Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Have you ever met someone, and instantly, everything about them just pissed you the hell off?

From his absurd gravity defying hair to his goofy grin. The way he rushed in, never thinking, all courageous curiosity and vibrant energy. He was an idiot, through and through, and Yamato Ishida hated him instantly.

He had a sort of magnetism. Something that just screamed for attention, but without being...he supposed the best way he could put it was being selfish about it. He seemed to reflect attention to others, and was never stingy when it came to commenting on how cool everyone was. Even things he had no idea about, such as Izzy's technobabble.

The digital world adventure...didn't help. It struck Yamato that Taichi (Tai to his friends, because apparently two syllables was too much for some people!) was something of a natural born leader. When a choice needed made, it was unconscious, the way everyone instantly looked to him.

Was it charisma? Was it his bullheaded determination? His courage? Or was he just lucky? Yamato didn't know, but at some point, a seed of envy was planted in his heart, and he couldn't help but grind his teeth every time Taichi ended up leading them off on some ill thought out adventure. It was infuriating that despite how stupid some of his ideas were that it always worked out in the end.

Until they didn't.

Honestly, it was a matter of time before they ran up against something they couldn't luck their way out of, and in the end it was Devimon that showed them that even with their powerful digimon that it was still very possible to lose, and Patamon nearly paid the price for their arrogance.

Despite it all, there was just...something about him that made you think that he could get you through anything, His relationship with Sora, the way he bonded with TK that always came so hard to Yamato, to his tolerance of Mimi at her worst. Somehow, Taichi Yagami just had a way with people. He was clumsy, emotionally. Hyperactive physically. Below average mentally (of so Yamato thought) but yet, even Yamato found himself turning to Taichi for his leadership, even as he envied him for it.

Taichi was an idiot, and he was going to get them all killed. Such was the prevalent thought that filled his mind often during their adventures, both real world and Digital.

Yet Yamato believed in him still. From Devimon to Myotismon. The Dark Masters to Apocalymon, even when Taichi faltered, he never stopped trying to move forward.

Even when he blamed himself for anything and everything that ever happened to his little sister. For SkullGreymon. For Datamon and the Pyramid in the Digidesert. He accepted those faults, and did his best to improve. He was a rock, and even Yamato clung to it.

When does hate become love? When does disdain become begrudging admiration? When did the colossal pain in the ass that was Taichi Yagami become one of his best friends? It boggled his mind, how easily the gogglehead with the gravity defying hair wormed his way into his heart, and Yamato began to actually care about him. Their rivalry was never fake, but Yamato knew that deep down, he admired the idiot that had almost gotten them killed many times.

In fact, it was that admiration that worried him sometimes. He often recalled back to that moment, that bizarre moment before the arrows of light and hope struck them, just how warm Taichi's hand was, even through gloves. The uneasy grin that he mirrored, the feelings of fear and the disbelief at what they were about to do, and how easily a sarcastic quip came to him, and how easily they drew strength and comfort from each other, even in the yawning abyss that was their unsure fear.

Taichi's smile was just as uncomfortable with the idea of letting them being stabbed with arrows that were commonly used against other digimon to harm them, but in that moment, he remembered all to clearly the moment a strange thought ran through his mind.

At least if we're wrong, we die together. It wouldn't be so bad, dying with you, Taichi.

It obviously hadn't killed them, but every now and then, when he needed that boost, when the world seemed out to get him, when MetalGarurumon seemed so hard to evolve, he found himself flashing back to that moment.

Taichi's warm hand. The feeling of rightness . The idea that dying with Taichi...wasn't so bad. The connection between them never needed words, and Yamato was glad for it, because he never figured out the words to say for it.

The Dark Masters had strained that relationship when Cherrymon had gotten into his head, and there was no greater shame than he had after coming to terms that he'd let that seed of envy overpower that small, yet infinitely powerful bond. It frustrated him, that even when they came to blows, Taichi's hands still were so warm. His eyes, even when colored with fury hadn't ever been hateful .

Maybe he wanted Taichi to hit him. Sometimes it felt like violence between them was deeper than just physical blows, like they were communicating in that universal, brotherly way that men do when they can't put their feelings into words. They were teens, fighting over who was a better leader, who's vision of the future was the correct one.

Friendship could keep them all together. Hold the bonds when things were scary, a brotherhood that prioritized safety above all others. Yamato was the reason to Taichi's always moving forward idealism. Taichi was all brute force and unwavering courage. Yamato was reason, flexibility and caution.

Two opposites, yet united in one purpose. To save the world, and to stay together.

He still remembered the moment the thought crossed his mind, and the way he instinctively dismissed it, mostly out of disbelief. It was a moment of laughter, of the gathered Digidestined and their digimon. Davis had taken the reins by then, but to Yamato, there would only be one fit to wear the Goggles of Leadership. Only one worthy of it. It was before the disaster that was the concert that fateful day.

Taichi had just told a stupid joke, and Sora was giving him her bemused ' Stupid Taichi' look, while Hikari snickered and the younger digidestined laughed uproariously. The light of the sun had hit him just right, laughing lopsided smile, eyes brown like melted chocolate, and wild mess of hair still as untamable as the day they'd met. They'd all changed, but at his core, Taichi could only ever be Taichi.

God, he's such a beautiful human being.

Yamato know sometimes he was prone to the dramatics, helped with song writing. But he could swear at the moment that the thought occurred, there was a mental record scratch. Maybe if he'd been more mature at the time, or perhaps less judgmental, and more accepting, he might have chased that thought through his mind to find out what it meant.

But he hadn't.

Have you ever thought you hated someone's mere existence, then realized you might actually be in love with them?

He chose to bury it, just like the thoughts of Taichi's warm hand. Just like he chose to ignore the feeling of unity and all encompassing excitement he got the first time they formed Omegamon. When it had happened, there was the usual thrill, the wonder that never really went away when you achieved a new form.

But there was also an underlying giddiness that made him smile sometimes when he was tired and unfiltered. A feeling of accomplishment, a twist of his lips that he was helpless to stop.

He remembered looking at Omegamon, shining white power encapsulated in a humanoid form. And he remembered the feelings.

We did this. We, together, made this.

Their bond together made this possible. The unity of their hearts. And it was a point of pride for him, as much as he buried it. No matter how much he ignored it, no matter how much he hid it, how much he refused it at his darkest moments, he could not forget that pride in the moment.

It was him that did that with Taichi. Their power combined. Not Taichi and Sora. Not Taichi and Hikari. Not Taichi and Mimi.

Taichi and Yamato made that.

And for that moment, as their Digimon formed together to create the most powerful Digimon they'd ever known, the walls came down, for just a brief moment, and he still wondered if Taichi had felt it. Felt the admiration shining through. The joy in the evolution of their bond. He could certainly feel a lot of Taichi's thoughts and emotions, but he remembered ever so clearly the one he'd clamped down on the moment it entered his mind.

I love you, Taichi.

Four words which must never be uttered out loud. Four words that drove him crazy for months afterward. Four words that burned like acid that night. That fateful night that everything went wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

The haunting thought screwed with his head, making him irritable and confused. It wasn't that he was gay, no, Yamato was very sure he was at least mostly straight, especially since he accepted Sora's feelings and still, to this day thought she was one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever dated.

But he tried not to think about it. Tried to shift all his feelings to the girl who had confessed to him. He tried so hard, got so far, but in the end, it didn't even matter.

He'd been so focused on his own confused feeling, the relationship with Sora, that he hadn't noticed just how much pain Taichi was in until it was too late.

He still remembered it clearly, the day they don't talk about, the day they both pretend didn't happen, because he knew the type of headspace Taichi was in at the time. In fact, he didn't even know if Taichi remembered.

It had been a stupid party, celebrating their graduations, and the freedom as they passed from 'just kids' to 'nearly/barely adults'. It started on the silliest of cliches, with a spiked bowl of punch that Taichi, having been running to burn off energy after a pick up game of soccer, had indulged in heavily.

In hindsight, it really should have been more clear to him, having been to a number of parties that had devolved into chaos because someone thought getting drunk would be funny. But when he stumbled across an unusually somber Taichi, he'd taken a chance and tried to worm information out of him.

Apparently, Taichi was an honest, unfiltered drunk.

“Hey Taichi, what are you doing out here? The party is inside, you know?” If he could take back that night, he would. If he had a time machine, he would have gone back to tell himself to end it at that, not to pry any further. Don't push the obviously tired and sad Taichi, don't try to get into his hair fluffed head.

The look Taichi gave him that night had been bleary, unfocused, but when stuck with him was the wounded look in his eyes. Yamato remembered all too clearly what had been going through his head, even if he was just buzzed enough that in his darkest moments he pretended it was due to the alcohol. He meant well, he still insisted to himself, but Taichi had been pulling away slowly, and while Yamato knew Sora had noticed at least a little, it hadn't gotten bad enough to confront him yet.

That 'yet ' is what spurred him on.

“Honestly, Taichi, you should know better than to come directly to a party after playing; you and I both know that it makes you super thirsty and you spend the next few hours drinking like a fish.” The humor in his voice seemed to miss Taichi entirely as dark brown eyes met his cool blue ones, and Taichi spoke, voice slightly horse.

'I needed it.' The simple statement lacked the normal cheer, the energy he usually had as Taichi's grasp on his cup tightened. “ Sorry. Just needed to clear my head a bit, and working out sometimes helps. You should try it sometime. I still think you're too pale. Sometimes I think you might be the second coming of Myotismon.” The smile wasn't right. It wasn't the amused lopsided smile he occasionally couldn't help but return. There wasn't laughter in those brown eyes. It wasn't Taichi's smile .

And they both knew it as Taichi's attempt as a smile fell from his face and he looked down into his cup as if it had answers. Answers that maybe Taichi was still searching for. “Sorry Yamato. I'm just tired. Not really up to being in there with everything being loud and festive. Someone did something to the punch; tastes weird but it's not all bad.”

“You say that now Taichi, but first time hangovers can be a bitch. With how you drink, I bet you'll wake up tomorrow and wonder what the hell happened tonight.” He meant it as a joke, but the way the odd smile on Taichi's face grew, it was obvious that he was having strange thoughts, and for the first time in a long time, Yamato could safely say he had no idea what was going through his friend's head. That thought didn't scare him as much at the time as it probably should have.

“You know, sometimes I think that might be better. Just to have a button or drink when you just want to forget things. I've got a lot of things I want to forget, even if just for a little while.” Yamato could remember the way his lips curved into a smile, the way he'd sat down on a plastic lawn chair. The moment stood out vividly in him mind as the point when everything just started going wrong.

The night air had been cool, and Tai's hair rustled in the breeze. He could remember the faint flush that warmed his cheeks, as even drunk, Taichi could pull off the relaxed and beautiful look that he claimed Yamato naturally exuded. If Yamato ever exuded this particular kind of charm, he would argue he might have unconsciously learned part of it from Taichi.

“Oh? What would you want to forget?” A simple question. The beginning of the end. Hindsight was 20-20 and in his best dreams, he would interrupt this moment. Somehow. That question was one that should have never been asked, never been answered.

What would you want to forget?

What would you want to forget?

What would you want to forget?

What would you want to forget ?

Taichi's laugh was a soft chuckle, but in Yamato's memory, it was like broken glass slicing up Taichi's esophagus and spewing up bloody emotion that should have never been there.

“Well, for one, I think I'd rather forget the time I threw up in Sora's hat. She was pissed. I think she would rather forget that too, unless she wants to keep it around to tease me about.” The laugh started cheerful, but the darkening of Taichi's eyes should have been a warning. Yamato wished he had seen that. That flashing light of wrong, wrong, wrong!

Yamato's returning rejoinder was too lighthearted in his memory, and he wished Taichi would have just punched him. Just straight up smacked him in the face and bloodied his nose. It honestly would have been less painful than what was to come. He'd laughed, settling into his own chair with a slightly bemused smile. “Well, you know Sora. Love her to death, but she does have a way of making you feel like a kid again when she gets to scolding.”

He didn't know if he was adding details, but every time he thought about that moment, he could swear he saw Tai flinch at the word 'love'. It would have been expected, given he'd had time to think about it. But in-the-moment Yamato didn't see it or ignored it, and he didn't know which of those options was worse .

“Yeah...she really is good at that.” Taichi's gaze fell to his cup, and he drained it. “I think I'd like to forget that for a while, too.”

Yamato remembered the way his brow furrowed, the way irritation had welled up inside him as Taichi ever so casually dismissed one of the things Yamato found charming about her. ”What the hell does that mean, Tai?”

Had his words really come out as accusatory back then? Did he really sound that angry? When he tried to put himself in that memory, he could only imagine himself being furious that Taichi would ever say something like that about his childhood friend. Because....well, a part of him still felt guilty. Had he known at that time? He should have. There was no way he hadn't known back then, right?

Taichi's voice was laughing, but there was a hint of helplessness underlying it. “Oh, you know what I mean, Yamato. She's given you those eyes before, right? Those disappointed-in-you Sora eyes that she does so well. There are very few things I can say I'll never stop being afraid of, but a upset Sora will always be one of them.”

The words had dropped from Yamato's angry lips before he'd thought about it back then, too. “Well, maybe if you'd be just a bit less of a dumbass she wouldn't have to. You should think more about things before you go jumping off metaphorical cliffs.”

Think more. Those words would come back to haunt him. He'd always been Taichi, hyperactive goggled leader that led them to victory. He'd always had that never-say-die energy, that drive to throw everything he had in pursuit of a goal. Yamato wished he could take back those words sometimes. He never knew how much that would affect him, even if Taichi didn't remember that night.

Taichi's answering snort that night had ground on Yamato's nerves, but after the fact, Yamato once more wished he could have seen the writing on the wall for what it was.

“Yeah, maybe you're right. But still, I think I could do without that memory.” The beginning. “I think I'd also like to forget about her smile. You know, the one that lights up her face when you do something that she finds unusually sweet, when she's surprised, but cant help but feel touched.” Of. “She always has a way of making me feel like the biggest jerk in the world, but her forgiveness is always something I don't think she realizes that I treasure.” The end. “But that's Sora. Her love is so powerful that it makes digimon evolve, so it's no surprise that it has the same effect on people.”

“That's my girlfriend you're talking about there, Taichi.” He remembered the boiling anger, but to this day, he couldn't be sure if it was because he was speaking so fondly of his girlfriend, or if it was because he was doing it with Yamato right. Fucking. There. His words had been quiet, deadly, and sharp. But was it because he thought it was Taichi thinking of stealing away Sora?

Or was it because some part of him knew Taichi wasn't feeling the same for him?

“Why do you think I want to forget it, Yamato? We can't fight all the time. You got the girl of your dreams, and I just have to get over it.”

Get over it.

Get over it.

Get over it.

For some reason, that sentence just pissed him the hell off. Taichi had always been an indomitable, unstoppable force that didn't know the meaning of the word surrender. Literally, at one point, he actually asked Yamato what that word meant. But This Taichi was all but surrendering, giving up. Looking back, Yamato felt like scum, because he should have known Taichi Yagami was in love with Sora Takenouchi. Even if Taichi hadn't known it at the time.

At the time, he justified it as one of those realizations that occurred too late, and that Taichi's inaction had been the reason he lost out.

But the pain in Taichi's eyes that night was too real , too visceral. It angered Yamato. He'd just what, given up? Given up on the girl of his dreams, his childhood friend? There was an easy flaw in that logic, but the Yamato of the moment had instead seen it as a betrayal of everything Taichi embodied in his heart, and in a moment of rage, taken it out on the one who was hurting, the one who was never supposed to change, the one who he'd told many times to think more, but hadn't actually expected to follow his advice.

“So what, you're going to just sit there and tell me you wish my girlfriend was your girlfriend instead, then tell me that it's too bad that I got there first? Is that all she means to you? Do you actually love her?”

Taichi's eyes had hardened for a moment, and Yamato could remember all too well the rush of adrenaline, the idea that Taichi was going to rise to the moment, as he always did, and sock Yamato in the face and they would be able to properly communicate and then they could talk it over properly-

And then Taichi just...shut down.

The hardness of his eyes gave way to hopelessness, and Yamato realized belatedly how badly he'd fucked up.

“Yeah, pretty much, yeah. Maybe you're right; maybe I should have fought harder. But I want her happy, Yamato, and you deserve happiness as well. I won't rob you of that.”

And then, Yamato-of-the-moment could only watch as an unsteady Taichi just...walked away. Unsteady steps became more sure, and he could almost feel that familiar aura. That assured gait. The way Taichi hardened himself, preparing for war, courage in full force.

The courage to let go. The courage to give up.

The courage to accept the heartbreak.

And in that moment, Yamato felt like he had been handed his biggest loss to date. The feeling that he'd been utterly crushed. He'd been weighed, and measured, and found wanting.

But neither of them had walked away from that party a victor. Yamato noticed all too well how Taichi began to distance himself. Nothing overt, nothing obvious.

To a casual outsider, maybe they'd see it as Taichi reassessing his priorities. Taking girls on dates, yet always seeming unsatisfied. The time between them talking grew longer and longer as time went on, and the Digidestined, the once unshakable group just...drifted apart.

Yamato considered himself a leader. Considered himself to be the second in command, the right hand. But when Taichi walked away, and the group fractured, he'd never felt like such a failure.

But then came Alphamon. Meicoomon. The Digidestined were pulled together again, and for a moment, Yamato thought there might be a chance. A reconciliation. When Tai walked away that night, each step took away the leader they relied on, but for Yamato, even as danger abounded, he could only think of Taichi.

Of the one who had left that day. The easy, lopsided smile and feeling of invincibility. The fearless leader that got them through the Digital world.

He thought that would be the Taichi that would return, and they would band together like they had many times before, the unbreakable, unshakable union of Digidestined and Digimon, saviors of both worlds.

That was not the Taichi he got.

What he got was a Taichi who worried about collateral. A Taichi who would have let others decide their fate. One who would have let someone else take the blame for the death and destruction.

And this Taichi...was not the same Taichi he'd fallen in love with, those many years ago. He and Sora were still together, and she was still beautiful to Yamato, but something was missing. A fire that used to warm them had flicked and dulled to embers, and all Yamato could think was that he had done this. He had broken something between the three of them, and he couldn't bridge that gap. Taichi no longer rose to his bait, hadn't engaged in a fistfight with him in years.

This Taichi was maybe more responsible, more thoughtful, but he was also more hesitant, more cautious, and more...fearful.

Had he burned all his courage to walk away from Sora? From Yamato? From what they had become?

Yamato didn't know, but he tried. Tried so hard, yet again, to fill those shoes that he'd desired so long ago, to be the unflappable leader that Taichi had once been, since Taichi seemed dead set on taking Yamato's place.

But it failed. Again and again. Was this what Taichi had felt those years ago? Trying to spur him into action, to teach him that sometimes you just had to knuckle up and go in swinging?

Sometimes, you don't have time to think. Plans don't always work out, so you gotta go in thinking that you're gonna have to put the other guy on the ground first, then you can plan.

Those words were one of the few little 'nuggets of wisdom' Taichi had tried to impress into him when he was younger, but this Taichi seemed to have forgotten that. It hurt, thinking that he may have to be the one to step into those shoes, to wear the goggles of leadership that he was doubting more and more that he had ever been fit to wear...

And Sora noticed. Of course Sora noticed. She'd noticed the unbridgeable gap between Yamato and Taichi growing, no matter how much Taichi claimed they were still the best of friends. She'd widened the yawning abyss that Tai was forming between her and himself trying to get them to make up. But Taichi was holding himself back. Little bits of him had begun vanishing into this new entity, this new Taichi Yagami that inhabited the space where his best friend and maybe secret crush had been.

Taichi never showed his feelings regarding them any more, and for a while, Yamato hoped it was because he'd fallen out of Love with Sora, or at least...gotten over it, as he so eloquently put it.

Then Alphamon showed up, and Tai hesitated to form Omegamon.

Hesitated. To form. Omegamon.

It felt like a slap in the face to Yamato. A painful slap that hurt far worse than it had any right to. It was like Taichi was...giving up their bond, the most intimate act the two of them had ever had. Yamato could have spent an entire night in sexual bliss with Taichi and still said that forming Omegamon with him was more intimate.

And when he finally did, Yamato knew true pain.

It was raw, unfiltered, and full of fear . He could feel Taichi's doubt, the way he questioned if what they were doing was right. He could feel the happy memories of Wargreymon and MetalGarurumon's first Jogress becoming tainted by this... sham of a union.

This was no we .

This was an I.

When they separated again, Yamato could barely contain his pure and utter fury . Of all the things to taint, of all the ways Taichi could have hurt him, this was by far one of the deepest cuts he could have given.

He'd snapped at Taichi, unable to hold in the anger and rage. That shining beautiful moment, broken. The happy memory? Tainted. He wanted to scream. Wanted to rant and rage, wanted to throw a tantrum fit for the child he once was. But all he could too was simmer and demand an answer.

Why did Omegamon separate? Why was Taichi's resolve so weak ? Where was his Courage? Where was Yamato's fearless leader?

When he finally got home, however, his fury had burnt itself out, and Sora dropped by to find Yamato weeping . Full on crying over the understanding of what had been lost that night so long ago. What they had broken .

And what he couldn't even begin to understand how to fix.

But fate wasn't done punishing him, it seemed.

As he tried to continue to fill Tai's shoes, shoes he realized he could never truly fill, fate saw fit to twist the knife, ever so cruelly.

Nishijima reaching out for Taichi. The feeling of Taichi all but hijacking the bond to make Omegamon move to protect them rather than himself.

And the one, shining moment that shattered him so viciously.

The moment Taichi's feelings came across so clearly, so pure and loving and damning all at once.

He was okay with that. As the dust settled and he was buried, just before Omegamon split... Tai was okay with that .

He was okay with dying for Yamato and Meiko. He's okay with forever losing Sora. He's okay with this being his end.

He was okay with giving up.

And it burns . It burns like acid, lava, and a million other corrosive liquids forced down his throat, eating away at him, hollowing him as he is forced to understand Taichi's fear. He's forced to face that Taichi was trying to do the right thing, that his courage was never absent, just... jaded .

And as he takes those goggles, the goggles he once fondly called the goggles of leadership, he is forced to accept that he has never felt so unworthy of them.

But even so, he must accept them, even as the shock hits. But while a part of him crumbles, feeling utterly broken by Tai's unwanted sacrifice, there is at least one other who is taking this even worse than he is.

Hikari was proof that the brightest lights can cast the darkest shadows, and if his younger brother was to be believed, he was not the only one who hid secrets and denied his feelings.

It had always been somewhat irritating to Takeru that he was consistently compared to Taichi, and he'd confessed at one point that he was fairly certain that if Hikari wasn't at one point straight up in love with her older brother, then she at least had one hell of a brother complex.

It didn't surprise him, he could only think numbly, that Tai's death could break one of the strongest ones on their team. Hikari could only shatter in the face of her brother's death, and he couldn't blame her. Even as Gatomon struggled with the growing darkness, the rage, the hate, the heartbreak that was coursing through Hikari, Hikari couldn't accept that her brother would leave her.

That Taichi Yagami would ever fall. Yamato could sympathize. Taichi Yagami was the kind of guy you half expect to be immortal. To be the undefeated. The one you would only see lose once in a while because he thought it might be interesting.

The Tai in both of their memories was invincible proof that as long as he was around, everything would be all right.

But this wasn't that Taichi. This wasn't that invincible boy they both loved with so much of their heart that it hurt .

Ordinemon was formed, and Yamato was forced into the position he once craved, and yet all he could do was try to be what Taichi once was for him.

A rock. A fixed point to cling to when everything came crashing down. His heart broke for Kari, for Sora, for everyone who loved that idiot. But what is done is done, and there would be time to mourn later.

It was up to them to make sure that later still exists, after all.

As they walked, Yamato could feel Sora's eyes on him. Feel her wanting to say something, but not knowing how to put it into words. The two of them had enough understanding that now wasn't the time, though, and Yamato knew that after this, he would come clean.

Come clean about that night. About Taichi's feelings. About his own feelings. She was owed that much, and he would not let Sora put to rest her memories of her childhood friend without knowing just how much she had meant to him.

Even if it cost him her heart. Even if it hurt to know that Taichi had never loved him as he'd loved her. She deserved to know. And he knew he couldn't keep that from her for much longer.

Yet his resolve was answered with yet another slap in the face, but one he would have easily turned the other cheek and asked for another.

The battle with Ordinemon was going...poorly, to say the least. She was unreasonably tough, nearly impossible to even hurt, let alone kill, and the damage was mounting. How many lives were lost? How much damage had been done?

And could they actually save anyone at this rate?

And yet. And yet . As death stared down at Meiko yet again, the battle all but lost, Yamato was reminded of so long ago.

Back when they battled Devimon. Myotismon. The Dark Masters. Apocalymon. Even Diaboromon.

There was no way to describe the heady cocktail of feelings in his chest at that familiar head of hair. Those eyes firmed with resolve. And the way Taichi stood, resolute, assured of what needed to be done.

Maybe if the world weren't about to end, or if there wasn't such a horrific crushing weight of guiltlovedespairhappyjoyworrydread playing in his chest, he might have had a more intimate reaction to Taichi's appearance. But now wasn't the time.

Taichi Yagami's appearance signified the beginning of their counterattack; the full might of the Original 8.

And what a counterattack it was. The military had proven useless against Ordinemon, but Taichi's appearance spurred the Digidestined into action, reminding them that they still had that strength they had let fade so long ago.

But not all was well. Taichi Yagami was a changed man. He could feel it through the Omegamon Bond. He could feel it as Hikari did her damn best to convince Taichi that Meicoomon could still be saved. He could feel the raw, unbridled pain in Taichi's heart when he wavered, weighing real world consequences against childish optimism.

Years ago, Taichi wouldn't have hesitated, and Yamato couldn't help but think the Taichi of the past could have done it, would have done it. He would have and could have saved Meicoomon. But this Taichi had lost that unshakable power, that belief in himself.

And so he resolved to take the adult path, the one that denied miracles. Denied the Light of childish Hope.

The resolve to end this fight in the fastest way possible, with minimal damage and life lost. He resolved himself, steeled his courage to bear the weight of Hikari's lost belief in his invincibility.

He resolved himself to lose something so precious, to break a childish notion that Hikari still believed in.

Omegamon Merciful Mode granted the only mercy that this Taichi could consider, and ended it.

Yamato and the rest basked in the return of their presumed lost leader, but things couldn't last forever as Sora kept hinting that she and Yamato had an impending discussion that neither were eager to start.

Hikari had gotten much more clingy with her brother, and though it was somewhat expected given the events, Takeru seemed to be a bit worried that Hikari might take it a bit too far, even if she vowed not to forgive him for killing Meicoomon.

He seemed to think that whatever was between Hikari and her brother was on the verge of changing in some irreversible way, and while he refused to judge, he also didn't like the writing on the wall, simply because he worried Kari would do something she couldn't take back.

Koushiro was keeping an even closer eye on the digital world, worried that something else might happen as Dark Gennai was still around and at large somewhere.

The Digidestined 2.0 was still recovering, and the government was still trying to decide what to do with the knowledge that there was whole other worlds out there nearly invulnerable to their weapons.

And Taichi...he seemed distant. His resolve had returned, but at the same time, there was a weariness to him, a darkness in him that Yamato wanted to wipe away. It didn't belong there, not in Taichi.

And then, just when things were calm enough for Yamato to pull Sora aside for that conversation they had been putting off, it happened.

Perhaps it shouldn't have surprised him, that for all he'd done while Taichi was hesitating, that Koushiro still saw Taichi as the leader. It shouldn't have surprised him that Izzy would have informed him first.

Or that Taichi would in some misguided attempt to spare them all the trouble, attempt to investigate alone.

Homeostasis had stated that there were other worlds. That they sought balance. It shouldn't have shocked them that after Ordinemon and Meicoomon wrecked the barrier between worlds, something might come knocking.

But there was no gut punch Yamato had ever received like finding out that Taichi, stupid, noble, lovable and jaded Taichi would have jumped at a chance to have some time to himself to get his head straight.

There was no acid strong enough to emulate the feeling in his gut finding out that Taichi was missing. And nothing could have prepared them for finding Agumon, laid out and unconcious along with Tai's digivice next to him in a forest showing a massive battle had taken place, or the shattered pair of goggles and the puddle of blood that accompanied them next to a swirling purple portal.

Chapter Text

If you ever asked Hikari Yagami if she had a brother complex, she would only blush and tell you that he was easily her greatest hero.

Hikari could never tell you when it started. When hero worship turned into an all-consuming and blinding admiration. When childish infatuation evolved into something a lot less innocent. When the light that was her feelings for her brother seemed to warp, ever so slightly into something she hesitated to name.

Her brother had always been her hero, her firmest supporter, and strongest protector. When she had a bad day, Taichi could always cheer her up with a silly quip, his blinding smile, or when all else failed, his hugs were the best place in the world to dissolve into tears. They were always close, even when she knew he blamed himself for her getting sick.

To Hikari, Taichi was the sun. A eternal constant, a fixed point that may sink low, but could never be stopped. He was the source of her light, she thought. She would never confess that, however; kept that particular confession close to her chest like the greatest of secrets.

She could barely remember that day, so long ago, when she first saw a digimon. Agumon and Parrotmon, Greymon falling in their defense. She was too young then, too small to understand death.

Looking back, she realized...that Greymon's impact with the ground was more severe than first thought as a child, because she could not remember seeing anything other than his head. All her young mind could process was Greymon was hurt. His eyes were dark, and she remembered thinking he was hurt and fell asleep, because her mom always said when you were hurt, sleep could make it better.

But it was too dangerous for him to sleep now, and Parrotmon was coming.

So she tried to wake him. She remembered the tears, coughing violently as her tiny, sick body and overtaxed lungs tried and failed to blow her whistle. Remembered how she could do nothing but hope and do the best she could...

And then Tai took the whistle from her, and with all the breath in his lungs, blew.

Looking back, there was no way that Greymon should have been able to get up without the the rest of his body. In fact, he should have started dissolving into data. Given what she knew now, Greymon should be an ended line, deleted, killed in the Real World by giving what little power he had left.

But that didn't happen. Taichi Yagami and Hikari Yagami somehow managed, against all odds, to wake him. To spur him into action, to be a hero. And he was. Greymon was a hero.

But even so, he still didn't hold a candle to her big brother.

Her brother treated her as any older brother would treat a sister, albeit a fair bit overprotective. It was just the way he was, she thought. And growing up, that was fine. He never touched her inappropriately, never said anything strange to her, always treated her like the precious little sister she was supposed to be.

So why did it happen?

Was she somehow broken? Was something screwy in her head?

Where there is light, there is also darkness.

She never held anything against Sora. The older girl was like an older sister, but Hikari did sometimes despair that she didn't have a strong body like her brother and his best friend. When she got old enough to understand romance, however, there was an interesting divide in her head.

On one hand, Sora could be the princess for her favorite knight. She could easily see Sora and Taichi as the happy ending to a movie. She could see his smile, see Sora's smile, and the two riding off into the sunset, because the two had a friendship that was just so...easy.

It would have been normal.

So why did that thought irritate her sometimes? Why did she sometimes feel that her knight in shining armor should always be just that: Hers. She paid it no mind, though she may regret that in the future. After all, she too went through that childish phase where she insisted she would marry her brother.

It was cute then. Normal, even. The two were always super close, and when she joined them in the digital world, it didn't help her infatuation to see just how cool her older brother was. Even as a child, she could see how they all saw him as their leader. It felt right, to her, that they see him as the amazing person he was.

But she never realized then what sort of problems this deep seated hero worship would cause.

When she first met Daisuke Motomiya, he somewhat reminded her of her brother.

Exuberance and excessive energy. Wild hair and goggles. Somehow the leader of the group. Yes, Daisuke (Davis to his friends) certainly had the same aura of her brother at first glance.

But that was where the resemblance ended. Unlike her brother, Davis was exceedingly aware of her existence as a girl while Taichi seemed strangely immune to the allure of romance. He was near obsessive in a way that at times creeped Hikari out, to the point that Takeru often stepped in at first to draw his attention, earning the other boy's ire. Not that Hikari was complaining, of course, considering that Takeru was one of her best friends.

No, Davis had Taichi's aura and never-say-die spirit, but he was far too immature. Their adventures in the digital world seemed to enforce this thought more and more, as Davis acted out, and Hikari was confronted over and over with things that Davis would do that Taichi would have either not done, or done better.

It was unfair of her, perhaps, to compare them. It was like comparing the Sun to Saturn. Pointless, and unnecessary. The sun was a needed element for life, and she could not live without it. Saturn was just...a planet. Davis was just a boy. When he wasn't being creepy, he was even sometimes a good friend. Yes, the holder of Light certainly appreciated Davis for his leadership and bullheaded determination, but he just...wasn't Taichi.

She did try, though. Try to reduce the instinctive distance between them, tried to slip into that easy, teasing and yet respectful friendship that the older Digidestined always seemed to have. But while Yamato and Taichi fought over the leadership position, Daisuke and Takeru fought over other things. Takeru didn't desire the leadership position, and Hikari could appreciate that, since in her mind, regardless of what Daisuke thought, there was only one who was fit to lead.

That said, Taichi did, for whatever reason, bequeath the Goggles of Leadership onto the hyperactive boy, and Taichi did not make mistakes. Well, okay, he made mistakes, but clearly he saw something in Daisuke that he thought needed to be explored and nurtured.

The second coming of Courage was...not bad at being Courage, she had to admit at times. He was no Taichi, but those were shoes only one could ever wear. Davis wasn't a terrible leader, just not the same as her brother.

This was hammered home over and over, but it did get easier to look to him for leadership rather than look at Takeru or wonder what her brother would have done.

The Dark Ocean revealed to her things she hadn't even realized herself.

Where there is Light, there is also Darkness.

Hikari learned that in the dark ocean, and she learned that the brightest lights create the darkest shadows. As she drowned in the darkness, the shadows of her own heart was revealed to her.

She always tried to be what was expected of her. Her purity and light was supposed to be the inspiration that helped push the others forward, driving them to be better. At least, that's what she thought. Her crest was something of a burden at times, making her think she had to be perfect. She wasn't allowed to be truly angry, to purposefully do the wrong thing.

She couldn't be the one to be the first to give up. She had to be strong, had to be brave, had to be-

like Taichi.

And that was the moment she knew that she was in trouble. As the dark ocean fed on her fears, something within it latched onto that.

Wouldn't it be nice? To set aside the good girl act? But it wasn't an act. She would not fall to such things, because she was better than that. But are you? Are you really?

Of course I am.

She could hear her own voice laughing at her. A good girl wouldn't do the things you do, Hikari Yagami.

What is that supposed to mean? She wanted it to be firm denial. Wanted to be able to say that she was a good person, she was Taichi's little sister, and she was the Digidestined of Light. She didn't get into trouble, didn't do the things her mother taught her were bad, and yes, sometimes she did get angry, or tease Daisuke, or occasionally get a slight thrill knowing Daisuke wanted her that much, and even Takeru was showing some signs of attraction-

The not-her voice laughed again, and she rallied. She was a human girl in her teen years, of course she would have an interest in boys. It wasn't like she was leading them on or anything. She was just exploring relationships. Besides, Taichi would pitch a fit if she started dating one of them.

Oh yesss...Taichi... The voice cooed his name in a way that made her shiver, and she couldn't help but fear dread welling up in her chest.

No... She knew not what she was denying, but some part of her knew that what was to come was going to break her.

Yes. Taichi...our beloved brother.

Not yours! She instinctively refuted the voice, only to hear it giggle.

Yes. Mine. Yours. Ours. Why does he make our heart beat so rapidly? Why is he the first one to run through our mind? Why do you compare everyone to him? Why does the thought of him leaving you hurt so much?

He's my older brother! She snapped at the voice as the dark waters lapped at her feet. In the distance, she could see the mist closing in, and she shook her head. She had to be brave, had to be strong. Taichi wouldn't give in, and neither would she.

He is our knight in shining armor. You can't hide from yourself, Hikari. You know the truth. But you repress it. Lock it away. Refuse to acknowledge it. The Digidestined of Light-

No...

Desires-

No, you're wrong, don't say it! She sank to a crouching position, covering her ears and closing her eyes, as if it would block out the insidious voice within. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

Her brother's love!

He's my brother, of course he loves me! She deflected with a mental shout, but the answering image made her go cold as her heart beat warm in her chest. A memory from a few days ago, when she confessed that she was feeling bad, that she missed having him at her side in the Digital World, and the steady assurance that everything would be fine.

His lopsided smile. The sun shining upon her as she gazed up at him. Him drawing near, chocolate eyes shimmering with protective impulse. But instead of pressing his lips to her forehead with a gentle reassurance, like she remembered.

His lips met hers in the distorted memory, and Hikari screamed.

There was the feeling of his lips on hers and Hikari couldn't bear it anymore. She wanted out , needed to escape , couldn't stay here anymore.

The waves intensified and she sobbed. This was wrong, this was all wrong, this wasn't her . But she couldn't deny it to herself as the dark ocean seized on her repressed desire, and those memories changed. Forehead kisses became tender confessions of love. Hugs became more intimate embraces, and Taichi's protective tendencies took on a new, distorted meaning as the darkness twisted her desire. Her greatest imperfection laid bare, the darkest part of her hidden by the light she gave off.

And worst of all, was the desire that came with the images. Where did the dark ocean's manipulations end, and where did she begin? She wanted to call out for her brother, wanted her knight to come for her, wanted him to take her into his arms, wanted him to kiss and and assure her that she was his-

Help. Help me. I can't. Anyone!

Yes, call to him, call him to you.

She gritted her teeth, and stood, gathering her wits. She needed to leave, needed to get away from the water, before it twisted her into something unrecognizable.

Yet there, in the distance, wearing his trademark goofy grin, was Taichi. His hand was out, reaching for her with a lopsided smile. Come to me, Hikari. We can stay here forever, and you'll never have to worry about anything ever again. I'll protect you, keep you by my side forever. All you need to do is take my hand.

She knew it wasn't him. Couldn't be him. He wouldn't stand by while she was suffering. But some part of her wanted what he offered. There was a part of her that knew she might have accepted if it really were her Taichi beckoning to her from the darkness.

Her breath quickened as he stepped forward, hand still outstretched. C'mon, Kari, we can be together here. You do love me, right? All you gotta do is take my hand.

Not him. It's not him. He wouldn't.

Of course he wouldn't. Not in your world. He cares too much, and you're his sister. But here, he doesn't have to worry about that. No Sora, no Yamato, no Daisuke, no Takeru, no mother, no father...just you and him. Forever. Your children would fill this ocean, and you would be his queen. For the rest of time. All you have to do-

Is take his hand.

Is take his hand.

Is take my hand.

And for a horrible, terrifying moment of weakness, she hesitated. A moment that would haunt her every other encounter with the dark ocean. For all her doubts and fears, the greatest darkness that lay within her, the terrible manifestation of that moment of temptation would be carved into her being with a single image.

Her brother, eyes dark with desire, reaching out from just beyond the waves, waiting for her to take his hand. Still. Forever. Smile ever etched on his face, her name on his lips. Beckoning. Desiring. Smiling with a temptation she didn't want to think about.

Takeru came to her rescue, but even he would be rebuffed when asked what happened. She may tell him most of it, but that moment, when the Dark Ocean, the Quantum Sea drew on her inner desires...that would remain between herself and the Dark Ocean.

Even when her distorted memories returned to normal. Even when she was back in the light. Every time she used the power of light to evolve Gatomon, she still remembered that shadow in the distance. The waves that crashed. The whisper of her name.

And the Taichi that desired her, all of her, waiting on the waves, hand outstretch and waiting for her to take it.

Something within Hikari changed that day, and she struggled to come to terms with it when she looked at her brother. She still saw him as her sun, but she could see now that her light was not as pure as she thought. She had to come to terms with the fact that his smiles now made her heart beat faster, and her cheeks heat up.

Had to come to terms with the fact that while she would always be his sister, Sora had no such limitations, and she knew that he hadn't yet realized yet that Sora had been waiting for him for quite some time. She considered telling him, but the idea of him being out of her reach pained her.

Not that she liked that thought, the thought that him not dating somehow registered to her as not being out of her reach.

But she had time still. Unless Sora did something drastic like confess, she wouldn't tell her brother, because it wasn't her place to tell. That said, she still savored each hug, each smile, each small brush with her brother as she grew older. It didn't matter anymore that it was wrong.

It didn't matter to her that she was his sister. It just...didn't matter. She had to accept it. For there to be light, there must also be dark. She could only smile at the thought. Digidestined of Light was a duality. She couldn't be that without also being darkness. She didn't know if that was true, if that was the intention of her crest, but she could only feel more whole when she stopped denying that.

Stopped trying to be perfect, trying to be everything good in the world.

I hold the Light and the Darkness of my heart. Trembling while I embrace the shadows moving me apart. But I can't give up on the Dreams that I have chased, and my love, will be there, and will come to me again, with pride.

She couldn't remember where she heard it at first, though looking it up made her laugh. She remembered now; Yolei had shown her an old show she used to watch and thought it was funny because the main character had repeatedly mentioned she had a pet who's name was also Hikari. She could only smile at how well it fit.

So what if she had a darkness inside that she could only confess to the closest of friends? She could accept that.

Yolei, on the other hand, had been in a state of shock when she confessed, though. She hadn't even meant for it to slip out.

“Wait, you mean to tell me that you made homemade chocolates for your brother for Valentine's day? Didn't you give Takeru store bought?” She remembered the surprise and amusement in in Yolei's voice, before her grin turned teasing as the second coming of Love smirked at her. “I thought you knew how to cook, Hikari. Didn't want to gross Takeru out with chocolate you made yourself?”

She remembered her blush, the way she shook her head, indicating no, it wasn't like that! But then, Yolei's gaze turned...strange. Pensive. “Unless...it's the other way around? You wanted to give Taichi something special?”

And oh, how her cheeks had burned at the statement, and she almost sputtered her denial, only for her best female friend to laugh. “Hikari, love you to death, but you really need to sort out that brother complex of yours. Not that I can blame you; while I prefer my guys with a bit more brains, your brother is rather cute.”

“You take that back!” Her snap back was half laughing, comfortable and knowing Yolei meant no insult. But what came next was not her wisest choice. She had been feeling a bit out of it all that week, partly due to Taichi's promise to spend the evenings of the next week watching at least one movie with her due to...a favor. He'd been happy to take the offer, knowing she could have asked for something that may actually cost him money.

She'd been riding high on his smiles and the casual brushes she knew he thought nothing of, yet set her skin aflame with heat. It had her in a noticeably good mood, and people had noticed, saying she was glowing brighter than normal. She'd brushed it off as just having a good week, though no one would likely have made the connection either...aside from maybe the one she was with. Yolei was laughing as Hikari shoved her playfully, all smiles, before she noticed Hikari's smile turn soft, wistful and gentle.

To this day, Hikari wasn't sure what made her say it. If she'd waited just seconds, Yolei would have made her own conclusions, been maybe left with a suspicion, but nothing really substantial. “But yeah, Taichi is the most attractive guy I know.”

Dead. Silence.

Yolei wasn't laughing anymore. Her gaze was piercing as she leaned in closer, as if to get a better look at what she was seeing, and Hikari felt panic well up as she tried to come up with some way to deflect, before Yolei widened her eyes, leaning back.

“No...wait, Hikari, are you...are you serious?” The tone? Doubting. The words? Shocked. Her face? On fire. Yolei didn't need Hikari's words to confirm as Hikari felt her cheeks burn as she covered her face.

“Don't look at me...” She remembered groaning. She remembered peaking through her fingers, afraid of what she might see. She could probably brush it off if she had to, but it was Yolei, Digidestined of Love and her best female friend. She wasn't Sora, who would turn her 'Disappointed-in-you' eyes to her. She wasn't crushing on Taichi that Hikari knew, being pretty firmly interested in Ken.

If there was ever someone she could confess her dark secret to, it was Yolei. If she took it badly, it would be fairly easy to just confessing to having a huge brother complex like Yolei thought.

“It's weird, I know. I don't know why, I just can't help it.” Her words had almost been a whine, and Yolei let out a soft giggle of sympathy.

“Well...it's not normal, I'll grant you that. But it's also not that unusual, really. I've heard that there are plenty of girls who have crushed on their older brothers. I know that there's a particular boy in one of my other classes that had a huge crush on his older sister. Just be careful, okay? It'll fade eventually. You'll get over it.” And Hikari could only sigh in relief.

Yolei didn't know the extent of her 'crush' , but it was also nice to know that she wasn't... that odd or unusual. “I have Daisuke chasing my heels like an obsessive puppy, Takeru who I've been friends with since our first adventure in the digital world, Renji from home ec, and then Kentaro from down the street. All these boys showing interest in me, and somehow I end up crushing on my own brother. Yolei, what is my love life right now?”

Yolei's snicker was loud, and Hikari shot her a pout. Her lips twitched, though, betraying her amusement as her high returned from the place it had been crammed when she worried about Yolei's reaction, and she joined the girl in her giggling.

“Well, I wouldn't say love life, but yeah, Daisuke is pretty obsessive. He needs to learn that not all girls like pushy guys. Honestly, though, given your crush on Taichi, I'd expect you to go for the gogglehead.”

The face she had got in return for the comment was enough to make Yolei tilt her head in confusion as Hikari's lips curved down. “Then you don't know my brother well enough. Davis is...nice enough, but he's not Taichi, and will never be Taichi.”

“Woah there, Hikari, calm down, I meant no offense. I know that I don't know Taichi as well as you do; you live with the guy.”

Hikari had to repress a sigh. “I know. I just...thought the same initially. But they aren't the same. My brother is impulsive. He doesn't think things through, and sometimes rushes into things without thinking. I can see how you'd think he and Davis are much alike. But Taichi has matured. He accepts his flaws, learns from them, and gets better. He's not pushy, and while he seems to wear his heart on his sleeve, he still holds back a lot of things. Movie night isn't just movie night for us; it's a chance to talk about life, what we're going through. Hopes and fears, though he doesn't admit to much of the latter. But he's...just different. I can't explain it, Yolei. Maybe someday, Daisuke will mature like that. I know he idolizes Taichi. But he's not there yet, and even if I did try to date him...would I be dating him for him, or because he reminds me of a more attainable replacement for my brother?”

She remembered turning to Yolei, cheeks still slightly flushed from thoughts of movie night, and seeing a rather strange expression, as if Yolei were trying to decide if she should be laughing, encouraging, or shocked.

“Oh. It's worse than I thought.”

Yolei had snapped out of it soon enough, and the rest of the conversation had gone somewhat normally, though the relief at Yolei's non-judgment probably had Hikari not paying as much attention to the small things, but in the end, she was just so relieved to have someone to talk to about her 'crush' that she hadn't thought about it.It was as if she finally had an outlet for her forbidden thoughts, and Yolei was never the type to deny her a venting session. It was almost tradition, at some point, for Yolei to lament her lack of progress with Ken, and Hikari to sympathize with her, mentioning her own experiences with her brother.

A rather strange new normal. That said, Yolei did pull her aside not long before vanishing during...well, the massive disaster that was Meicoomon.

Yolei had been strangely serious as she told Hikari that she'd expected Hikari's crush to fade, but she'd noticed it hadn't. She knew Kari's feelings were getting stronger, and she could only tell Hikari that as her friend, she needed to decide.

“He's your brother, but this attachment...it's not healthy, Hikari. You need to decide. If you follow this love, it can't go anywhere. You will never be able to have him the way you want him without facing a lot of trouble, and there's no way of knowing if he would accept it. But the only other option is to sever it. You have to decide if you want to keep this, or if you will look elsewhere, and try and find someone else to love. You call him your brother, but that's not how you see him. That has to change, or you have to accept that he is someone you will probably never be with the way you want.”

She remembered all too well the lump in her throat at those words, and she could feel the urge to lash out at Yolei in anger and distress. However, she only nodded, knowing it was true. Yolei was her friend, someone who she had a close bond with. She didn't judge Hikari, not maliciously.

“I've known you for a while, Hikari, and I know that it'll be hard. But you still have your friends. We can cover for you if Taichi notices you pulling away. I know you worry about him, with the whole thing with Yamato and Sora. But all that doting on him, trying to make him feel better, it didn't help your crush. You've only sunk in deeper, and I want you to think about this before the bond is too deep for you to cut on your own.”

