did you feel then?"
Takato raised an eyebrow at him.
"Um, really surprised, but happy," he admitted. He scratched the side of his face. "Why do you ask?"
"Just considering ironies," Yamaki replied. "A failing of mine is misjudging others."
"Is that why you kept losing to Takato in the card game?" Suzie asked, a bit of a playful smirk growing on her face. Takato blanched, remembering that brief period when Yamaki requested to be shown the card game. Even now, it struck him as odd. The adult who ran a government agency, playing and losing at a children's card game. Yet, he never seemed embarrassed by it and took his defeats rather well, even after all his losses.
"Perhaps." Yamaki smiled, as if amused by that time as well. "The card game involves subterfuge from both sides and guessing intentions from very little data beyond the most basic. I'm too used to having a great deal of information always at my fingertips."
"Working at Hypnos must be like always having the cards in your opponent's hand revealed to you, huh?" Kenta said, pushing his glasses back up onto his nose.
"Sometimes, you even know what's in the deck as well."
"For all the good it does you," Suzie laughed. Yamaki chuckled.
All this, Kuzuhamon watched with great curiosity and interest.
The relationship they have with one another is so different from the ones I have, she thought. Of all my companions, Gaiomon comes the closest to behaving like this.
"If I may ask," she began, "why do you behave like this? The way you act and speak is very familiar and not at all how subordinates should treat a superior."
"Huh?" Takato rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Oh, I don't know. I guess it's because we've worked so closely together for so long. I mean, it's not like we don't respect Yamaki or anything… Uh, Yamaki? Are we breaching some kind of important protocol that you'll get in trouble for?"
"I have been lenient." Yamaki's smile remained warm. For the first time, Suzie noticed that Yamaki wasn't constantly flicking his lighter open and closed. "Mainly because I know that you take your jobs seriously and you'll get it done. I have faith in your abilities, so I've learned to be more tolerant of certain eccentricities."
Takato's mouth fell open in surprise. After everything that happened and the losses they endured, he hadn't expected Yamaki to have any kind of faith in them, or if he did very little.
"I-I don't know what to say," the boy said shakily. His stomach twisted itself into knots, thinking of all the times he felt he let Yamaki down. Yet, he somehow still had faith in them?
"You don't need to say anything," Yamaki replied. "Just know that I will always believe you'll get things done."
Kuzuhamon watched as the group fell quiet. She felt the quiet weight of history pass between each of the humans and their partner digimon. She wondered if she imagined it, but the step of each of the Tamers changed, becoming bolder; stronger. Kuzuhamon wondered about the burdens they were made to bear.
They're so young, she thought, finding herself admiring them a little. Little more than Rookies, if they were digimon, yet they carry themselves as though they were Gods of Destruction.
They approached the stairs leading up to Guilmon's old hideout. At their foot were a pair of agents.
"Report," Yamaki said upon their approach.
"The two girls haven't moved from this location since we located them," one of the agents replied. Yamaki nodded.
"Head back to park's entrance and remain on standby. Do not let any civilians have access."
"Yes sir!" the two agents said in unison. With nothing more to be said, Yamaki started to climb the stairs. The Tamers swiftly joined him with Takato running up ahead to take point.
###
They found the two Jeris waiting for them at the entrance of Guilmon's old home. One, wearing a green dress, had a warm, if sad look to her face. She sat at the foot of the gate; legs pulled up to her chest. The other, garbed in red, stood next to her. Her expression had a flat and empty countenance, appearing devoid of any feeling at all. Yet, upon sighting them, her eyes became wet and there was a visible tremor to her mouth. She looked away.
"Illogical emotional conflict," she muttered under her breath.
Frowning, Yamaki tapped his headset. "Hata. We've arrived on location. The D-Reaper is waiting for us and is separated into two entities."
"Understood. Titamon is almost on your location."
As if to prove her words, the digivices of all three Tamers clicked and beeped and Guilmon rose up, sniffing the air. Jeri and her twin both looked up at the sky, frowning slightly. The pair exchanged a look before returning to focus on the newly arrived group.
"Hello, everyone," Jeri said. She smiled at Takato. "I thought you might bring company."
"Is-Is that bad?" Takato asked lamely, groping for something to say. Rising to her feet, Jeri dusted off her skirt.
"No. It might make things a little quicker." She focused on Kuzuhamon just then. "I was wondering where you were. Where's…" She blinked. "You're not with Rika in this world?"
Kuzuhamon jerked, as if struck. The red-garbed twin looked askance at Jeri.
"We must focus on the task at hand," she said. "As you've said to us, this is their world. Not ours."
Jeri continued to look at Kuzuhamon sadly. "You're right," she said. "Sorry."
"You know I am the same individual partnered with Rika in the other world?" Kuzuhamon. "As well as yours?"
"We assimilated your data in our world," the girl in the red dress replied. "We easily recognize your pattern."