Of course, at the point it was already too late for her. She had already fallen too deep. She still dreamed, sometimes. Her nightmares still contained Myotismon most of the time, but sometimes...it was more frightening to find herself in the dark place. The normally cold water washing over her ankles, this time warm and comfortable. The white mist was thin, and the midnight sun lingered in the sky.

The worst was when she heard someone next to her, turning to see Taichi standing next to her, slipping his hand into hers before leaning in for a kiss. It was always warm, always comforting, but she knew it wasn't real.

I'm glad I waited for you. We never have to be apart, not here. I'll never need anyone but you, Hikari.

She could feel the dark ocean in those instances, and it wasn't only beckoning her. No, it knew now, the best way to ensnare her was to give her what she wanted. Who she wanted. It didn't just want her anymore. It wanted Taichi as well.

And frighteningly enough, when the desire grew too great, the temptations a siren song...she felt she could understand it. The Dark Ocean wasn't some hellscape, some evil thing that needed purging. It simply...was. Many could claim to be its master, many could call it home, and many could leave it. But it didn't matter. The Dark Ocean, the Quantum Sea, it was just power. Power that was infused with darkness, a dimension full of negativity because that was what it had always been. But it wasn't consciously evil. It didn't understand human emotion, not really. It tempted all the same. It offered power. It offered an outlet for the darkness within. Nothing more, nothing less. What was in it might try to manipulate, try to trick, but the Dark Ocean didn't care who used it. It called to her because she could use it to its greatest effect. In her hands, the darkness would be powerful enough to wash over everything if she desired.

It could give her what she wanted, if she accepted it.

And it was this darkness that she drew upon when she lost Taichi.

All those things she never said. All those feelings never confessed. All that she could never have again.

Taichi was dead.

It couldn't be true. Couldn't be.

Taichi was dead.

Her breath burned in her chest. She could feel the hot tears in her eyes as she swallowed down the sob. This wasn't funny. Taichi should know better than to keep her waiting. She couldn't see him, but he had to be hiding somewhere, maybe behind some rocks that he and his teacher might have used for shelter from the explosion.

Taichi was dead.

Her breath picked up, and she idly wondered if she was hyperventilating. Taichi should probably come and calm her down, he was always there when she started to have a panic attack. She didn't have them often, true, but he'd always been there when she had nightmares.

Taichi was dead.

He was taking too long.

Taichi was dead.

Taichi, your beloved little sister is crying. Stop playing this game.

Taichi was dead.

No...no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!

“Taichiiiii!”

And she screamed. Sobs tore through her as the reality hit her. Her brother, always so invincible until he wasn't. The indomitable leader had been fading, but Hikari could still see it from day to day, that the young Taichi was still in there, suffocating under the weight of adulthood.

The mist covering her mind was familiar, and for the first time, the Dark Ocean was silent. No whispers, no temptations....and no waiting figure on the waves. Even in the Dark Ocean, her brother was gone.

“Taichiii!” The name echoed in the dark waters, and Hikari fell to her knees. “Give him back...give him back to me! You can't! You can't take him from me! You promised! You promised to always be there! How can I take your hand if you aren't here to offer it!”

The water washed over her, and she could feel her chest burn, but what she didn't see was the crest of light on her chest, warping and changing. Inverting. And the Quantum Sea responded. She came back to herself as she was once more in the digital world, in that desert. And Gatomon was evolving.

Darkness filled her and Gatomon cried out, before the dark evolution overwhelmed her, and Hikari had a moment of regret for the pain before the evolution completed.

A fallen angel. Merging with the Libra.

We have answered your call, Digidestined of Light and Dark. But there is a price to be paid for all power, and fate may be changed only through sacrifice.

On her chest, unnoticed, the crest of Light returned to normal...but it had been forever changed. She could no longer be a pure light, now that she had called upon the darkness, but that was never what the Light was meant to be. There can be no light without dark, and only her acceptance of that would allow her to fully step into her role.

Gatomon had evolved because she'd drawn on that power, but without a directing force, she didn't resist from being assimilated.

No, perhaps that was too naive.

Hikari couldn't deny that she felt powerfully about her brother. And with him gone...she felt numb. Disconnected.

For an instant...she didn't care. Didn't care about Meiko. Didn't care about Meicoomon. Didn't care about the digidestined. Didn't care about Homeostasis.

Didn't care about the world.

Her brother was dead. What did it matter to her if the rest of the world followed?

She snapped out of it after a few moments, but by then, the damage was done.

She felt drained. Drained of life, of light, of darkness, of energy...she could only cry. She could only cry, but she had no energy for tears. No tears to shed. Her world was empty and gray, and she was a spectator.

She wanted Gatomon back, yes, but Gatomon, for all her comfort, would never be her brother.

She wasn't surprised that they were losing badly against Ordinemon. She expected it. She numbly considered the power she had called upon, wondering what was meant when the Dark ocean said that fate could only be changed through sacrifice. She'd drawn upon the power of darkness, and with that darkness, Ordinemon had been formed. It was drawing power from the Dark Ocean, the Quantum Sea, and Hikari, of all people, knew that it would be difficult, if not completely impossible to beat Ordinemon. But some part of her, the part that wasn't numb, refused to give up. Taichi wouldn't have, as much pain as the thought caused.

We may be Digidestined, but that's just a name. We decide what we do with that, Hikari.

She wanted to smile. The memory was painful and drew tears, but it was still Taichi. Trying to reassure her in that clumsy, endearing way he did.

Yeah, fate may be a powerful thing, especially in movies, but we don't have to give in to fate, because we're human. We can bow to the whims of fate, or we can struggle with all our might! We can step forward, and say 'this is my life, my fate, and I will shape it with my own hands.' We can fight it with each breath. You may have been sick when you were younger, but look at you now, Hikari. Did fate decide you would get better? Or did we, fighting to make you healthy? You were weak once, and you may have been born like that, but you didn't accept it. Digidestined may be fated to save the world, but only we decide how we do that!

We decide. Taichi may be gone, and maybe she feels like she's going through the motions. Maybe she's not as pure as everyone thought. But she wouldn't let it end this way. Not like this. Because she was Taichi's sister. A sister who may love her brother more than she should, but she liked to think she also had his spirit.

And unknown to her, far away in a ruined city, a tablet glowed, the second part of a prophecy fullfilled as the chosen of Light and Darkness drew on the light to balance the dark, shifting the scales back to balance.

Light and Dark. Dark and Light. Both had their strengths. Darkness was just more noticeable.

And when Taichi reappeared to save Meiko at the last minute, nothing in the world could have made her happier at that moment.

Her invincible brother was still invincible. Immortal. But most importantly, he was here.

But something had changed. She could see the resolve in his eyes, but also a deep sadness. She found out wry very soon, as Taichi revealed his intent to end the fight.

End it in a way that she refused, that she could not accept. And as he looked at her, she could see his resolve, but also his disappointment. Disappointment in himself. This was the only thing he could think of to end the fight, to save lives and spare the city. He had matured, but she couldn't accept that he'd embraced the idea of a necessary sacrifice.

Only she already knew that. Knew he'd intended to die to save Yamato and Meiko. There had been a point when she'd hated Yamato and Sora for what they had done to her brother, but for some reason, Taichi never did. He never held it against them, instead seeing it as him having not realizing his own feelings until it was too late.

He'd grown up.

But if that was what growing up meant, she didn't want it. It was those moments that had her drawing closer to the Dark Ocean, basking in the promise it offered. The promise she thought would always be there, until she'd almost lost her brother. The Dark Ocean held no allegiance other than who could use it's power to the greatest extent.

And perhaps, the Dark Ocean had, in fact, saved her brother according to her request. Taichi's teacher was nowhere to be found, yet here was Taichi, none the worse for wear.

We have. A Sacrifice was given, Fate Averted. We do not make promises we cannot keep.

The voice of the Quantum Sea caught her by surprise, a soft whisper she could yet hear clearly.

And if I want to save Meicoomon?

For a moment, all was silent in her head, even as the original 8 launched their counterattack. Even as Omegamon was formed. Even as he mode changed into Merciful Mode.

Then the Dark Ocean spoke again.

We can save her. But Changing Fate requires Sacrifice, and not one that can be paid right now.

And Hikari smiled. It wasn't a dark smile, malicious, or dangerous. But a smile that was pure, of relief and thankfulness. She couldn't save Meicoomon right now. She didn't have what would be required to be paid. Not right now.

There will be a time in the future, Queen Hikari.

And it was then that Hikari could truly understand how someone could fall into darkness so easily, if darkness made such promises. But she was different. She was the Digidestined of Light, the flip side of the coin.

And far away, yet another line of the prophecy lit up.

She'd promised, vowed to never forgive Taichi for killing Meicoomon.

But Hikari could say with a smile that in this particular case, she was a damn dirty liar.

In truth, she forgave him the moment she realized that while he couldn't save the digimon right then, she could do it for him later. No, her current vow was to remind him of his strength. Of his power, the power he had when he truly believed. He'd gone out of his way to dote on her, to wordlessly beg for her forgiveness in the best way he knew how, with clumsy yet endearing gestures he knew she would appreciate.

Movie nights made a comeback, and he spent time every day asking about her time at school. He'd tried to reconnect with her, and she replied with an eagerness that pleasantly surprised him, it seemed. He had no way of knowing that his sister was starting to slip into the darkness little by little.

She'd been happier, more honest with herself and didn't hesitate to ask him for things she knew he could accommodate, even if it was simply for him to let her lay on his bed and read while he did homework. To him, it was just her reassuring herself that he was okay, and he was partly right.

In reality, Hikari had become...fascinated by the power of the Dark Ocean. It was like a genie, one with unlimited wishes as long as you were okay with paying small prices. Nothing egregious, of course, Hikari knew better than to overindulge, but she did find that it made life easier rather than just relying on herself or occasionally the power of Light.

She had no way of knowing that her Crest had settled into duality. That she was now half light and darkness. Homeostasis might have been proud at the balance she had achieved. The Dark Ocean no longer haunted her dreams as it once did, and the cold water had warmed significantly when she stopped rejecting its very existence.

Hey, you promised me that I could have Taichi to myself if I used your power, right?

He would be yours, but you would have to bring him here.

What if I just wanted him to see me as more than a little sister?

We do not understand.

What if I wanted him to...um. Desire me as a girl.

You desire to have him mate with you?

The Dark Ocean was useful for granting her darker desires, but sometimes, she really should remember that it is not a human thing that can understand things like tact.

No! I mean...yes? Not right now, just...I want him to see me as...someone he can want as a mate.

There was silence for a moment.

Changing fate requires sacrifice.

She sighed. Okay, so there wasn't really an easy way to deal with this. Maybe Yolei was right-

But a small change of fate requires a much smaller sacrifice.

And she lost her breath at the added statement. She'd inquired further, and the answer had been far less of a 'sacrifice' than she thought. She stuck close to her Taichi, nearly giving up all pretense at times. Casual contact became common. Movie nights were just as common, but now Hikari didn't hesitate to bury her face in Taichi's shoulder during scary moments in horror movies that she picked out, much to Taichi's confusion.

And sometimes, when she could feel him at his weakest, she would pull him into a lap pillow. He struggled and squirmed at first, but she'd done it enough that he only squirmed halfheartedly now. His puffy hair was still silky soft, and she enjoyed running her fingers through it. She told him as much, and he'd had a slight blush in his cheeks as he scratch the back of his head in a sheepish gesture she hadn't seen from him in months.

“That's...kinda weird, Hikari. Normally you do that for...” He trailed off, and she waited patiently, half smile on her lips as she watched. Which would win out? The resistance to the though of her having a boy she liked, or his discomfort that she was turning into a rather cute girl? There was a slight thrill there, knowing that he was becoming more and more conscious of the fact that she was a girl. She blamed her prolonged contact with the Quantum Sea for her relaxing of her inner thoughts and impulses.

She wasn't ignorant that it was happening, but even Yolei had commented that she seemed to shine brighter now that she wasn't trying so hard.

She could only laugh when Taichi gave up resisting, opting instead to resist the idea that she might do this for some guy he didn't know. And she knew that he found it relaxing, since there was at least once that he'd fallen asleep on her lap, much to her amused joy.

As the weight of his head settled on her lap, eyes turned away (She knew he couldn't meet her eyes when she did this, as the one time he did, he'd not let her do it again for several days while he 'got his head straight') she ran her fingers through brown, silky locks. As he relaxed, she began to hum softly.

“You are like the fast wind,

That sweeps across the surface of the ocean,

And all the dreams you have are always taken care of

By infinite rays of the sun.

And now as I see you,

Your back is turned to me but you are reaching,

Pointing towards the future,

Both your wings are broken,

So why do you hide all your pain?”

He started to turn as she sang softly, but she held him in place, gently but insistently. She knew he would get up up their eyes met, cheeks red and heated. She didn't want to lose this moment, and when he stopped trying to turn, they both relaxed.

“Softly, let me wipe away your tears,

Softly, let me hold you in my arms.

Softly, let me comfort you,

Because I want to see you in your glory!”

He began to shake, and for a moment, she was confused, before she felt a wet droplet hit her leg. He was...crying. She could hear him stifle sobs, and she felt the tears burning the corners of her eyes, but she didn't let it show. He needed this. She wasn't going to let him know that his tears was making her want to cry too, even if only to share his pain.

“I'll give you, I'll give you,

If you choose to lay your head down,

All the dreams that you dream will live on~!

I'll give you, I'll give you,

If you hold a heart that's true now,

Your love will return back to you...

I give you, my Love, Lullaby~!”

Her song ended, but his tears did not. She continued to stroke his hair as he silently wept. She didn't know what he was weeping for, but she wouldn't ask. He would tell her when he was ready. Maybe it was for lost love. Maybe it was from stress. Maybe it was because he felt he had failed. She didn't know, but he had so much pain locked inside him that she was just happy for him to vent even a little bit.

That moment would stick in her memory, keeping her warm for several nights when she felt the world was falling apart around her.

And she needed that, because a week ago, he had gone missing.

A week ago, they had found Agumon unconscious, with Taichi's digivice next to him. A week ago, they found a puddle of blood next to shattered goggles.

And a week ago, she'd demanded answers from the Quantum Sea. And the answer was...horrifying.

Why?! Why did this happen? Tell me why! What must be sacrificed to bring him back to me?

There is nothing.

I don't understand, why won't you help me?

You misunderstand. We do not deny you. This is done by your wish. He is both Sacrifice and Averted Fate.

What do you mean?

He is a part of a prophecy to save more than one world, while at the same time fulfilling your desire. This prophecy is not one we can interfere with directly.

But...he's okay, right?

He will be. But for now, he is in mortal danger. You cannot help him, Queen Hikari.

And that, more than anything at that moment, burned. She could do nothing but search for him. Hope for him.

So hope she would. Hope for his safe return. But a part of her was also cautiously happy. Nothing the Dark Ocean had promised her had been a lie, so if the Quantum Sea said he would be okay, then she would believe it. The cause for her happiness, however, was that she'd only ever asked for good things for him, and perhaps one very selfish goal.

And if this was a sacrifice that had been made, well, it may make her angry that it was decided without her input, but...well, if it got results, then she really didn't have much else she could complain about. She'd made a wish, and it was granted. As long as he was okay in the end, she could live with the consequences.

Chapter Text

Anyone who knew Taichi Yagami knew who Sora Takenouchi was, and vice versa.

They met young, and were thick as thieves almost instantly. Sora could still remember the hyper kid who beaned her in the head with a soccer ball by accident. Could remember his excited panic as he apologized...right before an annoyed Sora kicked the ball back at him, catching him by surprise as it bounced off his forehead.

And could remember the excited grin on on his face even as he rubbed his face from the sudden pain.

“Hey, you got a nice kick! Wanna play?” It wasn't what she expected, but given the choice between playing with dolls or on the swings and kicking a ball around...she would pick the latter. And thus...it began.

Taichi Yagami was obsessed with soccer, but for all she might have teased him, she couldn't say she didn't share his love of the sport. Her mom didn't really like it, but as busy as she was, she wasn't really aware yet that her tomboyish daughter was running around with a soccer fiend, or that as the two got closer, that inseparable bond would grow. The days were good, and their friendship flourished, all matching grins and sweaty foreheads. Goals kicked and excited chatter.

He was so easy to get along with, even if he was a dumb boy. “Stupid Taichi!” Became a common phrase, but for all his faults, she wouldn't have him any other way. It was refreshing, sometimes. He was unstoppable in soccer, except when against her. She could never stay mad at him, even after he admitted he didn't know she was a girl until around 4 months into their friendship.

It had been a silly fight, but his clumsy, endearing apologies had been enough to cool her anger.

“I'm sorry, Sora. I didn't know you were a girl, I just thought of you as my friend, Sora.”

At the time, that had made her happy, knowing he hadn't thought less of her for being a girl. That feeling persisted as they grew, inseparable. Her mom was glad she was mostly staying out of trouble while she worked. Taichi's mom thought their friendship was adorable. She was there for many of his ups and downs, just like he was there for hers.

She was there when he worried he might made Hikari sick. When he sank into a depression, thinking his parents hated him. When he worried Hikari might hate him. When she didn't know what to do other than hug him and tell him that she would never hate him, and that she was sure his parents wouldn't either.

He was a constant in her life, and her in his, and she never thought that would change.

Until it did.

It's been

One week since you looked at me

Cocked your head to the side and said “I'm angry”

Five days since you laughed at me

Saying “Get that together, come back and see me.”

Three days since the living room,

I realized it's all my fault, but couldn't tell you

Yesterday, you'd forgiven me

But it'll still be two days 'till I say I'm sorry.

The thing about best friends is that the bond forged can sometimes be painful. Sora could remember many times Taichi made her so frikkin mad that she wished she could hit him. Of course, the anger rarely lasted longer than a week, and while her mom seemed to take the moments they were 'on the outs' with a slight relief, she always got the feeling that Taichi's mom found it hilariously cute.

She couldn't say she agreed, even if sometimes, those blow up were...well, kinda-sorta her fault. For instance, visiting Taichi while he was sick was a nice thing to do, even if he was suffering through moments of supreme chills and sweltering heat. His fever was terrible, but she wanted to visit, just to make sure he knew she cared. It was not her brightest idea to go playing in the rain with him three days before, but how was she supposed to know it would end with him getting super sick?

He'd always been so energetic that at times she forgot he could actually be human. As they got older, she secretly thought he was some sort of alien. His mom cooked weird things because she was an alien too, and didn't understand what normal humans ate.

It was so easy to think that sometimes, given the absurd energy Taichi had, and how athletic he was. There were times when they played soccer that he nearly literally flew across the field so fast that she actually checked to make sure he was actually running, not just straight up flying. Like an invincible alien with a single weakness: Her.

She'd taken him out to play in the rain, the raindrops hitting her skin in a refreshing coldness that made her feel relaxed and happy. She had no idea why the dark, overcast skies made her smile, or the way that cold rain on her skin felt right, but she had wanted to share it with him. It was special to her, and for some reason, she wanted it to be special to him as well.

Looking back, maybe that was a sign of things to come, but she was young, and he was her friend. It felt natural, and she didn't question it. The sky was dark, the air cool, and the rain cold, but it didn't seem to bother her at all, even as Taichi's energy flagged as he kept active to keep warm. She of course, didn't know until later that he hadn't been feeling the best even before then, and he could see the moment had been important to her.

No, looking back, him getting sick might have been partly her fault. However, she would not apologize for being pissed at the aftermath. She'd left her hat in his room, having taken it off because it was hot, though, in hind sight, leaving it so close to him while he was prone to throwing up was...well, not a wise choice. She'd gone to the bathroom, and they resumed talking, the boy seeming to drift in and out of lucidity, if his almost drunken ramblings could be believed.

He talked about weird dreams, about things he saw, strange creatures and even a endless ocean that was cold, dark and stretched on forever. He talked about interesting creatures that shapeshifted in his dreams, about soccer, and about how he still wondered if the sky was blue because there was a lake up there dropping bits of water into their world.

You know, weird ramblings from a feverish kid.

She had been a good friend, listening to him patiently until her mother had called, wanting her back home to help with chores, and she'd grabbed her hat without looking and placed it on her head.

She regretted everything.

The resultant blow up was the first time she ever actually refused to speak to him for longer than a week. The worst part is that he had no idea why until his mother told him what had happened, because he didn't even remember doing it.

The week following was a quickly simmering anger that turned into one of the worst weeks up to that point as her anger cooled. He'd been sick, didn't even remember it. His fever had been pretty bad, but she had ignored him for days, and while she wasn't angry anymore, he'd given her space, shying away from her as if afraid of her.

Neither of them knew what to say to the other. He, unsure how to apologize for what he didn't remember doing, and her, because she realized getting mad at him may not have been fair. The week stretched on, both still not talking to each other, not because of anger, but out of shame.

She wished she could say she was the one to break the stalemate, but at the end of the second week, he'd shown up at her doorstep. Her mother had called her over, with an expression she now knew to be bemusement, and she'd hesitantly come to the door, only to have a soccer ball shoved in her face.

“You can have it, but please don't be mad at me anymore, Sora!” It took a moment for her to recognize it, but recognize it she did after a few moments. It was a ball signed by one of his favorite teams, and he treasured that ball. It was a clumsy apology, but it was from the heart. She remembered the way her eyes heated up, and then they were both crying apologies, saying they were sorry, that they shouldn't fight ever again.

Of course, that didn't happen, but she would always treasure that ball. Of course she accepted it; it was one of the most heartfelt apologies he had ever given, clumsy, endearing, and showcasing just how much she meant to him, that he would give something so dear to him to her.

They would fight often, but it was a unspoken agreement that if ever one did something that angered the other, they would not fight for more than a week before they got back together to talk about it. If they were still angry, then they would fight again, and maybe take another week. But those week long periods of silence were rarely needed.

The Digital World changed Everything.

It couldn't be real. No way could it be real.

And yet, it was. The digital world was a mess, and seven kids from summer camp was supposed to survive it? And yet, there was a cheer in the air, underlying the bizarre circumstance. She was homesick, yes, but the Digital world was an adventure, and she could see that for all Taichi's worries, he was having fun. Much more so than he would have at summer camp.

He seemed to be in his element, and it didn't even take but a couple days before somehow he'd been branded the leader. It was a role he slipped into effortlessly, in spite of how much of a goof she knew him to be. Even with everyone worrying about getting home, his energy was infectious, and she couldn't help but be...suspicious.

There was something familiar about the creatures. Something she couldn't put her finger on. Strange, shapeshifting creatures. An Ocean that stretch endlessly. It wasn't until later that she finally remembered what she'd forgotten. When she first laid eyes on Greymon, it came roaring back.

A giant parrot, and a dinosaur, fighting in the city. She thought it had been a dream, but it obviously wasn't. Suddenly, Taichi's feverish rantings while sick made some sense. He must have remembered the fight. Some part of him hadn't forgotten, it seemed.

Of course, that realization was hardly the most important thing. Devimon had been only the start, the dark gears a minor threat when compared to what came after.

Myotismon was something that would haunt her memories, but not near as much as he would haunt Hikari. He'd made short work of their champion level digimon, and for a while, she doubted that they would ever get home. It was one thing after the other, but Taichi never gave up.

Even as much as she butted heads with her mother, the idea of never returning to her was enough to make her cry. Yet somehow, Taichi never broke down. Everyone was worried and tense, but Tai somehow continued to hold fast, and she couldn't figure out how he did it.

She revisited her idea that he might be an alien, and at one point, even wondered if perhaps he were a human-like digimon. Regardless of what he was, she couldn't help but depend on him, on his steadfast nature, and his never say die spirit. She respected him before, but now, she could honestly say she admired him.

While Myotismon may be Hikari's nightmare, Datamon was Sora's.

The upside-down pyramid still showed occasionally in her darker dreams, her bound to a table as Datamon talked about all the tests and horrific experiments he planned to conduct on her. Sometimes the others were there as well, but the moment was one of the most terrifying in her life, even though they had been through a lot before then.

Datamon had claimed to want to help them, offered them her crest if they could free him, and they had believed him. They'd marched stupidly into a trap, thinking they might gain an ally, not realizing that sometimes, good exteriors hid dark agendas. Datamon had deceived them, and she almost paid the price for it.

She only found out later that Tai had blamed himself. That he nearly cried in horrified self blame. Yet, even when he thought to blame himself, he came back for her. He braved possible death for her, evolved Agumon to MetalGreymon for her, and when he'd rescued her, she couldn't help but cling to him.

Perhaps it was there that she felt the stirrings of her first crush.

They continued on as if nothing had changed, but for Sora, it had been world-shaking. It had altered her perception of him in a new, terrifying way. She barely had time to realize it before Tai was sucked into a black hole, and for a while, everyone thought he might have died.

It was then she saw just how powerful Taichi's leadership had been. Without him, their group shattered. Yamato tried to take his place, but it hadn't worked. Maybe it was her leaving that signaled the end, but she couldn't take it anymore.

Her newly formed crush couldn't accept that they thought him dead; couldn't accept that he'd saved her, just in time to die and leave her behind. Things like that aren't easily forgotten, and she'd left to go look for Tai. She'd expected it to be hard, surviving alone with just Biyomon.

She expected to struggle with looking for food, with finding safe places to sleep. She expected to be convinced quickly that she wasn't cut out for solo travel.

It hadn't happened. The memory of Taichi, braving possible death for her was enough to drive her onward. He hadn't given up on her, so she wouldn't give up on him. Days were sent searching, foraging for food, and exploration. Evenings and nights were spent talking to Biyomon, or...well, going over her memories of Taichi.

Her newfound crush had her examining their interactions with a rose tinted magnifying glass, wondering like many young girls do if they were meant to be. She never considered herself to be like Mimi, all about dresses and make up, but the idea of appealing to Taichi was tempting. All girls dream of a knight in shining armor at some point, and Sora was no different. She even went through moments of worry that he may actually like girls like Mimi.

Of course, she eventually dismissed it, deciding that Tai wouldn't be that kind of guy, though the worry persisted in the back of her mind.

But she also noticed a strange phenomenon. While she was preoccupied trying to figure out how to make her crest glow, she noticed that the Digital World no longer frightened or worried her. In fact, in spite of missing her mother...it was starting to feel like...home. Travel got easier, and she no longer had to work as hard to provide for herself.

She had a near instinctive ability to navigate the strange landscape, and keeping tabs on her friends was shockingly easy. That said, as time passed and she considered that she was getting nowhere with her crest, she wondered if the crest she'd been given was wrong. She took care of her friends, but there was a growing pit in her stomach. She and her mother had never been close, persay, but thinking of her mother never got a reaction. Thinking of her friends didn't make it glow either.

So she thought of her new crush. Considered the way the two of them seemed to instinctively find themselves at the other's side. The way their friendship, while occasionally tumultuous, never seemed to do anything but get stronger. She thought about his strange habits that were seeming a little more cute and a little less strange to her, about his poofy and wild hair, about evening spent kicking a ball around.

They made her smile, and yet there was no reaction from the crest. Was this not love? Was this not enough to activate the crest? Why wouldn't it glow?

Frustration gave way to inadequacy, and she began to wonder yet again if she was actually the right girl for the job. How did Taichi do it? She desperately missed her best friend and crush. Missed his smile, his silent strength, the way he stood firm in the face of impossible odds...

She never knew how much his presence strengthened her until he was no longer there, and she vowed never to forget it.

Taichi was a jerk. A giant, ignorant jerk!

Maybe it was the way never never clued into her feelings. Maybe it was just her growing up. She couldn't say why, but the longer her crush persisted, the more she felt like she was overly sensitive to his every action. She knew she wasn't really being fair to him, sometimes, but it was like he didn't seem to have any idea what romance was.

She'd never been overt, true, but she'd hinted a few times that she might like to be more than friends, but the dense boy never seemed to understand what she was getting at. Causal touches didn't work, he was a fairly tactile person anyway. She had no idea how to pull off a flirty smile, even after watching Mimi somehow charm multiple boys into doing her bidding. She couldn't just come out and say she was interested in him, because that would be humiliating if he turned her down.

She didn't know if their friendship could survive that.

But she also know that his persistent failure to pick up on her hints was wrecking her self esteem more than that hair clip had. Of course, he'd caught her at a very poor time with it, when she was feeling low after a particularly poor attempt to hint that she might like to do something with just him that ended up turning into a group outing.

Hikari had shot her a particularly humiliating look of understanding, but hadn't said anything. She was quite thankful for that, considering how close she knew the two were. Hikari thought the world of her brother, and knowing that Hikari sympathized with her attempts to...well, not woo, (though the word fit, she refused to use it) but hint to her idiot best friend that she had a crush on him was appreciated.

Speaking of Hikari, the two had always gotten along, but recently, she had noticed the younger girl giving her odd looks, leaving her feeling like she was being judged in some way. To be fair, though, she probably was being judged. Hikari had delved into the idea of knights and princesses particularly early, and had a very healthy appreciation for romantic entanglements in stories. She didn't think much of it, though she would later kick herself for not seeing the signs.

Taichi just...didn't seem to understand romance. Didn't notice the looks he got from girls. Didn't even notice the occasional look from boys. He just made it so easy to slip into a friendship with him. A goofy smile, a reassuring grin, chocolate eyes that left her heart pounding and her mouth dry. Taichi was going to be a heartbreaker, and he hadn't a damn clue.

Sometimes, she wondered if maybe he was asexual. Maybe he had no sort of romantic thoughts. Maybe he was gay. She didn't know, since romance wasn't exactly something he ever really got into, at least not for himself. He might tease others about it, but if he had romantic intentions toward anyone, he never showed it.

It didn't occur to her until later (far too late) that perhaps he didn't recognize romantic attachments for what they were. That he hadn't shown any interest in other girls because he already had one he liked.

Never occurred to him that the feelings he had toward Sora were ever anything more than evolving feelings toward a best friend. And by the time either of them realized that perhaps just risking it all in a heart to heart confession was the way to go, it was already too late.

“Oh, Yamato, huh?”

“Taichi?”

“It's nothing. Get in there and cheer him on, Sora!”

Sora wasn't blind. She knew something had changed.

Maybe she was too hasty. Maybe she should have waited just a little longer. Yamato was an amazing boyfriend. Attentive, caring, and didn't mind giving her space when she felt bad. He took her out on dates, always flashed that charming smile that made her knees weak. His kisses were sweet, almost as sweet as his words.

But...

She couldn't help but notice that her friendship with Taichi seemed to be deteriorating. She'd had a feeling that he might have been about to say something that night. The night of the concert. Maybe she'd have made a different choice if he'd made any indication.

She and Yamato had never really come out and told everyone they were dating, but she had a feeling they all knew already. It wasn't exactly hidden, but there was still a large part of her that felt like...she shouldn't show it off. Shouldn't talk about it. Shouldn't do PDAs.

She felt self conscious of it, but surprisingly, Yamato brought it up before she did, and instead of being hurt by her unwillingness to display it to the world, he agreed that they should keep it down low. The conversation was full of awkward allusions and skirted mentions, but they both knew why, even if they didn't want to say it.

Taichi was slowly distancing himself from them, though perhaps not physically. He was present, still hung out with them, still flashed that smile, eyes still warm with the light of friendship, but something had changed. There was an ever widening gulf between them, but Sora, perhaps mistakenly, thought he would bridge that gap when he was ready.

One week passed, then two, and the couple still didn't announce their relationship. Tai still didn't step forward. And Hikari was shooting the older girl looks that confused her. At times, Hikari looked like she wanted to say something, her eyes accusing. Other times, she looked irritated, but relieved. But Sora did know that she was spending quite some time with Taichi, presumably helping him through something.

Hikari was always a kind girl, a bright light that drew others to her...especially boys, like moths to a flame. And the heat that burned? Taichi. While everything between the Digidestined seemed to be changing, the cracks that seemed to be widening and expanding, that alone stayed the same.

Taichi would not let anyone near his sister without having words with them about their intentions. And given how friendly he usually was, seeing a serious and somber Taichi could be terrifying to anyone who hadn't seen it before, especially if you didn't have Hikari vouching for you.

And most curiously, Hikari seemed to appreciate it most of the time.

Sora though nothing of it, at least at first, just glad that Taichi hadn't changed as much as she thought. (She was lying. He had changed, far more than she knew how to explain.)

At least, she hadn't, until she caught the tail end of a conversation between Yolei, her successor for Digidestined of Love and the Digidestined of Light.

“You really need to get that under control before someone notices, Hikari.”

“Well, it's not like they'll jump to that conclusion right off the bat. At worst, they'll just think I've got a bit of a brother complex. I know some of the girls in year three already believe that.” The sound of a closing locker rang out as Sora slipped into an empty classroom. She'd intended to catch Hikari to ask her about Taichi, to see if she could find out why he was distancing himself from both herself and Yamato (or confirm her suspicions and maybe puzzle out how to fix the friendship she'd had for years) but she couldn't help but be curious.

“Just because your brother doesn't notice it doesn't mean others don't, Hikari. You know I mean no offense, but he's not exactly someone who notices romantic feelings when he sees it.”

“I know that you're right, but it still irritates me to hear it. I just wish it wasn't needed. I don't know why I'm so popular lately.”

“Hikari, I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but you seriously need to look into a mirror sometime. You have no idea how much you've been basically glowing recently. Really, what is it? I could use some of that glow myself. Ken may see me as a girl, but he's still kinda stuck on the whole 'I was evil I don't think anyone could love me' thing.”

“Nothing new. Well...I suppose there's movie night. I managed to convince Taichi to watch a movie with me every evening for a week three days ago, and he chose that over buying me treats for the next week.”

“Movie night.” The way Yolei spoke was flat, disbelieving. “What does that have to do with...Hikari, what kind of movies are you two watching, and what are you doing during?”

Sora can't say she'd really heard Kari sputter quite like she did then. Yolei's voice had started flat, then risen in pitch and volume as something occurred to her. Even Sora felt her cheeks grow hot. The insinuation was there, but holy Angemon, Devimon, what the fuck was Yolei saying and why?

“What? I, but, Yolei, it's not like that! Well, I mean, there have been several rom-coms, but nothing like that! Do you really think either of us would do something that...I mean, there's no way he would!”

“Well, no, but still, I know you have the whole 'Digidestined of Light' thing going on, but it's like...ever since the Dark Ocean, you've been...I don't know, brighter. And you've been doing the whole 'perfect girl' thing less. It's like the dark ocean encounter made you shine brighter, and you're more...confident, or something. And the past several days, you've had this glow, I don't know how to explain it. Like...”

Yolei trailed off as they grew more distant, and Sora chance the opportunity to peek out of the doorway. Yolei had stopped walking, frozen as Hikari kept going, pausing when she realized Yolei had stopped.

“What's wrong, Yolei?” Sora hid back in the room, and as such the voices may have been slightly distorted, and with Yolei almost whispering as Hikari turned, she could have misheard.

“...like you're in love. Hikari...are you...?”

Silence. “I don't know. I just want him to feel better, Yolei. He's tearing himself apart, and I just want to make him smile. Maybe the crest is reacting to that.”

The footsteps resumed, and Sora was left to ponder what she'd heard. It wasn't the information she was seeking, but it did at least tell her that Taichi wasn't okay. Not even close.

I linger in the doorway
Of alarm clock screaming monsters calling my name
Let me stay
Where the wind will whisper to me
Where the raindrops as they're falling tell a story

Weeks turned into months, and for all her efforts, they continued to fracture and float apart. Joe was drawn into study, Mimi went to America, Izzy went to a special school for computer...or at least, that's what she knew last, she'd never been as close to him as Taichi had.

And the three of them, Taichi, Yamato, and herself...still talked, but the closeness was gone. Taichi almost felt like a stranger to her now. They still knew each other well, true, but it was like he stopped putting forth his true self, as if he were putting forth a doctored version, with the most important parts removed.

He was always fine, always cheerful, always willing to hang out with a laugh, but something was missing. A warmth that used to quicken her heart, a way of speaking that left them all feeling like a single cohesive unit.

Her brilliant light was dying, and she couldn't figure out how to preserve it. Not without burning herself to rekindle it, if that even worked.

His eyes were still the soft chocolate that used to make her feel anything and everything was possible, but some of the conviction was gone. The power within seemed to dwindle. Confidence that used to be nearly palpable had dissolved, leaving the core exposed.

The alien from her childhood had lost his power, and she was forced to realize that the invincibility to everything but her was gone.

The first time she realized it, she had cried. Cried until Yamato came by and held her until she fell asleep. It was a fitful sleep, filled with memories of her childhood love, hair still a mess with the bright warm smile full of energy. He smiled at her, but then it was as if a darkness from her began to wrap around him, prying off a brilliant gold armor that she hadn't realized he'd been wearing.

The shadows from her body ripped it off him, piece by piece as she at first tried to get closer to protect him, then tried to get further away so her darkness couldn't touch him. Yet no matter how she moved, it never changed. The distance never changed, and soon, what stood before her was the Taichi of today, subdued, smiling, but without the familiar brightness in his eyes.

Perhaps there had been more to the dream. Perhaps it had taken a brighter turn afterward. She didn't know.

Didn't know, because when she woke, all she could remember was those brown eyes, turning away from her filled with sadness and an empty smile. And when she woke in her bed alone, she wept. The nightmare hurt her more than any dream of Datamon had ever done before. She wanted to call him, wanted to beg him to talk to her.

She wanted the dream back. Wanted to go back in time, back to a time when Taichi could do anything. Back to the digital world, where her troubles were just making her stupid crest glow. Even back to their childhood, when he hadn't even realized she was a girl.

She wept ugly tears, sobbed for the death of the one she'd always thought to be invulnerable. She would stay home that day, and when Yamato came by he knew she wasn't ready to talk. So he simply held her silently, letting her lean against him as they put on a stupid movie that she couldn't remember anything about.

But the worst was yet to come, and she could not even escape into a world of beautiful dreams.

Meicoomon was a mess from the beginning, and she could feel Yamato fraying at the seams.

She could tell that with the return of a Digital threat, Yamato was hoping to mend the rift between them, to see the return of the boy who once led them against at least 3 possibly world ending threats. She couldn't say she didn't hope for the same, hope to see the return of her alien. Just the memory of her old mental label could make her burst into tears lately if she allowed herself to dwell on it, so she didn't.

But that was not a Taichi that seemed to exist anymore. Taichi balked at the way they all looked to him for direction. He would risk his life to lead Kuwagamon away, but actually fighting the threat where it mattered? He hesitated. And she understood, really, she did. He wanted to avoid collateral damage, but he seemed to brush off their responsibility as the Digidestined.

She could see Yamato bristle with every excuse out of Taichi's lips. He resisted being drug back into the fold, even as everyone looked at the one time leader to deliver them a victory like he seemed so good at when they were younger. But this Taichi...this one didn't have what it took anymore. His courage seemed to have finally run dry, and she wondered how she could have missed something like that happening. Had she not been paying attention enough?

She watched the two best friends at one point butt heads, and was forced to wonder how things had ended up this way.

She watched them form Omegamon and fail to deliver a final blow. Watched Yamato rage at Tai, watched as Yamato stormed away. She glanced at Taichi, looking sad and unsure, and Yamato who looked hurt and angry.

She made a choice. It wasn't an easy choice, and she knew it would hurt no matter who she chose. Yet no matter how much she told herself that Taichi was strong, Taichi still had Hikari and Izzy, still had his mom...she knew she was just making excuses. Yamato didn't want to talk about it, and she could understand that feeling. She knew that something was broken, something important, but she had no idea how to fix it alone.

So she would do her best. Once Yamato was feeling up to it, the three of them needed to have a heart to heart. They needed to get on the same page, needed to drain the infection from this wound that was destroying their relationship before it could no longer be saved.

She had no idea how much she would regret having chosen to follow Yamato in that moment.

This is the way you left me,

I'm not pretending.

No hope, no love, no glory,

No happy ending.

This is the way that we love,

Like it's forever,

Then spend the rest of our life, but not together.

She felt like she was a kid again in the worst way. The tears burned her eyes as she choked back sobs. As she watched Hikari break, she felt she might join her. It was as if all her childhood dreams crumbled to ashes, and she wanted to scream, to join Hikari in her denial.

Her heart cracked in her chest as she found herself falling to her knees, hands clenched in fists as she bit a trembling lower lip, tears streaming unhindered as she held in her own sobs.

He was gone.

He'd sacrificed himself, sacrificed himself for Meiko and Yamato. He'd done so, knowing he likely would die doing it. And she wept, wept and crumbled in on herself, remembering all those memories. Memories of his smile. Memories of the Digital World and their adventures. Memories of her love that she realized never died.

He was gone, and she never told him.

She'd thought he'd given into fear, but in truth, she was the coward here. She, the Digidestined of Love, couldn't drum up the courage to face her childhood love, face the boy she'd loved since that day so long ago. As Ophanimon Falldown Mode merged with the digimon they meant to save, Sora couldn't help but wonder if this, any of this was worth it. Was this digimon worth losing Taichi? All the damage and hurt? She felt horrible about it, but she, much like Taichi, had lost that spark.

As the Ordinemon left, they were all left dazed, reeling, about to break at the shift in balance. It was all too real now, and numbness ate away at Sora as she stood. She felt the world was a dream. But it was no dream that she wanted, and she felt a swell of denial. Her breath picked up as rage built. This was wrong. This wasn't how things were supposed to go!

They were supposed to win! They always won in the past!

But then realism came knocking, and she chided herself for such things. This wasn't a saturday morning cartoon. It wasn't some storybook, and it wasn't something she could just will away. Taichi was gone, sacrificed so the rest could fight on. She wished she could blame Meiko, wished she had a target for this aimless rage and sadness, but it wasn't her fault. Not really.

Tai chose to sacrifice himself. He'd done so of his own will, and it was up to them to carry on in Taichi's place. She locked eyes with Yamato on way back, and she could see the familiar brokenness she was sure was reflected in her own eyes. Jagged and sharp, their loss cut deep, and she could see that he had something to say, something they needed to discuss, and she nodded her head. They would be having a conversation in the future about this. She needed to confess some things to him, and he likely had things to say as well.

Later, though. They had a world to save. Later, they could talk. Later, they could cry. Together.

At his core, he was still Taichi.

Still pulling off impossible stunts. Still proving himself to be the miracle worker of the Original Eight. When she saw him again, she couldn't help the choked sob. The flood of relief threatened to send her into tears when he showed himself again, none the worse for wear. He was still that glorious dumbass that kicked a soccer ball into her head. Still that alien being that once had too much energy.

Still Taichi.

“Stupid Taichi...!” She didn't know if anyone heard her say it, but she didn't care. Even if he resolved himself to end the fight by killing Meicoomon, she couldn't say she thought he was wrong. But she also knew that it was possibly because like the rest of them, she had grown up and begun to understand that life wasn't a perfect system that promised good for good. Happy endings were something you had to fight for, and even if you fought your hardest, it didn't always work out.

Even so, she believed. In the original eight. In their digimon. As she wiped away her tears, she realized. That she still held even the smallest childish belief. That little spark that she'd been trying to keep alive, the one that was under attack for so long.

She still believed in Taichi. In the boy who led them. In the boy who held them together as children. In the boy who saved her from Datamon's pyramid. In the boy who never doubted she could make her crest glow even when she did.

She still had faith in him.

And while the loss was still felt, and the battle ended with casualties, she had to say that he hadn't disappointed.

There are many things people expect to hear from their significant other when told they need to talk.

And Sora was not expecting this.

“I'm sorry, Yamato. I don't mean to make this weird, or uncomfortable, but...” She trailed off, feeling awkward. It'd been about two weeks since Taichi made his miraculous reappearance, and a week since they'd sworn to talk after avoiding the subject. Sora, because she was still feeling horrible about what she was going to confess, and Yamato was unknowingly mirroring her thoughts.

“No, I understand better than you may think Sora; I had much the same reaction. I mean, I didn't really expect it, but I think...I've felt like this for a while, but I kept burying it.” Yamato was quick to reassure her, but his cheeks were tinted red as he spoke. “I mean, let's be honest, I hated him when I first met him.”

Sora let out an unladylike snort that would have left her mother shaking her head. “Sorry, I don't mean to laugh at you, but...well, my first encounter with him was him hitting me in the head with a soccer ball. It hurt.”

Yamato's lips twitched. “Oh? I don't think you ever actually told me how you two met, only that you were childhood friends. So he hit you in the head with a ball; sounds like him. What'd you do?” He was smirking softly, and Sora's smile answered. It was going a lot better than he expected, and she was taking this well. He had rather high hopes now, hopes that she wasn't going to end the night by kicking him out of the house with an angry yell not to talk to her again. After all, it's not often that you tell your girlfriend that you might actually be in love with your best male friend, and her childhood friend.

Sora grinned a smile that had Yamato's heart beating, reaffirming that he was still, mostly straight as the smile was one of her bright, near heart stopping smiles that drew him in in the first place. It was somewhat playful, pure, and a grin that he hadn't seen for several months now. If he knew that her reaction would be this easy and...well, non violent, he would have confessed that months ago.

“What do you think I did? Do you know me at all? I stood up and kicked the ball right back! Bounced it right off that fluffy forehead of his. And of course, Stupid Taichi, his reaction was only a huge smile and a comment that it was a nice kick, then he asked me to play with him.” Yamato's reaction was a soft chuckle as smirked.

“Yeah, that sounds like something you'd do.”

Sora's grin slowly turned to a gentle smile, abeit a sad one. “Yeah. We had a lot of stupid fights in the past, but we could always talk it out. It's why...when he started...well, started distancing himself, I thought he'd come back. It's always been sort of our thing, to fight, and maybe give each other a week to cool off, then talk if we were still mad.”

Matt flinched. “Yeah, well...I think a broken heart was what kept him away this time.” Sora's gaze snapped up to him in an instant, eyes wide and surprised.

“What? Why do you say that?”

Yamato scoffed. “Sora, please tell me you didn't just ask me that.” Sora winced, but remained silent. Her boyfriend sighed. “Sora, I'm the one who is supposed to be in denial about these things. You know Taichi. I don't know when it started, but our idiot leader fell in love with you at some point. You have to have known that.”

Choking on air was something Sora knew was a thing told about in stories almost as much as choking on words. But she felt her chest seize as her breath caught, and she nearly forgot to breathe. Emotions warred in her heart, between the annoyance that he'd done so after she'd given up on him, or the fury at herself for not waiting for him longer.

Yamato only offered a comforting smile, reaching over and drawing her into his arms as she felt her eyes burn and she bit her lower lip. Taichi...loved her. He'd fallen in love with her at some point. It made sense, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to believe it or not. On the one hand, Yamato had been a perfectly good boyfriend.

On the other hand, her first love loved her back, and somehow, she either missed it or refused to see it, and she wasn't sure which. She pressed her forehead against Yamato's chest, feeling out of sorts as she tried to figure out what to even do now. “I'm guessing by that reaction that you love him too?”

She didn't want to respond, couldn't respond verbally. She felt horrible for even entertaining the idea, especially since she already had a boyfriend.

“Can't do it? They've both grown up so handsome! What'll you do, Sora?” Mimi's words echoed in her head, and she cursed her best female friend's perceptiveness. Honestly, why didn't Mimi get the Crest of Love? Sora thought she was proving to be pretty shit at the job. She steeled herself, and decided that honesty would be the best here, even if it hurt the relationship. He'd confessed to her about his own feelings for the goggle'd leader, so she owed it to be honest back.

With all the courage she could muster, she nodded against his chest.

Yamato grimaced. Honestly, it didn't surprise him. He and Sora had been good together, maybe, but he could see that without Taichi, this was doomed to fail. It wasn't that they didn't have a good relationship; it was more that they were missing something. Taichi added something to them, something they had been lacking for so long.

“You know...remember that party I went to, back before Taichi started...” He trailed off. Before Taichi started losing that inner flame of his. Before the weight of responsibility and adulthood started crushing down on him. Before he started smiling in ways that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Sora pulled back, wiping her eyes. “Yeah? I remember you coming home and giving me the silent treatment for a while. I took it as you just wanting some time to yourself, since you didn't seem upset with me and we ended up talking normally soon enough.”

Yamato laughed softly; humorlessly. “Yeah, so Tai was there, and someone spiked the punch. He'd apparently had been going for a run or something before coming.” Sora made a face. Yeah, she knew what Tai was like after something like that.

“Oh no...how drunk was he?”

Yamato shook his head. “Dunno. He can stay pretty lucid. That said, he had enough to...well...be at least a little tipsy, because he was way too honest and acted like he didn't remember the conversation after, and I didn't push him on it.”

Sora was openly interested now. A Taichi that didn't hold back? He usually was an open book, but he'd started hiding things as he got older, so her glimpses into his mind were getting more and more rare. She indicated for Yamato to continue, and he ran fingers through his hair in a somewhat nervous gesture. “Well, to make a long story short, he mentioned that he wished he had a drink or something that could erase things he wanted to forget.”

A cold pit opened in Sora's belly as she instantly did not like where this was going. It must have shown on her face since Yamato let out a soft sigh. “Well, he started with wishing he could forget about throwing up in your hat.”

Sora's face went to disgust at the mere memory. “Then he better share, because that was gross. I wish I could forget it too.”

Matt could only laugh at the interjection. “Yeah, he thought you might, said that the only reason you might keep that memory is to tease or mock him about it.” Sora's lips parted, before she pressed them together. Okay, that was a fair point.

Then Yamato grew somber. “He then said he wished...he could forget the scolding eyes. I admit, I got a bit defensive, but he seemed to take it stride, said he would always fear the Upset Sora.” Sora's laugh was more a bark of bemused exasperation.

Before she could say anything, though, he looked away and continued. “Then he said he...he wished he could forget your smile.” Her stomach plummeted to her feet along with any amusement as she went pale. “Well...we may have gotten into a bit of an argument, but he said that he would just have to get over it, because we were together and he wanted us to be happy.”

That certainly sounded like him. “Why didn't you tell me?” She breathed. “Better yet, why didn't he tell me?! I waited on him for years to notice me, and he chose after I got with you?” She wanted to get angry, and the anger welled up...before going out. “I'm sorry, I'm a terrible person, Yamato, but I just...wish I had known.”

Yamato felt his lips twitch in a sardonic smile. “No, I'm with you. No offense, but I mean, he's at least going on 'The List.'”

Sora blinked. Furrowed her brow, before giving him an incredulous look. “What list?”

Yamato outright giggled, catching her by surprise. “The list of people we get to sleep with without the other person in the relationship getting mad, of course.”

The laugh that tore out of her was unintended, but as she looked at Yamato's smug grin, she couldn't help but dissolve into a fit of absurd, half deranged giggles. They both fell into the laughter, becoming more and more genuine as Sora leaned against him and he held her with a grin and they both felt their chuckles slowly die down. “What a pair we make, don't we, Sora? Both in love with your best friend. Honestly, I'm a bit jealous of you. I know he loves you, but I don't think he'd ever try anything with me.”

Sora felt her heart leap at his words, and traced a circle on his chest playfully, feeling lighter than she had in months, maybe even a year. Something in her world had changed fundamentally, and she couldn't help but live for the change. “Yeah, deal.  If you get the chance to sleep with Taichi, you damn well better take it, Yamato, because if I get the same chance, I'd take it. Well...if he's willing anyway.”

“You know, I saw this conversation going very differently.” Yamato's amused tone had her falling into a fit of giggles again, and he sighed in exasperation. “Sora, come on, we need to talk about this.” The fond look on his face had her sure that he wasn't actually upset with her, more knowing that he was feeling the same dizzying relief. “I was really sure that you would break up with me instantly when I told you I might actually love the idiot.”

“To be fair, I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I did, since I'm pretty sure I love him too.” And she really did. Even though she liked Yamato, having been slapped in the face by the fact that Taichi did at least on some level love her back had her wondering where to go from here. “We really do make a weird couple. At least where Taichi is concerned.” As the mirth died down, they both lapsed into comfortable, if pensive silence.

“Do you think...” Yamato trailed off as Sora looked him in the eye, curious.

“Do I think...?” She prompted, choosing not to risk sending them both into giggles again by taking the obvious joke,

Yamato seemed to appreciate it, though he seemed hesitant. “...Do you think we could convince Taichi to...I don't know, join us?” Sora blinked. Well. To be honest, if she could, it might actually solve all their problems.

“I...don't know. If he thinks he's being a third wheel...”

“He won't go for it, because he doesn't want to get between us.” Yamato finished. Sora nodded, and once more they lapsed into silence. “Do you think he would punch me if I tried to kiss him?”

Sora jolted, nearly inhaling saliva at the statement, then turning red at the imagined moment. Two of the boys she liked, kissing each other? She couldn't say she was ever super into yaoi manga like Yolei seemed to be, but the idea of Yamato and Taichi kissing? Oohh, that, she could appreciate. “I don't know, but if you do, I better be present.”

“Well yeah. If you aren't around, you may not find the body.” He started as if it were obvious, ending with a joke as he looked at the blushing Sora, eyes furrowed. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine.” Her voice was a high pitched wheeze, before she cleared her throat. “I mean, yeah, I'm okay. Honestly, I don't know how he would react. Probably with confusion, but if he gets the idea that you like him too, he might be okay with it.”

Yamato shot her a sympathetic smile. “If it makes you feel any better, the jealousy I feel at the idea of you kissing him is mostly just the idea that if he's kissing you, he's not kissing me.”

It didn't really help, no, but it was good to know. She wasn't going to tell him that. As she snuggled with her boyfriend, they both cast their thoughts to the other boy between them, considering how best to pull him into the fold.

Then Sora blinked. The thought hit her like lightning. Hikari! If they could get Hikari on their side, then maybe this could work. Then she frowned. Hikari had been...strange, recently, and she was reminded of the conversation she'd overheard.

Hikari had taken to following Taichi everywhere she could, and she remembered hearing Takeru grumbling about it a few days ago. Hikari had always gotten a lot of attention from boys, but with her hanging around Taichi, no boys dared to get close. Recently, she was almost radiating a strange charm that even Sora had noticed, and without the boys pestering her, maybe she was happier. That, or course, meant her smile was even brighter, which attracted more boys.

But recently, she had to admit, Takeru had a point. Hikari had been doing a lot of...touching, of Taichi's person. It wasn't overtly obvious, but small gestures were made, and Sora chalked them up to Hikari reconfirming that he was really there, not some sort of phantom image or memory.

She couldn't say that if it was her, she wouldn't do that same. Yet, something deep down told her that it wasn't that. That Hikari meant more with those small touches than just confirming her brother's presence. It wasn't her business, maybe, but she had to admit to some curiosity.

There had been observations that the Digidestined seemed to age faster than others their age, and Sora knew it to be true, even if mostly mental. They'd spent months in the Digital World, and yet only hours passed in the Real World. She couldn't help the niggling feeling that she was missing something, though.

That feeling would turn to dread the next day when Taichi failed to show for school. It would only deepen as they heard from Izzy that the Digital world was 'In Flux', that it seemed like other worlds or data were being 'grafted on' to the world they knew, and it was growing and unbalancing things as the Digital World assimilated the new data.

He'd lost contact with Taichi, who begged him to let him investigate alone, to let him clear his head in a place he was comfortable.

Izzy had even sent them directly to the place Taichi had gone dark, worry obvious in his voice. What they found there had most of them horrified.

The sight of Agumon, knocked out and battered was bad. The shattered goggles was worse. The digivice laying next to Agumon was terrifying.

But nothing chilled the others like the pool of blood, soaking into the ground.

They had been quick to grab the digivice and Agumon, letting Izzy take him directly to the real world to run some healing programs he'd been cooking up, but Agumon still wasn't waking. Once Agumon was situated, he returned, running tests on the swirling purple portal and concluding that no, they could not enter it. It was intangible to touch, couldn't be interacted with in any way, even as they searched the surrounding area for clues.

Burned and broken trees, scorched ground, and cratered earth spoke of an intense battle, one that Taichi had obviously lost, but Izzy had no data at all. No hint of what could have done this. The connection cut was abrupt, and the only warning he got before communications were cut was Taichi's soft breath and a near whisper.

“What the fuck is that?”

Chapter Text

Hikari wished she could say that the spent the next two months searching for her brother. Wished she could say they found him, whole and healthy. Wished that she could say she didn't give up any social life she had to search for him, but she couldn't.

The Quantum Sea had been mostly unhelpful when she asked for updates on what he was doing, or how he was doing, but she always got the same answer.

He is in mortal danger.

What kind of mortal danger?

We cannot say.

Why not?

Time is in flux. What troubles him this moment may not be what troubles him in the next instant.

Well, that doesn't help me much.

The first week, they'd all searched high and low in the Digital world for him, but the next week brought new problems. It started in the digital world, patches in the sky reflecting other worlds, much like it had before, and it spread to the real world before long.

The government, fearing another city destroying battle, had summoned Koushiro during one of their outings, and they were brought along for the ride. There was a tension in the car, one that had Hikari worried about what had been found, but any questions went unanswered as the drive to the government standard building passed in mostly silence.

“Koushiro Izumi. Welcome to the Digital Suppression Task force. The DSTF was formed after the incursion two months ago, when an unknown digimon laid waste to Tokyo. Most of the data we have was corrupted by an unknown source after the disappearance of agents Himekawa and Nishijima, and as such, you are our best source of information after the disbanding of the NDP Bureau. While we hesitate to involve children as young as you, we are in dire need, and cannot chose our methods at this point.” The speaker was a middle aged man, hair short and tone clipped and brusque. He wore a standard suit and tie, and his dark eyes were cool and appraising as he gazed down at the smaller male.

“Why do you need our help? What happened that you would pull us away from our school lives and personal acquaintances?” The man bristled at Izzy's tone, eyes narrow as he clicked his tongue.

“Mister Izumi, allow me to be frank with you.” Izzy sat up straighter, his fingers flexing nervously as the man halted his words, searching for the right thing to say. “Two months ago, an unprecedented disaster befell the city. It was far more of a disturbance than ever before, and millions lost homes, personal property, and even lives. What we encountered was beyond anything we have ever fought before, and to be honest, there is very little that a military force fears more than fighting blind. It is your patriotic duty to assist us in dealing with this threat. So if I may ask you, all of you...will you help us? I cannot explain any further unless we know that we can count on you.”

Izzy hesitated, glancing back at the others. This was bigger than him, and deserved everyone's input. “I will help, but we need to come to an agreement on some things. I'm only offering my expertise, but as a group, we are undecided.”

The agent nodded stiffly, looking to the others. “I will leave you to discuss it, but we need to know before you leave here today. Time is not something we can afford to waste.” Without any further words, her stood, striding out of the room, followed by two guards as Izzy pulled out his laptop, one that had been upgraded as much as he could in the wake of Ordinemon. He couldn't afford to be caught off guard again, and while his office had better computers, he couldn't take them with him.

A quick sweep had him blinking in surprise as he turned up no electronic bugs of any kind, no listening devices or other ways of monitoring the room. For as far as his detection scan went...the room was clear.

“Well, it looks like something is happening again.” His words, quiet and calm, seemed to trigger a reaction as the digidestined present looked to each other. Given that certain members had been unable to justify their absences to their parents, those in the room included himself, Yamato, Sora, Hikari, Takeru, and Davis (because he flat out stated he would skip school, with or without permission if Hikari needed help, and his parents were forced to either call him in sick, or deal with the school having a record of excessive truancy). As much as Hikari appreciated it, it was yet another instance that she really wished he would get over his obsession with her. She appreciated the help, and was willing to put up with his puppy like behavior for the sake of her brother, but he refused even when she told him to go back to school.

Takeru...was Takeru. Being one of her oldest friends and having known Tai well, he hadn't hesitated to beg off from school to help with the search, even if his parents were reluctant. Cody didn't have a good justification to miss school, Yolei and Ken likewise.

Sora was the first to respond, a soft, half choked laugh. “Yeah, I'm pretty sure we already know that. What do you think they want?”

“Well, considering their weapons did pretty much nothing against Ordinemon, they're probably panicking. We're pretty much the only ones that can actually fight other digimon, but it's dangerous.” Yamato mused softly, reaching out to place his hand on a visibly distressed Sora. Neither of them had taken Taichi's disappearance well, but neither was willing to give up until they had a body. They'd been proven wrong before, and they would keep believing in him.

What concerned them most was that he could be hurt, imprisoned somewhere.

As Yamato sank into a discussion with Izzy, Sora watched Hikari closely. She had been ready to play caring older sister, to comfort Hikari after Taichi's vanishing, but it had been a week before she realized that while Hikari was still frantically searching for her brother, she seemed to not be near as worried as she expected. At first, she thought it was because Hikari's faith had been restored and she expected Tai to walk in at any moment, before a thought occurred.

Hikari had always had a strange connection with Light, and for whatever reason, when Homeostasis decided to communicate, it was always through the younger Yagami.

And Homeostasis desired balance. Considering the increasingly chaotic state of the digital world and the purple portals popping up everywhere, surely Homeostasis had a plan, or at least was monitoring things, which made Sora wonder if perhaps...Hikari may know more than she's letting on.

“What do you think, Hikari? Should we join them?” Sora's voice cut through the soft discussions of the others, and Hikari blinked owlishly as all attention turned to her.

She flushed slightly, looking from person to person in surprise. “What? Why ask me?”

Sora shrugged. “You tend to have good intuition at times, and considering that you are the Digidestined of Light, I thought you might have some sort of...well...divine inspiration or something.” On second thought, that sounded a lot smarter in Sora's head.

“Hm. While put in an odd way, she does have a point, Hikari. Homeostasis used you as a vessel to communicate, and considering what's happening in the digital world, I would expect him to have some sort of a plan, if nothing else to protect the balance.” Izzy's voice was pensive, but agreeing with Sora.

Hikari could feel the stirrings of irritation. What was she, a cure all remedy? Some sort of divine prophet? “Homeostasis hasn't taken over to talk to me, if that's what you mean.” Izzy seemed to deflate at her words, forced to accept that he would get no deus ex machina or information from her.

Hikari hesitated. She hadn't told any of them about her foray into the darkness, nor how the Quantum Sea had essentially named her it's Queen, but she was fairly certain she'd be met with some shock and many questions she would rather not answer. If she'd learned anything about the Dark Ocean, it was that it had nearly unlimited power, but for a price. She'd gotten used to using its power, but hesitated to show it to the others.

She also really didn't want to explain to them how she'd experimented with it, and how it talked to her like a conscious entity. Izzy might have accepted it, but the others would be far less thrilled to find out the Digidestined of Light was no longer as pure as she once was.

Hey. If we join this...group, would it help or hurt us?

Yes.

Yes it will help, or yes it will hurt?

Yes.

Okay, so will it hurt us?

It will. But it will also help you.

Okay, I'm going to need some more information on that.

The Quantum Ocean was silent for a moment, and Hikari felt her ears burn as the others watched her, as if expecting her to start speaking in tongues.

Joining them would gain you more freedom in some ways, yet restrict you in others.

What kind of restrictions are we talking here?

They cannot enter the Digital World. You can. In the future, they will desire that you remain there, fighting threats that they cannot before they come to your world. You will be bound by their rules.

We'd be bound by them regardless.

Yes. But the Digital World is a world they will push you to stay in. Your freedom will be to stay within that world. If you reject them, they will be forced to seek other means to monitor the Digital world.

So they'll ask us to stay in the Digital world long term?

Yes.

Maybe I'm forgetting something, but I feel like I'm not seeing a drawback.

Your life in this world will be affected. They will provide you with anything you need, but you will be pressured to stay.

Hikari let out a sigh, and as a collective, all the Digidestined present seemed to hold their breath. “Look, guys, I'm not sure what the right choice is, but...if you trust me, I'll tell you what I think will happen.”

Daisuke nodded fervently, Yamato rolled his eyes, but smiled at his antics before focusing on her. “We're all ears, oh bringer of Light.” Sora, on the other hand, was looking rather...puzzled.

“I'm not the only one that saw her glowing, right?” Unexpectedly, it was Daisuke that came to her rescue, even as Takeru opened his mouth.

“Oh, she's been doing that a lot lately. We've started just ignoring it.”

It was Hikari's turn to blink, turning to Takeru. The other boy blushed slightly and shrugged. “Yeah, there are times when you go quiet that you start glowing. I don't think anyone but Digidestined can see it.”

“And no one thought to tell me?!” Her cheeks burned as she realized that every time she spoke to the Quantum Sea, she probably started glowing slightly. It was the only reason she could think of...unless it was thoughts of Taichi that caused it?

Daisuke blushed, looking away. “Well...when you glow...” He trailed off, swallowing his words as his cheeks matched Hikari's, and Takeru looked no different at the thought.

“When you glow, I don't know, it's like you feel...or look...well...” Prettier? More beautiful?

Both boys struggled to explain, and Sora felt things (erroneously) click into place. “That's why you haven't been worrying as much. The Light of the Digital World...it communicates with you, doesn't it?”

Thankful for the subject change, the boys fell silent as even Izzy stared at her contemplatively. “It would make sense. It's not the first time the crest of Light has reacted in unexpected ways, especially when darkness is stronger. If it really is trying to communicate, then we should at least try to listen.”

Hikari silently gulped. Here was her chance. She could come clean, explain everything, confess her use of the Quantum Sea....or she could let them believe what they wanted to. Each had it's pros and cons, though letting them believe what they wanted was the easiest route. If she told them about the Dark Ocean, there was little doubt in their mind that they would tell her to stop, that the Ocean could not be trusted, that only evil lay in that sea.

No. She steeled herself. The Dark Ocean is not what they think it is, but I can't expect them to understand. I am the Digidestined of Light.

When Darkness grows, so too does Light. Draw upon one, and the other gathers to balance it.

She considered telling it that it's words were most unhelpful, before she ran through them again, eyes widening. Light grows stronger when darkness is near. So when she drew upon or conversed with the Quantum Sea, Light gathered within and around her to keep the balance.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Takeru coughed lightly to get her attention, snapping her out of her musings with a blush and a slight incline of his head toward the older Chosen Children.

She inwardly shook her head. Say what you want about Takeru, but he was still a good friend, even if he seemed to be trying to recreate Yamato's popularity with girls. She shot him a grateful look, before focusing on the here and now.

“You say communicating, but it's not so much words that it communicates with.” True. Light rarely communicated with her, instead sending her feelings or poking her intuition. The Quantum Sea, on the other hand, was always ready to lend a hand or share knowledge. “For instance...I know my brother is alive. I know he'll be okay. But I also know that he's in danger.”

To her surprise, Sora seemed ready to collapse in relief, taking a seat heavily as she buried her face in her hands, taking deep, shuddering breaths. Yamato looked like an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and a smile slowly crossed his lips as he too took a seat. “If that isnt the best news I've heard in the past two monthes, I'll eat my harmonica.”

“He's still in danger, though.” She narrowed her eyes at the two, the sound of Izzy tapping away on his keyboard filling the background as the couple that broke her brother glanced at each other, and she felt a sudden surge of anger that she crushed down. Blowing up at them wasn't helpful in any way. It seemed that the Bearer of Love must have seen the suppressed rage as she was quick to respond to the irritated girl.

“It's not that we aren't worried, Hikari, it's just that...well, Taichi has a habit of doing the impossible. As long as he's alive, we'll find him. I....I choose to believe in him. He's strong...and I want to believe that even after...” She trailed off, but they all heard what she didn't say loud and clear. “He'll be okay. He's...Taichi. If anyone could survive alone in the Digital World, it would be him.”

Hikari wanted to bristle, wanted to snap at the older girl, but...well, she agreed with her. A soft sigh left her, and she gave a slight smile to Sora, who returned it with a an understanding gaze. She opened her mouth to speak...

And the door opened, signaling the return of the suited men.

“I trust you can talked among yourself and come to a decision?”

As one, the the other Digidestined turned to look to Hikari, (aside from Daisuke, who's gaze never left Hikari). Even Yamato seemed to be looking to her for a choice.

Jeez, no pressure guys.

She'd never really been a leader. Never taken the central role the way Taichi seemed to naturally slide into. But...she had to have Courage. “We'll help, but you will have to talk to Koushiro about the details and rules.”

The entire team of Digidestined seemed to relax, and Izzy shot her a look that she couldn't quite decipher.

The main man in a suit nodded to his entourage, who handed him a file and a laptop, before leaving the room and closing the door behind them. “We're glad to know that you will help us, as we are essentially flying blind here. I am Noragami, and I will be your liaison to the rest of the DSTF. We're racing against the clock, and we don't have time to get into this slowly. Two days ago, we received a message from an unknown sender. It wouldn't be the first one we've gotten, but this one was in what we know to be Digital Script. It was also sent to every electronic device within the building.”

His face was impassive as he tapped a few keys and turned the screen around for Izzy to read. Despite having never been taught Digital Script, Hikari could read it flawlessly.

“They are coming. Prepare your defenses.

Help is on its way.”

The message had no signature, only a familiar emblem. Courage.

And something within Hikari pulsed. She could feel it like a heartbeat, making her nearly double over as she clutched at her chest. Discomfort spread through her body as she gasped, and vaguely she could see Sora and Yamato leaping to their feet to come to her aid.

“I'm...I'm okay.” She was, however, filled with an inexplicable reed to go outside, to see the sky. “Outside...”

Noragami nodded, and one of the military personnel moved forward to help her walk...yet as fast as it had appeared, it vanished. “I'm okay, just...we need to see outside.” The urgency of the situation was underlined as there was a loud, low pitched thrumming spreading through the building, and they wasted no time. “This way!” Noragami shouted, the Digidestined not far behind him.

He led them to the roof, and as they felt the outside air, the first thing that occurred to Hikari was that it was too dark. It shouldn't be dark yet, right?

And then she looked up at the sky, and swallowed the urge to scream.

High above them was a familiar rippling pattern, but through it was a darkness that seemed to suck in all the light around it. And then, two blood red eyes opened, scanning the city, then homing in on the building upon which they were standing.

It felt like it was looking directly at her, Hikari thought, uncontrollable trembling running through her body as a scream bubbled up in her chest.

It was looking at her. It was staring at her. MakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopMAKEITSTOP!

She didn't know when she started screaming, but as she felt her legs giving out beneath her, the roaring of the Quantum Sea drowned out her own cry of terror.

Queen Hikari!

Daisuke was the one to catch her as she fell, but on her chest, a symbol radiated Light. Her crest shone brightly, inverting to darkness as water gathered in the air around her, shielding her from sight before the Crest turned back to light, and each of the Digidestined felt energy being drawn from them, their own crests shining. It wasn't just the ones present, either, as Yolei felt energy draining from her. Cody nearly collapsed where he stood. Mimi dropped her drink as she did collapse. No one was spared as the crest of light trembled, gathering all the power it could safely draw on, before firing it in a beam that cut through the barrier of water from the Quantum Sea, evaporating it as it shot like an arrow at the gap in the sky.

It passed through the gap, striking one of the red eyes, and the darkness roiled, a loud, piercing screech echoing through the city as the darkness dissipated and the eyes vanished. In the sky, the familiar landscapes of the Digital World was reflected, but it looked like a war zone.

For all of a moment, that was. Something washed over it, and it was once more pristine and untouched, and then like a hail of falling stars, small lights fell from the sky. In her pocket, her digivice grew warm and she widened her eyes, chest still heaving as she regained her breath.

“Hikari, are you okay? What was that?” Yamato was the first to stumble over, legs unsteady as he was quickly joined by Sora.

“I...I don't know!” She felt hysteria threatening to overwhelm her as she searched inward.

What was that thing?!

That was the Unwanted.

What do you mean, the Unwanted?!

We do not know. It is a being that is like us, but not like us.

That's really not helping.

It is a being that desires destruction and death. In your view, it would be the purest of evil that you could possibly imagine, Queen Hikari.

Is it something that came from you?

And for the first time, Hikari could swear that the Dark Ocean seemed almost...offended and hurt that she would ask something like that.

We do not seek craven destruction. We give power. What you do with it is of your own choosing. What evil thoughts you fall prey to is your own. He is not of US. He has NEVER been of us.

Hikari let out a low, shuddering breath, before asking her final question. She could feel the dark sea had expended a fair bit of power to cloak her from....whatever that thing was.

Does it have a name?

It has many names. But the most well known name it has in most worlds...is Yamimon. Your King, Taichi, knows him as Maligniss.

Perhaps if she had been less panicked, she may have blushed. The Dark Ocean had never called him her king before. As it was, she closed her eyes to take a deep, calming breath. “Sorry, I...”

She trailed off with a shudder.

“What was that thing?” Noragami asked, voice trembling slightly. He had survived the giant thing two to three months ago, but that thing in the sky...he had a feeling like it would crush him if it so much as looked at him wrong.

There was a crash as the falling stars struck the ground in front of them, kicking up smoke as the military personnel moved hands to their guns...

“Hikari! I'm so glad you're safe!” A familiar voice came out of the smoke, and the Digidestined were reunited with their digimon as the dust cleared.

“So you're saying that the Digital world has more than doubled in size since we were last there?” Izzy's voice was incredulous as he tapped away at the keyboard, Tentomon hovering next to him as Noragami watched silently.

“Well, we haven't really had much of a chance to explore it yet, but we never stopped looking to your friend. We hadn't found any trace of him, then the purple portals started pouring out strange digimon. They were all extremely powerful, but something about them was strange.”

“The seas have gotten pretty rough, and according to my friends, at least two new islands have appeared, and they're huge!” Gomamon added his two cents, looking slightly shaken. “I know at least one of them is filled with shadowy monsters, like the ones that came from the portals.”

“I'm more worried about the fact that since this all started, we haven't been able to communicate or warn you. It's been three months since you last entered the Digital world, and it's not safe there anymore.” Gatomon directed her gaze to Hikari, looking conflicted. “I want to say you shouldn't come there anymore, but the truth is that we...may not be able to deal with this on our own. We were being pushed back into smaller and smaller areas, and those of us that can't live in communities have had to be on constant alert. We thought things were getting better several days ago when something attacked the monsters from the portals, but then...” Gatomon went silent, as did the rest of the digimon.

“Then the sky turned dark, and those eyes appeared. Sora, I know you want to find Tai, but the digital world is not safe right now. If you come back you have to be ready to fight. It's like when the Dark Masters were around.” Biyomon's voice was worried, even as she snuggled against her partner.

“We're not going to stop looking for Taichi.” Yamato's voice was firm.

“And I will help you, no matter what.” Gabumon matched Yamato's and Yamato smiled grimly down at his digimon partner.

“Our first priority should be keeping whatever war is happening in your world out of ours.” Noragami's voice cut into the conversation, and Takeru shot him a glare.

“He's right.” All eyes turned to Hikari as she felt gazes like a lead weight. How did Taichi put up with this? “We have to keep it from entering the Real World.” Noragami gave her an appraising look as the others pondered her words.

“Is that what...it is telling you is the right course of action?” Norigami raised an eyebrow slightly as Yamato asked the question. He had expected one of the older children to lead, yet it seemed that at least for now, rather than Izumi or Ishida, they were looking to the younger Yagami for answers.

As if she had a special source for information. He decided to remain silent for now, observing the group.

Hikari remained silent. She had an opportunity here. What was she willing to risk for it? In the back of her mind, she knew that her frequent use of the Dark Ocean's...abilities had affected the way she thought of things, but she couldn't deny that it had a point. Nothing can be gained without offering something of equal value. Which did she value more?

“According to...it...The DSTF can provide us supplies while we investigate. I think we could use that, and investigate the Digital world to find out what is happening, then come back once we find something. We can go in groups, and come back to report anything we find out.”

Norigami's eyebrow rose higher. Whatever 'it' was, it was doing most of his work for him. “We can agree on that. If you can separate into groups and let us know what you will need, we can make it happen.” His interjection was smooth, and attention turned to him. “I've been authorized to offer that much, at least. We can exempt you from your current obligations, at least where the law is concerned, though we must insist that you handle the personal obligations on your own.” Not quite a joke, but it got a wry grin from Yamato ishida.

“So what you're saying is that you can basically get us out of school without it affecting our grades or future?” Yamato wheedled.

“I can see to it that you are marked down with top marks for the time you are away. Please study responsibly when you return.” Norigami retorted.

“And I do have projects and jobs that I've been assigned as well.” Izzy hedged.

“Working for the government is just as lucrative and we can see to it that the company you work for is aware that you are being drafted for service to the government. Best we can do.”

“And you'll tell our parents that we're helping you?” Daisuke grinned, and Noragami tried not to smirk.

“We can inform them that you are aiding us with something classified, though how they react to such news is beyond my control. Let me be clear. I am your liaison. If you have a request and can give me a good reason, I can see to it that it is accommodated. But this is not a solve all solution. The more you can do for us, the more we can offer. We can be flexible, but in return, you have to give us something to work with.” He offered a slightly more relaxed smile to the teens and near adults in the room, and Hikari returned it fully, even if Yamato and Sora were slightly hesitant.

“I'm going to be part of the first group, then.”

Noragami's smile faltered. “Ah. Yes. Your brother went missing in the Digital World.”

Hikari nodded. “Yes, but I know he's okay. I just have to find him.”

“I'll help, then! I'm going to be in the first group too!” Hikari fought the urge to sigh as Davis volunteered himself.

“I'll come too, just to keep you both out of trouble.” Good old reliable Takeru. She could almost feel Daisuke deflating.

“Perhaps one of us should come too.” Yamato's words were most unwelcome.

“No, you need to stay here and talk to the older Digidestined. Besides, this first trip will probably be a short one, just to see what is happening.”

“Maybe we're forgetting a very important question. How will we get there? The barrier was supposed to be closed.” Sora's voice made them all fall silent.

Hey, can we get into the Digital world right now?

Yes. We can open a portal for you, if you desire.

And it won't be any trouble?

It will not. The barrier is nearly shattered; your presence in the Digital world will strengthen it.

What do you mean?

The Crests are powerful. They reinforce the barrier on this side, but they are outside of their origin world. If you bring them back, the World will be able to reconnect to them and draw strength from them again.

But the crests should already be in the digital world!

Physically, yes. Their essences are in their chosen bearers.

Hikari made a face, and Yamato's concerned voice cut through her pondering. “What did it say?”

Her gaze snapped up to him, and he gave her a smile. “You were glowing. What did it have to say?”

She couldn't believe how well this was working out. She could ask the Quantum Sea questions and they would assume she was speaking to Light. They never called it Light, only 'it', which means she didn't have to directly lie. “Apparently, the barriers between worlds is on the verge of breaking, so having some of us in the Digital world will strengthen it. It says our crests power and essence are still inside us, so if some of us stay there...”

“Then it will keep the Digimon from entering our world?” Norigami was surprised, but also slightly worried. They were just children, but the way that was phrased made it sound like their best course of action would be to just...leave them in a hostile world.

Hikari shook her head. “Even if we all stayed in the Digital world, they can still come through. However, they'll be limited. It's hard to cross over here without a portal, so they might slip through the cracks from time to time. So if we have some over there to strengthen the barrier and leave some of us here in case some slip through...” She trailed off and Norigami instantly understood where she was going with it.

Honestly, he'd heard good things about Izumi, and thought he and the Gennai person they had been in contact with previously was the best source of info, but if what the younger Yagami was saying was true, then she was a treasure trove of knowledge.

“Perhaps it would be better if you stayed here then-”

“No!” Hakari cut him off with a voice that allowed no argument, and Norigami instantly dismissed his own thoughts. Yes, having her around was good, but perhaps she could find out more from the other side, as it were.

“Okay, I just wanted to put it out there. It's obvious that you have some sort of source for information that we don't, so I wanted to see what we could learn.”

“Hikari has always had a unique connection to the Digital World, but it's usually unreliable.” Izzy's words made her bristle, but she knew he was trying to take the heat off her, so she didn't argue.

Norigami nodded. He knew there was something not being shared, but he wasn't going to press it. Yet, anyway. “So, we have our first group?”

“I'll go with you.” Sora offered, but Hikari would have none of it.

“No, you can stay here with your...boyfriend. I think myself, Takeru, and ...Davis, can handle with first trip. I'd also like if Yolei could come too, and Cody. All the younger Digidestined together again.”

Sora looked like she wanted to argue, but Norigami cut her off, having clearly taken a side already. Hikari couldn't say she was surprised. In his own words, the more they gave, the more they would get. She'd offered the most so far, so he was inclined to do as she asked. “Give us names, and a list of what you need, supply-wise. I'll see it done as soon as we can manage.”

With that, he turned and left the room. All eyes turned to her, and she knew this was going to be an annoying afternoon.

Something was off. She could feel it.

“It's good to be back! Hey, at least we didn't land in a desert this time, right Hikari?” Daisuke was really too boisterous for any sort of recon mission.

“Davis, shut up. What's wrong, Hikari?”Yolei smacked the back of Courage 2.0's head, before turning to Hikari, who was still, brows furrowed. Cody had been unable to come, his grandfather having been sick, but they did manage to get Ken and Yolei. Ken was inspecting the forest they'd landed in with slight interest, though it was a furrowed brow that betrayed his confusion.

“Something is weird. I don't know what it is, but...” She started, but trailed off. Looking to the sky, she could see small ripples, and occasionally, a glimpse of the Real World.

“Can you hear me? I.....interference....Can if....” The sound of choppy communications caught their attention as Hikari pulled out her experimental communicator. Izzy had rigged it to communicate with both himself and the rest of their digivices, giving them a solid way to communicate in the even that they got separated.

Unfortunately, it seems it wasn't working as well as he could have hoped. “Hello? Can you hear me? Hello? Izzy, are you there?”

Static was the only response.

“Well, it looks like we're winging it.” Hikari laughed softly at Yolei's dry tone.

“Worked well enough for you before, did it not?” Ken smirked slightly at Yolei, who blushed.

“To be fair, we had a overall plan, we just...were a bit disorganized in how we carried it out.”

“Well, we have a plan now. Find Tai, find whoever is causing trouble, and kick the crap out of them!” Daisuke's summing up of the goal made the group chuckle as Hikari bowed playfully.

“Then lead on, of fearless leader.” Davis' blush was predictable as he glanced around, then picked a direction at random.

They engaged in light small talk, though it was mostly just about how they had missed all the fighting during their...enforced slumber. As they talked, Yolei slowed her walk, glancing repeatedly at Hikari, who slowed just enough to put some distance between the two girls and the three boys.

“Hey...I've haven't asked recently, but...how are you holding up, Hikari?” A loaded question. Maybe to others it would seem as though she were asking if Hikari was doing okay because her brother was missing, but Hikari knew that while she did want to know about that, there was a different question being asked here.

Her eyes were expectant, curious, and Hikari found herself looking away. Yolei hadn't given her an ultimatum or anything, but she still felt like she'd let down one of her best friends.

“I...couldn't do it, Yolei. I'm...I think you were right. I think I'm...in love. And I don't know what to do about it.” She didn't want to see Yolei's look of sympathy, or disappointment, or even a look of condolence.

She did hear her sigh, though. “And I'll bet while we were still recovering, you and he got closer.”

Hikari mumbled something that Yolei couldn't quite make out. “I'm sorry?”

“I...mayhavegivenhimaalappillow.” Yolei gazed at her, uncomprehending as she tried to make sense of the jumbled mess.

“You...huh?”

“I gave him a lap pillow...and I may have sung him a song while he was there.” Yolei's eyebrow was raised when Hikari chanced a glance. “It was no big deal, Yolei, he was feeling upset-”

“What song?”

“What?”

“What. Song. Let's set aside the whole lap pillow thing, because if not for certain things, that would be really cute, and it still is, but seriously. This can be really sweet in a sibling way, or this can be very...confusing for him.” Her voice was low, and Hikari sighed. She'd bounced ideas off Yolei before, but this was one particular idea Yolei had vetoed, saying it was a bit too intimate, and would leave a very confused older brother.

“I...may have sung 'Love Lulluby' to him.” Yolei's stare showed no recognition. “You know, from that one show?” Still nothing.

Hikari inhaled, glancing up at the boys. She hoped they couldn't hear, because otherwise, this could be really embarrassing, or really troublesome.

“You are like the fast wind,

That sweeps across the surface of the ocean.

And all the dreams you have are always taken care of

By infinite rays of the sun.

And now as I see you,

Your back is turned to me but you are reaching,

Pointing toward the future

Both your wings are broken,

So why do you hide all your pain?”

That seemed to be enough as Yolei buried her face in her palms, as recognition dawned on her. “Hikari...please tell me you didn't sing the second half....” Her words were a groan, and Hikari's cheeks reddened. When no answer came, Yolei let out a frustrated grumble. “Look, Hikari, if it were literally anyone else, that would have been really sweet and probably grounds for dating. But considering who it is...you probably either scared him, or left him very confused.”

“What was I supposed to do? He started crying, even! He didn't even try to hide it from me.”

“So I'm guessing you just let him lay his head there on your lap while you sang him a love song. That must have been pretty weird.”

Hikari turned her gaze away as Yolei looked to her. The boys had stopped, and by the looks of it were whispering to each other for some reason, but Yolei was paying them no attention. “Hikari...what aren't you telling me?”

“It's nothing.” Her burning cheeks practically screamed otherwise.

“Kari, love you to death, but so help me...if you don't tell me, I'm going to start guessing, and you know how that goes.” And boy, did she. Yolei had a habit of making guesses that were far more...intimate and advanced than Hikari was usually ready for, and more than once, Yolei had made guesses or suggestions that made Hikari feel weird just hearing about them.

“I...may have been running by fingers through his hair while I did it.”

Yolei only shook her head. “Well, if he is at all susceptible to having a sister complex, I can almost promise you he has one now. The casual touches, the fingers in his hair, the singing love songs, the lap pillow . At this rate, I swear, you'll be kissing him by the end of the year...and no, Hikari, that was not meant to be a suggestion!”

“What are you two talking about back there? You're falling behind. Davis almost went back to join you two.” Takeru was smirking slightly, side eyeing the blushing Daisuke.

“She was singing, Takeru, I know what I heard, and I wanted to hear more of it.” The blushing boy glared daggers at Takeru as Hikari's cheeks flushed crimson.

Said soon to be ex-friend turned a bemused look to Hikari as his grin turned devious. “Well? Were you? Because I think you should share it if you were.”

Sing.

The voice of the Dark Ocean caught her by surprise as she froze. What? Now?

Yes. You must. It will affect the future in a way that will help you later.

She furrowed her brow as Takeru's smirk faded. “Hikari? Are you okay? What did it say?”

“I...it told me to sing.”

Daisuke grinned. “Even the light wants to hear you sing.”

She shot him a glare that made his grin fade only slightly. He must really wanna hear me singing. Does it have to be...that song?

Yes.

This is so embarrassing...

Clearing her throat, she glanced over at Yolei, who only shrugged, before singing out loud. The notes rang through the air, and seemed to resonate with the trees.

“Softly, let me wipe away your tears.

Softly, let me hold you in my arms.

Softly, let me comfort you,

Because I want to see you in your glory!”

The boys seemed spellbound, and Davis looked like he would have given up the digiegg of courage to have a recording of his crush singing a love song. Her cheeks felt like fire as she continued, unaware that she was glowing.

Unaware that the sound was bouncing through the trees.

Unaware as it caught the ears of a group of shadow monsters.

Never again.

She was never singing in front of the others again. Yolei was still shooting her pitying glances, and Ken seemed fairly neutral about everything, but Daisuke's blush hadn't faded for the past 20 minutes of walking. He kept glancing back at her, expectant and wistful, as if she were going to break into song for him at any given moment.

Even Takeru seemed affected!

“Hey guys, I think I see something!”

“Why don't you be a little louder, Daisuke, I mean, we're only in the middle of a forest full of hiding spots with no digimon to protect us. Though, come to think of it, I thought they were supposed to meet us soon.”

“Look out beloooooow!” As if on cue, a blur of red and white bowled Yolei over as Hawkmon groaned. “Not one of my better landings...”

“Hawkmon! I'm glad to see you, but...your landing could use some work.” Yolei laughed, then winced. “Ow, by the way. Are you okay?”

“I wouldn't worry about him, he's surprisingly durable.”

“Patamon!I thought you were supposed to meet us sooner! Are you okay?” From the brush, Veemon stumbled out followed by Gatomon and a slightly haggard Wormmon.

“We would have been here sooner, but things have gotten pretty bad; there's shadowmon all over the forest.” Gatomon looked up at Hikari, and Hikari took in the slightly bedraggled appearance. Her fur was ruffled, and there were several spot that look like something had tried to remove tufts of her fur. “They're stronger than most rookie digimon, so we had to help some of them escape.”

“Shadowmon? I've never heard of those.” Takeru rolled his eyes at Davis' statement.

“That's because they aren't digimon. I don't know what they are, but they aren't normal digimon; they come out of the purple portals and while some of them look like digimon they don't talk or communicate.” Hawkmon interjected.

Silence feel at the proclamation, before Hikari narrowed her eyes. “I wonder if that's one of the things that got Taichi.”

“I'm sure Taichi got away, Kari, he's Taichi.”

Hikari sighed. “Maybe. But you never said what you found.”

Davis snapped to attention, changing his train of thought from his crush to what he saw. “Oh yeah, I think there's a cabin down there!” He pointed to the direction they were headed, and sure enough, there was a cabin in the middle of nowhere. It seemed fairly standard, quiet and dark with old stained wood and dusty windows.

“Hmm...well, it's not like we have anything better to do than investigate, right?” Takeru murmured.

“Are you kidding me? Have none of you seen 'Cabin in the Woods'? “ Yolei nearly screeched in protest.

“Oh yeah, I watched that one with Tai a while back!” Hikari cringed at how fast Yolei's gaze snapped to her, and she blushed.

“Well, then you know why we shouldn't go anywhere near strange cabins in the middle of nowhere.”

“Come on, Yolei, it's the Digital world, most we need to worry about is some bakemon.”

Yolei rolled her eyes at Takeru's dismissal. “Fine, but if it's got a creepy basement, don't touch anything.”

Up close, it seemed to be even older than from afar. The wood was dirty, the windows covered with enough dust that you couldn't even see through it. “Okay, so who gets to knock?” Veemon's question prompted a chorus of “not me”s from the others present, and Davis huffed.

“Fine, I'll do it.” Confidently he strode up to the door, lifted his fist...and hesitated.

“What's wrong? Having second thoughts?” Yolei's amused voice made him flushed red, and he banged on the door once...and it swing open.

“Huh, the door was open.”

“Uh, guys...” Takeru's voice was worried, and Davis turned to mock him for his loss of nerves..then saw what he was worried about.

Three humanoid forms stood at the forest edge. They were dark, almost completely black with red eyes and arms that reached their knees, tipped with wicked looking red talons. Their eyes glowed red, and they seemed to sway in the light as one parted dark purple lips. Jagged white shark teeth were exposed as it pointed at them, and without a sound, the other two creatures charged forward.

“Shadowmon!” Hawkmon yelled.

“Well, it's time to show them who's boss!”

Veemon, Digivolve to....ExVeemon!

Hawkmon, Digivolve to...Aquilamon!

Patamon, Digivolve to...Angemon!

Wormmon, Digivolve to...Stingmon!

Gatomon, Armor Digivolve to......

There was a pulsing feeling in Hikari's chest and she doubled over. Gatomon cried out as the energy she was going to use to digivolve lashed out and her power went wild.

“Hikari! Hikari, are you okay?” Takeru, Davis, and Yolei were at her side in an instant as her heart beat powerfully in her chest, and a roaring filled her ears.

“Take...take care of the shadowmon...I'll be okay...” She managed to gasp out, and Takeru and Davis both gritted their teeth, eyes meeting. For once, Davis didn't press the issue and turned to face the Shadowmon with his Digimon.

“Now isn't a good time, so BEAT IT!” Exveemon snarled, charging forward to throw a vicious haymaker at the nearest Shadow. It made contact and the shadow was flung away bodily, passing through several trees in it's path. “Huh, I expected that to be a bit more-”

He never got to finish as one of the other shadows darted forward and thrust a claw at him. Exveemon lifted his hands to guard...and the claw passed through his arms like a ghost, embedding into his chest.

A thin, reedy voice whispered. “Life Siphon....” And Exveemon cried out as dark lightning arced over his form and weakness invaded his body.

“Exveemon!”

“Blast Rings! Hah!” Exveemon was released as three rings impacted the shadow from the side, sending it flying away as Exveemon sank to his knees.

“Well...that was not fun.” He panted. He was forced back on the defensive when the only one not to be blown away came at him, forcing him to dodge.

“Hand of Fate!” The golden beam lanced out, slicing through the shadowy digimon as it let out a screech that sounded more like static than a real digimon, a hole burned clean through it as it turned red eyes at the angel digimon.

“All right! Kick their butt, Angemon!”

A familiar, thin voice came from the trees where the first shadowmon was blasted. “Wrathful Return...”

A dark, familiar beam sliced through vegetation and trees alike, blindsiding Angemon as he was sent crashing through trees.

“Vee Laser!” Firing blindly in the direction of the beam, Exveemon met Aquilamon's eyes, indicating to him to check on Angemon...right before he was attacked by the shadow Angemon had left a hole in. The hole was slowly sealing back up as Yolei watched, before turning her attention back to Hikari.

“Hikari, what's happening, what's wrong?”

But Hikari wasn't responding, still doubled over and kneeling on the ground. Gatomon was clearly out of commission too, crawling over to her partner with slow steps.

She couldn't digivolve. Why couldn't she digivolve? Hikari shuddered as ice ran through her veins. Was it because she was no longer pure? Had the light forsaken her? Was she wrong, all this time?

Please, tell me why! Why can't Gatomon evolve? What is happening?

Her body seemed to be flashing between hot and cold. One second it was too hot, lava flowing through her chest, then it was too cold, ice freezing around her heart.

Taichi...! Have I...done wrong?

Far away, a familiar boy with poofey brown hair started, blinking as a voice called out to him. “What...was that? It sounded like...Hikari? She's here? No, no, that can't be right. Can it? I...but....auhg! I don't know! If it is, I have to help her! But what if it isn't? Ahh, no time to think!” With a flap of his cape, he stood from his seat, and drew a sword.

“Shin-”

The world rippled. It was the best way Takeru and Yolei could explain it later. Something like a shockwave emanated from Hikari, and her eyes snapped open, unseeing as she was lifted off the ground, glowing brightly.

Gatomon, Warp Digivolve to....Ophanimon!

The other three could only stare in shock, gaze going from Hikari to Ophanimon, the heavily armored digimon descending slowly to the ground as Hikari did the same, opening her eyes slowly.

She was greeted by the three shadow digimon acting in unison, shoving their claws into the new Digimon's chest...then screeching in pain as their shadow hands shattered like brittle glass.

“Eden's Javelin.” With a sweep of her spear, the shadows were sent to the ground with an angry golden slash on their chest that burned and snaked across their form. The initial slice seemed to have cracks like veins that slowly sprouted from them, and the three writhed in agony as the light coursed through them.

“Wow...Hikari, since when have you been able to do that?” Yolei breathed. Hikari didn't respond, and Yolei turned her gaze back...just in time to see brilliant white wings erupt from her best friend's back. “Oh. Okay, so I guess we're just doing this now.”

“Vile beings, you are a blight upon this land. Your presence will not be tolerated!” Ophanimon's regal voice boomed, filling the sky and forest. It sang through the air like thunder, and with a resounding crack, she slammed the butt of her spear against the ground. From the epicenter, a white ring appeared, expanding rapidly. It slid over the ground the three shadows were laying upon, and the screeches of pain were silenced, their data...or shadow particles shattering as the ring expanded beyond the clearing. There was no way for the five to know that as it washed over the ground, hundreds of hidden Shadowmon shattered as their bodies were instantly purified.

“Hallowed grounds. Eden appears, if only for a moment.” The words came from Hikari's lips, but she wasn't sure why. Then, her wings shattered into feathers, which dissolved into data as Ophanimon reverted to Salamon.

“Well, not what I was aiming for, but I'll take it.” Salamon said, trying to act more calm than she felt. Turning to look at her partner, she walked unsteadily toward her again. “Hey, Hikari, are you okay now?”

“I...I think I am. I don't know what happened.”

“Well, next time you wanna sprout wings and Digivolve into something that one hit K.O.s shadow digimon from the abyss, some warning would be nice.” Yolei tried to sound as bland as possible, before turning to look at the cabin. “I think we should go inside; it's not a good idea to stay out here in the open.”

“That was awesome, Hikari, I didn't know you could turn into an angel! I'm not really surprised, though-”

Hikari tuned out Davis' unending praise with practiced ease as Takeru grinned at her. “Hey, Kari, you know I'm all for keeping a trick up your sleeve, but where were you hiding that trump card?”

“Yeah, how about we lead with that one next time?” Veemon walked on unsteady legs as he, Hawkmon, Patamon aand Wormmon rejoined the group. “Those guys pack a punch.”