There followed an awkward silence. Jeri coughed politely.
"Sorry. She hasn't gotten the hang of tact yet."
"I assume that we don't need any introduction," Yamaki said.
"I am a little curious about Kuzuhamon's story," Jeri admitted. She cocked her head to one side, as if listening to another voice. "She feels like she was touched by the Sovereign?"
"She is an agent," the D-Reaper said. "A representative."
"I am," Kuzuhamon said, forcing her thoughts away from Rika and the meaning behind this Jeri's words. "I am one of three Gods of Destruction investigating incursions from alternate realities." She frowned, noting the presence of the Zero-Unit on the foreheads of both girls. A sign of the Keeper of the Light abiding with them.
Or so Takato was told, Kuzuhamon reminded herself. The D-Reaper had scouted information about its adversaries before. Perhaps it knew how venerated the Keeper of the Light was to her.
"That's…quite the position," Jeri said. "Do you like it?"
"I…what?"
"Jeri," said the girl in the red dress.
"I know. I'm sorry." She sighed. "I guess I just haven't gotten used to seeing people I know who are living really different lives. I can't imagine a universe where Renamon wasn't with Rika."
"Kuzuhamon was Rika's partner in your universe?" asked Kenta.
"And in the one your Rika fell into," Jeri smiled. "But this is your universe and that is theirs. Let's dwell on yours and the reason why I'm here."
Suzie scowled at Jeri, but was hesitant to say anything. Many questions bubbled inside her, but she doubted she could trust anything that came out of the girl's mouth.
She looks so much like her, though, she thought. No! Don't think that! The Jeri that came home with us looked like her too.
Her digivice beeped and clicked again. Her hand went to it reflexively. She felt her partner shift anxiously against her.
"Lop?"
"It's nothing, Suzie," Lopmon replied, though she eyed the sky concerningly. "Titamon is…big."
"Mega level," the girl in red said flatly. "Virus type. Special attacks, Soul Core Attack, Phantom Blade, and Underworld's Call." She frowned at the sky. "His thoughts are preoccupied with destruction."
Kuzuhamon gave a start at that. She can read his mind?!
"No," came Gaiomon's voice through their link. "She's reading his killing intent. Titamon is not subtle. Curious… I wonder if we can read this as the Sovereign's intent."
Kuzuhamon shook her head. This was bad. He said he would do only as the Sovereign commanded and the Sovereign knew about the latest developments. Surely, he took it into account!
But wouldn't it be better to strike anyway? she wondered. We cannot trust this creature. The Chaos is too dangerous to trust no matter what the circumstances of its universe.
Yet, looking at this strange girl and her companion; seeing their behavior so completely unlike anything on file for the Chaos, doubts gnawed at her even more.
The iron gate lay discarded to one side, its hinges a hopeless, bent wreck. Going over to it, Guilmon gave it a concerned sniff.
"What happened to the door?" he asked, alarmed.
"Juri encountered an illogical emotional conflict," Jeri explained. "She's sorry."
"Juri?" Suzie's eyes darted over to the girl in red. Unable to help herself, she blurted out, "You gave it a name?!"
"You'd be surprised how important that can be," Jeri explained. Her eyes softened, becoming melancholic. "It's good to see you again, Suzie. You're growing up so well."
Suzie wavered and looked at Takato and Kenta with wide, uncertain eyes. It was an expression they both shared. Seeing their hesitation, Yamaki stepped forward, taking control of the situation.
"You told Takato that you were biomerged with Calumon as well. You plainly have the ability to create additional forms for each of your component selves. Could we speak to him as well?"
"Sure," Jeri nodded. Both she and 'Juri' closed their eyes. Some brush rustled and a Seeker Agent emerged from off to the side. The Tamers immediately fell into a fighting stance, hands going for their digivices. Yet, before they could even pull them out, the Seeker Agent's form began to change. It first became red and lost all of its details. Then, its basic shape altered, losing its avian form in exchange for a humanoid one. Brown hair and pale skin then followed as another 'Jeri' began to emerge from the undulating mass of crimson. A snow-white dress fell down past her knees, completing her transformation.
"Hello!" Calumon chirped from behind Jeri's visage. Their green-eyes sparkled vibrantly beneath the zero-unit emblazoned on her forehead. "It's really great to see you all again! Wanna play?"
To suit action to her words, the newly formed girl shot her arms out wide and full of excitement. Jeri giggled.
"Calumon, we're not here to play."
"Oh?" Calumon cocked her head and tapped her chin in confusion. "Then what are we here for?"
'Juri' tilted her head, and Calumon then perked up, as if receiving some transmission from her.
"Oh! That's right! The D-Reaper thing!"
"D-Reaper thing?" Kenta asked with sudden alarm. "Please tell me that there's not another one out there!"