“You weren't the one hit with a dark mockery of your own attack.” Patamon grumbled. “That really hurt, you know?”

“I...didn't know I could do that.” Hikari admitted. “I was just trying to get her to digivolve, and...well, that happened.”

“Hey guys, is it just me, or is it getting dark out?” Hawkmon interrupted the friendly interrogation with a glance backward.

Sure enough, it was visibly darkening at a rapid rate. “Well, the digital world has been acting really weird for a while now, so it wouldn't surprise me. We did have a sunrise that lasted for two weeks after all.” Veemon commented, prompting everyone else to turn to stare at him, including the other digimon.

“Wait, what?”

“To be fair, you aren't wrong. Time has been off since The Fracturing, so it's not unusual for some places to get a lot of daytime, then a single night that lasts 3 hours before going back to day for 5 hours, then back to night.” The voice made them all freeze. It was familiar in a way that sent chills down their spines as they all turned to face a cloaked figure in the doorway.

“Um. Hikari, really dumb question, but was that you?”

The figure in the doorway laughed, reaching up and lowering it's hood. Hikari Yagami gaped at the sight of her own face staring back at her.

“What's up, you guys? You look like you've seen a ghost.”

Chapter Text

“What's up, you guys? You look like you've seen a ghost.”

It sounded like her, tinged with amusement and wearing her face as she lowered her hood, stepping closer and out of the doorway of the cabin they had been intending to enter. Daisuke and Takeru both moved as one to block her path to Hikari, faces grim.

For all Davis' faults and obsessions, he didn't joke around when it came to Hikari's safety, which had, if nothing else, saved him from Taichi's full, unfettered wrath.

On the other hand, Takeru was her friend as well, and while some unknowable gap had been widening between them lately, he wasn't about to allow some doppleganger to get close to her with unclear motivations.

Not-Hikari laughed softly at the show of protectiveness, even as Yolei and Ken gripped their digivices, prepared for defensive action at any time. This didn't go unnoticed by the fake, who raised an eyebrow. “Calm down, if I wanted to hurt you, I could have done so already. I just wanted to come and see who was singing the Yagami Lulluby.”

If nothing else, that got their attention, Hikari almost violently so. “The...Yagami Lulluby?”

Not-Hikari grinned, leaning forward and taking playful steps toward Hikari that should not have been possible for a human to take and stay balanced. “Soooo...this is what you look like. Can't say you aren't adorable; no wonder King Kamiya is so weak against this face.”

“Hey, back off!” Davis, oddly enough, to the rescue. For once reading the distress on Hikari's face, he stepped forward, fists clenched, a fact which seemed to amuse the fake as Takeru moved in front of Hikari showing surprising teamwork between the two boys. “I don't know who this 'King Kamiya' is, but if he wants her, he'll have to go through me-er, us, first.”

He caught his slip up, but Not-Hikari smirked, changing targets to the goggleheaded. “Oh, but can you really say no to this face? This body? Come on, cutie, we both know you can't and won't hurt me, not with this form. Even King Kamiya at his most resolute has a hard time saying no to it.”

“You keep saying 'King Kamiya' like it should mean something to us. Who is he?” Ken interjected, attracting the fake's attention.

Not-Hikari blinked. “Wow, you really must either be really new arrivals, or you haven't actually run into anyone here recently. Given your abilities to digivolve your friends there, you must be the Digidestined. King Kamiya did say you'd be by eventually. Unfortunately, with time being...weird, we had no way of knowing when that would be. Did you at least get our message? Since Gennai's disappearance, we were forced to work with what we had, and we sent the message to the last known recipient of his communication.”

“I'm still not hearing an answer to the question I asked.” Ken's flat, unamused tone made Not-Hikari sigh. “And we still don't know who you are.”

The last statement seemed to perk her up as she bowed like a butler with a smirk that seemed out of place on Hikari's face. “Oh yes! Where are my manners? You may call me Enmeros. My friends call me Emmy. Time will tell about you. I am the Right Hand of King Kamiya...or, well...something like that. I suppose advisor is more fitting. Confidant? Bed warmer? Scribe of memories? Ah, official positions are tedious to name. In any case, when King Kamiya needs something of a...sensitive nature dealt with, he calls on me.”

“You mean you're like a spy!” That sparkling gem was given by Daisuke, snapping his fingers as the word came to him. Enmeros winced.

“Or an assassin.” Ken's cool voice turned that wince to a flinch.

“Hey! I resent that! Just because I'm a shapeshifter doesn't automatically make me a spy or assassin!” This time, the distressed look on the Hikari look-alike wasn't fake; Hikari could see real hurt in the eyes that so closely resembled her own.

“You have to admit, taking Hikari's form doesn't exactly inspire confidence after you fully intended to use it against Davis here.” Said boy gave Yolei the stink eye, though he really couldn't refute it.

“Well, it wasn't like I intended to run into her today; this is just one of my favorite forms. King Kamiya always dotes on me when I wear it.” Emmy refuted the accusation with a frustrated groan. “Look, if I change it, can we try to lower the hostilities? We have the same enemy. King Kamiya is your ally; a friend, not a foe.”

Without waiting for an answer, she closed her eyes, and brown hair slowly shifted to a rather familiar orange as she grew slightly taller. Maroon eyes opened, and Hikari gaped at the spitting image of Sora Takenouchi staring back at her. “Is this any better?”

Hikari stared, wordless. She....really didn't like the fact that these were both forms she knew. “Why that form?”

Not-Sora cocked her head to the side. “Is something wrong with it? It's King Kamiya's second favorite. It's the form I'm most used to after yours.”

There was a sinking feeling in Hikari's gut as she considered. This...King Kamiya had a shapeshifter walking around with the forms of two of the Digidestined, and she was not really liking the vibe she got from it. “I know the girl you're imitating.” Hikari stated shortly, and Emmy groaned.

“Okay, fine, maybe a male form.” She closed her eyes again...and orange turned blond, facial features sharpening to a more masculine, yet still soft form.

She hadn't even finished when Hikari spoke, voice flat. “Yamato. Is it just the Digidestined you copied? Because it's not helping make us trust you, knowing you know all of the older Digidestined's forms.”

Emmy opened his eyes, this time irritation clearly reflected. “Well, excuse me, princess. Besides, it not all of the digidestined, just...the ones he misses most.” He started strong, irritated, then slowly trailed off, quieter and unable to meet Hikari's eyes. “There's a whole temple dedicated to his memories, and it's been standing for over 10 years. He still visits it daily, refusing to forget. No matter how much I try, no matter how many stories he tells me, I can never get it perfectly. I can copy your voice, copy your looks, copy your tones, but at the end of the day, he still goes back to that temple, to memories that pain him. So no, I don't know all of the forms of the Digidestined, just the ones he spent months perfecting. From your hair, to your smile, to the exact shade of your eyes that I never got right. Even that Yagami-damned lullaby of his is carved into that damn temple. But he couldn't get all of their features. Couldn't get all of their details. He started with those most important because he couldn't bear to forget your faces.”

Yamato's voice was soft, tender, and wistful as Emmy spoke softly. Hikari felt her breath catch in her chest as she heard Takeru gasp, coming to the same conclusion.

Emmy smiled weakly. “There it is. Figured it out?”

“Taichi...” Hikari breathed.

Emmy gave a sardonic smirk that seemed at home on Yamato's features. “Still think I'm your enemy?” Hikari snapped back to the moment, cheeks blushing lightly as an easy way to check occurred to her. “You still might be, but...”

Hey. Is he our enemy?

Extrapolation is needed. Explain what you mean by enemy.

Does he mean us harm?

No.

Then why do you needed an explanation on what I mean by enemy? There was a slight feeling of dread in Hikari's belly, and she was sure she wouldn't like the answer.

She desires him. In that regard, she is your rival.

Hikari frowned, irritated. Wonderful.

He is not interested in her as he would be you, Queen Hikari.

...Okay, please explain what that means.

He has repeatedly told her that he would not be able to give her what she desires from him. It is yourself and the forms she takes that he is interested in.

He wouldn't do that!

Would not do what? Take advantage of her shapeshifting? He is flawed, weak to temptation. He has been here for many years. It is not unusual to desire companionship.

….Years?

Yes.

“Hikari? Hey, Hikari, are you okay?” She was being shaken. She blinked, realizing she had zoned out, Emmy watching her with naked curiosity as Yolei tried to bring her back out of her mind.

The three boys were keeping a distrustful eye on the shapeshifter, though not without some slight interest.

“Sorry, I just...” Hikari mumbled faintly. “Hey, Emmy...”

“You can't call me that if you think I'm an enemy.” Enmeros cut her off, Yamato's cool blue eyes hardening.

“I know. I didn't trust you before, but...well, it says you can be trusted, that you mean us no harm.” Emmy watched in slight disbelief as hostility visibly drained from the rest of the Chosen Children. Clearly this girl had some sort of power or information that Taichi hadn't known about, or hadn't told her.

“It?”

“Don't pay it any attention. Even we don't get it. Sorry about being so on guard with you, Emmy, it's just that...well, we've had some bad experiences with shapeshifters.” Daisuke grinned without even the slightest hint of reservation. “So, what's it like, being able to take any form you want?”

Emmy gave a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. “Less fun than you think, probably, though I can pull some wicked pranks with it.”

And boy, did that sit uncomfortably with Hikari. She couldn't imagine what that could be like. Maybe she'd have been more sympathetic if not for the fact that her brother might have been dating the shapeshifter in question. That though had a queasy feeling sitting her her belly, half shame, half irritation.

“How long as he been here?” The question was soft, but given how Emmy froze, Hikari knew he heard.

“...Long enough.”

Hikari narrowed her eyes. “Enough for what?”

“...Enough for the Digimon of our world to accept him as King without question.”

Something in Hikari cracked as she felt tears welling up as the picture slowly assembled itself in her mind. Taichi, lost, alone, unable to defend himself. Stuck without his friends, yet missing them so badly he would convince a shapeshift to memorize their forms so he could never forget their faces. And somehow (Probably through saving the world...again) ending up as King in another dimension.

“Does he...even remember us?” She managed in a wavering voice as all the other chosen children turned to her.

“C'mon, Hikari, it's Taichi we're talking about, there's no way he could forget you!” Daisuke's voice was boisterous, overly so as he tried to cheer up his crush. Hikari, however, was unable to stop the tears welling up in her eyes at the mere idea that her beloved brother could have forgotten her. She wanted him to stop seeing her as just a sister, but not like this!

Emmy scoffed softly. “Kari, Kari, Kari. You have no idea how much he remembers you. He treasures every memory of you. He inscribed your lullaby to him on the wall of the Yagami Temple, for Yagami's sake! Hikari Yagami, the girl who never gave up on him, even when he gave up on himself. Sora Takenouchi, the girl he grew up with and taught him so much about love. Yamato Ishida, the boy who constantly fought with him, constantly pushed him, constantly forced him to be better than he was. Oh no, Hikari. Taichi-fucking-Yagami never forgot you three. Even when his former name was enshrined and he became King Kamiya, he never forgot you. Sometimes I wonder if he even needed me to copy your face.”

The faux Yamato sounded openly bitter as she strode over to a rickety old chair, the door swinging closed behind her. “You know, it's kinda funny, when I think about it. He told me stories of the other two, but he was rather close lipped about you for a while. Confused me a lot, considering how much he seemed to care about you. You see, digimon don't have a concept of siblings. We have families, we have lines, but even if our data is the same, we don't really have limitations on who we can pair off with.”

Hikari turned the deepest crimson as her eyes darted to the other's, Yolei looking worried, Daisuke confused, Takeru suspicious, and Ken...Ken looked like he'd just been blindsided with a realization. “You though they were lovers, didn't you?”

Emmy laughed. “I did, and King Kamiya turned the most delightful shade of red when he realized that I thought you were were a couple, and that's why he didn't want to tell the nosey shapeshifter about you.”

“That's enough about that!” Hikari all but yelped. “Can you take m-us to him? You can tell us more about what we're facing or what's going on while we walk.” Hardly an elegant topic change, and given how Emmy was smirking at her, Emmy had no intention of leaving that particular topic lay.

“Oh, I could, but it's really not safe to travel at night. Even I don't dare, since the Shadows are stronger in the dark. He has been trying to warp this world enough to put out the sun for a while. Of course, it's not like we'd allow that.”

“Who? Maligniss?” Emmy's gaze snapped to Hikari, and there was a naked look of horror in his eyes.

“Do not say his name!” The Yamato look-alike hissed, and she leapt out of her seat, pushing the girl to the ground. “Get down, all of you!” The other dropped obediently, having been the the digital world long enough to know that when someone tells you to duck, you bloody well better hit the dirt.

There was a low thrumming in the air, and Hikari gasped at a familiar sensation of eyes on her reemerged. It swept over her, yet didn't seem to see her as it searched for the one who dared utter his name. “You say his name, you invoke his attention, and trust me, you do not want that! If you must name him, call him Yamimon. Everyone does. King Kamiya says his name, but the two of them are already irreconcilable. Do not take lessons from King Kamiya. He had to earn that. For all the good it does him. Yamimon has been trying to kill him for 8 years now, and only stopped because he had other things to worry about.”

The thrumming was lightening, and after a few more minutes of silence. Once Emmy was certain his gaze had passed, he stood again, moving to the window to peer outside. “He's gone. You can get up now.”

“What...was that?” Takeru mumbled shakily. He'd seen the eyes in the sky the day the DSTF called them in, but he didn't have the displeasure of having it look at him, unlike Hikari, who for a few brief moments, had to deal with being its point of focus.

Emmy laughed softly. “That is what happens when you speak his name outside the castle. King Kamiya used to do it just to piss Yamimon off, just head off to the middle of nowhere, say his name, and essentially just mock him. He says it was to retrain his courage, but I still think he was starting to have fun with it.”

“You said the two of them where irreconcilable. What did you mean by that?” Emmy's face darkened.

“I mean Yamimon won't let King Kamiya live if he wins. If Yamimon managed to conquer the Digital World, then I will kidnap King Kamiya, stuff him in a bag, and run to another dimension if I have to. Yamimon has many plans, many ideas, and before King Kamiya, very little in the way of opposition. He rules through fear, through darkness and pain. But then, here comes this stupid little human, this chosen child of courage, and suddenly, Yamimon finds that sometimes, all you need to find your way out of the darkness is a bit of hope, a dash of light, and finally, the courage to move forward.” Emmy leaned back.

“Also, take a seat, guys, it's a safe house here. We have them scattered all over the Digital World, little places that the Shadows can't sense. They can follow you if you lead them here, but once you are inside, they can't see you at all. It's the only reason we were able to hide from Yamimon. King Kamiya was weak when I first found him, dying and bloody-”

Hikari trembled, fingers pale as she clenched her fists, suddenly glad she wasn't wearing her gloves, as she likely would have ripped holes in them. “Did you see what happened to him?”

Yamato's doppleganger gave her an irritated glance. “Some of it, now shush if you wanna hear the story. In any case, you've seen the purple portals, right?”

Hikari nodded, noting that Takeru did as well, though the newer Digidestined did not. If Emmy noticed that, she didn't dignify it with a reaction.

“What you need to understand is that on the other side of those portals is...or well, was our world. Our own version of this one, our Digital World. But unlike yours, we never had 'Chosen Children'. King Kamiya told me about your battle with the Dark Masters; the Apocalypse Four, as they were known in our world. Metal Seadramon, Machinedramon, Puppetmon, and Piedmon. They ran rampant in our world. The four Great Sovereigns failed to contain them and were sealed away. We were a disjointed mess. But our world wasn't without it's own method of salvation. This world had the crests, the Chosen Children. Gennai. But our world had the King's Code.”

Ken leaned forward slightly from his seat, intrigued. Takeru was frowning, and Yolei looked interested, but not as interested as Ken, and Daisuke...was Daisuke, splitting his attention between Hikari and Emmy. Seeing she had a captive audience, as the four digimon were munching on rations packed by the military while listening, she glanced outside, seeing that night had fully fallen. She was invested now; she refused to go out into complete darkness. At least, not so far from the Castle.

“The King's Code is something that to our knowledge has always existed, but couldn't be claimed by just anyone. Anyone could pick it up, and anyone could try to read it. But that tablet won't work for anyone other than someone found worthy. A...chosen child, if you will.” She paused, cracking a smile, but didn't get any reaction. “Jeez, tough crowd. We never had a true king, nor a King's Line, so to speak, but we did have digimon we accepted as a king. We were desperate, scared, and being crushed under the tyrannical rule of the Apocalypse Four, but even so, there were a few minor dark would be lords, and with the Angel Digimon all holed up in Angel Isle doing Yagami-knows-what, we had no holy leader, no angels of deliverance, and no real means of rebellion...and then Devimon the Terrible was killed. In full view of over a hundred digimon he had enslaved.”

“I bet Taichi gave him a butt kicking he never forgot!” Daisuke cut in, grinning widely.

Emmy shook her head. “No, he wasn't even there yet. No, our savior was Etemon.”

Takeru jumped out of his chair, looking wide eyed in incredulity. “You relied on Etemon? Of all the digimon to count on, you decided to throw your support behind Etemon?!” A annoyed glare silenced him as Emmy bristled.

“Well, it's not like we had a better choice! In case you forgot, we didn't have a bunch of kids with convenient plot devices and godlike powers. We took what we could get. Etemon killed Devimon, and then went after Myotismon the Bloody. He killed him and absorbed his data, and with the power of Myotismon and Devimon, digivolved into MetalEtemon. By now, he'd begun to amass a following, but the Apocalypse Four didn't consider him a threat, even when he went after the Temple of the King. To the Apocalypse Four, the King's Code was just a useless slab of rock. They set a trap for MetalEtemon there anyway, but they didn't expect MetalEtemon to actually reach it...or that while the King's Code didn't acknowledge him as a true king, it did give him power and shattered the shackles he had been born with.”

She took a moment to look at the bag of supplies. “Hey, I'll understand if you say no, but do you have any drinks in there I could have? I kinda rushed over here when I detected someone singing the Yagami Lullaby, so I'm a bit thirsty.”

Hikari furrowed her eyes, still blushing slightly at the reminder of her embarrassment.

I am never singing that song again.

She handed Emmy a bottle of...some sort of red energy drink, and Emmy gulped it down greedily. “Pwah! Damn, that's nice. In any case, most of us didn't know that Etemon was just a puppet, that he had called someone 'master'. The King's Code recognized his desire to cut those strings, and he Digivolved again. He came out of that temple to find his followers surrounded by the soldiers of the Apocalypse Four, who thought he'd be easy, being just an puppet. KingEtemon showed them just how much of a difference there is between a Mega and Ultimates, especially when empowered by the King's Code. After that, Most of the Digital World rallied behind KingEtemon. He destroyed MetalSeadramon, crushed Machinedramon's Metal Empire and assimilated it's power. He burned Puppetmon's Mansion to the ground, absorbing all of their data while he left Piedmon for last. We didn't find out why until later. There was a bit of a stalemate for a while, though most of the rest of the Digital World wondered why KingEtemon was hesitating while Piedmon was confined to Spiral Mountain.”

“He wasn't powerful enough, was he? We nearly lost against that clown.” Takeru spoke softly, remembering his own panic and terror at that particular battle. He remembered losing his brother, and Taichi, both trying to stall Piedmon and escape. They'd gone in, thinking they could win, and Piedmon had been far stronger than they thought.

“I've talked to King Kamiya about that, and we have a few theories as to why he was so much stronger than the others, but my theory is that he absorbed the data of the other Apocalypse Four. No, KingEtemon took over two years to establish his kingdom, and set up a defensive line against Piedmon, then he went to Angel Isle. The angels weren't too happy to see him, but in the end, what could they do? We all had thrown in our lot with KingEtemon at that point, and while he was pompous and narcissistic, he had done far more for us than the Angel Digimon had. No, at that point in time, Angel Digimon were nearly scorned with the exception of the few who refused to join Angel Isle when they Digivolved. KingEtemon told them that the King's Code had given him this power, and that he was going to make an attack on Piedmon, but that he needed their help. This was their time to earn back their reputation. This was their time to prove themselves to be more than cowards, trembling in fear on their personal slice of the Digital World. The time for plotting and planning was over, and now was time for action.”

“I know you told me that Etemon was a bad guy, but he almost sounds like an actual king here, Takeru.” Yolei's words were casual, but Hikari couldn't deny that this alternate version of Etemon was almost...admirable. He had gone to battle and saved others, regardless of motives.

Takeru had talked about Etemon like he was a scourge, and Taichi had also told her he was a bad guy. If not for the Chosen Children, would Etemon risen to the occasion, and become some sort of savior?

Emmy scoffed. “Oh no, don't get it mixed up, KingEtemon was no saint. He was a braggart, a show off, and had a over inflated ego. Even so, he had a lot of admirers for his power, his drive, and his stupidity cloaked as courage. He was the first one to strike back. First to challenge the Apocalypse Four, the first to win . He was never a good Digimon, but he was a hero to the beaten down masses. That was what set him apart. He refused to let anyone by himself or his generals touch the King's Code, for fear that it may find someone more worthy of it's power. But back to the history lesson. The Angels didn't really have a choice if they wanted the common digimon to take them seriously for anything other than their greater effectiveness against evil. So they joined KingEtemon, with the understanding that once Piedmon was gone, he would have no authority over them.”

“And did they win?” Patamon queried, having fluttered his way onto Takeru's shoulder. “We angels can be pretty powerful when it comes to evil, and I died once facing Devimon, yet as MagnaAngemon, I was able to kill Piedmon, an Mega.” Takeru could hear the underlying sense of gloating under Patamon's question, and could admit that the story being told painted them in a bit of a bad light, so he could understand Patamon's need to reassure himself that he was better than the cowards they were being painted as.

Emmy smirked. “Oh yes, they won. It's what came after that nearly ended them. Perhaps you remember a bastard digimon by the name of Apocalymon?”

Hikari's eyes widened as Takeru shivered. “Oh. How did I forget that...” Takeru breathed softly. At the mention of the name it all came back. The endless void, the darkness that devoured all light. Sstanding on an unseen surface, looking up at the absolutely horrific amalgam of darkness and evil. It didn't look hideous at first, but thinking back, he felt like the memories had somehow warped and changed...or perhaps it that his childish mind couldn't comprehend its true form and degraded it into something his childlike mind could see without going insane.

There was something absolutely disgusting about the digimon in his memory, but it wasn't visual. It was mental, and the aura it gave off made his skin crawl at the memory, slimy and corrosive, warm and pulsing with filth. He shuddered, and noticed Hikari doing the same.

Emmy smiled a wan smile. “Judging by those reactions, you do now. King Kamiya says you managed to trap him and seal him with the Crests of your world. Since we didn't have those, all KingEtemon and the angels could do was stall him. And even that didn't work. He actually managed to intrude into our reality, cracking open the sky and pouring his malevolence on our world. But not all hope was lost. While KingEtemon was never a king the Code chose, it still had a duty to protect our world. We didn't have crests, but we had their equivalent, and KingEtemon was no idiot. Seeing that he didn't have a choice, he allowed the Angel Digimon remaining to touch the Code of Kings, and they each gained power they had never known before. Working together, they managed to seal Apocalymon, before he could detonate and destroy our reality.”

Enmeros went silent for a few minutes. “It was after that, when we were confronted with the type of king we crowned. He led our resistance, defeated those that oppressed us. But that doesn't make him a good king, or even a good digimon. The King's Code gave him power, but rejected his worthiness as a king. We suffered under him. Not as much as under the Apocalypse Four, but it wasn't much better. We obeyed or we died. Without an enemy to fight, however, it was mostly just catering to his ego. Sending tribute. Occasionally offering the occasional Digimon he took a fancy to for his harem of groupies.”

Emmy's face twitched as Daisuke blinked. “What's a harem, again?”

“We'll tell you when you're older, Davis.” Hikari snarked, and the boy in question blushed as the Yamato look alike laughed.

“Snarky! King Kamiya always did say that you were ten pounds of snark in a five pound bag. Though, he also said that he liked that about you, how you could be super sweet and kind, then turn around and deliver....how did he put it? Third degree verbal burns. Said you and Sora had that in common.”

“I really don't want to hear that coming from Yamato's mouth.” Hikari cringed. Emmy tilted his head, and Hikari was hit yet again with the fact that while the voice and appearance was Yamato's, it wasn't Yamato underneath.

“In any case, the years went by under our new king, with people growing more and more restless, something KingEtemon noticed. The King's Code had been locked away, in his vaunt so no one could use it again, but we weren't ignorent of the fact that his power was fading back to the level of a normal Mega. The King's Code was rejecting him now that the Apocalypse Four were gone, and Apocalymon was sealed. He saw the purple portals as a blessing, and rallied his army when the Shadows started coming through. He expected the King's Code to give him power again, and was furious when it didn't. After a while, we found out that the purple portals had a lock on them, one that could be opened with the power of the code, and KingEtemon was quick to open it, marching through with his army. It led here, to this world.”

Emmy hesitated, shooting Hikari a wary look. “I need you to remember that we didn't ask for any of this, that KingEtemon was the one calling the shots. We obeyed, or we died. There were even some of us who thought it was the digimon from this world that invaded ours and killed thousands. So When KingEtemon came through, he did the same. Only, these digimon had done nothing wrong. KingEtemon captured numerous powerful Digimon, demanded to know where your king was, your leader, whoever was the one in charge. No one had an answer, and we didn't find out until later that this world never had a king or a true monarch. We marched through that purple gate thinking it was a two way connection, but we were wrong.”

There was silence as they were left to digest those final words before Ken's eyes widened. “It was a setup.”

Emmy gave a humorless smile. “Score one for the Digidestined. Yes, we were lead here by the Yagami Damned nose, thinking we would find what was threatening our world. We had no idea that we were being used like a disposable pawn, weakening your world and ours at the same time. KingEtemon was a fool, coming here and instantly moving to slaughter anything that moved. We encountered fierce resistance, and we sent many to the Nursery Isle. But we were just puppets on strings.” Emmy snarled, fists clenching hard enough to splinter the wooden arm rest of her chair.

“Yamimon played all of us for fools. He let KingEtemon whittle away at the strength of your world's defenders before he tried to return, and instead of coming back to our world, KingEtemon was amushed in a world he didn't recognize. The only saving grace was that he didn't bring the King's Code with him. With KingEtemon dead, the Shadows swept over our world like a plague. Yamimon began to merge our world with yours, creating one world that he could more easily rule, thinking that he had the upper hand. Your brother was caught in the middle of a fight with the Shadows and the remainder of Etemon's army, and he nearly lost his life before I could get him away. For some reason, the Shadows seemed particularly intent on him, so I had to choose who to save. Wargreymon, who I knew as a mega could fend for himself, or the squishy humanoid thing that showed no outward powers.”

“How...how badly was he hurt?” Hikari tried to hide the tremble in her voice, really she did. But the idea of her brother, laying bleeding next to Agumon was not a picture she ever wanted to imagine. She knew he had been in mortal danger, but this was making her rethink her wish she made to the Dark Ocean. She was forced to wonder if there was ever a wish that was worth that.

This was not our doing, but the choice of Fate.

The Quantum Sea seemed to be insistent that she not lay the blame on them, but she didn't respond to its statement.

“King Kamiya was heavily injured. Bleeding from the head and missing an arm. I managed to save him, but his recovery was long and intensive. He spent half of it asleep while our best healers tried to mend him. We were...forced to make some choices when it came to healing him or our own wounded, so he tended to be something of a charity project.”

Hikari bristled at the insinuation, and Yolei put a hand on her shoulder, followed quickly by Takeru, leaving Davis looking slightly left out as Ken nodded understandingly. “Prioritize the war potentials over the unknown civilians. Unfortunate, but understandable.”

And oh, how that statement irritated Hikari. She wanted to yell at Ken, to scream at him for being a uncaring bastard, but she knew...as much as she wanted to deny it, that it was true. He was trying to see it from their view, and from that point of observation, that was the correct choice.

She really wished she didn't understand that, though.

“He did recover, though he insisted on trying to make up for it. I tried to tell him no, that I would work enough for us both until he was in better shape, but well...King Kamiya was never much for staying still.”

Now that was something she understood. “Sounds like him.”

Emmy shot her a grateful look. “He was up trying to run errands as soon as he could walk. He wasn't much for combat, being unable to Digivolve, but he asked anyone who had time for lessons on how to fight, feeling like a burden. Some of us humored him, but as time went on and our spirits waned, it felt like he was the only one with any spirit left, and I know that while it irritated some of them, many of us appreciated that. We were losing this fight, and every battle was costly. We tried to join forces with the Digimon of your world, but they didn't trust us very much. Most of our Angel Digimon were lost over time since the Shadows aimed for them as a priority target. We were desperate, and we couldn't digivolve to higher forms to fight. We started this war with our top fighters being Mega level. But we started losing them, and then we had to use Ultimates as our top warriors. Then it was champions. We needed an edge, and then King Kamiya had a stupid idea. The King's Code had saved us before; maybe it would again.”

Taking a moment to interrupt her exposition dump for a drink, she glanced over each of the humans of the group.

“You have to understand how ridiculous it sounded to us. A little rookie level humanoid, if even that, wanted to storm the remains of KingEtemon's castle, which was full of Shadows, mind you, and break into KingEtemon's vault. He wanted to steal the King's Code and bring it back to us, so we could try for a miracle. No one was willing to go to the heart of darkness. No one thought that KingEtemon would have left it accessible to just carry away! They laughed at him, thinking he'd gone insane.”

Emmy's lips curled into a soft smile. “Maybe he was. But King Kamiya...when I found him, he felt...hollow. Confused. He was...incomplete. But that day, I saw him. The real him.”

“The one who doesn't give up. Who knows what he's doing is stupid, but does it anyway, because sheer force of will is carrying him. The Taichi that steps forward, never stopping. The one who sees something that isn't perfect, and reworks it in his mind until it is. Never stopping, never letting himself rethink it because he knows he's past the point of holding back. The Taichi that makes you feel like anything is possible if you just put your faith in him.”

The rest of the cabin's inhabitants turned to look at the speaker. Her hands were clasped in her lap, teardrops rolling down her cheeks as her lips curved into a wobbly smile. “My Taichi was always that kind of person in my mind, the kind of person that was unstoppable if he chose to move forward. He was....he was...always...always moving forward. And maybe...maybe he found that part of him again.” Her voice hitched and halted as Yolei pulled her into a side embrace. She wasn't the only one who looked like she wanted to, though no one else moved to interrupt it.

Emmy stared at the girl, cool blue eyes full of conflicting emotion. “Is that...normal, for human siblings?”

Yolei shot her a glare. “Yeah, when siblings are close and get separated, they tend to worry.”

Emmy shook his head. “No, that's not what I'm talking about...never mind. I get to tell King Kamiya that I was right. Guess he can stop feeling guilty now.”

Hikari shot the shapeshifter a questioning look, but Emmy didn't respond to it. “In any case, we were done, and we knew it. We were living on borrowed time, so when King Kamiya said he'd go by himself if he had to, one of the few angels left decided not to send him unarmed. The MagnaAngelmon gave him his Excalibur, and King Kamiya set off, and I followed him in secret. Well, I say secret, but apparently he knew I was there. He lacked the raw power and speed of a Digimon, but he was nothing if not resourceful, and I...actually thought to myself that maybe, if it was him, he could do it. I...believed in him, and even when he was battered, he never stopped, even calling me out when he settled down for the night. Those night were...interesting. I knew he was different, but he started telling me all these stories, all these tales about his adventures, about his friends, about his...anyway, we reached the castle, and that's when things started going wrong. We had to split up, and I was to act as a distraction while he sneaked into the vault. When I found him, he was...”

Emmy swallowed. “He was hurt. Someone had managed to stab him in the side, and I could only do some basic first aid, as he called it. Digimon don't bleed, you know? And he was bleeding a lot. I told him that we needed to go back, that he would die if he didn't, because I couldn't heal him. And then he told me...he told me he would die on the way back even if we did. So we kept moving forward until we found the code. It was behind a barrier, and when he poked it with Excalibur, it took only a few moments for the sword to shatter and decay. If we had an mega, I'm sure we could have ignored the barrier and grabbed the code, but we didn't.”

Would you like to see it?

Hikari started so violently that Yolei jumped. “Kari? What's wrong?”

What do you mean?

Would you like to see the culmination of Destiny? The Fate that the prophecy called forth. Would you like to see it?

What will it cost?

There is no cost. It would only be a recreation. You may look, but not touch. You will be a spectator.

….Yes. I want to see.

There was a roaring in her ears, a blinding light behind her eyes, and the panicked yelps of the other digidestined, and then...nothing.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in a crumbling castle. The air was musty, and the light in the room came from torches on the wall as she gazed over the cold, dirty stone.

“What...is this?” A voice came from behind her and she shrieked, turning to see the rest of the Cabin's inhabitants. Takeru was looking over everything with something like nostalgia, Yolei looked nonplussed, and Ken looked fascinated. In the end, though, it was Enmeros in Yamato's form that had the most reaction, throwing her head this way and that in panic.

“How? Why? This is...how did we get here?”

A wet cough made her freeze, and they all turned around to see an older Taichi Yagami bent over, coughing into his hand as his other hand pressed against his side. Standing over him was a fretful looking Sora...or a Sora look-alike.

“You need to rest! You've been pushing yourself too hard, much more of this and you'll die!” Enmeros in Sora's form reached down, grabbing his arm and hoisting him up as she pulled him back into a room that was well lit by a glowing tablet. It shone gold behind a barrier field that crackled with red energy, and the group joined them, present Emmy looking at Hikari with something akin to awe.

“How are you doing this? Did we...go back in time?”

Hikari shook her head. “I...wanted to see, and it was going to show me. I didn't know it would pull you in too.”

The others seemed to understand, but Emmy remained confused, but silent.

Turning back to her brother, Hikari felt herself tear up. His hair was a mess, matted and dirty. His clothes were little better, torn and bloodstained, covered by a ragged cloak that almost looked like a cape from a certain angle.

It's fine, he's still alive. He survived this. He got better...

She tried to reassure herself, but there was nothing she could tell herself that would make the blood in the corner of his mouth any more okay. He'd been coughing up blood, and while they were more durable in the Digital World, she didn't want to think about the fact that he must have been bleeding internally.

“That's it, right?” He managed to get out, trying to stand up as Past Emmy instantly went to help him.

“Yeah...yeah, that's the King's Code.” That Enmeros' voice was quiet, trembling as she helped him get closer, and Hikari could see tears in the shapeshifted Sora's eyes. It seems that Enmeros of the past also knew Taichi was on his last legs. “You did it, Taichi. You made it. You proved them wrong.”

Taichi shook his head. “Not yet. I told them..I'd get it back to them. I guess I'm going to have to be at least half a liar.”

“That's not true, Taichi! We're going to take it back to them together!” The combination of Sora's quaking voice and Taichi's quiet acceptance of his incoming fate twisted painfully in Hikari's stomach, and she wiped the tears coming from her eyes as she repeatedly reminded herself that he was still alive, that this was not her brother's final moments.

Taichi only gave the Sora look alike a pained smile, before looking away, but Hikari didn't miss the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes as he slowly lifted the sword that was his only personal weapon, and poked the barrier.

He dropped it like a hot potato as red sparks arced over it, and it began to lose it's glow, ringing painfully before there was a sharp crack, and it fractured. A couple seconds later and it shattered into pieces and dissolved into data. “Well...that's unfortunate.” He muttered, trying to inject some humor into the moment.

Enmeros of the past let out a watery laugh. “Well, it looks like we'll have to deactivate the barrier-”

“There's no time. You know as well as I do that the Shadows won't leave us here much longer, and when they come back, it'll be en force. You have to get away before then.” Past Enmeros froze, and present Enmeros stilled.

“What are you saying? I'm not leaving without you!”

“You won't be leaving alone! Enmeros...This is for my world as well. When you leave here with the King's Code, it'll be with my spirit. This is it for me. We both know I won't live through the night. The barrier didn't destroy the sword immediately, which means there might be enough time for me to get in there and throw you the code. When you leave here, it'll be with the hope of both our worlds. If you can stop Yamimon, or at least give my friends time to prepare, then I'll consider it a successful last adventure.”

The steady way he delivered the line made past Enmeros burst into tears, Sora's arms wrapping around him in a way that seemed so painfully familiar to Hikari that she couldn't stop the stifled sob in her chest. “Stupid! Stupid, stupid, STUPID! Stupid Tai, we could have run! We could have run away together, you and me! We could have been happy, we could have done whatever you wanted! I may not be human, but I....it didn't have to end like this! Not like this! Not like this...!”

Past Enmeros sobbed in such an utterly human way that Hikari couldn't deny that her emotions at the moment were anything but genuine.

“It has to be this way, Emmy. I'm doing this for you too. For Sora, for Hikari, for Yamato. For Izzy, Jyou, Takeru. For Mimi, for my parents. For everyone in both worlds. You have to let me go.”

And she did, tears and sobs still audible as she tried to swallow down her despair. Taichi turned, stepping unsteadily from the relative safety of her arms and toward the barrier and likely painful death. “It's like the pyramid all over again. This time, I don't have Agumon to push me forward.” Taichi's mutter was soft, yet easily heard by the others. “This is it, Taichi. It's all been leading up to this. Accept your fate, like Nishijima did. With dignity. Gather your courage.”

Hikari swallowed painfully as her brother gave himself a self pep talk. His hand was shaking violently as he swallowed down fear. “A hero isn't without fear, he's just braver a little longer than everyone else.” His hand reached out, and he closed his eyes in preparation...then made contact.

Red lightning arched over his body and he pushed forward, face twisted in pain, before his lips parted and he screamed . It cut through them like knives as Taichi exclaimed his pure agony as the skin on his arm flaked and charred, yet still he moved forward. Forward as the red lightning traced bloody, burning lines on his body, slicing through his clothes. Forward as it passed his shoulders, leaving the smell of burning flesh. The current slid through his body, sending his mucles into spasms as he willed himself to move forward with purpose, knowing that if he stopped, he would lose control of his body and it would all be for naught. He couldn't stop, must not stop, and will not stop. The burning feeling was worse than anything he'd ever felt before, and there were several moment he thought his body would simply stop responding to his will, but he pulled through each of them. The pain made each moment last an eternity, but he was not one easily broken.

Past Enmeros was sobbing, screaming in anguish as she watch Taichi destroy himself for their hope, for their continued struggle for life against the evil that would devour them.

Yet forward he went, stepping forward as his iconic hair caught fire and turned to ashes in short order. He was through, but at what cost? The Code was in his hands, and he turned to throw it, only to fall off balance. A look down revealed his left leg was gone, atomized as the data that made up his body began to separate.

Takeru was crying, Hikari absently noted, and Yolei looked like she might be sick. Daisuke looked horrified, tears in his eyes as he watched his idol literally falling to pieces. Ken was mostly impassive...if not for the silent tears streaming down his face and white knuckled fists clenched at his side.

Yet Enmeros was still the one who looked most pained, and she'd never seen Yamato look so...broken.

Turning back to her brother, she took a deep shuddering breath as he looked down at his dissolving body with a pained look. She could almost see his life flashing before his eyes.

“I'm sorry...Emmy. Sora. Hikari. Mom. Dad. I'm sorry I couldn't come back home. I'm...sorry.” He lifted the tablet with flagging strength, and his eyes screwed shut as he choked back a wet sob of his own. “I don't want to die.” He whispered...and the world exploded.

Bright light filled the room, and Hikari could almost hear the swelling music.

He never ran. He accepted his death as a natural thing, as a sacrifice for others. Yet deep down, the will to survive persisted. And the Code answered him. It judged him. His past, his present, his willingness to sacrifice for the good of all.

It answered him, and bestowed upon him the Crest of the King.

The light slid over everything, and suddenly they were watching the ring spread over the castle from the point of contact, shattering the Shadows cloaking it. It washed over the world, and the Digimon who recognized the power cascading over them bowed.

Best to give me your Loyalty,

Cause I'm taking the world, you'll see!

They'll be calling me, calling me

They'll be calling me royalty!

Back in the chamber, the light wrapped around Taichi, reforming his lost leg and healing his wound. His hair regrew, and he twitched as light infused his body. The tablet dissolved, snaking up his body and seeping into his skin as a silver bracelet formed on his wrist. On his chest, the symbol of courage glowed, infusing him with its essence as he inhaled sharply, eyes glowing as he trembled.

Power flowed through him, and the barrier shattered as he blinked, inhaling deeply as the stones around him warped and the ground shuddered. A king needs a castle, and the King's Code drew upon his ideal castle, re configuring cold stone to warm marble and extravagant design. The data rippled outward, forming tall walls and lavish housing. Dark, foreboding forests were cleansed of taint, and the Shadows were repelled as a golden dome expanded outward.

Past Enmeros watched in dawning awe as Taichi's outfit changed from the tattered outfit he'd been wearing to a more regal set of clothing, and upon his head sat a golden crown. She could feel his power, the divine might of the King's Code within his body, and as if it were preprogrammed into her, she found herself kneeling.

“Long Live the King.”

The moment ended, and the vision shattered, leaving them all back in the dusty old cabin as Hikari took a deep, shuddering breath.

Enmeros gave a watery laugh. “I had hoped never to relive that moment, but...well. I can't say I'm upset at seeing him ascend to the throne again.”

“So...that's how he became king?” Ken muttered.

Enmeros nodded. “It was never as simple as just taking or touching the King's Code. It's almost paradoxical. King Kamiya told me that he'd been prepared to die, but then he thought of those he'd be leaving behind...and he said he'd never felt such a powerful desire to live within him. He wanted to return to you, but he knew that we needed him. The King's Code gives him immense power; he said it's like having a digivice that can make anyone digivolve. He can infuse others with his data to make them stronger, too. Only...he worries that he's not fully human anymore.”

Hikari stood, eyes hard and face harder. “I don't care if he's human anymore, he's Taichi, and that's all that matters.”

Emmy cracked a smile. “I thought you might say that. He got over that worry about two years ago when I asked what was so different about how he was now compared to how he was then. Even was using your form to do it. He had no answer, other than he was stronger now and probably would have weird effects on technology. Of course, the big worry he had was that he could no longer have children, but that one is something we know is false.”

Hikari's eyes went wide and she sputtered, red faced as Yolei choked down a laugh. “Wha-How do you know that?”

Enmeros laughed. “He doesn't have any children, calm down. There's been some that wanted to be...test subjects...for that particular study, but given what we know, we at least know he can have children with digimon if he so desired. Humans, however, we don't know, because we don't exactly have a control group. We may need your help with that, Hikari.”

Hikari could have gone her whole life without seeing that particular expression on Yamato's face, lewd and suggestive, but as it turns out, she didn't really have a choice in the matter, and she felt rather robbed of that innocence. Even so, the insinuation had her feeling butterflies in her stomach as she sputtered wordlessly as he looked to Yolei for help. Takeru was looking as if he'd been slapped with a fish, and Davis, predictably, looked like a tomato at the idea of Hikari being intimate with anyone. “I, but, you, I,it's not like that!”

Enmeros grinned. “You say that, but I have to say, you have an interesting choice of lullaby. It sounds almost like a love song, doesn't it? Hi-kar-i Ya-ga-mi~?” His words were playful, drawing out her name syllable by syllable.

Hikari swayed, feeling faint at the insinuation. This couldn't be happening!

“Besides, I never said that you'd be testing to see if you could reproduce with him, only that we needed a human to compare him to. It's your dirty minds that jumped to conclusions.”

Hikari collapsed into the chair and hid her face as Enmeros laughed. “Don't look at me....” She whined. If Enmeros kept teasing her like this, her secret may not remain secret much longer...

Chapter Text

Looking back, Sora was sure that there was signs of an impending disaster. Had to be. There was no way that some asshole woke up and decided that today would be the day to randomly initiate the end of the world as we know it.

It was in a daze that she stood, coughing in the abundance of dust and rubble, checking herself over for injuries. She could fee a shooting pain in her leg, but looking down and seeing no blood, she was convince that she either would have a nasty bruise or her leg was twisted. She didn't know which, but as long as she could walk, she would be okay, right?

A chorus of explosions reminded her that no, if she wanted to survive, she needed to be able to move fast. Glancing up at the sky, she was forced to confront the calamity that had befallen the city.

It was like a gash in reality, and from it spilled countless black specks, firing beams of energy down into the hapless city below. She could hear the screams, the rapid fire staccato of gunfire and the occasional explosion, but the creatures seemed to ignore them entirely, the bullets passing right through them as they wrecked the city.

And here today had started so normally, too....

It's amazing how adaptable the human mind is sometimes. Three days ago, Hikari, Ken, Takeru, Yolei and Davis had gone through the portal to the digital world, and nearly instantly, things had gone sideways. Koushiro had lost contact nearly immediately, but rather than panic, he'd mused that the distortions in the Digital World was likely causing communication issues.

Noragami hadn't been pleased, but accepted that this had always been a possibility. What he was somewhat less amused by was the fact that the the 'Mysterious Sky Phenomenon' as the public had dubbed it had been growing. Despite knowing that it would take time to strengthen the barrier, he'd been very worried that if whatever the thing was that was gazing into their world realized what was happening, it would endeavor to do as much damage possible before being shut out.

Even if the barrier was repaired, however, there was no promise it would be able to hold the thing back. Koushiro had given his support wholeheartedly, not holding anything back, mo matter how minor the discovery might have been, giving Noragami a crash course in what he knew of the digital world.

Such as the fact that if his readings were correct, the Digital World had already as much as tripled in size, and only a third of it was the digital world he recognized.

More worrisome for Koushiro was the strange code that was spreading from one of the continents that had been...grafted on. It permeated the digital world, connecting to nearly every digimon it came in contact with. It didn't seem to do anything in particular to them, but he managed to isolate and download a small portion of it from Tentomon, who had already been touched by whatever it was. He didn't know what it was, or what it meant, and oddly enough, Tentomon didn't know either, despite the small bit of data having wormed its way into Tentomon with a mess of contradicting data that he could only assume was some sort of trojan.

It didn't react maliciously to attempts to change it, but it seemed to be hard coded into Digievolution, though as far as he could tell, it only went one way, which worried him slightly. Whatever the source of this connection was, it was capable of uploading data into the digimon it infected, influencing their evolution. The only other hint he had was a word that he presumed was a name, though he didn't recognize it at all.

“Hey, Tentomon...does the word 'Kamiya' mean anything to you?”

“Hmm...Not that I remember. It feels familiar to me, but I could not tell you why.” Tentomon seemed just as confused as Izzy, who furrowed his brow before resuming his typing. He couldn't remove the coding yet without possibly damaging Tentomon's ability to digivolve, since the connection was similar to the one they had with the digivice.

More research was needed.

He wouldn't get much of a chance to do so.

Like any other day, the Digidestined woke, prepared for school, work, or whatever errands or chores awaited them. Despite having abilities that their government wanted to make use of, their everyday lives didn't change much, aside from having standing orders that should a call to come over to the DSTF light up their phones, they were to drop everything and make their way there. Not to mention Sora was fairly certain that she had a person following her to see to her safety.

It had been strongly requested that they not have their Digimon with them in public to avoid panic, though they also understood that some of them would not listen. Koushiro never went anywhere, so Tentomon had no restraints, but for the rest of the older kids, they were forced to either leave their digimon at home or at the DSTF where they would have an eye kept on them, as well as being fed regularly as much as they wanted.

Or course, some of them had been rather gluttonous at first, but the worry that the offer of free food didn't get rescinded as they feared, though they did have a government lab tech scan them regularly with their partner's permission. Especially once Koushiro found the unknown packet of coding that seemed to have made it into every digimon.

He'd been quick to assure Sora that it wasn't the same as Meicoomon, that this unknown coding didn't have the same readout that the virus did months prior, but it still made her uncomfortable. He'd hesitated to mention it, but still, he felt the other deserved to know that someone or something by the name of 'Kamiya' could potentially upload data into their digimon and possibly influence their digievolution.

The auburn haired girl sighed, making her way to her classroom. Honestly, it had been one thing after another lately, and it was really starting to get her down, though she still thought back to that moment, when the Light told Hikari that her brother was alive and okay, just in danger. An hour of grilling hadn't gotten any more information, but she still couldn't help but feel that it still helped to know that Hikari, at least, had it on good authority that Taichi, her alien, was still alive and well.

She sat through math class, only being called out twice for not paying attention by the teacher, who only shook his head. He had been briefed on the situation by two men in suits about the significance of certain children; they all had, all the way up to the principle. These kids were the only ones he'd ever had to bend his cell phone policy for, after all, and he hated that fact. Many of the teachers took the suits commands at face value and basically let said children run amok, but he still refused to believe that such things were true.

Yes, he'd been there when the titanic monster threatened the city and other monsters turned into a giant knight and slew fallen angel like thing, but there was no way that it would be kids that had to fight their wars for them.

Sora Takenouchi had been one of his brightest students, and her caring nature had made her fairly popular with the other students...at least at first. She'd been slipping lately, and at first, she though it was due to her odd love triangle with two other students. Taichi Yagami had been something of a...lackluster student, and quite frankly, he didn't care for him. He didn't much like Yamato Ishida either, but Ishida at least pretended to be a good student.

So when the telltale ring of a phone filled the room and Sora reached for her bag, he could already feel the annoyance filling him as eyes darted from her to him. Eyes expecting him to confiscate her phone, to enforce the rules he'd earned their ire for since the beginning of the year. If he did as he wished, and there was truly an emergency, he would be blamed for it. If he did not, the high school kids would claim favoritism, and while he knew the principle would go to bat for him against their parents, it would ruin his credibility with the kids, who would forever consider him as a teacher that played favorites.

His lips parted to speak, but he was saved from the situation when Sora paled, going white in a fraction of a second before almost stumbling out of her seat and rushing to the window, peering up at the sky.

Her actions prompted the attention of others, and suddenly, he had more important things to worry about when one of the other nearly graduated students yelled. “Something's coming out of the rift!”

Making his way with haste, the teacher was suddenly feeling much less conflicted about Sora having her phone, given the circumstances. “Okay everyone, you know the drill, single file into the hallway!”

Outside, the black specks were growing more numerous as Sora bolted to the door, cutting in front of everyone in her haste. Several students gave her the stink eye as she ran in the halls, catching the attention of several teachers and hall monitors before the intercom started declaring a state of emergency.

She had to get to Biyomon. Of course this would happen while she was at school! Her phone lit up again, this time with a call as she instantly answered it, her breath even and steady despite her rush. “Yeah, I got the message.”

“Good, we're sending someone to pick you up. Where is your partner?” Noragami wasted no time, and apparently, neither did her ride as a black car pulled up, tires screeching as they came to a stop and the door unlocked. Further words were unneeded as she all but leapt into the car.

“At my house, what happened?” Her question was short and to the point, even as she looked up at the newly formed rupture in the sky. The black dots were hovering under the gash, doing nothing as more came through, and Sora felt a sinking feeling.

“Izumi said there was a disruption in the barrier. It was strengthening as he said it would, but before it could fully seal back up, something attacked it, and this is the result. Whatever it was didn't want to wait for the barrier to be back to full strength. How long will it be before you are combat ready?” Noragami wasn't in the mood for small talk, but she was owed any information he could give her to prepare her for the possible situation arising.

“I just have to get Biyomon, and then we should be ready.” Sora's reply was just as short as the car sped through the streets, nearly ignoring all traffic laws in their haste. “Did you get my mom somewhere safe?” That had been one of her conditions for helping, demanding that if the time came, they see to her mother's safety.

“She's on her way here now, we have a bunker prepared in case of an attack. Listen, we.....” Stactic engulfed the call, and Sora frowned. “-And there's something......but we can't.....oh....dear god...” She caught the last few words before the call fuzzed and she was disconnected.

Looking outside, she watched as the outpouring of black things in the sky finally ceased, and her phone chimed with a final message:

They are attacking.

That was her only warning before a rain of black beams cascaded out on the city like dark raindrops, and then there were only screams and explosions.

It's strange, how the emotions can shut down during moments of pure horror. A beam hit in front of the car, and Sora was struck with a odd urge to laugh as the car flipped on its side. As she slammed her shoulder against the door, she was glad she was wearing a seat belt, if nothing other than to keep her from pinballing around the inside of the car.

Dazed and confused, she blinked, shaking cobwebs from her head as she tried to focus her vision, noting that the driver seemed to be out cold, having hit his head pretty hard. Reaching down...or up, her hysterical mind giggled, she unfastened her seat belt, and let out a pained yelp as she fell on her shoulder. How there wasn't more glass on the landing spot, she didn't know, but she crawled forward, reaching out to shake the driver. He didn't respond.

She weighed her options, shaking him again before he let out a soft groan.

“Mmmphagle.” Was his eloquent reply to her attempts to rouse him.

“Wake up, we need to move.” She spoke with urgency, though her words may have been slightly slurred as he too, reached up and unfastened his seat belt. Much like she had, he let out a pained cry upon hitting side as the car tipped, threatening to fall over to leave the car upside down.

“I...I'll be fine. We...we have to get you to your partner.” He groaned, and Sora might have rolled her eyes if not for the situation. She knew better than he did what she needed to be doing, but she wasn't going to leave the clearly wounded man alone in a wrecked car. Advanced mental development wasn't the only side effect from their adventures in the Digital world; they retained some of their increased durability from the change from flesh to data. She would shake off her injuries and mental fog faster than he would.

Climbing carefully out of the sideways car, she was surprised when the driver pulled a pistol, opting instead to shatter the windshield with the weapon she hadn't been aware he was carrying. Technically, though, it did save her from having to worry about the car tipping if she tried to pull him out the side. The man limped out of the front, and Sora could see a trail of blood leaking from a wound on his head. She barely had time to catch him as his legs gave out, and he groaned. “Just get me to one of those buildings and leave me behind. I'm not going anywhere.”

“I can't just leave you, you're hurt.” She refuted, slinging his arm over her shoulder as she helped him walk, even as her own body throbbed painfully.

The man had the gall to chuckle. “Takenouchi, this isn't the first time I've ended up hurt on the job, and it won't be the last. I'll just slow you down. You need to go save the city.”

Sora bristled at the way she was addressed, and the callous way he suggested that she just leave a wounded man on the sidewalk so she could be a hero, before catching side of an elderly couple opening the front door of their house.

“Hurry, get him inside!” The older woman called, but not too loudly as she glanced up at the sky. The creatures from the rift were spreading out now, and the situation was growing more chaotic. Sora didn't hesitate, not stopping until she reached the front door. “We've got a basement, we can all hide there. I used to be a nurse, I can take care of your injuries; it's not safe out here.”

An explosion in the distance punctuated the woman's statement, and Sora nodded. “He needs care, he hit his head pretty hard. I can't stay, though.”

The woman shook her head. “Young lady, it's too dangerous out there! You need to be stay here, you'll be safer. Let the army handle this.”

“Ma'am, I appreciate your words but-” Sora was cut off the the wounded driver.

“She has a vital part to play. I wish she didn't have to, but there is no choice. I was supposed to take her to where she needs to go, but I wasn't able to.” The woman's eyes narrowed, but Sora couldn't waste time. The driver met her eyes, and nodded, pushing off her and collapsing against the doorway as the older woman moved to catch him.

Sora stepped back, feeling conflicted. “I'm sorry...and thank you.” She wasn't sure why she bothered to bow, but she did before taking off in the direction of her house. She heard the woman call out to her, but she didn't look back. She couldn't afford to. Looking down at her phone, she noted the large crack in the screen, but it was thankfully still functional as she dialed the emergency number.

“Noragami. What happened, Sora?”

“Car flipped, going on foot.” Both didn't bother with pleasantries, and Noragami was silent for a moment.

“I can't get another car, so I hope you're in shape still. The battle isn't going well.” An understatement. Firearms did next to nothing, and grenades and flashbangs only bought time. There were hundreds of agents doing their best, but as far as he knew, Izumi and his partner were doing their best to protect headquarters along with Joe and his partner. If something didn't change, this would be over before they could properly rally. He cursed inwardly. This wasn't going at all how they hoped; they should have kept the digimon with their partners, and damn the possible panic it may have caused.

“I'm a tennis player, but I used to play soccer. I'm used to running.” She hung up after that, not bothering to say goodbye, knowing it wasn't needed. She talked a big game, though, as while Tennis was a physical sport, endurance wasn't usually the top priority.

It's funny, how the world slows down when you're in mortal peril. She heard the whistling of the projectile before she saw it; a dark beam that slid through the air, slicing through anything in its path as she attempted to backpedal, nearly skidding to a stop like some sort of cartoon.

Then it hit the ground, and it was like a bomb went off. She was propelled backwards, and hit the ground with a cry of pain, rolling a couple times before sliding to a stop with a pained cough. She made to stand, and a twinge in her leg threatened to send her back to the ground as she looked up at the invaders. She was sure there had to have been some sign that the digital apocalypse would be happening today. Something she should have picked up on.

Looking down at her leg, she was happy to see no obvious injuries, but she knew she wouldn't be running for a while as she started to hobble in the direction of her house.

Again, however, she heard the dark beam before she saw it, and this time, as she turned, her eyes widened. It was headed straight for her. As if it had been aimed at her.

The thought was frighteningly clear as she threw herself to the ground to avoid a direct hit. She'd seen what it did to concrete; she didn't want to test what it did to flesh with her own body. She braced herself for impact, squeezing her eyes shut in preparation for pain. Pain from the explosion at her back. Pain from hitting the pavement and scraping her skin. Pain from getting tossed like a rag doll.

What she didn't expect was arms to catch her mid dive, lifting her rapidly as she gasped, eyes flying open. It wasn't a comfortable carry, given she had dived forward, but it was less painful than getting exploded. Speaking of, she heard the explosion, though it was shockingly far away given her proximity before she closed her eyes. Open, eyes, however, revealed that at least for a few moments, she was airborne, carried awkwardly by her savior.

As the person landed, however, an impossibly familiar voice spoke. “That was a close one, wasn't it Sora?”

Scrambling out of his arms, she ignored the pain shooting through her leg as she nearly stumbled to the ground, turning to face the impossible voice. She thought she was going mad; it couldn't be, right? She couldn't help the hope welling up in her, but with it was frustration.

He was wearing a tattered cloak that covered most of his body, but the awkwardly sized hood held down puffy hair that was nearly as achingly familiar as the warm chocolate brown eyes gazing at her. She took a step back, not daring to believe it, and unsure what she would do if he stepped toward her. But she didn't have to worry, given the way those brown eyes filled with tender feelings and un-shed tears, and the way he stood stock still, as if drinking in her form.

“God...you haven't changed at all. You're...you're just how I remember you. I bet not even a few months have passed for you, let alone years. I...I missed you so much, Sora. All that time, I kept wondering what it would be like to see you again. And now we're here, and I just...keep rambling.” The boy who vanished reached up, wiping away tears, and Sora realized what was so off about him.

He looked younger. Narrowed eyes were once more rounded, eyes that had begun to develop rings beneath it were young and vibrant, yet the way he looked at her made him feel so much older. “Taichi?”

He gave her a watery smile. “In the digital flesh.” A sharp whistle caught both of their attention, and Taichi was there in a flash, pressing her against a wall as he raised a hand, the dark beam impacting it as he winced. It seemed split against his palm, arcing around them in a diverted path. “For the love of...ASSEMBLE!”

She wasn't sure of what to make of it, both the way he reacted, how fast he moved...and the way he barked 'assemble' like a sort of command.

Then her digivice began to emit a high pitched whistle as the screen of a tipped over ATM lit up. And from it...Digimon appeared. She recognized a few of them, but as more and more poured out of various electronic devices, she found herself scooped up into younger, yet older Taichi's arms, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck as he leapt, far higher than any human could have ever jumped.

His arms are warm. The errant thought made her blush as she inwardly chided herself for such thoughts during a crisis. She wanted to stay professional, stay in the moment, given the horrific carnage all around, but she could feel her cheeks burning at the consideration that she was way too comfortable in his arms, and that she'd felt surprisingly okay with the way he'd had her previously pressed against a wall.

Several jumps had them on top of a parking garage, and Sora shook herself from her thoughts as Tai set her down, looking over her body for injuries. She gazed up at him lips parted, wanting to say something. Anything. But she was at a loss for words. He'd...come to her rescue. Again. Hikari had said he was okay, and she believed her, but seeing him again...was entirely different. There was a familiar look in his eyes, and he shot her a familiar, lopsided grin she'd worried was no longer meant for her as he met her eyes.

“I'm sure you have a million questions, but they'll have to wait-”

“SORA!” Yet another familiar voice cut Taichi off, and they both turned to see MetalGarurumon flying in, Yamato on his back. The Mega was looking a bit battered, but Yamato paid it no mind as he all but jumped from his back, rushing over to Sora before turning to the suspicious cloaked figure standing over her. “I don't know who the fuck you are, but....”

The words died on his lips as he trailed off. Familiar brown orbs. Familiar smile. Familiar warmth in his chest. “Taichi?”

Taichi gave him a slightly sheepish smile, reaching to scratch the back of his head in such a familiar gesture that Yamato almost cried. “Hey...It's...it's been a while, hasn't it Matt?”

Emotions warred in Yamato's chest, and he abruptly stalked forward. He wasn't sure what he would do once he was close enough. Would he punch him? Or kiss him?

Why not both?

He dismissed the voice that sounded suspiciously like Mimi, before going with the safe option, cocking his fist back to sock Taichi in the face...

And was surprised when his wrist was seized in an iron grip by a familiar angel digimon.

“Would you like me to dispose of him, my liege?” The Angemon's voice boomed, and Tai shook his head.

“No, Angemon, he's a friend. It's one of the ways we communicate. He doesn't mean me any harm.” Yamato watched in shock as his wrist was released, and the Angemon sank to one knee, holding his staff in his right hand as his left fist hit his chest.

Yamato and Sora both gaped as the Angemon nodded, and Yamato realized belatedly that this was not Takeru's Angemon. “The last of the volunteers have arrived, and the shadows are taking notice. We will not be much help as we are now.”

“Taichi...what's going on?” Sora's small voice caught Taichi's attention, and he turned to shoot her a reassuring smile that had her cheeks warming.

“I did say that help was on the way. A little late, but you wouldn't believe the trouble I had to go to in order to open that many gates at once.” His smile turned grim as he turned back to face the screaming city, reaching up to unfasten his cloak, letting it fall to the ground, and Sora was struck by the fact that his face wasn't the only thing that appeared to have regressed. He was wearing familiar baggy brown shorts, and a blue shirt with stars on the shoulder, an outfit he hadn't worn since...

Since their first adventure in the digital world.

Yamato seemed to come to the same conclusion, brows furrowed. Taichi was clearly older than he had been then, but the wardrobe change seemed odd.

She almost didn't hear Taichi sigh. “I hoped it wouldn't come to this, but since we're here...Let's kick it up a notch!”

He raised his right hand skyward, and a light gleamed from it, and she noticed for the first time a silver bracelet with many colored orbs on it, one glowing a bright orange.

“Shin...ka!” From the bracelet, a gold ring expanded, and as he spoke the first syllable, he threw his hand down, and as the ring passed over his body, he seemed to grow taller, his clothes glowing and changing until it resembled armor made of golden light.

He made a second gesture with the second syllable, this gesturing from left to right, and the ring passed from left to right, leaving Tai looking both older and armored in a white suit of delicately etched armor that looked more for show than protection. As the golden ring passed over his right arm, the ring shrang, before turning to an ornate golden sword with Digital Script engraved on it.

Kamiya, mode change to...Knight Mode!

With a flourish of the blade, spinning it in his palm as if it were attached via magnets and he were born with it, he slammed it into the concrete floor of the parking garage, the tip sinking easily through the man made stone.

Yamato and Sora could only look in fascinated horror.

That...had clearly been some sort of Digievolution. “Taichi...” Sora whispered, and Yamato turned his gaze to her, then back to Taichi...or who he thought was Taichi.

All through the city, screens flickered, and any digimon not made of shadows or with a partner stood at attention.

“The time has come! You know why you are here, and you know who I am. Go forth! Protect my home! Protect my people! Protect my world!”

Short and sweet, not very inspirational, yet every digimon roared in approval as the words resonated with them. Taichi lifted his right arm again. “For the Digital World! Shinka!”

The bracelet once more lit up, every gem illuminated as it shattered into data, firing a beam into the sky as the heavens lit up, and as one, the digimon that answered their king's call began to digivolve.

It lasted for all of a minute before the bracelet reformed and Taichi swayed, before sinking to his knees as the Angemon rushed forward to support him. “King Kamiya! Are you unwell? We should go back to the castle; you're exposed here!”

Taichi chuckled. “I'm fine, Angemon. Just...never forced that many into higher forms at one time. It's a bit tiring.” He shot MetalGarurumon a look, considering, before staggering toward the digimon who was staring at him with barely disguised confusion. Angemon instantly moved to support him, receiving a look of thanks that had the digimon smiling oddly. As the one claiming to be Taichi neared the metallic wolf, MetalGarurumon shot Yamato a questioning look, as if asking what to do.

Yamato didn't know, though, and the window for avoidance was closed quickly as Taichi lay a hand on his nose. “Hey there. I know this will be weird, but I need you back in the fight as soon as possible. You're one of the big guns, and I don't exactly know where Agumon is, even if I don't really need my digivice anymore.”

The bracelet glowed, and MetalGarurumon began to heal at a visible rate as Taichi repaired his data as best he could, adding his own where it was broken beyond his immediate means to repair.

“Taichi...what happened to you?” Yamato managed to choke out. Angemon shot him a glare, but Taichi was silent for a few moments.

“It's a long story, full of pain, broken pride and a lot of confusion. Speaking of, have you two seen Hikari?”

Sora blinked, noting Tai's association of Hikari and confusion. “She should be in the Digital World. She...she was very insistent on being in the first group to look for you once we received your message.” She glanced back at the city, and the sky, once filled with the rain of dark beams and explosions...hadn't changed much, though it did appear that the dark shadows were being removed from the sky by either flying digimon or salvos of attacks from ground level digimon.

Yamato opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Sora's phone ringing, and she gave the two boys a apologetic smile, before answering it.

“Who and why.” Noragami's tone was clipped, and while the words formed a question, the tone was very much not.

“Um. Well...remember how Taichi Yagami went missing in the Digital World?”

Noragami was silent, before letting out a frustrated groan.”This was the help the message spoke of.” Again, not a question.

“To be fair, Yamimon was trying to keep me from getting them out of the Digital World; even erected his own barrier to keep any digimon over champion level from passing through.” Taichi spoke from where he was, yet Sora froze when she realized that his voice was also coming from the phone.

“Who am I speaking to, and how to you have access to this line?” Noragami demanded.

“Taichi Yagami, though most of the Digimon refer to me as 'King Kamiya.'”

“That didn't answer my second question.” Noragami snapped.

“I know it didn't, but I'm sure you can figure it out considering we know that Digimon have interesting effects on technology; it's a long story.” He cut Noragami's inevitable question off before it was asked. “Look, all you need to know is that we are your allies in the Digital World. The Shadows and Yamimon threaten both of our worlds, and I intend to see both of them survive. That said, the Digital World will not accept your rule. This is a partnership, an alliance, not a takeover. My army will help evacuate civilians and aid your military. You can repay us by not shooting at us. We can hash out the details later, though.”

“Fine. I'm not authorized to deal with self proclaimed kings anyway. Can you move the fighting out of the city? We're sustaining too many casualties and too much damage.”

Taichi scoffed, grim smile on his face. “Get them out of the city? Yeah, I can do that.”

Yamato chose this moment to cut in, eyes narrowed. “And how do you plan to do that? Something stupidly self sacrificing? We're not doing that again, Taichi, we just got you back.”

Sora stood unsteadily, eyes hard as she made to stand next to Yamato. “He's right, Tai. I don't know what you're planning, but knowing you, it's not safe.”

Taichi winced. “Ouch. Been a while since I got the disappointed Sora Eyes and the irritated Yamato Eyes at the same time. But there's really no way around it. He already knows I'm here, it's a matter of time before he finds me. I've been his primary target for 8 years, and I'm the only one his army has standing orders to drop everything and kill on sight. Besides...I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly the same as I was. Angemon, I intended to ask MetalGarurumon for a ride, but I don't think Yamato would let me.”

“Say no more, King Kamiya.” The Angemon only smiled, reaching down to pick up the Digital King, and he didn't wait for another word, flying to the outskirts of the city.

Sora and Yamato gaped in confusion, turning to look at each other before Yamato groaned in frustration.”Dammit, I forgot how frustrating it can be when he gets stupid ideas-!”

Sora nodded through narrowed eyes, but she couldn't help the warmth in her chest. “Maybe, but that was the Taichi we fell in love with, wasn't it?”

Yamato turned crimson, glancing away with a cough. “I...er....yeah, okay, you...may have a point there.”

“Sora!” A small pink bird cried out the name of her partner while said partner blinked, shocked to see her digimon here.

“Biyomon! How did you find me?” Not that she wasn't happy to see her, of course. She reached out, hugging the bird to her chest as Biyomon explained.

“I was at home when I heard explosions, but I didn't know where you were. I went to your school, but couldn't find you, but then all the electronics in the area started letting digimon through who said they were here at the command of King Kamiya. So I decided to ask if anyone knew where he was, and they told me to look for an Angemon, as he was the only one who managed to get through the gates before something closed them.”

Sora frowned, looking at her partner. “I'm sorry, I was on my way to you but some things happened.”

“It's okay Sora, as long as you're safe.” Sora smiled softly, patting Biyomon on the head, before turning to Yamato. “Hey, mind if we hitch a ride? We need to keep an eye on our idiot to keep him from doing something...”

“Utterly stupid?” Yamato finished as Sora trailed off. They both gave an uneasy laugh, but didn't delay, both taking a seat on MetalGarurumon, Biyomon settled up front of Yamato while Sora wrapped her arms around his waist.

When they found Taichi, he was a fair ways away from the city, floating above the water. He'd apparently mode changed again, if the changes to his armor were any indicator. Upon his head sat a golden crown, taking the sport where his goggles would have been. His chest piece was a royal blue, matching his greaves. Upon his chest was the crest of courage, and he shot them a knowing smile, looking more like his older self again, the one he had been before his disappearance.

Unlike before, however, he had a smile that reached his eyes, a confidence born of a man who had done this before, would do it again, and would survive every time.

“You two took your sweet time. Decided to make out or something?” The words were light, amused, and Sora noticed with a sinking feeling that they were entirely too casual. Taichi had mentioned years had passed in the Digital World. Had he...gotten over her?

The idea sat in her stomach like lead, something Taichi picked up on. She didn't realize her expression had changed, but Taichi had clearly noticed. “What's wrong Sora? I mean, I know, this may not be the ideal way to do this, but I'm probably the best bait we have-”

“It's not that, Tai.” Yamato's voice cut in, sharp and defensive, before softening. “Look...you have a story to tell us later. But we...we have something we need to talk about with you as well.”

Taichi furrowed his brow. “Um...if you say so.” His uncertain look smoothed and he shot a familiar grin that even in this situation had Yamato's heart jumping in his throat. “Besides, I've done this dozens of times. Never gets old, but pisses him off something fierce.”

He gestured for Yamato to back up, and when MetalGarurumon made no effort to move, he rolled his eyes. “Fine, just be careful, I usually do this alone.” He inhaled deeply, and Yamato wondered what was about to happen.

“Hey! Maligniss! Why not try picking on someone a bit more on your level, huh?”

A low hum filled the air, and suddenly, Yamato and Sora shuddered as one. MetalGarurumon, dipped lower, freezing a section of water to stand on before shuddering himself. It was as if some slimy, eldritch monster had run his too warm, soft and horrifyingly sticky tongue against them, and they could only feel pure and utter disgust.

“What...” Sora choked out, wracked with uncontrollable shudders. Angemon flew over, his glow dimming drastically as he erected a thin barrier of light.

“King Kamiya told me to cloak you from his sight.” The strained Digimon stated, and as the gaze passed them over, Angemon shuddered under the weight, sinking to a knee as the barrier buckled. “I...do not know how powerful King Kamiya must be to withstand that gaze without flinching.”

You. Dare.

The words vibrated the world around them, and Yamato shuddered violently, feeling like he would throw up just from hearing it. Sora nearly did throw up, the pure hate and malice conflicting so much with everything she was.

“Been a long time, Maligniss. Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I called you here, and the answer is simple; leave the city.”

There was a cold, dry laugh that shook the Digidestined's bones, and Angemon hissed. The power flickered, and for a moment, it looked like he would shatter into data on the spot, only for Taichi's strange bracelet to glow and Angemon was suddenly back to his peak.

King. Kamiya. Why. Would. I. Listen. To. You?

And Taichi smiled, a cocky, self assured smile that both Yamato and Sora knew so well. A grin that promised a plan so insane that it always worked, one that they loved dearly and hated with a passion.

“Because if you kill me, you kill the hope of the Digital World. You behead the opposing side. And here in the real world, there's little to no chance that I'll ever come back. But then, think back. You can't enter this world. You've tried hundreds of times to commit Regicide. You've sent mega level shadows at me, and I'm survived every time. Do you think anything less than all of your current forces in this world can kill me? Especially if they're only champion level. Clock is ticking, Maligniss, better choose quickly. Without me, the Digimon can't digivolve. The King's Code cannot function without a host. It's time to ask yourself: Which one is a larger threat. The helpless city who can't handle a single invasion? Or the King who has driven you off time and time again, who gives hope where there was none, who stands here and gives you the universal sign to fuck all the way off to whatever accursed place spawned you, you vile, incompetent, incomplete and utter embarrassment of a Digimon!”

For good measure, Taichi lifted a single finger to the air, the middle one, to be exact.

And the presence in the sky roared.

As one, the shadows turned their red, bloodthirsty gaze to the sea, obeying the wordless command of their creator. They swarmed out of the city like locusts, single minded in their attack.

“You may want to brace for this.” Taichi said conversationally, and sheathed his sword as Angemon grinned a feral grin.

“Behold, the King that joins the fight.” Yamato blinked, looking nonplussed at the Angemon that was just short of full on fanboying for their leader.

It started with the familiar rain of black beams, and Sora gaped at the sheer number. Taichi...! Was her wordless thought. They were too close; no wonder Tai had wanted them to move further way. But Taichi wasn't moving, watching with a self assured grin.

Modify. WarGreymon, Brave Shield.

The words were unspoken, but resonated with the two Digidestined, and the orange gem gleamed as the symbol for courage appeared above Tai, before shattering and flowing down into him. He raised both hands, as if he would stop them all with a simple wall of air.

That wasn't too far off the mark.

“King's Aegis!” Translucent hexagonal barriers glowing with the crest of courage sprang into being, a latticework of impassable denial as the beams hit the barriers and didn't so much as scratch it as they exploded.

Modify. Seraphimon, Excalibur.

This time, it was hope that hovered above him, trickling down into him as the longsword he held glowed a royal purple. As the barrage of darkness finally ceased to hit his barrier, he swung the blade once, twice, then three times. The first two was an X shape, one the thickened as it emanated from the blade, growing in size as it passed through hundreds of the gathered shadows, gathering them as it passed, the aura of holy energy burning them even in passing without contact.

“Grand Royal Cross. And now...Holy Half Moon Slash!”

The third slash was much the same, though the golden blade of energy gave off a blinding light that devastated the assorted dark fakes. It looked as if Taichi had this in the bag...before he sank to one knee, somehow kneeling on water as if it were solid, gasping for breath as sweat dripped down his face.

“Tai!” Sora cried out, moving to go to him, to brave the water for her other love. She was stopped by Yamato, and she could only glare at him in betrayal. His lips parted, but it was Angemon who spoke, beating him to the punch.

“You must not leave my barrier, or you will put him in more danger. Right now, he is focused on King Kamiya, and does not know we are here. King Kamiya will be fine, he draws his power from the Digital World. As long as he can connect to it, he will be okay.”

“You say that, but he looks like he needs help.” Yamato hissed through gritted teeth, prompting a a confused look from Sora. “I'm not any happier about this than you are, Sora, but this isn't a fight we can help him with.”

And boy, did that admission burn!

“What about me?” The pairs of eyes turned to MetalGarurumon, who stood over them. “I can help.” Angemon looked pensive, then nodded. “A mega level against mere champions? You would make fine backup for the King. However, fret not; King Kamiya has a plan. You see him tired, weak after three grand attacks. Would you like to know what I see?”

The two humans and one digimon looked at the angel digimon who gave them a slightly superior smirk. “I see a King who gathered thousands of digimon to protect the land he was born in. I see him joining the front lines, drawing the attention of the enemy army. I see him using three data intensive and attention grabbing moves, while his connection to his source of power is limited. But what I seem to see more clearly than you...”

Sora's eyes widened, meeting Yamato's gaze in realization, before Yamato started to laugh. “It's a trap. Taichi set a goddamn trap, and it didn't even occur to us!”

If we take out time,

And we stick together,

Everything we do, will go our way!

In the distance shore, humans watched in confusion as the non shadow digimon all assembled on the coast, prepping their various ranged attacks. Back at the DSTF, Noragami smiled bitterly, but slightly impressed. “Well played, Yagami, well played.”

And if we try,

Now and forever,

No matter what comes next, we'll be okay!

As one, the assembled digimon let loose a volley of destruction, wiping clean hundreds of Shadows while Sora turned to Biyomon, who nodded.

Biyomon, digivolve to....Birdramon!

Birdramon, Digivolve to...Garudamon!

The large bird woman flew into the air, leaving the barrier as Yamato smiled at MetalGarurumon. “What are you waiting for? Let's join the party, MetalGarurumon.” The Digimon would have smiled savagely if he had the capability to, but Yamato felt the glee even without the expression.

“Wing Blade!” The flaming bird of energy soared through the ranks of shadows, dealing heavy damage as they attempted to scatter; but they were too packed together, sandwiched between two walls of destruction as MetalGarurumon fired numerous missiles at them. Taichi shot the two a heart-stopping grin, and was slightly surprised when Yamato blushed slightly at the sight of it. Sora blushed too, but he was trying not to think too much about that can of worms.

Let's kick it up!

Let's show them all the things that we can do!

Let's kick it up!

Another notch tomorrow!

Modify. Angewoman, Celestial Arrow.

Taichi grinned, feeling a familiar rush. It'd been so long since he'd cooperated with his friends, but he felt it would be poetic to end his part with a bit of an homage to Hikari, even if she wasn't here to see it.

'Like the fast wind' indeed. He was even on the surface of the ocean.

Let's kick it up!

Cause they ain't seen the last, of me and you,

Let's kick it up~!

Together~!

“Heaven's Divine Retribution!” His sword shattered into data, flying to the sky...and then countless bolts of lightning rained like the arrows of an angry goddess, skewering countless shadows with powerful light. He didn't have time to appreciate his handiwork, though, as light engulfed him and his mode change faded, leaving him in the familiar outfit they'd first seen him in...and he fell into the sea, no longer able to float on it's surface.

As he splashed around comically in the water, Sora couldn't help it. After everything, all the strange, impossible feats he'd pulled off in the last half hour, and he's defeated by water. She dissolved into giggles, and it didn't take long for Yamato to join in as Angemon flew over, pulling his king out of the water and depositing him on the floating chunk of ice.

“No, really, don't help me or anything guys, it's fine.” Taichi sulked, looking like a bedraggled and particularly indignant kitten who had just received a surprise bath.

Sora only continued to laugh, and soon, Tai joined in. He wasn't the type to hold a grudge over something like that, and if he'd seen it, he'd probably laugh too. “Well, I wish I could say that it was planned for the comic relief, but honestly, I'm wiped.”

Sora and Yamato both chortled merrily, the utter relief and giddiness that Taichi was back giving way to bemused and overflowing affection. Sora was the first to act, walking over to throw her arms around him in a tight hug. “I'm so happy to see you again...Stupid Taichi, you had us worried to death.”

Taichi's lips wobbled in an unsure grin. She was too close, centimeters way from his lips. Even fourteen years in the digital world had not been enough to dull his love for the girl as it roared back with a vengeance, making his cheeks burn as he parted his lips to say something, anything.

He never got the chance.

Sora's lips were just as soft as he thought they'd be, and with her arms around his neck, he couldn't have escaped even if he wanted to. The kiss was sweet, soft, full of affection and adoration and everything he always imagined it would be, in both his dreams and his nightmares.

And then he snapped back to reality, just in time for Sora to break the kiss, stepping back with a gentle smile. “I missed you, Taichi. You...have no idea how much.”

He only had time for a few thoughts as Yamato stalked forward. Why had she done that? Had he been gone longer than he thought? What was she thinking, kissing him in front of her boyfriend?

Then the obvious thought. Yamato is gonna kill me.

Said blond was in front of him, fists clenched as the two partner digimon and Angemon watched curiously. Taichi was ready to deal with Yamato's fury, prepared to accept each and every punch for the kiss Sora had bestowed upon him, ready to argue that he wasn't going to get in their way, he didn't know why Sora kissed him, it wasn't planned...

And then it happened again.

Soft lips pressed against his, though this time, he could safely say that he never imagined what this kiss would feel like, even that one time after he got drunk and had a bunch of weird fever dreams.

Yamato was kissing him.

Yamato. Kissing. Him.

Yamato Ishida, was kissing, him.

Nope, still didn't make sense.

His non reaction was noticed as Yamato pulled back, cheeks burning as Taichi looked at him wordlessly, utterly gobsmacked.

He knew that same sex love existed. Had nothing against it, honestly. He wasn't above experimenting, and his time in the Digital World had been...enlightening, considering Digimon didn't reproduce sexually. Well, some could have sex the human way, but children were born when their data merged, not their bodies. It was more that they put parts of themselves together to form a new being rather than it being a sexual thing, meaning same sex digimon or non-sex digimon could create children regardless of plumbing.

He was stalling, trying to avoid the situation at hand and he knew it. He blinked, swallowing down his sudden fit of nerves. It was like he hadn't realized that Yamato was actually...really attractive until now. Was this brought on by the kiss and the implied interest? Or was it due to the fact that in the digital world-

“Say something or punch me, Taichi, please, I'm dying here.” Yamato's voice was playful, but unsure, and he could see the blush burning the blond's cheeks.

Taichi raised a finger. “Sorry, give me a moment. I'm...ah...processing.” He'd come to terms with the fact that men could be just as beautiful as women in the digital world, and Yamato was one of the ones he missed enough that Enmeros copied his form, but had his interest always been...that way? He wasn't sure.

“Sorry, Yamato, just...trying to get perspective. It's been a long time for me since I've seen you, and things have changed a bit for me. Feelings and stuff, you know?”

Yamato gave a small laugh. Typical Taichi, the emotional maturity of a child when it came to things like love. He watched Taichi's expression stumble through a wide array of emotions, though thankfully it mostly seemed to be...confusion.

Then Taichi groaned. “Sorry, I just...I'm not very good at romance, or understanding it. I'm trying to figure out if I always thought you were drop dead gorgeous, or if that's just post-kiss Taichi talking.”

Huh. That was...blunt. Both Yamato and Sora laughed at the typical Taichi honesty, and Yamato admitted he was feeling far more at ease with Tai's awkward admission. “Like we said, we have some stuff to talk to you about too.”

Taichi sighed. “Yeah, you two and Hikari both. I think fourteen years in the Digital World has changed me more than I thought.”

“Fourteen years?” Sora nearly shrieked.

Taichi winced. “Yeah, it's...been a while. Don't worry about it, though. If it makes you feel any better, there's a temple in the Digital World where I put all my most important memories of you. It's something of a holy ground to the Digimon now, they call it the Yagami Temple. It's freaking weird, I swear.”

Yamato frowned. “Setting aside the slightly creepy idea that you bypassed having a shrine to us and built a full on temple-”

“Hey! It was a long time, okay? A long time and I didn't want to forget anything about you because I had no idea if I would ever be able to come back-” He cut himself off, eyes wide in that 'oops I dun goofed' way Taichi does as both Sora and Yamato looked at him in horror.

“You...weren't sure if you could come back?” Sora breathed.

Tai hesitated, then shook his head. “I was...hurt pretty bad. I woke up in a digital world that was different from ours, and as far as I could tell, it was a whole new dimension. It was...heartbreaking, to think that I'd never see any of you again. We...didn't exactly part on the best terms. And then there was Hikari...” He trailed off with a sigh. “I have a lot of catching up to do.”

Yamato exhaled in exasperation. “We all do, I think. Sorry for just kissing you out of the blue. I was...I struggled to come to terms with the idea before I talked to Sora about it, and seeing you again, acting like the one I....I just...couldn't hold it in any longer.”

Taichi shot him an unsure grin. “Don't worry about it. I may not have responded, but it was the shock. I never thought of you that way before, but I might start now. Besides, it was still better than having a random digimon proclaim to me that they wanted to 'join our data' and create a digi-egg.”

Sora choked on a laugh. “I'm sorry, what?”

It was Taichi's turn to laugh uproariously at their faces. “It's a long story. I'll tell you on the way back, because I'm starving, and I haven't seen my mother or Hikari in 14 years. I think I owe at least one of them a visit.”

Chapter Text

“-And so then Angewoman turns to look at me, as if asking me to tell Renamon that she's right, and then Renamon decides that now is a perfectly reasonable time to slap Angewoman in the face. Renamon the says that while yes, Angewoman is probably closer to the appearance that I would like as a human, she knows for a fact that there are humans that would prefer her, then decides to call Angewoman a slut for showing off so much skin! My guards are all just standing there, shocked that a rookie would dare slap an ultimate in the face, my advisor is laughing her damn ass off, and I'm just sitting there on my throne, wondering how the everloving fuck a discussion about raising the levels of defenses on Primary Island turned into a discussion about me merging data with a group of Digimon that I found attractive to establish a...how did they put it....a Royal Line of Succession.”

Taichi was rewarded with a musical laugh from Sora and a soft snicker from Yamato, and he smiled softly. It was a welcome distraction from the topic he would eventually have to discuss. The Kiss from them had been nice, but as they snacked on some food Sora had rustled up from her thankfully intact house, he'd launched into some of the more humorous tales from the digital world.

“You laugh now, but it was starting to become a problem! I mean, yeah, I wanted to know what the side effects of my current state of existence was, but once it spread that I could in essence breed with Digimon, there was no shortage of Digimon who thought they would be one half of the King's line. I swear, if I didn't have to go back to rule, I'd stay away just to avoid the fangirl digimon. I don't know how you stand it, Yamato.”

He paused for the laugh, but there was none, and he gave the two who were watching him devour Sora's extra snacks a look. There was horror on their faces that baffled him, and he cocked his head to the side in confusion. “What's wrong? Oh, wait, did your band disband? Sorry, my memory is still a little hazy-”

“What do you mean, if you didn't have to go back to rule?” Yamato's voice was sharp, to the point, and demanding answers. A glance at his girlfriend showed Sora was also distressed at the idea, if the way her face had paled was any indicator.

“Calm down, Yamato! It's no big deal, just the king should stay where he can watch over his subjects, you know?” He tried for a confidence smile, but Yamato's cool blue eyes didn't thaw, glaring into his own.

Demanding answers .

Taichi's smile fell from his lips, and his gaze fell to the table, and the multitude of wrappers. He had a brief pang of self conscious shame. He wasn't sure why he was so ravenous, other than not being in the digital world and forcing so many digimon to digivolve had wiped his energy and data stores. Normally, he could just draw power from the world around him to re-energize, but...

A hand on his arm tore his thoughts away from the distraction, and he glanced over to see Sora's hand touching him. “Taichi...talk to us. What happened?” Silence filled the room as Taichi pondered how best to explain, how to wrap it all in a pretty little bow without revealing how fucked up things had been for him. “Tai?” He gritted his teeth. He didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to get into all... that yet. They'd been having fun; it was like he had his old friends back, so why did they insist on bringing the mood down? “Taichi?”

A flood of irrational anger filled him, then he crushed it down. “I died.”

Short. Simple. To the point.

He felt both shame and amusement at the way the two gasped, and the way Sora's eyes filled with tears as Yamato ground his teeth together. “Rather, there was no way a human should have survived the things I did. I lost an arm, was bleeding from the head, and was in and out of awareness for weeks. They had no idea how to heal a human hurt that badly. Digimon don't bleed. Not the same way we do. When we go to the digital world, our bodies are digitized, but there's a large amount of it that remains...human. Flesh. Data can be mended. That much damage...it's not easily healed. Not without particular knowledge or ability.”

He paused for a breath, to gather himself. “So they did the next best thing. They gathered Data that was similar to mine, and infused me with it. You noticed it; I know you did. How much I resemble my younger self? Best I can figure is that it's leftover data from the first time I went to the digital world. But I know someone else is in there too. Maybe more than one. Occasionally I find myself with odd thoughts. Referring to myself strangely. My partner is Agumon, I know that. So it's strange to think that sometimes when I think partner, the name that comes to mind is Zero. Veedramon. When I turn to knight mode, I get flashes of memory of a castle that isn't my own, and a girl who looks so much like Sora, yet I know isn't.”

“No matter who's data is inside you, Taichi, you're still Taichi. No amount of extra data will change that.” Yamato's voice was firm, and Taichi glanced up when the rustling of him getting up sounded out, and was quickly followed by Sora joining him. “You're not going back there, Taichi. We won't let you.”

“You...please stay with us, Tai. You...wouldn't leave me again, would you?” Sora knew very well that what she was doing could be considered emotional blackmail, but she wasn't above using everything within her power to make him stay. To make him understand that they would not and could not let him go again, not after so long worrying about him. The way her eyes burned was evidence that she was on the verge of crying again, and she knew that Taichi hated making her cry.

The last thing the two of them expected was the soft laugh. “You two...haven't changed at all. But I have. I may not be fully human. I can never live in just this world anymore.”

Sora's eyes narrowed. “You think that matters to us? Do you think I care? Do you think Yamato cares? Do you think any of us will care if you aren't fully human anymore? Because I will tell you right now, Taichi Yagami, King Kamiya, whatever the hell you call yourself now. I don't give a fuck about any of that! Stupid Taichi. You're Taichi, and that's all any of us will ever ask for you to be.” Sora's voice was harsh, and in a few moments, she was in front of him, and her hand reached out, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt as she pulled him to his feet.

“Wha-! H-Hey Sora, calm down-” He managed to yelp, before Sora planted a searing kiss on his lips, silencing him instantly.

When she pulled back, he had a familiar gobsmacked look on his face as she gritted her teeth, face angled down as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I let you go once because I got tired of waiting, and I have been paying for that mistake ever since. I'm....I'm not going to make that mistake again. If you go back...if you try to leave me behind again...I will fucking follow you to the ends of the Digital World, and you of all people know how determined I can be.”

Taichi's panicked gaze went to Yamato, wordlessly pleading with him to control his girlfriend, that he had no intention of being a metaphorical homewrecker, only to see Yamato shooting him a wry smile. “Hey, don't look at me, dumbass, I'm with her on this one. Sora's probably been in love with you since Datamon, and I've been trying to repress feelings for you since...well, I think since VenomMyotismon.”

Taichi blinked, and looked back at Sora to see her ruby eyes locked with his. He could see the familiar fire, the gleam he thought lost before his unexpected vacation in the digital world, the one he'd found so interesting when they had been young, and he was reminded how much he loved that part of her. Figures it would come back at the most inconvenient time.

He could only laugh, though, when he spotted the familiar glow on her chest, as well as the strength suddenly flowing into him when her digivice gave a high pitched whistle. He continued laughing as white light slid over his body from his chest, where her hand touched his skin.

And he didn't stop laughing as his dataform grew taller, augmented and crystalizing into a familiar sight. He wasn't as short as he'd been, and he looked more like he had back when he'd passed the goggles to Davis.

Sora and Yamato were looking at him as if he'd grown another head, and a quick check of his data reassured him that he hadn't. “Well. Unexpected. I guess that Digivice isn't just for Biyomon.”

Sora's glare indicated it was the wrong thing to say as her grip on his shirt tightened. “Can't you...be serious?” Taichi's half smile faded.

“I'm sorry, Sora. It's just...I wish I could say that I could just...I don't know, just accept what you're offering. But...You and Yamato, you're happy together, and I don't want to ruin that.”

This time, it was Yamato who snapped. “Are you fucking kidding me?! Is that what this is about? Goddamnit Taichi! Even if you don't like me like that, I know for a fact you love Sora. Maybe you don't remember confessing to me that you wish you could forget it, but I do. I also remember the way you looked that night. And I'm not about to let you say you just... got over it . Do you know how I felt, watching you walk away that night? After you fucking gave up so we could be happy? Shitty , that's how! I felt like you'd torn out your heart in front of me with a smile, and handed it to me so I could be happy while you bled to death! We're both here, asking you to make at least one of us happy. You gave up on Sora, so we could be happy. Fuck, you encouraged her to chase me, on the same night you were going to confess to her. And now we both confess to you that we have feelings deeper than friendship, and you won't accept them just because you don't want to get between us? Taichi, if we were ever friends, and if you ever loved Sora, then now is the time to show some of that courage you were known for. It may feel awkward at first, but we can make it work!”

He expected the wince at the mention of that fateful night, but it still made him inwardly cringe at the prospect of using it against Taichi. Taichi, however, only looked away from the two of them. “I...It's...not that simple anymore.”

“Then tell us what needs to be addressed, Taichi. Let us work this out. We want to be with you, Taichi. Let us in.” Sora's gaze was begging, and Taichi Yagami closed his eyes. Inhaled, before reaching up to gently grasp Sora's wrist, easing it off his collar.

“I...there are...signs of...” He swallowed, seemingly unsure of how to continue, before Sora gently pushed him backward and back into his seat, before sitting on his lap, prompting him to go silent as she gave him a nonchalant look to continue. A glance toward Matt revealed no indication of jealousy or blame; if anything, he looked...approving. Taichi gulped again. Sora's body heat was getting to him. He'd dreamed of being with her many times, and Enmeros had often used her form to cuddle up to him in his weaker moments, but it was her other preferred form that was the problem. Fourteen years was a long time, and a long time to be...deprogrammed of what was and wasn't acceptable. Intellectually, he knew it wasn't acceptable. But in the Digital World, it was far from abnormal.

“Um. So....this is going to sound really weird, really wrong and...well..” He continued to hesitate, and Sora's gaze on him wasn't helping. Her judgment meant so much to him, yet if he was forced to pick, he had no idea who he would chose, if nothing else than for the fact that one of them was always there around him, always trying to keep his spirits up, and never hid that she loved him, even if viewing her actions in hindsight revealed a closeness that was perhaps...not right for siblings.

He hesitated for too long, and Yamato cracked a bemused grin. “Taichi, if you tell us you fell in love with a Digimon or something, you know we won't judge. After all, I'm pretty sure Takeru had a crush on Angewoman at one point.”

Takeru would probably murder his older brother if he knew that got out, but it was probably better than admitting that the idea of deflowering an Angel was pretty high on his ideas of a good time, even if it was an angel digimon.

Taichi snorted softly. “You say that, but you've never seen her without her helmet...or seen a Sakuyamon in maid mode.” The break in the tension did it's job, however, as Taichi inhaled softly. “Look, I could be wrong, and honestly, at least at the start, I really hoped I was, but looking back, I think one of my acquaintances in the Digital World was right.” He was stalling. He knew it and they did too. He needed to be clear about this. If he was going to be with them, he needed to be honest, especially if he was wrong and it was something he needed their help nipping in the bud.

“It's...Hikari.”

Sora blinked. Yamato had the same owlish look. “Hikari? As in your sister, Hikari? Hikari Yagami? That Hikari?” He could hear the confusion in Yamato's voice. Sora's gaze, however, was considering with a hint of dawning comprehension.

“I know we've always been...close. I knew she had a bit of a...well, an attachment to me. But after...well, after Ordinemon, I'd been prepared to have to grovel for her forgiveness.”

Yamato scoffed. “Not from our point of view. Takeru was sure that....” The blond trailed off as the thought hit him. “Taichi...what did you do?” His voice was deceptively calm, but there was an undercurrent of dread and slight anger in it.

“Matt. Calm down.” Sora's voice was firm, and Yamato's lips set into a thin line. He didn't want to believe Taichi would do anything to his sister, but he was worried about why she was being brought up.

Taichi stalled at the implied wrath that would befall him if Yamato thought he'd done something wrong. “I didn't do anything! I think.” The questioning look had him hesitating, but he gathered himself. “She'd always been fond of me, but looking back, maybe she was too fond of me. I knew she had a bit of a brother complex-”

Yamato snorted. “And here we thought you hadn't noticed it.”