"None that we have encountered directly, as of yet," Juri replied. "But there are many other worlds beyond this one and we have seen one other alternate version of ourselves. That world and two others worked together to destroy it, so there is no cause for concern about it anymore." Her expression turned suddenly, and surprisingly grave. "But where there is one, there are certain to be others, and if we noticed the intrusions of other worlds into each other, so did they."
"That is why we are here," Jeri added. "To make sure that there are no others in your world." She held out a hand toward the Tamers. Before their eyes, a blood-red droplet emerged from her skin, and from it sprouted a single, gently-curving leaf. Within seconds, its stem grew and more leaves joined it until a single bud of closed, pink petals emerged at the very top.
"We created this as a warning system. When it opens, it will inform you and us that there is another D-Reaper in your world. If all goes as we hope, you will never see us again. If not…" Jeri's smile slipped, fading. She turned her eyes toward the hut's entrance just as the digivices gave a final shriek. A plume of mist erupted explosively from deep within the bunker, blasting it apart with a clamor of thunder and flying concrete. The fog swiftly flooded the entire hill they were on, drowning it in a ghostly grey.
Takato stood there, arms reflexively held out in front of him protectively, for what felt like an eternity as the sound of the hut's demise began to die down. He was half amazed to still be standing, and he quickly looked around. Guilmon, Suzie, Lopmon, Kenta, MarineAngemon, and Yamaki all checked out fine, and equally stunned as well. Jeri and her two duplicates were completely unphased.
"Thank you," Jeri said, bowing politely to the shaman. Juri and Calumon both did likewise. Takato quickly realized what happened. The shaman digimon had thrown up a barrier to protect them all at the very last moment.
"That was fun!" Calumon chirped, waving her arms around. "Let's do it again!"
"I'm afraid we cannot," Kuzuhamon replied. Waving her staff, she dismissed her barrier. "Titamon is here."
"My poor home," Guilmon mourned as the digital field began to encroach upon them now that the shield vanished. "He blew it up. Why? It didn't do anything wro…"
Guilmon froze. His pupils suddenly dilated and he knelt. A snarl erupted from his throat, deep, guttural, and very animalistic. Takato's digivice was in his hand before he even knew it. He trusted Guilmon's instincts above all else, and whenever he became like this, it meant he sensed a dangerous threat.
"Get ready!" he called.
No sooner had Takato said that did a great mountain of shadow rise up from the ruins of Guilmon's home. The first thing he could say about it was that it was huge. It wasn't the size of the Pig Deva, Vikaralamon, who rampaged through the city streets four years ago and had towered well above even Guilmon's Ultimate level form, but it was certainly massive enough. And the presence it gave off…
It's like hate has a taste, he thought, suddenly spitting in disgust with each breath he took. Mists coiled about him and for the briefest of instants, Takato saw the ghostly faces of digimon take shape, their mouths wide with silent agony. Goosebumps rose on his skin and he shivered. Oh, man! What is this guy?!
In answer, Titamon emerged from the shadows and the earth quaked beneath his step. He was very muscular with a yellow, horned mask of sharp, demonic shape. His green-shoulder guards were skull-like heads, and his arms emerged from them like thick, solid, sculpted vomit of sinew. Great, golden, skeletal gauntlets lined his forearms and clawed fists, ending with insect-shaped heads. In one hand was a massive blade, as long as his body and twice as thick, hilted by the skull of a digimon Takato recognized as belonging to the viral digimon, SkullGreymon. The sword erupted from its jaws and a black haze danced along its edge and spiked spine. Takato felt his mouth go dry. In an effort to salvage his flagging courage, he tightened his grip upon his digivice.
"O-Okay," he stammered out. "Looks like we're all here now." His mouth worked, trying to figure out what to say. Titamon's very presence unnerved him and left him unsure about how to continue. The Mega's crimson eyes fell on him, and he felt a great depth of barely restrained, murderous rage blazing within them. His red orbs swept on, taking in each of member of the group surrounding him before finally settling on the three Jeri's. When he spoke, his voice was like a clap of thunder signaling the loosing of a storm.
"I was born from the data of digimon deleted by the Chaos. It knows you by sight, by sound, and by scent. You can never hide from me, no matter the form you take. We, the Gods of Destruction, are vengeance made flesh and the Sovereign has molded us into his swords, to slay and destroy at his command." His eyes rose up to Kuzuhamon. "The Sovereign has weighed the new information you transmitted and in his great wisdom, he has made his decision. He commands the destruction of the Chaos and of the Deva who betrayed him."
"What?!" This from the Tamers, who shouted in shock and alarm. Kuzuhamon immediately stepped forward.
"Titamon! Wait!" she shouted. "The Deva…!"
"Sentence is to be carried out immediately." Titamon gripped his sword tightly in one hand and swung it up. The mists boiled and the ghosts within finally gave a bone-chilling hiss.
"Biomerge activate!" Takato shouted, lifting his digivice high.
The sword came down with a thunderous crash, and the entire hill exploded.
9