Taichi shot him a glare. “-and I thought she was just...I don't know, trying to reassure herself that I was really there. Little touches and spending a lot more time with me. But then she started acting...weirder than normal. I always thought it annoyed her when I scared off boys, but she seemed to be more amused by it than upset, sometimes even thanking me. She was also blushing a lot.”

Sora's face was unreadable, and that scared him.

“Then, there was a day I was feeling particularly...well...” The hesitation was brief, but noticeable as Taichi tried to figure out the best way to word it. “Well, down, I guess. I was feeling guilty and...inadequate. And she...well...she gave me a lap pillow.”

Yamato had the look of someone seeing signs he was really unsure how to feel about, but Sora was still unreadable, though her hands were clutching the hem of her skirt as she looked at him without expression. “And?”

The flat tone worried him, but he continued. “I...didn't really like it at first. It felt weird.”

Yamato's snort interrupted him as the other boy murmured under his breath. “Oh no, that's normal sibling stuff between an older brother and a younger sister.”

Taichi's wince made him regret his words, though, and when he spoke again, it was hesitant. “I thought it was a one time thing, you know? But she kept doing it. When she noticed I'd had a particularly...well...shitty day, she'd pull me in and...well, run her fingers through my hair. She told me once that she liked doing it, and that it was relaxing for us both...and I...didn't question it like I should have.”

At this point, Yamato had sunk his face into his hands in exasperation. “Taichi, you cannot be this dumb. Did none of that strike you as odd? Like maybe a red warning sign?”

Taichi's tone turned defensive. “Hey, I was in a really shitty place, okay? I felt unworthy; unloved and unneeded , yet she was there, like she always was, and she told me...she told me that no matter what happened, she would always need me. Always be there for me. And I...chose to ignore the signs. I didn't want to give it up, give her up. She swore she would never forgive me, but she did in an instant. I could be whatever I wanted around her. I could admit that I had no idea what I was doing, admit that I was feeling like I had no place anymore.” His voice trembled as he spoke, the memories coming fast and hot at his tone quivered, then broke.

“I could fall apart around her, and trust her to pick up the pieces without judging me. And...I guess...I didn't care why she did it, or how she loved me, as long as she did. It was really shitty of me. And then...the last time she did it, she sang to me. Ran her fingers though my hair and let me cry. I knew I was fucked up, that I wasn't thinking clearly, because I knew that if she had tried to kiss me after that, I would have let her. I didn't want to think about it. I didn't...” He choked on his words. “I didn't want to think about the fact that some point, I'd stopped seeing her as my little sister. She was just...Hikari to me. And It was that moment that I knew I needed to get away. I needed to think, I needed to figure out what to do with myself and these new feelings that should never have existed.”

He reluctantly chanced a look at Sora, only to be surprised at the sight of tears rolling down her cheeks. “Sora? Are you okay?”

She didn't speak for a moment, but when she did, her voice wavered. “I'm sorry.”

He could only blink, before she met his eyes with her own, throwing her arms around his neck as she stifled sobs. “I'm so sorry, Taichi! All this time I knew there was something off about you, knew you were feeling stressed, but I always thought you'd come to one of us. You always acted like you were fine! I should have known-”

She felt his arms wrap around her and his fingers rubbed her back as she dissolved into tears. “It's okay Sora, I don't think I'd have told you even if you asked.”

“And that is going to change, Taichi, even if I have to beat that into that thick head of yours. King or not, I will punch you as many times as it takes to get it into the skull of yours.” Yamato stood, striding over to wrap them both in a hug. “I mean it, Tai. You can count on us. Even with this weird thing with Hikari.”

Taichi gave him a sardonic smile. “That's the problem, Yamato. I've had fourteen years to think about it, all with the idea that whatever it is that you two are asking me to join wasn't possible. I've lived in the Digital World for fourteen years. Fourteen years with the idea that she might not think of me as...and well...Digimon don't really have a concept of...”

“Incest, Taichi. That's the word you're reluctant to say.” Trust Yamato to throw that in his face, though he sorta understood why. Yamato had a younger sibling. Taichi could imagine such thoughts that crossed his mind about Hikari would never have crossed Yamato's mind. “Look, Taichi, I'm not going to say that the whole thing is okay; and you know damn well why.” His hard gaze softened. “But at the same time...I can't...really blame you, either. I was...kinda a shitty friend for not noticing or doing anything when you started pulling away.”

Sora pressed her head against Taichi's chest, drawing in a breath. She could smell him, and it was a reminder of all her favorite scents. Fresh grass and a cool breeze, the soccer field and a hint of sweat. It brought back memories of their youth, of the days when her alien was just hers, and she didn't really have to share him with anyone.

Except, that was never true, was it? Hikari had always been there, and he'd always doted on her. “I'm just trying to come to terms with the fact that my strongest competition for your heart is your little sister, and not in the normal way a girlfriend would compete with a little sister for attention either.”

Taichi's laugh was slightly hollow. “Yeah, I know, it's pretty fucked.”

The hollow laugh made her wince. “Taichi, I know you're vilifying yourself in your mind. Stop. Look...I know that you're hesitant to join us. Just...keep in mind that the offer is open. We'll deal with the Hikari situation if it comes to it.”

Taichi's chuckle was bemused, but he didn't refute her. “The problem is that Hikari can be just as stubborn as you are, Sora. I don't think she'll let go willingly. And well...she might have an idea that...I'm not as closed off to the possibility if she ventures too far into the digital world, or meets the wrong digimon...”

He was suddenly very fearful of what Hikari might be facing OTHER than the Shadows in the Digital World. The idea of her meeting Enmeros was...slightly worrying. What were the odds of that happening, though?

Hikari could admit, traveling with Enmeros was actually rather interesting, a sentiment she was fairly sure the others shared. Once you got used to her shapeshifting, (and stopped wondering if she should be less amused every time Emmy teased Daisuke using her form), she was actually pretty fun to be around. There was still the part of her that wondered what her relationship with Taichi was, but Emmy was still rather tight lipped about it, though she tended to glance at the others when asked.

The avoidance of Hikari's gaze in such moments simultaneously gave her hope and dread, and Hikari couldn't help but wonder if Emmy had taken advantage of her form to weasel things out of Taichi, given how she'd stated multiple times that her older brother had a near impossible time denying her anything while looking like Hikari.

“-And so then, we have King Kamiya, standing there with his hair literally on fire, Meramon is panicking, and the Yokomon are all trying to figure out what to do because none of them have arms, and King Kamiya isn't even moving to put out his hair. So I chime in 'You know, all of this could have been avoided if you didn't try to avoid people recognizing you.' King Kamiya looks at me and gives me the flattest, most unimpressed look he can manage and states 'You don't understand. Yesterday I had Ladydevimon sneaking into my room. She heard that humans reproduce differently than digimon, and I was afraid for my chastity! A little fire is nothing compared to that.'”

Takeru burst out laughing, and the other three turned to glare at him. “What? C'mon, you gotta admit, Taichi running because he thinks digimon want to have sex with him is kinda funny.” Hikari gave him the stink eye, and he brought his laugh down to a chortle.

Emmy gave them both a wry smile. “You underestimate just how popular King Kamiya is. At this point, I'm pretty sure it'd be easier to name digimon that don't want to join data with him than do. He came to us when we were at our darkest hour. He united us when we were scattered, and even now, even when he'd not here, he keeps us acting as a cohesive unit. He was unsure at the start, worried too much about the damage and lives lost, and yes, we felt every one of those losses. But we bore them gladly. We are willing to be sent back to primary island for his vision of the future, of a world free of shadows. But no king rules forever.”

She met Hikari's gaze at this, and the two Hikaris had a slight stare off. “I knew he would go back someday. He couldn't stay away from the Yagami temple, so the moment we saw your world in the sky, it became real to us. Our King may be closer to us than normal humans now, but to him...he was still human. He wanted things that were still very human. So as the time grew nearer and nearer, we continued to try and establish a Royal Line of Succession. The digital world needs no king. But the fact remains that after King Kamiya, we want one.”

“You would think after KingEtemon that you would know better.” Hikari broke the stare off, muttering under her breath, and Emmy laughed.

“Yeah, not our brightest moment. But King Kamiya has never been like KingEtemon. He doesn't require tribute. He doesn't ask for a bunch of digimon to 'play with', he doesn't order us to attend crappy concerts at the dumbest times. King Kamiya always tried to be humble, always tries his best to make our lives better. And we love him for it. Even knowing that he could command us to do anything he wanted with the King's Code, he never commands us against our will. If he was that sort of person, the King's Code would never have accepted him.”

Emmy smiled gently, looking down at the campfire, watching the dancing flames as they reflected in her eyes with a look Yolei recognized far too well. Judging by the way Takeru's eyes flitted to the girl he knew to be the real Hikari, he recognized it too. Emmy's gentle smile was soft, wistful, and full of affection as she reached out with a stick, poking the flames. “King Kamiya once told me that to see what one would do with more power, look to what he does with the power he already has. He could have been a tyrant, yet he isn't. He would have sacrificed himself for all of us if he had to. He-”

“You're in love with him, aren't you?” Takeru's voice cut in, and both Hikari's faces turned red.

Emmy sputtered, and Hikari looked at the voice's owner, blinking owlishly as if to ask where he came to that conclusion from, only to see a bemused and slightly sad look on his face as he shook his head.

“I...what makes you think that? “ Emmy managed to get out, willing her blush down and failing.

Takeru smirked. “You're wearing the face of my best friend. You think I don't know what she looks like when she thinks of the one she loves?” Emmy didn't really have an answer for that, choosing instead to pout as she poked the fire.

“...You didn't have to be so blunt about it.” She grumbled. “Besides, King Kamiya is confused enough without a shapeshifter making them weirder by being in love with him.”

“Yet you mentioned that one of your roles was bed warmer when we first met.” Ken's voice made Enmeros freeze for a moment, before she sighed.

“King Kamiya...doesn't like being alone. Especially at night. So...it's one of those things we don't talk about. It's something of an open secret, in the castle. Most of them just think it's a weird human thing, not wanting to sleep alone.”

The Digidestined exchanged glances, though Daisuke was blushing slightly, probably thinking dirty thoughts about what he would do with a shapeshifter in his bed.

The silence that fell over them was heavy, before Yolei broke it. “Speaking of sleep, I think we should get some.” She let out an exaggerated yawn that had Ken smiling slightly.

“I think that's a decent idea.”

“Hey Kari, I'll sleep next to you if the whole not wanting to sleep alone thing is like a family trait.”

“Good night, Davis.” Hikari's bemused voice was accompanied with eyerolls, but Daisuke only laughed, making her wonder if that had actually been a serious offer or if he was...was he...teasing her? The though made her blink, but he was already facing away from her in his sleeping bag.

Normally, they would take the time to decide a night watch schedule, but Hikari had to admit, these 'safe zones' that seemed common knowledge to most digimon and especially Emmy were no joke. Two weeks of camping in them, and there hadn't been a single attack, either from digimon or shadowmon.

As she lay in her sleeping bag, however, she felt her mind drift to her brother. How was he doing? What was he doing now? Was he sleeping alone in some giant bed in a lavish castle, missing his bedmate?

Would he notice the difference if she crawled into bed with him instead of Emmy?

The thought came unbidden, and her cheeks burned. The thought was... intoxicating . His arms around her, pulling her close. Her face against his chest, or buried in his neck. Breathing in the scent that was uniquely Taichi . The feeling of his skin against hers, warm body pressing against her-

She inwardly shook her head. Now was not the time for such fantasies. Burrowing deeper into the sleeping bag, she hid her face, knowing the blush burning her cheeks would be obvious if anyone was looking. She shivered at the idea, though.

“I'm sorry, Hikari I just...don't like being alone at night. I know it's weird-”

It's fine, she'd say, slipping under the covers with him, pressing herself against his chest. He'd be hesitant, but wrap her in his arms where she could feel his heart beating in his chest, and the steady thump would lull her to sleep. Just her and him...

She stigled a giggle at the idea, wishing she had something in her arms to hold against her chest to muffle the pounding of her heart. It would be a while before she fell asleep, but when she did, it would be to thoughts of being held in her love's arms, humming a soft song under her breath.

She wasn't the only one who struggled to fall asleep, though, as Takeru tried to come to terms with his growing suspicions...

Honestly speaking, it was only a matter of time, even with the safe zones. When they awoke, it was to the crashing waves and the dim light of perpetual twilight. The campfire was gone, and instead, the cool night air was tinged with salt, and the sand their sleeping bags lay on was dark, coarse, and to Hikari, achingly familiar.

“What the...oh, for Yagami's sake!” It's disconcerting to be woken by your own voice, no matter how often you hear it, and Hikari's eyes snapped open as she took in the surroundings, instantly placing where they were in her mind as the dark waters washed over sand just feet away from their campsite.

“I thought you said nothing could get to us in safe zones!” Daisuke accused, rousing Veemon, who grumbled, before waking with a start as the digimon realized where they were.

“Yeah, nothing can, unless the entire safe zone moves! That kind of power isn't exactly common; even Yamimon would be hard pressed to do it without some sort of way to pinpoint our location. It would take some sort of beacon to reveal us.”

Something like me. Hikari thought, eyes taking in the first true look at the Quantum Sea in person for quite a while. She narrowed her eyes as Takeru bristled at the sight of the dark waters. He looked over to her, seeing her gazing into the liquid darkness with an odd look of almost...nostalgia, before he crossed the sand in quick strides, grabbing her arm and shaking her gently, but urgently.

“Hikari, come on, come back to us.” There was a slight underlying panic to his voice, and she blinked, realizing he thought the waters were messing with her mind again. She shook her head, turning to look at him.

“It's okay, Takeru. I'm...I'm fine.” She reassured him, closing her eyes. It was easier to reach the Dark Ocean, seeing as she was right in front of it.

Did you bring us here?

We did, though at the behest of another.

Why?

You did not ask us not to. The previous ruler of dark sea demands a queen.

Send us back.

We cannot.

Why?

Because your future depends on what you do here. If you flee here, we will not be able to aid you as we have been with your own wishes. We have given you what you desire, but there can only be one true ruler of the Dark Ocean.

Wonderful.

Her final remark before she closed herself off was irritable as she looked out at the distant waves. She could feel it's presence, even as something in her chest whispered the name.

“Dagomon.”

“Hikari? Who is Dagomon?” Takeru was joined by the others, digimon included as she stared out to the sea where she knew the lovecraftian horror was making his way to them.

“Dagomon was the one who brought us here. He used the power of the dark ocean to pull us all here because he couldn't reach just me.” Maybe that was true, maybe it wasn't, but her eyes narrowed. “He won't let us leave until he gets what he wants or we defeat him.”

“What does he want?” Her lookalike also looked to the sea, scanning for movement, but Hikari knew Emmy wouldn't see him. Dagomon controlled the Quantum Sea, at least as much as she could, and the ocean was hiding him from sight as he grew nearer.

“Me. The child of light, fallen to the darkness. A bride for the king to create powerful offspring.” She answered so matter-of-fact that Daisuke did a double take, and Yolei's eyes narrowed.

“Well, guess it's a tough day for him, cause we aren't going to let that happen!” Daisuke's voice was a low snarl as he glanced at Takeru, who nodded with eyes gleaming with suppressed anger at the mere thought.

“We won't let anything happen to you, Hikari.” Gatomon's voice was hard, and she glanced at Patamon and Veemon, who met her determination with their own.

Veemon, Digivolve to...ExVeemon!

Wormmon, Digivolve to...Stingmon!

The two champions were only there for a moment before they digivolved again, lights enveloping their bodies as they melded together.

ExVeemon....Stingmon...DNA Digivolve to...Paildramon!

The ultimate level Digimon breathed softly cracking his knuckles. “We will protect you.”

Hikari opened her mouth, ready to ask if maybe they weren't blowing things out of proportion, it was just one Ultimate level digimon, there was no need to go overboard and go mega...when something tingled down her spine. The chill wasn't just hers, however, as Gatomon and Hawkmon wordlessly digivolved as well. Something wasn't right.

Hawkmon, Digivolve to...Aquilamon!

Gatomon...Aquilamon...DNA Digivolve to...Silphymon!

Patamon, Digivolve to...Angemon!

Angemon, Digivolve to...MagnaAngemon!

The feeling was growing. Soft whispers were on the wind, and Daisuke shivered. “Please tell me I'm not the only one who hears that.”

“We all hear it, Davis.” Takeru was tense, gazing out at the ocean as he searched for the source of the whispers. The words whispered were impossible to replicate, a mix of sounds and words that would tear the throat just to attempt to speak. They burrowed into the ears, impossible to understand, but with their own melody, a maddening song of horrifying intent.

“What in Yagami's name...” Emmy whispered, taking a step backward as her eyes widened and her breath grew short. “We need to leave. We have to get away from here.”

Hikari could hear the fear in the shapeshifter's voice, the burgeoning panic, but unlike the others, the sounds of the whispers had started forming words.

He comes, He comes, He comes.

He Comes to take. He Comes to give. He Comes to create.

He Breeds the darkness. He Swallows the fear. He Lusts for the light.

He Comes, He Comes, He Comes.

He Takes what he desires. He Devours what he does not.

He Comes, He Comes, He Comes.

Madness, Madness, Madness.

He Comes Unto you, oh bride of the dark.

He Will be made whole.

He Comes to take his bride.

He comes to mate his Queen!

She gritted her teeth, but the shivers running down her spine were growing more and more violent. The sound of the waves was drowned out by the whispers, and she felt the sand against her knees before she realized she'd collapsed. She felt the hot tears in her eyes, and heard the shouts of the others as hands touched her arms. Too many. Fingers and palms. Little worms against her skin.

Tentacles.

She could hear Silphymon screaming, and then Gatomon as her digivice shrieked. Darkness surrounded her. Numbed her, and at once, the Sea parted.

Dagomon was...horrific. He seemed to be made of tentacles, like a mutant squid with a mouth and eyes. The tendrils that made up his limbs were thousands, bound together by dark rings that made them look more like limbs. His eyes gazed down at her with a disgusting lust that made her quake, and the darkness spasmed within her.

“Desperado Blaster!”

“Gate of Destiny!”

She heard the attacks called, watched with horrified, mind numbed apathy as they hit the Ultimate...and did nothing. Even MagnaAngemon, a digimon that should be its slayer had no effect, his holy blade bouncing off the squirming grey skin.

She felt someone trying to pick her up, trying to shake sense into her, but she couldn't bring herself to move. She tried to rally, tried to call upon the light to aid her friends, but there was nothing left within her but the yawning abyss.

Dagomon would have his bride. Nothing they could do would stop it.

She heard Daisuke call out for Imperialdramon, heard the start of the digievolution...then heard Dagomon speak for the first time.

Useless.

It screeched into their minds like shards of glass as Davis released a chilling scream. If she had been able to move, to look his way, she would seem him bent over, clutching his temples as his forehead hit the sand.

Ken had collapsed, staring in abject horror at the digimon, and Paildramon defused, leaving two digimon shaking in the sand.

Was this it? Was this the path she'd chosen? Was this all they would amount to?

Abandoned by the light. No hope. No miracles.

Is this really all you have, Hikari?

The voice, so achingly familiar. Warm, loving...disappointed. Disappointed in her.

Come on, Kari, we both know there's more to you than this. You're just gonna let that fish face have his way with you?

Taichi. She inhaled, the salty air filling her lungs. She was taken back to that moment, when Ophanimon FallDown mode happened. Taichi's death.

You didn't give up then, either. What makes now so different?

She called on the darkness then. She made fists in the sand. She made a mistake then, to trust darkness, to think that maybe, she'd been misunderstanding everything. Shows what she knew, seeing as it was betraying her now.

But is it? You called on the darkness, and it answered. What's stopping you now?

Taichi's voice cut through the mind numbing terror, even as she vaguely realized that Dagomon was fighting...something.

Emmy. She was terrified, yet she was throwing balls of blue fire at Dagomon's eyes, even as the rest of the Digidestined seemed frozen by fear, their Digimon petrified with the same fear.

Gather your courage.

Those words, words Taichi once admitted as they sat on the couch, words that he still remembered as such a simple phrase, yet one that he still went back to when he felt frozen by fear.

A hero isn't without fear; he's simply a little braver a little longer than everyone else.

Taichi. Her love, her brother, her light, her inspiration.

He wouldn't give up. She wouldn't either. The numbness taking over her body was fading with her adrenaline. If she gave up, she could never have him. If she lost here, Taichi would never see her again. Everything she'd done would be for naught. Was it selfish? Maybe. She'd called on the darkness before, so what was stopping her now?

Fear. Fear that the enemy was calling on that same darkness. That same power. Was she just as evil as he? No. What was she afraid of?

I'm afraid that I was wrong. That to use the darkness you must be evil. I'm afraid that even if I'm right, that it makes me evil.

She mustered her strength to stand, and felt Yolei's hand grasp weakly at her ankle, and with great effort, turned to look at her friend. Yolei's eyes begged her to stop. Begged her not to give up, not to sacrifice herself for them.

“Hi...kari...don't...think...of...Taichi...” The lavender haired girl managed to choke out, but Hikari only smiled down at her, gently pulling her leg away.

Think of Taichi, huh? Her lips wobbled in a slight smile. Yeah. Think of her brother, who was the indomitable paragon of moving forward, even when it hurt. She closed her eyes...and opened herself to the Dark Ocean.

He's drawing power from you, right?

Yes.

And without you, he's just an ordinary Digimon.

Less than that. He is addicted to our power, driven mad by his own desires.

And if I told you to stop giving him power?

Silence. It was the moment of truth. To find out if her gamble would pay off.

If I ordered you, as your Queen, to stop giving him power, or to take away the power you gave him, would you comply?

If you accept your throne, we would not disobey.

Then I accept your fealty.

Then declare your Domain, Queen Hikari. Depose the old ruler, lay him low and let all who dwell within the sea know that you are the Queen!

The whispers stopped. The air dropped, and for a moment, all was still. The numbing terror that infused them all drained away, and the Digidestined had a single moment of complete confusion as even Dagomon seemed frozen in shock.

Then Queen Hikari inhaled. The twilight dimmed as the ocean rippled. Power flooded into her, warm, welcoming, and unspeakably sweet. It was like choking on pure sugar, before it dissolved and she exhaled. The sky lightened, the clouds shaking as Dagomon turned his abhorrent gaze back to the one he had come for, reaching tentacles for her before she spoke.

“Kneel before me.”

The statement was calm, in no hurry, and almost conversational as the other stared at her. “Hikari?” Takeru asked in a wavering voice.

Dagomon's eyes gleamed as he continued to reach for her, and and when he was mere inches from her face, Hikari Yagami looked up at him with a look of cold fury. “Maybe you didn't hear me. I said, Kneel before me. ”

Reduce his power by 25%.

As you command.

Dagomon froze. “You. What have you done?”

Maybe she'd been watching too many shows with Taichi. Maybe something about him was infecting her. She wasn't sure, but at this moment, she wanted to show off. Wanted to crush him into the dirt for daring to even think of touching something that belonged to Taichi. Her face twisted into a mocking sneer that thankfully none of the others were close enough to see.

She stepped forward, and drawing power from the ocean she now commanded, backhanded the bundle of tendrils that had moments before been reaching for her. If they were close enough, the other chosen would have seen the stream of dark water silently flowing up to cover her hand in a loving, warm layer of protection and power, before the backhand ripped the tendrils from Dagomon's body and sent it rolling on the shore.

Thank you.

As you desire, Queen Hikari.

“Let's try this again. Kneel before me.” This time, tentacles of dark water show out of the shallows, wrapping around Dagomon's neck and yanking him bodily to the ground.

“You...what are you? What have you done to me?”

Hikari gazed at the digimon who had minutes before had her trembling in terror, and somehow, all she could feel for him...was contempt. It surged through her as her eyes shone with pure disgust. “You wanted me to be your queen. You thought I would be your bride. You thought that I would just allow you to use me to create offspring. You are not WORTHY to lay hands on me!” Her voice rose to a loud snarl as she raised her right foot and kicked Dagomon in the face.

Dagomon roared, lifting his remaining tentacled limb as the other one began to regenerate, intent on crushing this impudent human that dared to attack him.

“At-ta-ta-ta...Bad boy.” She sneered mockingly, and a thin gleam flashed through the air as the dark ocean relieved him of his other limb.

Reduce his power to 25%.

Yes.

As Dagomon's power fell, Hikari gasped. The influx of power made her clutch at her chest. She expected hate. Darkness. Rage. Instead, she was filled with images of herself and Taichi, her adorable older brother looking awkwardly shy as a grinning Hikari palmed his cheek, turning him to face her as she whispered something in his ear, lips brushing his skin. Images of her leading him to bed. Of waking up beside him, coy grin in place as she reached out to stroke his chest.

She shivered at the thought. And to think that if this digimon had his way, she would have never seen him again. The power in her chest grew, and there was a soft ripping sound. From her back sprouted four wings. Two brilliant white, shining with light that burned Dagomon's skin...but the other two were of the deepest night, a midnight blue that drew in light.

“You...how? How is this possible? You are of the light! How can you do this?!”

“You poor thing. You just don't understand, do you?” Hikari cooed softly, kneeling down. As if to bring him to her level, Dagomon cried out as the dark ocean crushed down on him, forcing into the form of a red octopus with what looked like a clay pot on it's head. Now much smaller, Hikari smirked as she reached down and patted it on the...pot.

“You pushed me to this. You wanted a Queen. You got a queen. But you were never worthy of being my king. Only one may claim that place. And it. Is not . You. ”She gave him a bright, sunny smile, before standing back up. Then, without a change in her expression, she kicked the digimon backward into the dark ocean. As the smile fell from her lips and she turned her back on the digimon, she had a final command for the Quantum Sea regarding the pitiful, half mad excuse for a digimon.

Kill him.

Yes. Queen Hikari.

As she walked toward the dry beach, the swell of the dark ocean followed her, as if unwilling to part as she pondered how to spin this in a way that wouldn't instantly have the other Digidestined thinking she was possessed...or evil. It didn't take long, even as Octomon's data was absorbed behind her.

As she set her first foot out of the water that was warmly soaking her shoes, the wings on her back shattered into loose black feathers. As her other foot left the water, the white wings likewise shattered.

Unexpectedly, the cool confidence and easy command over her own emotions shattered with it, and she was left feeling vulnerable as she swayed. She now understood the warm feeling that had filled her when she was drawing on the darkness, a perverted version of the feelings she felt for Taichi, yet not disconnected.

Desire .

The word echoed in her mind as she fell forward, not even needing to fake exhaustion as Yolei caught her.

“Hikari, are you okay?” Takeru raced over, followed by Ken and Davis, though she noted that Daisuke was moving oddly. It wasn't hard to figure out why, though, and she was almost amused.

“Mmmfine. Just...really tired.” She blinked, realizing she'd almost forgotten, stretching out a hand toward nothing.

Open a portal back to where we were, and put the safe zone and everything in it back to where it was.

At her wordless bidding, a rift formed in the air, showing the cheerful trees and foliage of the digital world. As her hand dropped, she allowed her whole body to go limp, and Yolei nearly fell over in response. “Hikari!”

“I'm fiiine...just need...rest.” She slurred slightly, eyes closed.

Ken stepped in, assisting Yolei in getting Hikari to a more comfortable position for carry, though Takeru was fretting over helping out as well. “Is she okay? What did she have black wings?”

“Because the Dark Ocean twists everything it touches, and Hikari probably overdrew on her light powers to save us. She may have had corrupt wings, but she also had wings of light, so I don't think we need to worry. Trust me, as someone who knows the Dark Ocean, she needs time to purge it from her system.”

Good ol' Ken, even if he's wrong.

“Besides, I'm not sure if I should be scared or turned on by Dark angel Hikari.” Daisuke's voice was hard not to laugh at, even as she was carried, barely conscious through the portal. It was odd, the power surrounding her ceasing so abruptly as she went from Dark Ocean to Digital World.

Takeru's irritated voice was surprisingly not as welcome as he snapped at Davis, returning the tension. “Don't be gross, Daisuke.”

She chortled softly, and in an instant, both boys were next to Yolei, even as Ken and Emmy rolled their eyes, grabbing the left behind sleeping bags from the dark ocean before the portal closed. “You're such a boy, Davis.”

Daisuke laughed, even as Yolei lay Hikari down on one of the sleeping bags. “Yeah, last I checked, I was a boy.” The daggers from Takeru's eyes failed to murder the second coming of courage where he stood, and while Hikari was too tired to be bothered to move, she cracked an eye open with a slightly sad smile.

“Yeah, well...I want to thank all of you. For coming here with me, I mean.”

Takeru smiled warmly, and Yolei and Davis joined in as Ken came over to join the group, the portal closing behind them. “Well, he's our friend too, Hikari.”

“Yeah, he is...and that's also why I'm sorry, Davis, Takeru.” The blond Isida tilted his head to the side in confusion, yet Daisuke looked...well, no different.

“What are you sorry for?”

Daisuke's innocent question made her want to cringe. “I'm sorry...because I'm...already in love with someone.” Yolei sighed, and the two boys looked poleaxed.

Then comprehension crossed Takeru's face and his lips parted...only to be cut off by Daisuke's devil may care voice.

“Yeah? So? We have some stiff competition. If we lose, we lose. I'm not going to stop trying, even if I know I can't win. Taichi wouldn't, you wouldn't, so why should I?” The words hit her like a physical blow as her eyes snapped to the seemingly oblivious boy. “Besides, crazier things have happened. Some things never change, but sometimes feelings do.”

She suddenly felt a wave of affection for the boy, and gave him a grateful smile.

“That said, though, I'm still not sure if I'm turned on or scared by you taking down a ultimate digimon all by yourself. Maybe a bit of both?”

And like that, the moment ended, and a soft laugh came from behind them as Enmeros broke into a fit of giggles at the absurdity. Yolei was surprisingly not far behind. Ken only gave a bemused smile and shook his head. “Leave it to Daisuke to ruin a serious moment.”

Takeru was the last to crack a smile, yet smile he did, even giving a few chuckles. “Yeah, okay, I hate to admit it, but I think I'll follow Davis' lead on this one. Yeah, you might be in love with someone, but that may not last forever. Besides, you have us. If things change, then we'll be here. I'm more worried about the one you're in love with.”

Maybe he knew, maybe he didn't. But it didn't matter to Hikari as she closed her eyes, smile playing on her lips. If Taichi accepted her, then that was all she needed. If society rejected it, then she would take him to the Digital World, and they would live there together. And if worst came to worst, the Dark Ocean would not disobey it's queen.

Chapter Text

Sora didn't want to move. Oh sure, she knew that they needed to, that Noragami doubtlessly was waiting impatiently for them to show up at the DSTF, but as she snuggled against her favorite alien, she could say that for once, she wanted to let the world fuck off (In fact, in this position, she would like it to fuck all the way off) while she indulged in the feelings of warmth and safety that despite all her efforts to forget, still existed within Taichi's arms.

Not that she loved Yamato any less, but Taichi had always been...different. Yamato was easy to love, sensitive and attentive to her needs, but Tai had always been like fire. He was clumsy, and no one could hurt her like he could, and yet....

She giggled, and Taichi blinked, looking down at her, then over at Yamato who was watching with a bemused smile. After his awkward confession of...feelings...he might have for Hikari, he expected the two of them to be disgusted, or to cut all ties with him. Instead, Sora had been understanding, and even blamed herself for not noticing, which had Taichi scrambling to convince her it wasn't her fault.

Yamato, on the other hand, was conflicted. As he watched Sora cuddle up to the boy he'd once thought he would murder if he found getting too close to her, he could only marvel on his own feelings. He thought he'd be jealous, that he would want to punch Taichi, or hurt him for being too close to her. Instead, in the wake of the realizations he had, he could only say he was jealous that Sora could show her affections for the goggled idiot so easily.

She'd settled into the boy's lap so easily, legs perpendicular to his as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and yet Yamato couldn't imagine Taichi letting him do the same. Well, not that he would, right? The blond's cheeks burned as the thought occurred. He loved the idiot, yes, but he hadn't given it as much thought as he should have, at least regarding...dynamics. Well, between himself and Taichi. With Sora in the mix, he could easily see them settling for lavishing attention on the girl he knew they both adored.

Without her around...the two had always been like fire and ice. He couldn't help but wonder who would be the one to dominate in the relationship. Would he be forced to give Taichi the lead? The though of Taichi above him, hands caging him in and eyes gazing down at him with that grin of amusement he liked to wear had his cheeks burning. But then, maybe Taichi would let him lead?

The image was replaced with the roles swapped, himself gazing down at a suddenly shy Taichi, looking anywhere but Yamato's eyes as his cheeks burned red. Taichi~ Look at me when I'm talking to you. He would say, smirking down at the goggled leader, and Taichi would refuse, just to be difficult. He could see that being fun to play with, smug grin on his face as he showed just what a good lead he could be-

“-Yamato!” He snapped to attention, breaking out of the fantasy with burning cheeks as he refocused on Taichi who was giving him and odd look. “Welcome back to the real world. I don't know what world you were in, but that grin of yours makes me think it must be a good one.” He waggled his eyebrows at the blond, who turned red as he surreptitiously checked to make sure there was no...obvious signs of what he'd been thinking of.

Sora smacked his Taichi's chest with a frown. “Be nice, Taichi. Unlike me, he's still trying to figure out what to do with his feelings. He hasn't had as long as me to come to terms with them, and you're both boys. Don't tease him.”

Tai's explosive laughter wasn't what either of them expected, and Sora's eyes narrowed, ready to launch into a scolding of the boy she sometimes regretted loving, but Taichi headed her off with a grin. “No, I'm not laughing at Yamato, Sora, just....after fourteen years in the digital world, I...kinda forgot that was a thing. Digimon don't really have the concept of gay or straight, either. It's one thing to know that people on this side of the barrier struggle with gender roles and identities, but it's another to...understand it, if it makes sense. I spent almost as much time there as I did in the real world, so the idea of boys with boys versus boys with girls just...wasn't really something that mattered to me anymore.”

Both Yamato and Sora just looked at him oddly, and his cheeks began to heat up as he considered that maybe he'd said something strange, before a laugh escaped one of them, and two pairs of eyes turned to the blond, who dissolved into a fit of bemused giggles. “Sorry, it's just...that's such a Taichi way of seeing it that I...fuck.” Yamato palmed his face, chortling as he shook his head with a wry grin. “I don't know why I bothered to worry. You know, Taichi, you suck at feelings.”

Taichi winced. “Well, I'm sorry for having the emotional range of a-”

Yamato cut him off before he could insult himself, and Sora gave her own conflicted smile. “Yet sometimes, you have this stupid way of saying the right thing in the most awkward way at the right time. You're an idiot, Taichi, but fuck, I wouldn't want you any other way.”

Taichi blinked, lips parting, before pressing together as his brows furrowed. “I....I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult.” His complaint only triggered giggles from Sora, who squirmed slightly in his lap in a way that made his breath catch as she got more comfortable.

“Take it as a compliment, Tai. I can tell you that I can agree with that statement completely. He is an idiot, Yamato, but we love him, don't we?” Taichi's wounded look made her giggle, leaning forward and burying her face against his neck, kissing it lightly in a way that had thoughts fleeing Taichi's mind.

Yamato wasn't ignorant of the happening before him, but the musical impulse that hit him made him laugh softly. As he watched Sora reduce Tai to a blushing mess, he leaned back with a grin, song leaving his lips as he watched the two he found himself loving far more than he had ever really expected. “At the same time, I wanna hug you, I wanna wrap my hands around your neck~”

Sora's laugh was still one of his favorite songs, but she joined in, serenading the brunette idiot they both had the fortunate misfortune of falling in love with. “You're an asshole, but I love you, and you make me so mad I ask myself~!”

Then as one, in an impressive show of synchronization that even Taichi could appreciate, the two sang together. “Why I'm still here, or where could I go? You're the only love we've ever known~! But we hate you, we really hate you, so much we think it must be, True Love~ True love~ It must be True Love, nothing else can break our hearts like True love, True Love~ It must be True Love, no one else can break our hearts like you~!”

As the two dissolved into laughter at the end of the chorus, Taichi only blinked. “Okay, first off...ow. I didn't think I was that much of a jerk. But also, good show of unity. You two are so in sync that I would hate to-OW! What the...Sora, did you just bite me? We're not 5 anymore!”

Sora pulled away, inspecting the marks her teeth left on his collarbone. “Oh be quiet you big baby. Besides, you were doing the thing again.” As she thought about it, though, the mark on his skin was rather fetching. She blushed as she considered the merits of leaving more marks on his neck...

“What thing?” Yamato rolled his eyes at Taichi's whining, but his lips were twisted in a smile. He'd let Sora handle this one. This time, anyway.

“That thing where you try to convince us that adding you to this relationship will hurt it.” Maybe it was hormones, maybe it was relief, maybe it was the fact that her first love was holding her, even if he wasn't mentally aware of the fact that his arm was still curled around her waist. She couldn't say why she decided to do it, but as her tongue darted out against the red mark left by her teeth, she was rewarded with an instantaneous reaction.

Taichi jumped, squirming in a panic, but the more interesting reaction was in his lap. There was a rush of relief as she realized that if nothing else, he at least still found her physically attractive enough for such a reaction, even as Yamato's cheeks flushed and he gaped at her.

“Wha-What the hell was that, Sora?!” Taichi nearly yowled, leaning forward awkwardly as if trying to hide his reaction to her. It was hard enough to distract himself from her body heat, the way she was pressed against him, and the fact that he dreamed about this scenario too many times to comfortably count. That action had punched through every barrier he had erected between his mind and his feelings for her which were no longer near as innocent as it may have been in his youth, if it had ever been.

Fingers danced over her skin, and his chocolate eyes met ruby as the girl beneath him writhed in discomfort. Discomfort brought on by desire. Hands reached up, cupping his cheeks to bring him down for a kiss as both pairs of eyes slid closed. Her fiery hair was damp with sweat as he peppered kisses down her neck, making her sigh in pleasure. The sheets were soft beneath them as he trailed kisses down...down...DOWN...and her fingers tangled in his brown locks as she let out a loud gasp, dripping with pleasure.

“Tai! Oh fuck...Taichi, wait-! Ahhhhh!”

“Taichi!” He was snapped out of the memory with a brilliant blush as Sora smirked at him. “Welcome back, Taichi. I didn't realize I had such a powerful effect on you.” Her slightly smug, yet flattered smirk sent tingles down his spine, as well as a bit of guilt.

He looked away. “Sora, you have no idea how much thoughts of you consumed me...especially during those fourteen years.” And hopefully, she never would. Hopefully, she would never find out about those moments of weakness, weakness he still hated himself for. Honestly, he wasn't sure how Enmeros put up with his idiocy.

Sora gave him a suggestive smile, leaning forward to whisper into his ear. “Really? You'll have to tell me about it some time.”

His reaction wasn't how she expected, though, as he went quiet, and slightly pale. “I..don't think you really want that. But I'll...have to tell you about it later.” Sora's eyes narrowed at the way he said it, but it was Yamato that broke into the conversation with a save that Taichi would never outright admit to being thankful for.

“Really, Tai? Come on, we can be adults about about this. Yeah, it's awkward to admit, but I will admit that yeah, I had fantasies about some girls when hormones hit too. It's nothing to be ashamed of, and let's be fair, we both know you find Sora attractive.” Not really what Taichi was worried about, but it was close enough that he gave the blond a wan, but thankful smile. Yes, eventually, he would have to come clean, but not right now. Especially not right now, right after the who confession about Hikari. He could only imagine what their reactions would be to THAT mess.

Their conversation was interrupted by a phone, and Sora's groan of frustration was accompanied by eyes shining with repressed irritation. Sliding off Taichi's lap (and moving slow enough that he felt every inch of friction, she moved to pick up her phone, wincing at the familiar number.

“Sora here.”

Noragami's voice was biting and irritable as her expression twisted into a look of restrained anger. “With all due respect, sir, there are things that we needed to take care of before we could bring him over.” Noragami didn't seem amused, and Sora matched that displeasure with narrowed eyes. “Maybe that's true, but do you know how much energy it takes to evolve one digimon, let alone hundreds? How about thousands? That wasn't a naturally occurring evolution, that was all Taichi, and this is before he helped lure the shadowmon out of the city, then helped wipe them out. He's tired.” Her waspish tone was snappy and irritable. “Yes, we'll be there soon. I'll let him know. Bye.”

The beep of the phone hanging up was followed by the most colorful string of curses that Taichi had ever heard from the auburn haired girl. He stared, slack jawed in awe at Sora, who had the awareness to flush a deep red as Yamato grinned. “First time, Taichi?”

Taichi wordlessly nodded. “Sora...when did you get such a potty-mouth? What would your mother say?”

The glare he got in return made him shrink back slightly, before she sighed. “My mother doesn't know I know even half of those words. And you aren't going to tell her, right Tai?”

Taichi couldn't nod fast enough. “Y-yes Ma'am!”

Sora shot him a winning smile. “Good boy.” That...really shouldn't have sounded so sensual to his ears, Taichi could only think with worry. While Taichi was having an internal crisis of possible self discovery, Sora sighed. “We need to go to headquarters. Noragami has some officials and diplomats there in case they're needed. He's not too happy about it, but they have to meet King Kamiya.”

Yamato and Sora could almost see the transformation take place. When Taichi Yagami put away the things Yagami was worried about and changed to the ruler of at least part of the Digital World. It was jarring, watching it happen. Inhale as Taichi Yagami, and King Kamiya exhaled.

“Right. So first order will be to decide what we can offer each other. Or rather, what they can offer me. I have manpower, an army that can actually defend them, beings that can help with repairs without heavy machines and information, not to mention that if it works, a way to give people back full functionality of their bodies while they heal. There's...not really much they can offer us, though. That's bound to make them uneasy, which means...”

Noragami met them on the steps in front of the DSTF building, arms crossed and two men in suits behind him, both carrying suitcases. Sora's gaze was impassive, hiding the irritation within while Yamato looked calm and collected as ever.

Taichi, on the other hand, was looking hilariously out of place, with his blue t-shirt with stars, baggy shorts, and brown cloak. It was enough to make Noragami bristle. “You, Yagami, are a diplomatic nightmare.”

Sora fought the urge to deck him for the perceived insult, but Taichi only smirked. “Well, to be fair, none of it was planned.”

Noragami's eyebrow twitched. “Maybe so, but a citizen becoming a king of another nation? I don't suppose you'll turn over your authority to the government?”

Taichi didn't even try to hide his amusement, bursting into laughter. “Oh, that's a good one. No, sorry to say that it's literally a part of me. The thing that gives me my authority in the Digital World can't be just...given. We're not even sure yet if it will pass to my children, either.”

Noragami's lips were set in a thin line. “Then I suppose we are at an impasse. You see, Yagami, there's not exactly a precedent for this sort of thing.” Taichi's eyes narrowed.

“Perhaps not, but is this really where you want to discuss this? I understand you want to settle this from a position of power, but discussing a foreign sovereign's right to rule on the front steps of a government building? That's pretty rude, especially since it was my army that drive off an invasion of your land.”

Noragami bristled at the jab. “A foreign invasion that came from your world!”

“Oh, so now it's my world? Weren't you just questioning my right to rule it?”

“Keep your war in your world!”

“We were keeping it in our world, but it wasn't our choice for Yamimon to invade this one! We came here because we saw the signs that he was going to attack. We sent you a warning, sent reinforcements, and here I am, KING, here to help and ask for an alliance! I left my safe castle, my seat of power, to come here to your world, and you question both my right to rule, and my competence? Is it my age or the fact that I was originally a Japanese Citizen that entitles you to such arrogance?!”

A hand on Taichi's shoulder on both sides forced the burgeoning anger to a simmer, both Sora and Yamato moving to defuse the situation as one of the briefcase bearing suits placed a hand on Noragami's shoulder. Noragami closed his eyes, inhaled, then decided to try again. “Yagami-”

“King Kamiya to you.”

Noragami gritted his teeth so hard Sora could almost hear them grinding together. “King Kamiya...if you would come this way, we have much to talk about.”

Taichi stepped forward, before glancing back at the two who had stopped him from shoving his foot into his mouth with a stupid argument. “You two coming?”

“King Kamiya, I really must insist-” One of the diplomats began, only to be cut off by Taichi.

“Insist what? That I go alone? You have your ways, the Digital World has ours. The Digidestined are the closest thing to diplomats the Digital World has, and to top it off, they are my friends. Besides, if what just took place wasn't evidence enough, I'm not sure I trust you not to try and strong arm me into giving you control of my kingdom, and the more you try, the more angry I'll get. Setting aside the diplomatic nightmare-” He gave Noragami a pointed look. “-That would be a king's retaliation for attempted takeover of his nation, there's also the fact that while it may not look like it, I am effectively bulletproof, and have the ability to cut this entire building in half. So I would suggest you let them in, if nothing else than to ensure that I play nice.” The entire speech was conversational, but the way his eyes hardened and his fists clenched indicated that Taichi was deadly serious.

Noragami narrowed his eyes, but stepped back. “Very well. We have a conference room ready.”

It wasn't very welcoming, but it was civil. That was all Taichi could ask for. The three Chosen Children followed the suits, and Taichi wasn't ignorant to notice that the soldiers at the corners and patrolling the building were giving him wary looks.

“Taichi, was that really necessary?” Sora hissed to him when she was fairly certain no one was around to hear within the relative confines of the meeting room while they waited for the ones they would be speaking to.

The boy in question sighed. “It was entirely necessary. They started by insinuating that I was in a position of weakness. They moved on to say that I should give them my throne, and that they were doing me a favor by even meeting me. They intended to take what I had to offer and offer nothing in return, other than a mere 'Oh, hey, thanks for giving us complete control of your nation and it's resources.' Right now, I'm an unknown, but they know that I have no real 'soft power', was the term I think the real world uses.”

Yamato blinked. “Holy shit, Taichi...were you...actually paying attention in class?”

The other two couldn't help but snort at the shocked tone in Yamato's voice, but the mirth died quickly. “Right now, to them, the Digital World is either a mystery to be solved, or a resource to be exploited. Our war doesn't matter to them, not until it spills over here . They know little to nothing about the current state of the digital world. They don't care to know either, other than what it can do to this one. So I had to make them understand that we won't be pushed around or exploited. We will help, we will protect, but we are not here under their command.”

“But could you really leave them to suffer?” Yamato queried.

Both noticed the way Taichi flinched. “I...” He murmured. “I...have to think of my people too. I can't let them be exploited. They trust me to protect them.”

Sora stilled. What Taichi hadn't said rang loud in her ears. “Taichi?”

His fists clenched on the table, and his eyes squeezed shut. “I can't just leave this world to suffer, but I can't abandon the Digital World either. I won't fight a war on two fronts, Sora, I won't . I'll protect them as I am able, but I won't send digimon here to protect this world if they have to deal with being vilified by the government while trying to protect citizens from Yamimon. I won't command them to take that abuse.”

Hands from two different people rested on his fists, and he opened his eyes slowly, glancing on either side to see both Yamato and Sora giving him gentle, yet understanding looks. “We understand that, Taichi. We only ask that you try.” Sora consoled.

“Besides, this world has us.” Yamato boasted, and Taichi gave him a weak smile.

“Yeah, you're right, it's just...With the way the barrier has been weakened, and with me here, I can gather the data remains of a digimon who dies here and send it back to primary island to be cared for until the digi-egg hatches. But that's something only I can do in this world. If things get out of hand, and they try to shut me out, then I will have to pull all of my army out, or worry that when someone dies, it will be permanent.”

Yamato's brow furrowed, then his eyes widened as he turned to Taichi, who preempted his question with a slight smile. “Yes, that includes Meicoomon. Don't tell....” He paused, brows furrowed, before Sora realized he'd forgotten the name of Meicoomon's partner.

“Meiko. That's the name you're looking for.”

Taichi blinked, wondering how he managed to forget a name so similar to her partner's name, but inwardly shrugged. “Don't tell her yet. I don't know of Meicoomon's memories will be intact.”

“Was that wise? I mean, maybe you should have Izzy check her over, just in case.” Yamato added his two cents, and Taichi nodded.

“Yeah, I considered that, but I did a quick scan of her data with the King's Code and fixed any errors I found. The main problem is that the virus she holds is a part of her that can't be easily separated. If I try to destroy it, it'll just regenerate. Instead, I quarantined it. She...may never be able to digivolve naturally without my help, but she should be safe from corruption. And with the King's Code, I should be able to revert her even if it does take hold.”

“Is the King's Code really so powerful?” Yamato asked with narrowed eyes. “If so, why didn't Homeostasis just use that instead of rebooting the Digital World?”

Tai shook his head. “It is, but Homeostasis probably couldn't get to it. Even if it could, there was no guarantee that Homeostasis could actually use it. It's...a pretty picky bit of code.” He lifted his right arm, indicating the bracelet. “This is just a fraction of it. The rest is fused to my data. Even I don't know it's full capabilities.” He shot Sora a grin. “Kinda like how I didn't know you could make me evolve.”

Yamato laughed, and Taichi and Sora turned to look at him with questioning eyes. “Sorry, it's just...Taichi, maybe you don't remember, but the night of that one party, you...well, you mentioned that Sora's love was powerful enough to make Digimon evolve, and you weren't surprised to find out it could do the same to people. And now, she literally made you evolve.”

Taichi blinked owlishly as Sora giggled to herself. “Well, I suppose it shouldn't surprise me then. You've made some pretty off the wall observations that turned out to be right, Tai, so I guess this is just another one of those weirdly on the nose random statements you've made.”

Their moment of mirth was cut short when the meeting room door opened to admit Noragami, a man with silver hair and a thin lipped smile on his face, as well as two armed guards. Taichi's eyes narrowed at the weapons, but he didn't say anything about it.

He didn't have to as the man they were to talk to gave him a look of amusement. “For my protection. You did say you had the potential ability to cut the building in half.”

Sora furrowed her brow, but felt Taichi's hand on her leg, bidding her to stay silent. “I see. Well, maybe if certain people didn't instantly start acting like they could force me into giving up my throne, I wouldn't have to.”

Noragami coughed pointedly. Taichi's eyes flitted to him, but then back to the diplomat, though his attention was on the guards and their too tight grip on their weapons.

The diplomat gave a dry laugh. “Quite. Mr. Yagami-”

“King Kamiya. This is a professional setting, Sir, and we're not speaking as citizens of the same nation, but as a King and a diplomat.” Taichi's gaze narrowed. “I do hope that we aren't going to fall into the same going nowhere conversation that I had in front of the building.”

To the diplomat's credit, he barely batted an eye at the pointed statement, bulldozing on with his own agenda. “King Kamiya, you are here because we need to discuss the unwanted invasion of our city.”

Taichi gave a grim smile. “Yes, that does need discussing. Yamimon has been trying to take over the Digital World for around 15 years now, and we've managed to fight him to a standstill until recently. We only recently found out that he had been eroding the barrier between our world and this one, so I tried to send warning. Unfortunately, he attacked sooner than I expected.”

“At which time, you proceeded to send an army of your own through your own portals to occupy our city.” The Diplomat finished.

Yamato instantly know this was about to go south, fast . A glance at Sora signaled she also knew what was about to happen as they both as on, reached for Taichi's hands, even as the guards tensed. “Taichi...” Yamato muttered under his breath.

“I came with my army to repel enemies you didn't have the ability to fight properly.” Taichi's voice was quiet. Somber. Solemn.

“You didn't communicate that they would be coming, nor how they would be coming, and that could easily be seen as an act of war , King Yagami.” The Diplomat's voice was cool, collected, and bland, which only fanned the flames. “You are a citizen on this world, Yagami, you should know better than to-”

A high pitched screech emanated from every network capable object in the room as Taichi's fists clenched white. “Mind your tongue. You didn't even bother to give me your name, and you refuse to use my proper name. You accuse me of acts of war, pretend that I gave you no warning-”

The Diplomat raised his voice, still cool and collected, even as he reached into his pocket to turn off his phone. “A single message is not a warning , Yagami-”

“I came here to save lives! I gave you as much warning as I possibly could, tried to keep damage to a minimum, and this is how I'm repaid? I came with the intention of offering aid . I could help you rebuild, help you with heavy lifting, with repairing infrastructure, with getting the injured and wounded back on their feet! This was my home -”

“All the more reason to offer those things, but combat ready creatures-”

“ All of the digimon are combat ready! In case you forgot, we are fighting a war in our homeworld. Every single one of us has some combat ability other than what amounts to children! I drove the enemy out of the city! I set them up for extermination ! And I'm not about to sit here and be talked down to by some clueless government lackey who thinks that I'm going to just hand over my throne because I used to live here-”

“You clearly aren't mature enough to rule-”

“Silence! I have ruled for over 10 years-”

“If you've ruled well remains to be seen-”

“ Enough! ” Taichi was on his feet as his hands slammed into the table, leaving cracks in the surface with a thunderous sound, and instantly, weapons were drawn and aimed. Taichi stilled, eyes slits and a sneer on his lips. The weapons weren't pointed at him.

“So this was your plan after all. We're done here. Clearly there is a lack of trust between us, which makes any potential agreements with you unreliable.” He glared pointedly at the weapons trained on Yamato and Sora, who looked shocked at the turn of events. “We are leaving. If you dare pull those triggers, then Yamimon won't have to invade your little city. I'll kill you myself.”

Sora looked to Taichi in horror, before he turned, ignoring the weapons. “We're leaving, you two. If they try to stop us, then cutting the building in half will be the least I do to it.”

The soldiers didn't test him.

Once outside, Sora yelped as she was scooped up into Taichi's arms. A quick look to Yamato indicated he would be back for him, and a few quick jumps had them on top of a nearby apartment complex, where she was dropped off as Taichi went back for the other boy, who was delivered much the same way.

Unlike Sora, however, Yamato tried to reduce tensions by wrapping his arms around Taichi's neck and doing in his best girly voice “My hero!”

Taichi didn't respond, other than a roll of his eyes and unceremoniously dropping Yamato on the concrete roof.

Yamato grunted as his ass hit unforgiving concrete and he glared up at Tai with a pout. “Ow, the fuck Taichi, take a joke.”

Taichi shot him the ghost of a smile, before sighing. “So, that was a flaming Sukamon. I could have probably handled that better.” Sora nodded, but surprisingly, Yamato disagreed.

“I don't think so. I'm pretty sure he was trying to piss you off so he could say you were too immature to be any sort of authority figure.” Taichi frowned as Sora looked at Yamato in betrayal.

“Sorry Sora, but I really don't think there was any way that guy was going to be reasonable.”

“You don't know that. He could have been just testing you.” Sora flinched as her alien gave her the coldest glare she'd ever received from him, making her almost flinch away.

“Then I failed. He's not getting my throne, even if it was something I could give. I'm not going to let my people get exploited.”

Sora bit her bottom lip, before asking in a voice that quivered slightly. “But...aren't we your people too?” That seemed to stop Taichi cold. “I know that he was being an ass, but Tai...we're your people too. Just because one guy was an asshole, you'd write off an entire city? Have you really changed that much?”

The armor piercing question went through him like lightning, and Taichi froze. Yamato shot her a look. “Sora.” It was only her name, but there was a hint of warning in it too.

“He threatened you. I knew the moment those two guards came in, it wasn't for me. Those weapons couldn't have killed me. But they could kill you both.” The words were soft, meek, and suddenly Sora felt horrible for calling him out. “I needed...I needed a threat he would take seriously, because...I've dealt with digimon who wouldn't bat an eye at the possibility of death. So I made a threat he couldn't ignore.”

The cold feeling in her chest was icy and unpleasant, and she wobbled on her feet. Yamato was at her side in and instant as she processed those words. “He...wouldn't have done that.”

Taichi laughed humorlessly. “Maybe not. But it wasn't a risk I was willing to take. Words are easy, Sora. I can threaten this city all I want with words, but as long as I never act on those words, they are only threats. I couldn't be sure that he wouldn't do something stupid.”

And Sora could understand that. She wished she didn't, but once it was explained to her, she couldn't deny the logic. But it also meant that at some point, Tai had lost his faith in people . In the adults in charge of everything.

“Nothing for it, I guess. Looks like you'll just have to take over the world.” Yamato's words were so ridiculous that for a moment, it didn't register in the minds of either of the other two, but when it did, Taichi's face paled.

“What-I'm not going to take over anything , Matt! I have my hands full with the Digital-you're mocking me, aren't you?” His voice started animate and panicked, but transitioned to complete deadpan as soon as he spotted Yamato's smirk.

Yamato clapped sarcastically. “He can spot sarcasm! But let's be serious, Tai, only you could take over the Digital World by accident, and I really hope to hear that tale sometime soon.” The Digital King gave Yamaro a glare that was ruined by the slight smile tugging at his lips.

They were interrupted by Sora's phone yet again, and she pulled it out of her pocket, expression twisting into fury as she saw Noragami's name. She answered with perhaps more vitriol than she intended, but her snapped words were justified in the boys' opinion.

“What do you want? Haven't you done enough?”

Silence.

Then there was a sigh. “Less than I wanted, more than I intended. Look, things went...south pretty fast in there-”

“Nooooo, you think?” Yamato interjected with as much sarcasm as he could muster. “I thought that went well, with all the yelling and the property damage, and oh, let's not forget getting held at fucking gunpoint! ”

If there was such a thing as an audible wince, then it was Noragami's reaction at that point as he sighed. “Look, I know it's probably all just empty words for you at this point, but the people in charge are scared. You gave them front row seats to the potential damage you can do if you ever decided to attack us, and they don't like it. To them, King Kamiya is like a kid with the nuclear codes. One wrong move and we all go boom.”

“That makes it a pretty bad idea to antagonize said kid, isn't it?” Yamato cut in, much to Noragami's frustration.

“Yes, from one viewpoint that would be right. But they were hoping to cow you into handing over those infinitely destructive powers by treating you like a child rather than a ruler, King Kamiya.” Taichi's eyes narrowed as he was directly addressed. “I can see now that was a mistake. We should have treated you like the King you claim to be, rather than a child with a bit too much power.”

“Really? What was your first clue?”

Noragami groaned. “Look, I know you're not in the mood to hear from me, I get that. But I needed to make contact before we lost all contact. King Kamiya, we need your help, regardless of if they want to admit that. I know we already fucked up our first contact by treating you like a child, but the DSTF needs you. Give us a chance to prove that you are more than just a child with power that scares them.”

Taichi sighed, leaning against the waist high wall that was meant to help keep people from stumbling off the roof. “Fine. As a show of good faith, I'll leave you thirty digimon. Twenty will be for physical labor and helping with lifting in high places. The remaining ten will be healers.”

“Healers? What kind of capabilities are we working with here?” This time, Noragami couldn't hide the interest in his voice, and Taichi grinned .

“Well, their abilities are weakened somewhat outside the digital world, but when it comes to physical trauma...well. We can't heal it completely, but we can basically trick the body by making it whole again using data to replace the damaged parts until the body heals on its own. In short, they can have injured people feeling fine long before they are actually fully healed without risking further damage.”

“To what extent can this be applied, and what are the limitations?”

“I regrew an arm in the digital world. One of the benefits of manipulating the data of the body is that you can make it do things it normally shouldn't be able to.” Taichi heard Noragami suck in a cold breath as the possibilities hit him.

“And can they do that outside the Digital World? How long will it last?”

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“On what they have to replace and how much energy they put into it. As long as the ones being healed stay near network systems they should be able to leech loose data naturally going through the air, though they may have odd effects on certain kinds of technology if the injury is severe enough.”

Sora and Yamato looked both horrified and intrigued by the information. Noragami swore loudly over the phone. “King Kamiya, if your healers can actually do even half of what you just said, then they are going to be in high demand.”

Taichi's face darkened from a grin to a smug half smile. “And this is a degraded version of the healing they have access to. Consider that next time you want to play a game of chicken with me. I've been fighting Yamimon for ten years, and he's labeled me undesirable number one because I've stalemated him at every turn. That's why he went after me rather than continue to destroy the city. He kills people on this side, and humans will fear him. If he kills me , the Digimon lose their king, which means the end of their resistance. You would have no defenders left other than the digidestined in this world. My kingdom is on the front lines. We fight or we die. We can hold our own without you. I don't think you can say the same.”

Noragami remained silent for a few moments, before sighing. “You've made your point, King Kamiya. I can't promise you that they will start taking you seriously, only that I will. The DSTF will do their best to see to it that our goals align, or at least don't conflict with yours if we can help it.”

Taichi's smile twitched. “That's all I can ask of you.”

Sora didn't delay any longer, hanging up promptly while Yamato looked at her in askance. “Sorry, I just...this whole situation is really stupid. ”

The boys both laughed. “Speaking of stupid, lets go the opposite direction. What is Izzy up to these days?”

Hikari stared . Stared long and hard. “Hey...Yolei. Um. Quick reality check. Is that...”

The lavender haired bearer of love nodded, looking nonplussed. “If you mean to ask about the giant statue of you , then yes, I see it too.” Behind them, Emmy was going through giggling fits as the two girls and two boys stared uncomprehending at the large statue of Hikari Yagami in the center of the digimon town they had entered.

When they had entered, Hikari did notice a lot of double takes and staring, but assumed it was due to being with Enmeros, who was also wearing her form. Now, looking up at the statue of herself, Sora, and Yamato, she could admit that she had no idea how to feel.

At the base of the statue was a plaque that read:

Friendship, Light and Love.

When Evil is near, let the Light of love and friendship guide you.

“Hey, Emmy, so what the deal with those? I mean, I'm all for having statues of Kari around, but this seems a bit...”

“King Kamiya put them here to remind us not to give up hope, even when things seem dark!” The group turned as one to see a bouncing pink blob. The Koromon gave a big, goofy grin. “Hey, you look a lot like the statues of Light!” The energetic digimon bounced over to Hikari and Emmy, and Hikari couldn't help her smile, reaching down to pick up the small in training digimon.

“Is that so? So there are other statues of m-Light?” Hikari changed her statement at the last second, deciding not to draw more attention than she already did, meeting Emmy's mirth filled ones.

Koromon's whole body nodded. “Yeah, yeah! Everyone recognizes Light, Love and Friendship! They are the most important ones in the Yagami Temple; it's not too far from here so we go there on field trips!”

“Field trips?” Takeru blinked.

“Yagami Temple?” Ken murmured, looking intrigued.

Yolei and Hikari exchanged glances while Daisuke looked fascinated by the idea of more Hikari statues.

“So there are more there?” Hikari asked the excitable pink head, unsure how to feel about the idea of Taichi erecting statues of the three of them.

“Yepyep! I've been there a bunch of times!The main area is about his adventures when he first came here, but there's a separate room for Light, Love, and Friendship. We're not supposed to go in those rooms, but...” Koromon gave a shifty glance left and right that had Hikari choking down a laugh as she tried to imagine the digimon being sneaky. “I snuck into them on the last field trip we went on.”

The group leaned in as Koromon acted like he was about to reveal a huge secret.

“The room I entered was boring, but there was a lot of statues of Light in it. King Kamiya was hugging her in most of the statues and pictures, but there were some I didn't understand, like the one where she had his head in her lap. It was like one of those love stories that have gotten popular with the older digimon. Huh? Are you feeling okay, your face is turning a strange color.”

Said strange color was a scarlet that burned her face as she felt gazes riveted to her as Emmy grinned. “I've seen that one. It's one of King Kamiya's favorites.” Left unsaid was the fact that she'd used Hikari's form to do the same thing with Taichi many times when he was feeling down.

Takeru had a funny look on his face, one that didn't seem like it knew if it wanted to be disgusted or worried. “Hey...Hikari...can I talk to you for a second?”

Ice formed in the girl's belly as she paused in anticipation of the train wreck that may be about to take place, nodding wordlessly and handing the chatty dinosaur to be to Emmy, who gave her a look she recognized as support, before following one of her oldest friends. She didn't miss the way Yolei's eyes followed her, and the way she almost moved to follow, before Hikari shook her head at the bearer of the digiarmor of love and sincerity.

Once Takeru was satisfied with the distance, he stopped, looking a bit out of depth. He made several aborted attempts to speak, and Hikari let him, feeling again for the first time in quite a while that she had no control over what was about to happen. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, at least not now. The Dark Ocean couldn't help her here, at least, not without some sort of fallout, and neither could the light. It was just her and Takeru.

After several attempts, the chosen of Hope decided to just bite the bullet. “Hey, Hikari...I know that you are...very attached to your brother, and I know it may be hard to admit, but...”

Her heart leapt into her throat as she swallowed noiselessly. This was it. This was where it all fell apart, where secrets she tried so hard to keep were revealed.

“-Has Taichi ever...Um...touched you inappropriately? You know you can tell me, I won't let him-”

“What? No! He's never-!” She stopped herself from continuing her outburst, glancing back at the gathering of the other chosen children. They glanced over, but then Koromon spoke, and they all turned back to the pink blob.

She had been expecting him to question her feelings toward Taichi, not to question if Tai had ever... Her cheeks burned as she looked away, clearing her throat as Takeru awkwardly bit his lower lip, looking uncomfortable.

“Tai has never done anything inappropriate to me.” Hikari insisted, not liking the insinuation or accusation that he would do anything to hurt her.

Takeru swallowed. “I...didn't want to believe he would either, Hikari, but...well. You have to admit, it...doesn't look good. I mean, I know you two are close, but that's...” He trailed off, looking like he regretted every bit of what he'd said so far. Hikari couldn't blame him. He was stepping far outside his comfort zone, and she knew that at one point, Takeru had the same hero worship she had for her older brother, even going so far as asking Taichi to be his older brother as well.

She suddenly felt a wave of compassion and affection for the awkwardly shifting boy, and gave him a wan smile. “Taichi has never been anything but the best brother ever, Takeru. I know you don't mean any offense, even if my first impulse was to be mad at you for accusing him.”

His wince didn't go unnoticed, and she pondered her options. Once more, she was at a crossroads, a point where she could come clean, or continue to lie. Lie to him, and things go back to the awkward way they interacted, with him suspecting but not knowing, or come clean. The first option was easier, but he would suffer, and so would their friendship. If she came clean, though....

She sighed. “Taichi has always been a good brother, Takeru...but I haven't...been a good sister.” She hesitated, forcing the words out. They fell into the air as he gave her an odd look, confused and slightly curious. She'd already put the words out; there was nothing she could do now...but commit.

“What do you-”

“I'm the one who started pulling him in for a lap pillow, Takeru, it was me, not him.” She rushed out, noting the way his brow furrowed. “He resisted at first, but I...kept doing it. He was so stressed, and I wanted to comfort him in any way I could.”

Takeru blinked, understanding rising in his eyes. “Oh...Hikari. I know you two have always been close, but you can't take her place. I know the whole thing with Sora and Yamato has been...horrible on him, but-”

“I didn't do it to take her place, Takeru.” Squeezing her eyes shut, Hikari mentally prepared herself. If she was going to do this, she wasn't going to do it by half.

Gather your courage.

“I mean, yes, Sora wrecked my brother, and sometimes I wish I could hate her for it, but...I did it because I wanted to. Because I am the one that wanted to be in her place. Not because he was looking for a replacement.”

Takeru blinked, and the dawning horror in his eyes hurt a bit, but she plowed onward, channeling Taichi as best she could.

Don't think. The more you think, the more you hesitate. When you hesitate, you give fear an opening. Don't think.

She swallowed. “I know you think I'm this perfect girl, this infallible bastion of purity, hope, and light, but the truth is that I've never been that pure. This...this feeling I have, this desire , it's a part of me, Takeru, and I have to accept that I can't be that perfect girl that you and Daisuke hold me up to be. I tried to be, Takeru, I tried to be the girl you hold up on a pedestal, but I just can't. I'm selfish and immature at times. I want what I can't have, and I make mistakes and screw up too. I'm...I'm tired of pretending that the only things I ever want are good and innocent things.”

She felt the tears gathering in her eyes as she unintentionally poured her heart out to her best male friend, to his utterly baffled and worried face.

“I want him, Takeru. I want him, but he's my brother, and I just... can't . He looks at me, and I feel butterflies. He smiles, and all is right with the world. When he's at my side, I can take on the entire world. Having him on my lap was my guilty pleasure. I could pretend, pretend he was mine , that I could have him and he could have me. Like the world didn't exist. He could tell me anything, and I would listen. I...I...” She choked on a sob, and to her surprise, found herself in Takeru's arms as she felt the damn break.

It was the first time she'd admitted it out loud. Even Yolei only had suspicions. She dissolved in his arms, a mess of tears and sobs and unattractive crying as she wept for the love she'd kept concealed for so long.

Honestly , Takeru though, This doesn't surprise me as much as I think it should. The Yagami siblings had always had a strange bond, and he'd had suspicions about how close they were, but he wasn't too good to admit that maybe he'd had the wrong idea. When confronted with the thought that one of the Yagami siblings was doing something...questionable to the other, he chose to believe that Taichi , kind, goofy Taichi would somehow be the one to fall.

It had never occurred to him that it would be Hikari that was pushing that boundary. He'd told her she didn't have to be perfect before, and the less she tried, the more brilliantly she shone. But as she cried in his arms, he considered the pressure she'd been under. The Child of Light, always the paragon. Always the last line of defense against the darkness. Always concealing that she too had flaws, and some of them were ones she tried so desperately to hide.

He was running away from his own feelings on the matter, though. How did he feel about this? As he stroked Hikari's back in reassurance, he tried to sort out his own feelings. Disappointment was there; there in spades . But not in her, strangely enough. No, he realized, he was disappointed in himself . For not seeing the front Hikari held, the illusion that she wasn't struggling with her own problems.

Following disappointment was disgust, and he inwardly sneered at himself for feeling it. He couldn't imagine feeling... those feelings for Yamato, so how is it that the girl in his arms felt that toward her own brother? But he also knew that he really didn't have a right to judge, considering he had, at one point, had a crush on Taichi himself. It had been short lived, and he got over it quickly, but he did remember it.

He wasn't going to condemn Hikari, even if the idea of him liking his older brother turned his stomach. Yamato was Yamato. Taichi was Taichi. Apples to oranges. Besides, he was mature enough to understand that not all people thought the same way. Daisuke was walking proof of that.

His arms tightened around Hikari as her tears began to subside. Acceptance. He would accept that she had feelings for her brother, even if he didn't agree with them. He considered himself fairly open minded, and while this was pushing it (make that really pushing it), he could accept that the kindest and brightest girl he knew had a darkness within that she hid.

“I'm...sorry, Takeru. I...I don't know what came over me.” Hikari hiccuped, and Takeru felt that familiar flood of compassion as he gave her a wobbly smile.

“It's okay, Hikari. You've been bottling that up for a while, haven't you?” He could see her searching his face, searching for disgust, or anger, or hate. She would find none. “We've been friends for a long time, Hikari, do you really think I'll hate you over something you can't control?” Don't you trust me?

Hikari laughed softly, pressing her head against his chest. “You're a good guy, Takeru. Maybe, if not for...”

The smile that tugged the corner of his lips was slightly sad. “If not for Taichi, yeah. You don't have to say it. Look, I'm not going to pretend it doesn't bother me, because it does. But...it's you, and it's Taichi. I can't say I don't understand why you might...find him appealing, I guess. I'm just kinda...weirded out because he's your brother.” He could see the way she flinched, but was quick to hide it. “Hikari, I'm not trying to make it out like you're a bad person. Just...give me a little time to get used to the idea. Who else knows? Because let me be clear on this, and I'm not saying this to judge, but my brother cannot find out about this. Love him to death-” but not that way, “ -but he tends to be snappy at that sort of thing, and I know that if he finds out, he'll probably take a swing at Taichi, thinking he did something to you to make you think that way.”

Hikari scoffed, but it was an unsure, watery thing. “He'll have to get over it, then. Taichi has never done anything I haven't wanted him to do.”

Takeru's wry smile and waggling eyebrows didn't register at first, but the words certainly did. “He probably hasn't done enough of what you want him to do.”

It was awkward at first, and he wondered if he overstepped before Hikari turned a brilliant shade of red and hit him in the chest, sputtering indignantly. “I, you, but...you ass! Don't say things like that!”

She could see his discomfort, the hesitant way his words left his lips, like he were unsure where the boundary was, but he was trying . Trying to make it normal, to make it just another thing they shared. She appreciated the gesture. She appreciated him .

“Woah! Where did that come from?! Sweet and innocent little Hikari, swearing at me?” He didn't have to force the grin on his face as she laughed. Yeah, it would take some getting used to, but her friendship was worth it. If Taichi could walk away from Sora for Yamato and Sora's happiness, he could get over his burgeoning crush on Hikari Yagami. “Though seriously, who else knows?”

Hikari shot him a thankful smile, before it slowly faded back into a look of consideration. “Yolei thinks I just have a huge crush on him. I'm pretty sure Emmy suspects, otherwise she wouldn't be teasing me so much...I think. Um...I'm not sure about Ken.”

Takeru swallowed softly. “Does...Taichi know?”

Hikari stilled. Her voice was small when she replied, unsure and slightly sad. “I...don't know. He's never really been one to get romantic hints, otherwise he and Sora would have already been dating for a while. I haven't really been...subtle with my shows of affection, but I also never came out and said it.”

Takeru fought the urge to deadpan and failed. “Then I think we can safely say he has no idea.”

Hikari giggled. “Yeah, probably. Unless I straight up kiss him on the lips, I doubt he'll have any clue.”

Takeru's face twisted slightly before he forced the feeling of whatthefuck down. “Yeah. Anyway, we should probably rejoin the others. They're probably wondering what we're doing over here.”

Hikari nodded, and they both turned to rejoin the others.

Takeru knew that it would take time to get used to the idea. But he had every intention to do so. Light of Love and Friendship indeed.

As it turned out, however, the day had one more giant twist to throw at them. He nearly crashed into Hikari's back when she stopped, having been so deep in thought that he wasn't paying attention.

Koromon had brought a friend, it seemed, one that Yolei was holding while cooing over how cute it was. It looked somewhat like a cat, and the other cat of the group was staring, wordless with horror as Hikari's eyes widened.

Meicoomon turned her head, star pupils shining happily as she bounded over to Hikari. “Ah, it's you! Hikari, where is Mei? Is she here? Did she come with you?”

Chapter Text

Takeru and Hikari stared at Meicoomon, who stared back innocently, tilting her head in curiosity. “Hikari? Is Mei here?”

The question seemed to snap the girl out of her daze as she swallowed. “Mei is...Mei is still in the real world. She...she still misses you. How much...do you remember?”

Meicoomon blinked, confused. “I remember...being here. And a giant warrior. And then...Mei being attacked, and hurt, and...and I remember getting so angry that I...digivolved. And then nothing, until...I was in a white void. And I was sad. I was sad, but also so happy. Mei was there, and I...” The cat digimon fell silent for a few moments. “I...told her thank you. And goodbye.”

Takeru caught the way Hikari tensed up, and the way she almost winced at the mention of saying goodbye.

“And then I woke up here. King Kamiya was here, and he had gave me the strength to Digivolve into myself. He had to leave quickly after that, but the others made sure I was taken care of until Mei comes to get me, or they can take me to Mei.” Meicoomon's tail lashed happily as she gazed at Hikari with smiling eyes. “He said that once I wasn't sick anymore, and he could take me to her, I could be with Mei again, and he promised it would be as soon as he could manage it!”

Takeru opened his mouth to say something, but Hikari was faster, kneeling down and wrapping the digimon in her arms as she fought the urge to cry.

“Do you like your gift?” Her own voice asked her, and she blinked, looking up at Emmy who was smiling gently at her, though her eyes were unreadable. Ken, Yolei, and Davis looked confused, though.

“My...gift?”

Emmy nodded. “King Kamiya had a lot of practice rebuilding digimon from the remaining data left behind after they perished. He wasn't sure if he would be able to save her, but there were even some of his more...fervent supporters that offered to be test subjects when he admitted that he wanted to do this for Light. He doesn't usually ask much if it comes at the expense of others, but whenever there was a battle, he would spend ages gathering data to reconstruct the digimon who perished.”

“To my knowledge, doesn't the digital world do that on its own?” Ken asked, confused.

Emmy nodded. “It does, which is why it was so confusing to us that he would do that. Unless a digimon is purposefully absorbed by another digimon, their data is automatically recycled and turned into an egg. Of course, they don't typically keep their memories unless there are special circumstances.”

“So why would you say that she's Hikari's gift? She was talking about her human partner. And why are you guys so shocked to see her?” Yolei's voice was curious, confused, and all but smelling tea waiting to be spilled.

“We met while you were...asleep. Here. In the digital world.” Hikari said, skirting all details other than the ones that might lead Yolei to the right conclusion. It didn't take long before Yolei's eyes widened and she and the other Digidestined looked at the adorable cat digimon that felt like it had just turned into a particularly large and hungry lion.

Emmy rolled her eyes. “Come on, Hikari, do you have no faith in King Kamiya? He's already come up with a temporary fix for that particular problem as maybe a permanent one. As for why she's a gift to you and not Mei...” The girl wearing her face shot her a particularly amused look. “Well, its something of a love note to you.”

Hikari's face turned crimson . “I...but...why would you say that?! We're...” She trailed of as Emmy's smirk widened, and she tilted her head in amusement. She was waiting for Hikari to dig her own grave, and Hikari knew it as she sputtered, eyes glancing over at the other three. “...a-anyway, I don't see why bringing her back would be for me.”

Not-Hikari raised an eyebrow. “Really ? Really, Hikari? You really want to tell me you have no idea why? I guess we're going to visit the Yagami Temple anyway, and if you really wanna play clueless, I imagine you especially will find it particularly enlightening.”

Hikari felt her face go pale. If Taichi really put those statues or pictures in the Yagami Temple, it was bound to have them asking questions.

Takeru was quick to realize her distress, and the situation hit him. Hikari's secrets were being threatened. “I'm sure that's not needed-”

Enmeros shook her head. “Oh no, it's on the way to the castle, nearly in a straight line, even. One might say it's unavoidable.” Her smirk was really starting to irritate him as he fought the urge to growl. Any goodwill the girl had from him was starting to dissipate, and she must have picked up on his ire as her smirk fell.

“Seriously, though, most of the area is safe, and this town is a giant safe zone, but it's never a guarantee. The Yagami Temple is one of the biggest safe zones in the area, and one of the only ones between here and the castle. Unless you want to take a massive detour or chance us getting attacked, Yagami Temple is probably one of the best places for us to stop for the night.” Emmy's words were hurried as she tried to convince Takeru that she wasn't just trying to be a bitch, and he shot Hikari a look.

“We...can stop by there, but we don't have to go in, do we?”

Emmy shook her head. “No, there's something of an impromptu town that sprang up around it due to all the digimon who go there to learn more about King Kamiya. Just...know that some of the digimon will be...odd, upon seeing you.”

“Can't be much more odd than meeting her again.” Gatomon grumbled, indicating to the puzzled Meicoomon, who watched the conversation with confusion.

Emmy giggled uneasily, noticing Takeru still glaring at her. “Fine, I give, I give, what do I have to do to make you stop glaring at me?”

Hikari elbowed the boy in the side, and he shot her a look of confusion as she shook her head. He sighed in response. “Fine. But really, why is someone else's digimon considered a gift for Hikari?” He emphasized the word 'gift', punctuating it with a glare at Emmy, who raised her hands in surrender.

“Sorry, I just...he mentioned that moment a lot, when he was forced to make that choice. It still haunts him, that he had to make that decision. But he said that while it hurt to accept that she had to die, the idea that you might hate him for it was what hurt the most. He said he survived nearly dying, survived losing his first love to his rival and best friend, but the idea of you hating him, of you losing faith in him...it was more than he could take. He could have taken Sora's disappointment, that wasn't something he was unfamiliar with. He could live with that, even if she distanced herself from him in response. He could take Yamato hitting him. But he couldn't stand the thought that you might never forgive him.”

Emmy sighed. “That thought kept him awake some nights. He was so happy that you didn't hate him that he was willing to do nearly anything you asked, Hikari. Your feelings toward him were always something he cherished. Whatever those feelings were.” There was an odd suggestive tone to her last sentence, an odd underlying insinuation that had Hikari's heart leaping in her chest as she remembered the words the Dark Ocean had told her when Taichi had first vanished.

He is both Sacrifice and Averted Fate.

The dark ocean had always referred to changed outcomes as 'averted fate'. Something in her chest burned as she swallowed, suddenly feeling incredibly curious about what may lie in her room in this Temple they kept mentioning.

Had time in the Digital World changed the way he felt about her? And if it had...in what way? She glanced at Gatomon, then to Takeru. Gatomon had her own way of noticing what Hikari felt for Taichi, and might have known before even she had that her feelings weren't sisterly. Said cat did her own approximation of a shrug, which didn't surprise Hikari. She'd never come out and said it, but she knew that Gatomon didn't really care that her partner had feelings for her brother.

Takeru, on the other hand, looked conflicted. She could tell he wasn't exactly comfortable with this new knowledge, but he was trying to get over the way it made him instinctively cringe. She appreciated that. He gave her a reassuring, if awkward smile, and she sighed. Honestly, Emmy was going to give away her secret at this rate. “Well, we have always been close...” She mumbled in answer to Enmeros' insinuation.

Said girl gave her smile. “That you have. In any case, we can either rest here for the night, or we can chance traveling in the dark. It's a lot safer closer to the castle, but there are still occasional attacks, and with King Kamiya currently away-”

Hikari blinked. “Wait, Tai isn't here? In the Digital World?” She'd been operating under the assumption that she would see her brother at the end of this long (at least it seemed so to her) journey.

Emmy hesitated. “He's..not, no. Yamimom led an attack on your world, and he went to provide back up.”

Hikari's eyes narrowed and she gritted her teeth. “And you didn't think it would be a good idea to tell us that? Why do you think we're here?”

She watched her own face flinch, and her own cheeks turn red in shame. “I was going to tell you-”

“When? When we were at the castle and you had no choice but to admit he wasn't here?” Hikari rarely got this angry. It was easy to see though, that she was absolutely seething. She could have been with her brother already! Takeru's hand on her shoulder helped, but if looks could kill, Enmeros would at least be grievously wounded.

It was strange, watching her own body fidget and the way Enmeros was looking anywhere but her face as she spoke, sounding surprisingly meek at she avoided Hikari's gaze. “Please stop yelling at me. Please.”

Hikari's eyes narrowed. “We trusted you to lead us to him, Enmeros. We thought we could count on you.” She could feel the cold taking hold, the anger that she normally squashed down, but something about the way the other girl was trembling and acting weak and scared was pissing her off. Was she hoping one of the boys would defend her? Was she hoping Hikari would pity her and let her off the hook? “You-”

There was a soft pop, and what sounded like shattering glass as Enmeros flinched violently, cringing away as the form she was using cracked and broke, revealing a tanned girl, hunched over and shuddering. Her hair was a midnight blue, and upon her head were two folded back ears as she shrank away from Hikari. “I'm sorry! Please forgive me!” She whimpered, and Hikari could feel fear radiating off the girl, almost unnatural amounts of it as her own anger drained.

Her transformation to this form had been jagged, more like it was being blown away rather than created, and Hikari didn't miss the almost ritualistic scars on her arms as she curled up on herself. She only got a few seconds to observe, however, before the form rippled, and starting from her feet, Enmeros' Hikari disguise rebuilt itself, covering her rapidly.

The moment was gone, and her anger extinguished itself, replaced with a generous dose of shame. “I...I'm sorry.” As quickly as it had come, her rage had dimmed. “I'm just...on edge. I miss Taichi, and it may have only been a few months, but I've never been without him this long.”

She knelt, reaching out to Enmeros, not moving too fast, as if coaxing a wild and frightened animal. Takeru murmured behind her, and she blushed at his words. “Never been without him this long? Hikari, you make it sound like you're addicted to him or something.”

Emnmeros gave a soft, involuntary sound that seemed like a whimper and a laugh.

Hikari flushed, but continued to reach out to Enmeros, who peeked out at her, only to instantly avert her gaze. “Emmy, I'm sorry for yelling at you. Why are you acting like this? Can you look at me? Please?”

As if reluctant, eyes so similar to her seemed to drag their gaze back to Hikari, who tilted her head in askance. “Why did you react like that?”

Enmeros bit her lips. Glanced up at Takeru, before whispering softly enough that even Hikari could barely hear it. “You are queen.”

What was that supposed to mean? Hikari's brow furrowed. “I won't yell at you again, so could you...calm down, I guess?” She knew she wasn't the one who should be trying to comfort her, but she didn't think anyone else was close enough to the shapeshifter to be a good comforter.

“Get a hold of yourself, you're really going to just curl up and tremble because Kari yelled at you? Didn't you pick a fight with Dagomon? You know, the Lord of the Dark Ocean? This is just embarrassing.” Gatomon's voice was irritable as she walked up to the cowering girl...and smacked her in the face. Enmeros cupped her cheek, looking utterly shocked. Gatomon's eyes were slits, and she glared at Enmeros with all the venom Hikari had ever seen.

“Is that how you escaped the first time? By cowering? Or did you decide that enough was enough and sharpened your claws? If you can use Dagomon as a scratching post, surely you're not going to tremble in fear of Hikari. We don't need cowards, Enmeros. We need companions. On your feet. Face your fears like a mon.” Enmeros met Gatomon's gaze with eyes so similar to Hikari's, before closing them.

“Aaaaahhhh!” She yelled...before slamming her head against the ground as her form shuddered, ripples passing over her body. Hikari recognized several of them, but the one that caught her attention the most was a familiar head of poofy brown hair and a blue shirt. Then it was Hikari again, and she was climbing back to her feet.

She glanced at the spectating teens, and blushed in embarrassment. “I'm...sorry. Bad memories. I wasn't always Taichi's right hand...” She let the statement dangle, and Hikari blinked as Davis shrugged.

“We all have our demons.” He glanced at Ken, who nodded.

“Honestly it's a wonder that some Digimon don't flee at the sight of me.” It was an uncomfortable statement, but Yolei chimed in of her own accord.

“We all have things that leave hidden scars. Some are more secret than others, but if you don't want to talk about it, we won't make you. We'll totally listen if you do, though.”

Enmeros gave a weak smile. “Yeah, if it's all the same, I'd rather not. We should probably bed down for the night.” With that, she turned to walk away, pace fast, and Hikari almost reached out to stop her as Meicoomon began to tell the others where the best sleeping sports were, after giving Emmy a quick glance.

While Ken, Yolei and Daisuke followed the cat digimon, Takeru bit his lip, before chancing words. “You okay, Hikari?”

Hikari shook her head. “I don't know why I affected her like that. Am I really that scary to her?”

“It's not you that scares her, it's what she sees when she looks at you. She had a familiar look in her eyes, Kari. I think if it weren't directed at you, then you might recognize those eyes as well.” Hikari blinked down at Gatomon, who met her gaze. “For me, it was Myotismon. I can only guess who her tormentor was.”

The night that passed was filled with a fitful sleep for Hikari, who couldn't get it out of her mind. Enmeros' reaction had been jarring, unusual, and it felt like it wasn't just the yelling that had gotten to her. And what did she mean by 'you are queen'?

She had a suspicion, but she didn't want to ask. It was a very personal thing, after all. Thankfully, the Emmy that greeted her in the morning was the familiar tease that she'd gotten to know over the past few weeks.

She smiled the same smile, snarked and mocked when appropriate, but Hikari couldn't stop thinking about it, even as she walked along the path Emmy led down. Takeru, being the good friend he was, stayed by her side the entire way, much to her relief and slight annoyance, as Davis decided that somehow it was an invitation for him to fall back and yap her ear off.

Yet for all the eye rolls and bemused grins, she couldn't help but be thankful for the exuberant boy's presence. Takeru gave her silent strength, yet Daisuke made her laugh, even if it was at his expense. Even Takeru cracked a smile or two at his antics.

The afternoon seemed to pass quickly in her distraction, and she couldn't help but wonder where the time went as they neared a cliff face, and Hikari briefly worried that they may end up not making it to the Yagami Temple before sunset...and then she passed some sort of invisible threshold, and the cliff face was no longer featureless. Nor was the base full of just trees.

Upon the tall rock face was etched the crests of the chosen children, and large marble pillars held up the roof of stone. The hollowed out front was bustling with more digimon than she'd expected to see, from in training to ultimate. From the outside, it was an ordinary cliff face, something you wouldn't look twice at, yet the moment you got close enough, it revealed secrets to you that you could never imagine.

Hikari thought it was rather fitting for a temple named after her brother. Just one in the crowd, but once you got closer, his charms were all too obvious. She giggled at the thought, and the others turned to look at her curiously. She smiled, trying to suppress the light dusting of pink she knew covered her cheeks. “Sorry, just...thinking about metaphors.”

Yolei raised an eyebrow, but it was Takeru who first spoke. “You're comparing it to Taichi, aren't you?” He deadpanned, and she laughed.

“You know me so well.”

As Daisuke bristled at the blatant expression of favor, Takeru shook his head. “You're not really hard to figure out if I know where your mind has been wandering recently.”

She grinned. “Like I said, you know me so well.”

She caught the tail end of Daisuke muttering under his breath as they returned to gazing upon the temple carved into the rock face of a cliff. “-If she let me get to know her better I bet I could predict her thoughts too-”

She rolled her eyes at his predictable grumbles. Sometimes he could be sweet and understanding, and other times he was a total brat. She really hoped he'd grow out of that, because she could see him becoming an ideal boyfriend if he'd stop being so obsessive. Not to her, of course, but to another girl. She'd say Yolei, but she knew Yolei had fallen pretty hard for the brooding and shy boy that was Ken Ichijoji. Honestly, Davis needed a girl who could keep him in line when he got out of hand, someone who wouldn't mind deflating his ego from time to time.

A pointed cough pulled her out of her thoughts, and Takeru nudged her lightly with his elbow. “Hey, Hikari, you're falling behind. Even Daisuke is already moving.” Sure enough, the group was already walking toward the large gathering at the base of the cliff, and she flushed, embarrassed for being so lost in her own head.

“Sorry, was just thinking.”

“About? I know you tend to have some heavy thoughts at times, and I think you should share some of that burden if it gets too heavy.” Takeru's voice was calm. Conversational. But having known him for as long as she had, she knew that it was his way of prying without being too invasive.

“Just random thoughts, really. I wish Daisuke would lose his obsession with me, you know?” Hikari sighed.

“Well, I doubt he's going to give up. You heard him after the Dark Ocean; Taichi wouldn't give up, you wouldn't give up, so why should he? You seemed to find it sweet then.” Takeru shot her a grin that had her groaning, wanting to bury her face in her hands. At the moment he said it, it had felt like a sweet sentiment, but now she could easily see that being a problem.

“I was tired; I can't be held responsible for Tired Hikari's thoughts; I was out of my mind!” The statement had Takeru laughing harder than she felt was called for, and her pout only seemed to make him laugh harder.

She didn't speak to him the rest of the walk, but the silence was companionable despite the final words spoken. As they grew closer, the digimon around them grew more plentiful, and Hikari couldn't help a smile as two rookie digimon fought over who 'got to be King Kamiya this time' for whatever game they were playing.

Off to the left were two dinosaur digimon who appeared to be engaging in storytime with a group of in training digimon, acting out some sort of climactic battle as the small bouncy children 'oooh'ed and 'aaaah'ed at all the right times.

It was times like this that hammered home that for all their different forms and shapes, Digimon could be just as civilized as humans. They had their own ways of life, cultures, and dreams. She couldn't help the small smile that tugged her lips as she gazed warmly over the younglings, passing them by without a word.

As she went though, she did notice a few stares, though most of them were accompanied by something akin to awe. No one approached, though she did notice several whispering, and even one or two doing their closest approximation of bowing.

As they neared the entrance to the temple, she noticed the increase in quality of dwellings that had been erected...and the increase in density of the crowds. Due to the congregation of digimon, they caught up to the others quickly.

“What took you guys so long?” Yolei seemed slightly suspicious, eyeing the two. “If I didn't know better, I'd say you two decided to go for a more...scenic route, if you catch my drift.” She gave hikari a smirk, and the chosen of light and darkness shook her head.

“Nah, just needed to have a talk about something.” Takeru's eye roll was nearly audible as Yolei gave him the stink eye. “Besides, she's already in love with someone else. I'm not going to pressure her into something we both know she doesn't want.” He eyed Davis, who shrugged.

“What are you looking at me for?” Daisuke was never known for being the brightest bulb in the pack, and Emmy giggled. It was followed by Yolei trying to stifle her own laugh at his cluelessness, and Davis glared. “Yeah, yeah, let's all laugh at Daisuke.”

“Moving on, Emmy was just telling us about the history of the temple.” Ken interjected, pulling their attention away from Daisuke's red cheeks and indignant frown.

Emmy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, It was originally a cave that we hid in during our attempts to scout out and infiltrate what used to be KingEtemon's castle. At some point, he'd taken up carving little figures in his downtime. I always thought it was really cute that he did so, and it was in this cave that he finally told me about his past.”

“About his past as a digidestined?” Takeru asked, looking interested. “I wonder what all he told you. We pretty much wandered aimlessly back then. I've always been curious about how he decided where to go when we didn't have a concrete direction.”

Emmy shook her head. “No. Those story were ones he was more willing to tell to remind us that hope could be had in the darkest of times. Because what could be more inspiring than a tale of how what amounts to in training and rookie level humans saved the digital world against all odds? No...the stories I heard here were of a more...personal nature.”

Ken tilted his head slightly, brow furrowed as Yolei leaned in, detecting some juicy gossip. Daisuke continued to frown, looking a bit irritated, though if it was probably just him still smarting from previous mockery.

Takeru and Hikari, however, couldn't help the wince of foreboding.

“He told me of his first love. How he never realized it was love, until it was too late. How the sun always shone brighter around her, and he took it for granted, thinking that's what happened when you had a best friend. About stupid fights, and strange fluttery feelings that he always just took as excitement. He told me about his rival and best friend, who he trusted more than anyone other than maybe his love to bring him back to sanity when he lost himself to his own stupidity. And he told me about his little light, who always stood by him, relied on him, and trusted him.”

Emmy gave a sad smile. “No, his adventures in the Digital World? Those were easy to talk about. Even his mistakes, like Skullgreymon. He never hesitated to tell of his mistakes if he thought it might help. No, his greatest secrets...were his emotions. The way he connected with others. His admiration for Knowledge. His respect for Responsibility. How he sometimes envied Sincerity. His shared protectiveness for Hope with Friendship. And how he worried so much for Light.”

Takeru clenched his jaw tightly, remembering all too well the conflicting feelings he had when Yamato told him that he was dating Sora,; how his first thought was what about Taichi? He'd not said anything, congratulating his older brother, but he remembered the guilt that he had for his older brother's actions, even if he wasn't involved. He never hero-worshiped Tai as much as Hikari did, but he could see how much Taichi had been hurt by not being picked.

Of course, it hadn't been his business, so he left the older Chosen to their own choices, even if Hikari had been noticeably bothered by it. He tried to be there for his best friend, knowing she was easily affected by Taichi's mood, and yet...he'd eventually given up on trying to do anything about the Taichi-Sora-Yamato thing.

It wasn't his business, he kept telling himself, and eventually, he even believed it. Glancing at Hikari, though, he could see she was deeply affected by the words Emmy had spoken.

“Is that when you started taking their forms?” The voice was Ken's, and as one, they all turned to look at the dark haired ex-emperor.

Emmy shook her head. “No, but that is when I started wearing two forms more often than the other's he'd showed me. He was always the bravest with one of them at his back; fiercer, more protective. Even if the girl in question started lobbing blue fireballs. Sometimes, when he was tired, he'd even call me by their names. Not Light or Love, like he usually did when referring to them. But Sora, or Hikari.”

Hikari shook her head. “He must have felt so alone.”

Emmy shot her a sad smile. “Maybe. When the nights were cold, we would always huddle up together. It was...nice, feeling him holding me. But he was always so much more receptive if I looked like you. He said he used to hold you like that when you were younger, and he always slept better with you in his arms.”

“And I'm guessing that after he became king he never stopped?” Takeru murmured softly, almost to himself.

Emmy shook her head. “No. Once he became king, he had his own room, his own bed, and we didn't need to huddle together for warmth. But...I missed it. He was looking more and more haggard as time went on, putting on a brave front when organizing the remaining digimon into cohesive units. He insisted on doing so much on his own that even his generals tried to make him stop. A king shouldn't always lead from the front lines, nor should he charge into battle alone. He...always felt like he had to do everything alone.”

“That doesn't sound like him; that sounds more like my brother to be honest.” Takeru's interjection got him a look from Emmy, who looked rather irritated in the fading light. The gathering of Digimon seemed to be dissipating. Eager to change the subject, Takeru asked about it. “Where is everyone going?”

Emmy didn't break her glare for a few more seconds, before exhaling softly. “The temple is closed to the general public once the sun sets. As for him sounding like your brother, well...two things. What did he keep trying to teach King Kamiya, and who got the girl in the end?”

Takeru couldn't help but inwardly cringe at the reminder. He'd heard Yamato telling Taichi to grow up and think more many times particularly in the Digital World. Clearly, Sora also appreciated Yamato's actions and personality as well. In hindsight, that made sense, but not the sense he wanted to see. “I don't think he'd change that much just because of that...”

Emmy scoffed, before turning to look at the temple entrance, guarded by two alert Andromon. Without looking back, she spoke. “Maybe not. But your world is very good at crushing spirits. It's not like here, where he can be whoever and whatever he wants. You can be anything here if you have the strength to see your self through. He called it the law of the jungle. A harsh law, one that can lead to much death and destruction. But he also believes in order. So he does what he does best; what he will never admit that he likes. He fights. He fights for his ideals. For his vision of the future. He admitted that to me once, that he envied Agumon, that he regretted that he couldn't do anything but give Agumon the power to fight for him. And now he can. He likened this world to a dream. And for a while, he treated it like one. So to be honest, sometimes I think I hate you, Hikari.”

Hikari blinked, and Takeru turned to look at her. “Why...would you hate me?”

Emmy scoffed. “Why wouldn't I hate you, Hikari Yagami?” She turned slightly, a half smile on her face as she met Hikari's gaze looking over her shoulder. “You came to take him away from here. From this world, from the kingdom he built with his convictions...but most of all, you came to take him away from me. I can be anyone he wants. Take any form. Tell him anything he wants to hear, and yet...it's you he wished to go back to. He gave up on Love, on Sora. But he couldn't even imagine giving up on you. Come with me, and I'll show you why I can hate you, yet love you for what I was able to experience, even for only a little while. Let me show you the other reason I will never be able to raise a hand against you.”

“You have a very interesting way of going about this, telling her you hate her then expecting her to follow you somewhere.” Takeru stated, moving to step in front of Hikari.

He was thwarted when Hikari stepped forward on her own, which prompted a smile from Emmy. “She won't hurt me, Takeru.”

“Are you sure? I mean, I trust your judgment, Hikari, but...I still worry.” Yolei placed a hand on the younger Yagami sibling's shoulder, and Hikari sighed.

“We've trusted her this far. Besides...she wouldn't dare hurt me.” The confidence in Hikari's voice surprised even herself, and Takeru frowned...but stepped back. Yolei likewise let her go, and Hikari shot them a confident smile. “You guys go find us someplace to sleep.”

The two nodded, before retreating hesitantly to rejoin Ken and Daisuke. It was odd that Daisuke hadn't stepped in there as well, but Hikari wasn't the type to look a gift horsemon in the mouth. As she joined Emmy, they walked in silence to the entrance to the temple, where both andromon gave them pointed looks.

“Relax, she's with me.” Emmy stated, and for a moment, Hikari worried the Andromon would deny them entry...only for both to nod and step back.

“They don't talk much, but they know me well.” Emmy explained as they walked through a brightly lit hallway leading to two closed doors. They were ornate, and upon them were carved the eight Crests. It only took a touch of her hand before the doors swung open and they stepped into the brightly lit room...

Hikari could only gape at the absolutely massive room, one that looked almost like an art museum. “This is the Yagami temple?” She stepped closer to a nearby picture, illustrating Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon unleasing attacks on a massive Venomyotismon. A look to her left revealed a picture of Angewomon shooting an arrow through Myotismon's chest. Several steps away, she potted a picture of a grinning Taichi sitting on Greymon's head. Nearer to the walls, however, were carvings.

“Those he cheated on. Once he got the King's Code, he could basically shape the data to his memories without much effort.” Emmy spoke as she walked over. It was a statue of her as a younger kid, with a short Taichi grinning beside her. Next to it was a statue of Sora, about to kick a stone soccer ball. Not to far from them, stone Izzy tapped away at a stone laptop, though his face was curiously less detailed. “His memories of faces started fading the longer he spent here. The day he realized he forgot some of his friend's faces was heartbreaking to him. He rushed to try and copy them down, but by then, that was the best he could do.”

Hikari bit her lower lip, before turning to Emmy. “When did he start teaching you our faces, and how?”

Emmy laughed softly. “He had pictures. Of you, Sora, and Yamato, mostly. The one that he had of all eight of you was older, back after you first defeated the Apocalypse Four. It was pretty well worn, honestly. He was very upset when the pictures were destroyed by water damage.”

“And our voices?”

“His phone. It's a wonder it lasted as long as it did.”

Hikari wanted to be suspicious, wanted there to be something she couldn't trust about the girl. Other than her past, however, she couldn't really find any holes to poke. She wanted to be able to say something was wrong with Emmy, to disqualify her for whatever claim she might have on any of Taichi's heart, but she didn't really have anything.

“Look, we don't have to like each other, Hikari. But we can still trust each other.” An odd statement, to be sure. Hikari narrowed her eyes.

“What do you mean by that?”

Enmeros hesitated, before swallowing. “Anyone who has ever drawn on the power of the Dark Ocean will know who and what you are, Hikari. Maybe not at first glance, maybe not even for a while. But the moment you use the power of darkness, we know.”

Hikari's eyes widened as it clicked. “That's what you meant when you said I was queen.”

Emmy nodded slowly; hesitantly. “I have bad memories of those who use the power of darkness, Hikari. Dagomon made sure anyone who ever resided in or drew upon the Dark Ocean knew and feared him. So when I feel the darkness coursing through you, or you draw on its power, I can't help but be thrown back there, back when I was young and weak, exploited and used. You are King Kamiya's sister, who I know is a kind and benevolent ruler, but even someone like you, wielding the power of darkness...it still scares me.”

“You can't tell the others.” Hikari breathed, panic rising in her chest before she swallowed it down.

Emmy laughed. “Even if I was able to defy you, why would I tell them? I would have to explain why I know, and that'll be even worse for me.”

“You seemed to fight Dagomon fairly easily.”

Emmy shook her head. “Fight or flight instinct. Besides, everyone in the dark ocean knew Dagomon was losing it. Both his mind, and his grip on the Dark Ocean. Someone had entered the Dark Ocean with more potential than him, and a will to use it. That's only happened once before when he was lord, and that person had no intention of claiming that power. Not even Ken at his worst was able to shake Dagomon. I could only fight him because I knew that it was him or you, and I could trust you. Come on, I'll show you a room that Taichi probably never intended for you to see.”

“If he never wanted me to see it, then why show me?” Hikari's question only got a laugh as she followed the girl wearing her face.

“You'll see.” She was led to a door that bore her crest, and like before, it was pushed open with hardly any effort...

And Hikari stared . As the door closed behind her, she marveled at the sheer number of her likenesses that decorated the room. Pictures on the wall depicted her smiling at him, smirking, sometimes even teary eyed.

But the position of honor in the center of the room was a statue of her sitting on a couch, with his likeness laying on it as well.

Unlike how it actually happened, however, his head rested in her lap, and he had a gentle smile as he looked up into her eyes. Behind her was a tablet, and she felt her cheeks burn as she instantly recognized the words.

“You are like the fast wind, that sweeps across the surface of the ocean...” She turned to glare at Enmeros with burning cheeks, but Emmy didn't seem to mind her ire. “The Yagami Lulluby. There's very few who don't know at least a little bit of it. I can see why you liked it, though, having his head in your lap-”

She stopped at the look of pure rage Hikari was directing her way, and shrank away. “Okay, I'm sorry!”

The reaction jolted Hikari out of her temporary anger, and she blinked. “Sorry, I just...it's embarassing. And...I sometimes wonder if it was too much for him.”

Emmy shook her head. “I know you don't mean to, but....Please, Hikari. The Dark Ocean reacts to your anger, and I can feel it. It's going to affect your emotional state until you stabilize. Just...keep that in mind.”

Hikari frowned at the statement. “How long?”

Emmy met her frown with one of her own. “Depends, I guess. I'm not exactly the best one to ask.”

Hikari really couldn't argue that. With a sigh, she began to inspect the other statues, blushing as she spotted one that had Taichi leaning over to place a kiss on her forehead. Had she looked so shy, yet happy when he did that?

“Look behind the tablet.” The soft voice of Enmeros caught her attention. When she turned to face Emmy, Emmy wouldn't meet her gaze. “Most people don't realize it's there, but if you look at the back of the tablet, you'll see King Kamiya's first and only publicly available attempt at poetry. He's pretty ashamed and embarrassed about it, but...he refuses to remove it, if just as a reminder to himself.”

Hikari narrowed her eyes, but did as she was recommended, slipping behind the tablet that was mere feet from the wall. On the back were words, and she felt her breath catch.

When we were just kids, we kept nothing inside

but now that we're older, we have things to hide

I watch you grow up, I watched it with pride

But now that you're grown, we both must decide

On where we should go, on what we're to be

I was the oldest, but you knew more than me

A touch, a smile, with eyes that hid nothing

But I was a fool, who thought you were bluffing

There's nothing to do now, I'm here now, to stay,

Filling these moments with the words I can't say.

When Love left me blinded, and Friends left me weak,

It was Light that gave me purpose, and a promise to keep

You screamed out “I love you”, with words silent, unnoticed

I never saw it coming, so I left, mind cloudy, unfocused

“I love you, I love you!”, oh how could I tell?

I'm clueless with romance, you know all too well.

Hikari, Hikari, you're light's faithful touch,

With love from your brother, perhaps far too much.

Trembling fingers reached out to touch the carved words, affirming their existence as the corners of Hikari's eyes burned. These were real. They were cold, etched into the stone that signified both of their embarrassment of a moment neither seemed to regret.

Embarrassing, yes. But she choked on a sob as she realized what this meant. He noticed. He noticed her. Even if he had help, he knew what she wanted from him. The last line was slightly ambiguous, but she felt hope flaring in her chest. Maybe it was the Dark Ocean coming through for her again, fulfilling her selfish wish.

Or maybe it was just Taichi, realizing her feelings and maybe returning them. He did have a strange quirk about not daring to show attraction to others until they indicated attraction to him; well, with the exception of Sora. Or maybe it was because of Sora; she had no real evidence to prove or disprove it.

“He kissed me.” Emmy's words brought her back to reality, and the flash of augmented anger filled her before she ruthlessly crushed it down.

“What do you mean?” Her voice was deceptively calm as she peered out from behind the tablet. Enmeros was clearly uncomfortable, but she forced the words out all the same.

“When I was in your form. He was half asleep, waking from a dream that had him crying. I was laying next to him, trying to calm him down, and all he would say was that he was sorry. I tried to pretend to be you, to give him some comfort, and he...he...he cupped your cheeks. Leaned in...and kissed who he thought was you. On the lips. You...have a good chance with him, Hikari. He's spent so long in this world that he doesn't really care about your world's taboos anymore. You just...need to convince him that you don't care either.”

Hikari could see Emmy trembling; know what she looked like when she was on the verge of tears, and felt a wave of guilt. It was clear to see that this was hurting the shapeshifter. That Enmeros was clearly pained to admit that.

Was this how Yamato felt? When her brother gave up on Sora? She inwardly shook her head with a grimace. No. I'm not Yamato. I'm better than that. She was Taichi's sister. Inwardly she cringed slightly as she realized that eventually she needed to stop saying that, because it was starting to feel weird. What would Taichi do?

Well, obviously she knew what he had done, but she...wasn't that strong.

“I...won't tell you to stop loving him. And I won't tell you that you can't...get close to him. Just...let me have some time to figure out a way not to hurt us both.” It was the most she could offer, but the way Emmy looked at her, eyes rimmed red as she fought the urge to cry, gave her some slight peace.

The world is a cruel place, Hikari. But we can make it a little kinder if we choose to.

She stepped forward and wrapped Enmeros in a hug, and felt the girl dissolve into tears. Yet again, her brother's advice had proven to be solid, even if he stole it from somewhere. Maybe it wouldn't work out. Maybe Taichi wouldn't hold those same feelings for Emmy. Maybe she would fall flat. But she wasn't going to deny Emmy the chance to explore those feelings.

She could do that much.

Taichi thought he knew what to expect when he stepped into the building the DSTF had set aside for Koushiro Izumi. Thought he knew what to expect when he met a boy who he could barely recall his face.

But his first thought when he saw the red head again? “For some reason, I remembered you being shorter.”

Yamato and Sora blinked, before turning incredulous gazes to the idiot they both loved. “Tai...” Yamato groaned.

Izzy, oddly enough only shook his head as he glanced up at them, hitting a few keys as a examination table clicked on. “Put him on the table.”

It was Izzy's turn to get strange looks. Strange looks and narrowed eyes from Taichi. “Excuse me?”

Izzy's sigh was audible. “Look, if you are really Taichi, please trust me. We have a shapeshifter running around still, remember?” He shot a pleading look at Taichi, who softened slightly, though still looked a little hurt.

“Not all shapeshifters are evil, Izzy.”

“Not all shapeshifters, no, but I recall one particular one pinned Sora to the ground and got very handsy with her. It's that shapeshifter I'm worried about. Tai, please, just trust me on this so I can hurry up and trust you.”

Sora looked indignant at first, but paled at the mention of the shapeshifting Dark Gennai. She hadn't really thought about that. “I...don't you trust us?”

Izzy glanced at her, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “He threatened to cut a building in half, Sora, then threatened to lay waste to the city. Does that sound like Taichi to you?”

As one, Yamato and Sora both bristled . Sora opened her mouth to berate the boy who always seemed to know so much, but was cut off by the boy she was offended on the behalf of.

“Calm down, you two. Does it matter which side I lay on?” Taichi's eyes held no blame, only sad understanding. Sora clenched her fists as Yamato gritted his teeth.

“What is it with people today? No good deed goes unpunished. Can't even save a city without people calling you a villain, but pointing guns at your friends, oh no, that's abso-fucking-lutely fine.” Yamato snarled, giving Izzy a glare that would have scared him in the past.

Izzy parted his lips, ready to defend himself, but Tai cut him off. “Guys, enough. I understand his worry. We trusted him before; has he changed so much that we can't trust him now?” The digital king laid back on the table, and Izzy opted to remain quiet, hitting a few keys and making the table light up as a scanner ran over Taichi's body with light.

As Taichi closed his eyes, Sora huffed, moving to sit on the nearby couch, looking quite irritated. Yamato joined her after a few seconds, fists tight and body tense. “Izzy, there's a good chance I'm going to try and hit you after this. Be ready.” It was the most civil statement he could hiss through his pursed lips and clenched jaw.

Sora's hands on his fist was meant to be assuring, but it only reminded him of their conversation just earlier. He was feeling overly defensive of Taichi, maybe. He didn't believe Dark Gennai could accurately imitate Taichi in all his glorious dumbassery, but Koushiro was always one to trust logic over gut feelings...except when Mimi was concerned.

“I bet if it was Mimi you wouldn't force her onto that table.” His grumble was low, but Izzy seemed to have heard it as his cheeks were dyed red.

“It doesn't matter who it was! B-besides, Mimi didn't go missing for two, almost three months.” To his credit, he only stammered once, but Yamato still shot him a glare. “You know I have a point, Yamato-”

“Yeah, a point that you don't trust us to know the real thing from a fake. The point that you'd listen to the DSTF over us. It's us , Izumi, we've been hanging out with him since-”

“Matt, that's enough .” Taichi's voice cut him off, and for some reason, Yamato found himself obeying, mouth clicking shut. “I know you two are still pissed about what happened earlier, believe me, I get it. But I also understand Izzy's paranoia. I encountered him too. He killed Nishijima. Assaulted Sora. Nearly killed Meiko. Is there anything he wouldn't sink to? I trust Izzy. Do you two trust my judgment?”

The words fell into a quiet room with only the whirring of the scanner to break the silence. Yamato looked shocked to find Taichi, of all people trying to turn his own argument against him.

“To be fair, Tai, it's been fourteen years since you last saw him.”

Izzy, who happened to be taking a drink of oolong tea at the moment, did a spit-take as he coughed. “Fuh-fourteen years? ”

Taichi shrugged from the table. “And it's been only a few months for you. How much could he have changed?”

Koushiro was tapping frantically on his keyboard, glancing up at Tai and the two on the sofa as he compiled data, rushing through it to confirm age, only to furrow his brow. “What... is this? Taichi, What the hell happened to you? You're reading like...like a...”

“Digimon?” Tai finished with a wry smile.

Izzy was pale, glancing from his data that had to be faulty to Taichi who similarly had to be human.

“Yeah, shit happened. I lost an arm, for starters. Then there was that time I got stabbed. And the time I ended up crushing my foot. Oh, and the time I got slashed across the torso. And I can't forget when I my body nearly halfway dissolved...” Taichi was talking as if it were about the weather, but Izzy was growing paler and paler, and even Yamato was looking faint. “But yeah, I got better. Only reason I survived that last one was because the King's Code repaired my body. Hey, speaking of, can you tell me much about it? I keep learning more and more about it, like when Sora made me digivolve, and I'd rather not have any more surprises.”

When there was no response, Tai sat up, turning to look at Izzy, just in time to see him collapse, pale and horrified. “Izzy? Koushiro, are you okay?!” Sliding off the table, he chanced a glance at the other two, only to see them looking at him with utter horror.

“What's with you three? You act like you've seen a ghost.”

Chapter Text

“Wait, really? ” Mimi's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, but it had nothing on her grin as Hikari blushed. 

“Yeah, we were just...well, we thought that maybe it was like a muscle, or that maybe there was a hard limit on it or something, so we were..experimenting.” Hikari wished she hadn't said anything, and honestly, she wasn't being entirely truthful. 

It started with a nightmare a few weeks ago, where she was in the digital world with everyone, and they were fighting Myotismon again, but when she tried to digivolve Gatomon into Angewomon...

There had been the sound of rushing water, and instead of the archangel she expected, she got a fallen one. Ladydevimon greeted her gaze as Myotismon smirked, starting to monologue about how 'Light' had lost it's purity, how the temptation of taboo and forbidden feelings had made him stronger...but the worst part was the disappointed look Taichi had given her. 

It cut through her like a scalpel, and she woke in a cold sweat, tears in her eyes and a denial on her lips. She was still pure! Still good! Her feelings for her brother aside, she'd none nothing wrong! ...Right? The question haunted her, nipping at her heels and making her lose sleep as she questioned herself and her own purity. 

She knew it wasn't...normal, how she felt about Tai. The flush that filled her cheeks, the burning of a blush she worked hard to suppress. The butterflies in her belly, the way her body jolted at the sight of her brother in his swimsuit, chest bare and legs on display. 

The way looking into his eyes threatened to drown her in chocolate sweetness,  or that lopsided smirk of his that made her want to-

“Hikari?” 

Mimi's voice snapped her from her daydream, and she blushed, thankful that Mimi couldn't read her mind, yet dreading Mimi's questioning if she wasn't distracted. Mimi was far too perceptive sometimes, and Hikari hesitated to admit that Takeru's joke that Mimi being the “Queen of Tea” wasn't exactly wrong, considering Mimi could smell secrets and gossip like a bloodhound. 

“Sorry, I was lost in thought. I...we were trying some of her abilities, and she used Heaven's Charm, and then we were going to take a break. She asked me a question, and I tried to...well, I didn't want her to worry, so I tried to lie.”

Mimi's focus was like a laser pointer. “And?”

Hikari looked down at her lap, fidgeting slightly.  “I couldn't.” 

Mimi's explosion was less dramatic than expected, but still not small. “You couldn't? Details, Hikari, details! Like, you couldn't say the words, or there was something that stopped you from lying, or was there something that showed that you were lying?”

The Chosen of Light pondered the question, before hesitantly meeting the gaze of her gossip minded friend. “It was like...I wanted to lie, but...I felt like I shouldn't. That somehow, I was compelled to be truthful. I can't explain it. Like there was a part of me that just suddenly didn't see the point in the lie, and it was somehow more convincing than shame, or...or reason, or even politeness. And it lasted for several hours. Once I left the area, I could lie again without a problem, but the moment I stepped back in the vicinity that we used Heaven's Charm in, I couldn't.”

Mimi's grin had turned devious, and Hikari was suddenly very scared. Very. Very. Scared.

“Say, Hikari...there's been something that's been bugging me. Your brother has been really down in the dumps lately, and Sora doesn't seem to know anything about it.” Warning sirens were going off in Hikari's head, a klaxon cry of 'abort, abort!' Yet she only swallowed. Mimi was a force of nature, and running from her would not help when she set her mind to something. 

“What...what do you mean?” Her throat was feeling raspy, the words coming out small and uncomfortable. She knew why her brother was distancing himself, knew why he was reluctant to spill his feelings, knew why Sora would say she knew nothing, even if she knew deep down, the girl she used to idolize and saw as an older sister at least suspected. She also knew that as much as Tai would not like it, and would urge her to let it go, right now, Hikari could almost say she hated the girl for what she had done, what she was still doing to her beloved brother. 

And she knew that Mimi wasn't clueless either. 

This fact was underlined by said girl's frown and narrowed eyes. They both knew the reason, even if both girls wouldn't say it. “So, this truth telling field, how...thoroughly did you test it?”

The sudden change made Hikari blink rapidly. “What?”

Suddenly, Mimi was all smiles, but this only made the younger girl more terrified. She could see the gears turning, the beginning of a 'Mimi Plan' that would inevitably cause pure and utter chaos, and things would either get a lot worse than they were, or it would get so much better that everyone would wonder why they doubted her. “You said it lasts a while, even after reverting. A couple hours, you say? How much did you test it? Does it only stop spoken words, or does that extend to writing? Is it something that can be resisted? How truthful does it make you? Are you only compelled to answer the basics, or does it make you go into detail? Do you only respond to direct questions or will any question asked work?”

Hikari wanted to say she was able to resist Mimi's prying. That her curiosity didn't get the better of her, and that she shut down this train before it could get started....but saying so would make her a liar. 

She spilled everything. 

Three days later, the fallout of the seemingly small, yet life changing conversation...

Oh look, it's the consequences of my own actions!

Such was the first thought she had when Mimi sat them all down in a room Hikari knew had been charmed. She looked smug, and had called all the Chosen Children of the first group for a get together. It was the anniversary of the day they were first pulled into the life changing portal, meeting new friends and strengthening the bonds of the old ones. 

She wished she could leave, she really did, but Mimi had been insistent, and told her that she was already a part of this, like it or not. It was her partner that cast the charm, her words that kickstarted this  oncoming train wreck...and judging by Mimi's expression, what a train wreck it would be.

“Well, I found out something interesting the other day, and I just had to share it with everyone! I'm sure you're wondering why we're here-”

“We're here because you decided things were too boring and we needed an injection of insanity.” As one, everyone turned to look at the speaker. Yamato seemed perfectly normal...for a few seconds, then he blinked, covering his mouth. “I...I'm not sure why I said that.”

Mimi's grin widened. “Oh, Yamato, you say the sweetest things sometimes! Why, I really wonder sometimes what you'd be like without filters.” 

This time, it was Sora's turn to speak. “When he gets drunk, he gets even more dramatic.” She didn't seem at all bothered for a few moments, before her brow furrowed. “I'm...not really afraid to say that, but I also have no real reason to share it. Mimi, what's going on?”

“Hikari, why don't you tell them what we discovered?” 

“What I discovered.” Hikari amended without a thought, before turning red. Dammit, she needed to keep her wits about her. Mimi's grin was near demented as Hikari sighed. “So, The other day I had a nightmare about...” She trailed off, biting her lower lip. “ Something . And I went to the digital world to hang out with Gatomon, and we started to experiment with some of her evolutions and abilities when we found an unexpected side effect of Heaven's Charm.”

A glance at her brother had her heart leaping in her through as a combination of protective dismay and slight sadness crossed his face, and she spoke without thinking. “It's fine, Tai, I'm feeling a little better already; the nightmare was about-” She cut herself off, considering her words very carefully. “-It was about Myotismon.” 

Taichi's eyes darkened. “You know I don't mind if you wake me up if you have bad dreams. Even if you want to sleep with me like you used to.” 

A beat.

Heads turned, and his face turned scarlet as Takeru coughed and several eyebrows were raised. “I mean just sleeping! God, what did you guys think I meant? Sure, she's really pretty, but that's my sister!” Taichi wasn't helping his case.

“Bakaichi.” A bemused Sora rolled her eyes, reaching out to grasp Yamato's hand as she detected him tensing up.  Everyone knows how protective the two brothers could be, especially Sora, who often had to mediate between the two. Of course, Taichi's flinching was less expected, and she frowned. 

“Back to the important thing! In this room, no one can lie. ” Pure silence. Mimi surveyed her friends and the vague looks of bemusement and disbelief on each of their faces and smiled a sunny smile. “More specifically,can not voice or imply a falsehood. Which means it's time for...a game!”

Joe was the first to get up, much to Hikari's surprise, and Yamato followed, looking irritated. 

“Mimi, no offense, but this is maybe the stupidest idea you've ever had. I thought it was weird that you'd booked the whole summer camp just for our get together, but this is not something I thought even you were dumb enough to do.” Yamato's voice flowed easily, and even he winced at the pure, unfiltered honesty in it. “You want us to play Truth or Dare or some bullshit so you have something to gossip about-”

Mimi's voice was small, hurt, and made Yamato freeze in place after a moment, knowing she couldn't be lying any more than he could.

“I just want us to be closer, Yamato.”

All eyes turned to her as she looked down, shaking slightly as she bit her lip. It wasn't normal to see the young Tachikawa looking so...vulnerable. “What happened to us, you guys? We all used to be so close.” Her gaze snapped up, and her frustration radiated from her eyes as much as her sorrow as she glared at each of the people in the room. 

“We used to be so close, saving the world and being there for each other, and our bond made us strong! Then something happened, and we all started drifting! Maybe it was partly my fault, because I went to America, but I thought that with Taichi here, everyone would stay together, and we would always be the Digidestined, the Chosen Ones, the saviors of the Digital World! Instead, everyone just...drifts apart, like he wasn't even trying! ”

Her glare met Taichi's but softened after a moment, even as Hikari stared at her with fire in her eyes. “I understand, though, Tai, I really, really do . But it's not up to you to be the glue that holds everything together, to be the strong one all the time; that's not fair to you, and I know that .” 

She turned her gaze to Izzy with the same piercing look. “You, Koushiro, for someone so smart, you can be so dumb. I know you feel like you're alone in a room full of idiots that can't understand you. I mean, to be fair, we were led through the Digital World by him-” She pointed at Taichi without even glancing over. “-No offense Taichi.”

“Some taken.”

“But I thought you knew that we were all your friends just as much as the people you chat online with, if not more. No one will reach out to you if you don't reach back sometimes to them. And you-” Mimi's gaze turned to Joe. “-You need to understand that if you keep pushing yourself without a break, or without a proper support system you'll burn out. And Joe, you're smart. Not in the same way Izzy is, but you have drive and ambition, but is that really all there is to you? Responsibility is all well and good, but you also have a duty to yourself. What good is that dream if you discard everything else to reach it? It's not hard to set aside an hour or two just to talk to friends. I know I'm the last person you probably want to hear this from, but Joe, sometimes you have to be spontaneous and unpredictable. You have all your life to be an adult, so why not take some time to enjoy being a kid?”

Joe's hand shook as he lowered his hand from the doorknob he had been so ready to turn....no, it wasn't his hand, it was his whole body. He turned to the girl, looking as angry and hurt as anyone ever saw him, and it was clear that there was something left unsaid there. Their gazes locked for a good few seconds, before Joe swallowed and looked away. 

Mimi's hesitation was palpable as his gaze left Joe, regretful and slightly meek, before she turned to Takeru. “And Takeru...well, I don't really have too much advice for you, other than I've heard some unflattering rumors about you dating half of the female population at your school. Playing the field might be interesting while you try to find love, but don't have too much fun and turn into a fuckboi.”

Yamto blinked in an amusing show of synchronicity with Takeru at the unfamiliar word, but didn't have a chance to really say anything as Mimi's gaze fell on Hikari, still with an arm around Taichi's neck in a not quite hug. Her gaze narrowed, and she seemed slightly confused, before her eyes widened and she looked away, an expression of realization on her face as Hikari's heart leapt. 

She knows.

It was all Hikari could think until Mimi's gaze fell on Sora. “I...have nothing for you, Sora, that I haven't already said. That choice is yours, but it's not an irreversible choice. It does, however, become more permanent the longer you let it continue.” 

Then Mimi's gaze turned to Yamato, and this time, there was fire in her eyes as she stared him down. “And then we have mister crest of friendship himself. I won't say you should have held everything together yourself, but surely you've noticed what the problem here is, even if you won't say it? Because I see the problem clear as day, but since no one seems to want to address it, I have to. Because it's me, it's what I'm known for. Sincerity. Just like you are Friendship. I won't ask why, and I won't say it myself. But Yamato, eventually something will break, and someone will have to make a choice. Someone will have to make a choice, and because certain people are stupid -” Her eyes darted to where Taichi and Sora sat, just out of her view, “-we might need to step up. Because this isn't just about us. We can sit back and just let it happen, or we can grab it by the horns and wrestle it into submission. ”

The stare down between the two crest holders was tense, and both pairs of eyes were met unflinching, unwavering...but the difference was that Yamato looked angry, while Mimi's gaze was knowing. It was as if she weren't looking at his eyes; rather, she was inspecting his innermost being, judging him and trying to understand some choice he made, some sort of baffling decision that she could not or would not understand. 

And then he sighed. “Fine. You win. What did you have in mind, Mimi?” The anger seemed to drain out of him as he went back to rejoin Sora, who instantly wrapped her arms around him, either not seeing or ignoring the way Taichi tensed. Of course, it didn't escape Mimi's hawk-like eyes, and she barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. 

She wasn't blind, this night was probably going to end with more than a few tears, but the poison needed to be drawn out into the open or the victims died. She just hoped her friends and their friendship would be left standing when it was over. As Joe might have said, though, sometimes, when you have to make the hard choice between letting the patient die or operating to give them a fighting chance...you just...have to bank on the patient's will to live.

Rallying herself, she pulled herself back and smiled brightly. “Okay, so the game I had in mind should help us get to know each other better, and no, it isn't truth or dare. It's this fun little game I learned about in America. It's called 'Never have I ever. ' We each take turns stating something. Everyone who has done that thing raises their hand.” Running her eyes over her friend's expressions, she decided to add a few rules to...help keep things palatable.

“Now, I'll add a few rules. You don't have to explain if you don't want to, though it will leave us to our imaginations if you don't. And if a question is asked that no one wants to answer, you can say 'skip'. It might leave us with some assumptions, but if five of us agree to skip a question, then no one has to answer. Sound good?”

The affirmations were hesitant, though most curiously, it was Hikari and Yamato that hesitated the most. With a smirk, Mimi joined everyone in sitting, arranging everyone in a circle. “Because I suggested it, I'll start. Then play passes to the left. Never Have I ever...failed a test in school.”

Three hands went up. Unsurprisingly, Taichi was one of them, and Sora rolled her eyes. Takeru's hand was slightly unexpected, but the one that caught everyone's attention was Joe. 

Taichi was the first to volunteer an explanation. “I woke up late, didn't make it in until halfway through the test cause I ended up spending half of the night before in the Digital World.” Hikari's blinking look left him feeling awkward as the words spilled out at her look of askance. “Daisuke asked me for tips on fighting and how to keep the team together.” Her older brother instantly covered his mouth. “Shoot. I didn't promise him I wouldn't, but I wasn't...supposed to tell you two that.” 

Both Takeru and Hikari's shocked gazes met Taichi's, but when it became clear they'd get nothing more, Takeru offered his explanation. “I...couldn't sleep the night before, because I was...trying to forget something. It was a silly thought, but I don't want to get into it.”

Then all gazes turned to Joe, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights, before he sighed. “I slept through the test.  My dad was pissed.” Nothing more was forthcoming, and Mimi smiled. 

“See everyone? This isn't so bad! We're learning more about each other! Izzy, your turn.” She glanced to her left, and Izzy looked pensive. 

“I have Never...hmm. I have never hit a computer when it froze or malfunctioned.” Nearly all hands raised, and Izzy's look was horrified. He was the only one with his hand down. It was made worse when Taichi let out a choked laugh. 

When gazes turned to him, he gave a slightly nostalgic smile. “Sorry, just...memories. Guess my brain still doesn't get enough oxygen, huh Sora?”

Sora's gaze furrowed as she tried to recall what he was talking about, and it was a good 10 seconds before her eyes widened in remembrance. She laughed softly, looking up at him, but his smile had faltered, and seemed to no longer reach his eyes as it had moments before. 

It, like so many things about him lately, baffled her. She glanced at Mimi, who didn't notice her gaze for a moment, but when she did, Mimi had a look of bemusement. Sora had clearly not been the only one to catch it, and suddenly, Sora thought she could understand why Mimi had done this. A truth field plus a game about telling the truth? It may not be truth or dare, but it could still be useful and it lacked the same tension. 

Mimi is a damn genius .

Sora's smile brightened, and Hikari couldn't help but want to slap it off as Sora's hug around Yamato unknowingly tightened. 

“My turn! Never have I ever...learned to play an instrument.” Taichi's voice cut through the air, and predictably, Yamato's hand went up...and so did Mimi's. The gazes on Mimi made her grin. 

“I'm more than just a pretty face, you know! I know how to play piano, and I'm actually really good at it!” She shot the Chosen of Courage a grin, and he returned it without hesitation.

“That's pretty cool, Mimi; you'll have to play for us sometime.” There was a genuine excitement for it in Tai's voice, before Sora cut in. 

“But Taichi, I thought you said classical music was boring?” It was meant to be a tease, and the amusement in her voice was easy to hear as Taichi's smile faded slightly and he looked at the girl.

“Not all piano music is classical, and sometimes...it's nice to slow down and listen to something soothing. I guess you were right, Sora, classical isn't that bad.”

His smile was still there, but his gaze didn't meet Sora's properly. Hikari, of course, knew. She'd been borrowing his computer while hers was being fixed, and on a whim, she'd searched his history.

The expected porn sites were there, but far less than she expected. What did catch her attention was a particular site, with a song he'd visited over a hundred times in the last week alone. She'd clicked it out of curiosity, only to hear a gentle piano playing. 

By the time the song ended, she'd sought out her brother to give him the biggest hug she could, trying not to cry. The name of the song was 'Lost One's Weeping', and she was scared.

Scared for her brother, who had listened to it, over and over. Her brother, who had been obviously hurting, but she never realized how deeply. Her brother, who never reached out for fear of burdening others with his problems, because he was the leader, the strong one. 

She could still hear the song in her words in her mind. Even the first few verses were enough to break her heart for her brother. 

Feel it cutting into me, the doubting painful knife,

Feel it deepening the rift, finally hit just right,

Couldn't take the love I had, so weak and burning low,

But it grew into a weapon only hurting me, this I know,

...Is nonfiction.

Her fists clenched at the memory, and she didn't realize it was her turn until her brother cleared his throat. “Hikari?”

She snapped to attention, feeling a wave of anger at Sora and Yamato. It was a familiar anger, and she could hear the faint sound of waves. Her anger grew, and she forced it down, forcing the Dark Ocean down. No matter the temptation, she would not falter to it. 

But she couldn't deny that a part of her wanted Sora and Yamato to hurt. Maybe that's why. Maybe that's why the words left her lips. “Never have I ever broken the heart of a friend.”

Silence for a moment, before an unexpected voice spoke. “Skip.” Hikari's gaze snapped to the speaker, his warm chocolate eyes begging her wordlessly to let it go . 

Another surprise is that Mimi's hand instantly shot into the air, even if her expression was sad, and she couldn't meet anyone's gaze. 

But what angered Hikari most was that Sora didn't raise her hand. Hikari knew why she wasn't raising her hand. You couldn't lie in the field of Heaven's Charm, but it relied on if you thought it was true or not. She turned her gaze to Sora, and was at least pleased to see that Sora's hand was rather twitchy, as if she wasn't sure if she should raise it or not, and that, more than anything other than her brother's wordless plea stayed her hand from unleashing righteous sibling fury on the girl.

But she wasn't the only one caught off guard by the results of her question, as Joe was looking at Mimi as if she'd just grown another head. He'd clearly not expected her to raise her hand, and Mimi only offered him a sad smile.

Deciding to break the slowly rising tension in the room, Joe spoke. “Never have I ever...had a sexual fantasy about a Digimon.”

And then, complete. Utter. Silence. No one knew what to say to that...and then a hand raised. Takeru looked like he wanted to die. A glance around the room told him that he's become the center of attention, and he shot Joe an accusing look. Joe just looked shocked. He had expected no one to raise their hand, that everyone would just laugh at the break in tension. 

“T-To be fair, it's Angewomon! I mean...you've seen her, right?” Takeru was wilting slightly under the looks of the others...and then Yamato hesitantly raised his hand, and Sora stared .

“I...had a dream once about Lilymon. Does that count?” Takeru looked relieved, though no one else raised their hand...and then Mimi spoke. 

It was in English, with an odd accent. “Ya'll need Jesus.”

Izzy broke. All eyes turned to him as he dissolved into an out of character fit of giggles and chortling laughter as Mimi blinked dumbly. Then, he turned to Mimi with a shy grin, and in heavily accented English. “Is very funny. I did not expect that from you.”

Mimi looked like she had been slapped with a fish, not only baffled by what had just happened, but why. 

“Moving on!” Yamato stated, loudly and commandingly. “Never have I ever read fanfiction.”

Tai snorted, raising a hand. Sora's hand joined him in the air, followed by Mimi's, Hikari's, Takeru's, and surprisingly, Izzy's. Yamato blinked. 

“Hah! Looks like you and Joe are the weird ones here.” Taichi gloated, and Yamato bristled as Sora gave him a sheepish look. 

“If you don't like the way the show ended, watch something else.” The blond grumbled, and Sora shook her head. 

“Yamato, it's because we get invested in the characters. Some read it because they didn't like the ending, and some read it because it's interesting to see how things might have turned out.” Sora's voice was soft, coaxing, and Yamato blushed slightly as she spoke.

Hikari was clearly still feeling catty, it seemed, because she didn't really intend to say the words that left her lips. “Yes, I like reading it because I feel like certain characters should have just t old each other how they felt instead of just trying to hint at it.”

Sora's gaze snapped to Hikari's, and there was hurt in the ruby orbs that Hikari had to admit she only felt a little bad about. “Hikari...”

Hikari shot her a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. “I was talking about Satoshi and Kasumi, Sora.” Fanfiction wise, anyway, but we both know what I really mean.

Takeru laughed. “Oh Hikari, are we really talking about this again? Satoshi was eleven! It was just a crush.” 

And yet again, her lips spoke truth before her brain could censor it. “My first crush was at age 9, and it's only gotten stronger since.” The voice was quiet, and Takeru turned scarlet. He felt like he'd just put his foot in his mouth, though not as much as Hikari, who was now blushing and screaming at herself.

What the heck was that, Hikari?! Now they'll think I have a crush on Takeru!

“It's not you.” She stated, and Takeru seemed to get even redder at the admittance. It was a blow to his ego, but before he could say anything, she amended her statement. “Sorry, just...truth field. I didn't mean...to say that.”

There were a few moments of silence, before Sora sighed. “My turn. Never have I ever...owned a sex toy.”

There was a beat, then Mimi burst into a fit of giggles as she raised her hand. “Picking on me now, are we Sora?” The boys in the room blushed heavily, and Sora gave a slight smirk, though the hint of red in her cheeks was noticeable.

Weirdly enough, she wasn't the only one as Takeru tentatively raised a hand, followed by Yamato, and curiously enough, Izzy. Tai raised an eyebrow. “Wow, we are getting all kinds of personal today, aren't we? I mean, when do we say we're starting to stray into TMI?”

Hikari laughed softly as Takeru pouted. “Shut up Tai. Never have I ever hid dirty magazines under my mattress.”

Taichi went bright red, but raised his hand as everyone else's hands dropped...aside from Yamato, who looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him.

Taichi took it well, grumbling under his breath playfully. “Guess I need to hide it better, but I suppose the bigger question is how you know about them.”

Hikari went red, and seemed to shrink in on herself as Tai shot her a horrified look. “Hikari, you shouldn't be looking at that sort of stuff!”

Of course, leave it to Taichi to worry more about his sister's tender, innocent eyes rather than the fact that she outed his porn collection. “Tai, I'm a teen. I've already started noticing boys, so is it really that odd to think maybe I might be curious?” Her cheeks were burning, but Taichi visibly deflated. She barely stopped herself from adding that she'd mostly been curious after seeing her brother come out of the shower dressed in nothing but a towel since he forgot his clothes in his room...again.

The difference being that his towel fell off that time, giving her a full, unimpeded look at his body that fueled her fantasies for weeks if not months afterward. Her brother had some delightful features, and as it turns out, he had some impressive muscles hidden, as well as....other things.

Taichi went pale, looking horrified at the idea that his baby sister had any sort of interests of that nature. 

Mimi, on the other hand, looked smug. “I told you~!” She sang, and Hikari shot her a dirty look. “In any case, it’s my turn again. See guys? Not so bad! I feel closer to you all already. Hmmm…Never have I ever...Given anyone anonymous Valentine's day chocolate.” 

Hikari laughed softly, but it trailed off as Sora’s hand slowly raised, as well as Joe’s. Oh. That was less funny than she thought. 

Joe cleared his throat. “To be fair, I’ve done it twice, and one time it was to a senior at my school. She…threw it away.” He didn’t elaborate on the second time, and Mimi gave him a speculative stare, before turning her attention to Sora, who shook her head.

She obviously had no intention of saying anything about it, and in fact was shooting Mimi a look that was promising payback, which Mimi only grinned in response to.

Izzy was next, and for a moment he wondered why he decided to sit next to the embodiment of pink chaos that was Mimi Tachikawa…and then she shot him an expectant smile, and he blushed. Oh, right. That’s why. “Never have I ever…” He paused, considering that he was clearly not well equipped for this game, as he couldn’t think of many things he hadn’t done that they had, before deciding to say the first thing that popped into his head, regardless of logic. “Never have I ever thrown up on a roller coaster.”

He abhorred the things and had only gone on one once, after all.

Takeru’s hand went up as he blushed sheepishly. “To be fair, I’d eaten too much before going, and I was like...seven.”

Yamato chortled. “Yeah, and that ended up all over my shirt. You should have seen him, Hikari.” Takeru’s face paled. 

“Yamato! Don’t make it worse! I don’t want Hikari imagining that picture!” The words seemed to have popped out of his mouth before he could think about it, if his look of instant regret was anything to go off of. “Can we just go to the next person please?” 

Taichi’s grin was bemused as Takeru realized that maybe that wasn’t wise. He could almost hear Taichi wordlessly accusing him of having a crush on his little sister, but he hoped that Taichi wouldn’t. After all, it wasn’t like Tai to go out of his way to humiliate people...right? 

Taichi, on the other hand, was torn between embarrassing the boy for daring to direct his gaze toward Hikari and just letting it go, considering that while no one was good enough for his darling baby sister, Takeru one one of the few he could begrudgingly admit would probably treat her right. 

He took a moment to think, putting a hand to his chin with a grin. “Hmm. Never have I ever...stolen something.”

Two hands raised, and Taichi blinked when his sister was one of them. The other person was a blushing Yamato, but all gazes instantly turned to the scarlet Hikari, all but ignoring Yamato as he hastily lowered his hand.

Hikari looked like she was going burst into flames as she wilted. “I...I stole some of Taichi’s shirts. Does that count?” 

As one, the entire circle of friends erupted into laughter. “Oh wow, Hikari, I thought it was going to be something more than that. No, stealing from siblings doesn’t count, especially if it’s an older brother. After all, Takeru still has yet to return a very particular book he took from my bedroom, but I wouldn’t call that stealing .” Yamato gave his younger brother a pointed look, prompting Takeru to blush. 

As the laughing died down, however, Izzy looked like he’d had a lightbulb moment. “I see! So it’s less that it forces you to speak the truth as much as it makes you say what you think the truth is. Less a temporary law of reality and more a powerful compulsion!”

As everyone pondered the implication, Hikari wondered what she should say. She ran her gaze over everyone, trying to think of what they had done and she had not, but she was drawing a blank. The silence stretched on, before she sighed. “Never have I ever…been on a date.”

Five hands went up. Yamato and Sora of course, Mimi, Takeru, and…Taichi? She blinked, looking at her brother, who had the decency to blush. “What? I’m not that inept! It was…just the one, though. She could tell I wasn’t really…interested.”

Sora’s eyebrow raised. “Then why go out with her at all?”

Hikari bristled at the question as she bit her tongue hard. Anyone else could have asked that question and gotten an eyeroll, but Sora. No, Sora didn’t get to ask that question. Not while she sat there, wrapped around Yamato right in front of her brother.  

“She-”

“Does it matter, Sora?” Hikari cut him off, and once more, attention was focused on her as Sora shot her a slightly shocked expression. “I fail to see how my brother’s dating life is any of your business.” 

Sora’s gaze hardened, though Hikari did see a split second of hurt in her gaze before Sora’s natural pride came to the forefront. “You asked the question, I just wanted to ask a question of my own. Besides, he’s my best friend; why wouldn’t I ask?”

“You-” 

“Hikari.” The bark of her name made her flinch. Tai rarely used that tone with her, and she instantly backed down. “That’s enough, Hikari. Please. We’re all friends here. I went out with her because she seemed like a cool person, but we just didn’t click. She was nice about it, though, told me that she had a great time, but…” He trailed off. 

“I had a great time with you, Tai. But…I don’t think you’re ready for a relationship right now. Your heart belongs to another, and there’s no place for me right now. But…if that ever changes, let me know.”

He looked away, suddenly unable to meet Sora’s gaze. “We wouldn’t have worked. She said maybe we could try again if…something changed. It…hasn’t yet.”

A heavy silence fell on the group, and Hikari settled back into her sitting position. She shot a glare at Sora, though, and Sora’s hackles rose as the two stared each other down. 

Joe cut in, hoping to cut the tension slowly rising between the two girls, yet unsure why it was even happening. “That’s enough, you two. It’s my turn. Never have I ever...been asked out.”

Mimi’s hand went up quickly, as did Yamato. Unsurprisingly, Izzy’s stayed down, but up went Takeru, Hikari’s, and Taichi’s. 

Sora’s hand stayed down, much to the surprise of Tai, who gave her a searching look, before dawning dismay crossed his face, and he looked away, much to Sora’s confusion. 

“Tai? Is something wrong?” Her voice made him flinch, and she furrowed her eyebrows as Hikari clenched her fists. 

Noticing this, Taichi spoke before Mount Hikari could explode again. “It’s…just that I know that isn’t true.”

There was silence, as Sora’s only response was to blink. “What do you mean?” 

Izzy hmm’ed in understanding. “It appears that it’s Tai’s belief that you have been asked out, but never realized it.”

Tai scoffed. “Yeah, but I suppose it would be easy to ignore or mistake it. We guys aren’t always very good at saying what we really mean to say.”

“Taichi…?” Sora’s voice was trembling slightly, a strange combination of curiosity and dread in it as she bit her lip, fighting the urge to ask who, and how many times she’d been asked out without realizing it. At the same time, she really didn’t want to know, especially since the one she normally hung out with was…

No. That door was closed long ago. He doesn’t feel that way for you, Sora, get that through your head. Besides, you’re dating Yamato now.

She harshly chided herself for letting the mere thought tap the edges of her thoughts, before shaking her head. “Never mind. It’s not important.”

And maybe that was a bad way to phrase it, as Hikari was instantly pissed, calmed only by Tai’s hand on her shoulder. “You’re right, Sora, it’s not. You’re with Yamato now, so all those boys better watch out, because between Yamato and I, we’ll flatten them if they try to get too frisky, just like I would if anyone tried to get handsy with Hikari.” 

Hikari shuddered, clenching her jaw so hard she could swear she should be hearing her teeth crack. “It’s Yamato’s turn.” She bit out. Tai’s hand on her shoulder was enough to keep her rage in check, but barely. Yamato could see that, though he wasn’t sure why she was so on edge, and why she was acting like she was so close to tearing his girlfriend to pieces. 

Deciding now was a good time to steer away from dating, he spoke. “Never have I ever...had a nightmare so intense I woke up screaming.”

Two hands went up, and Yamato blinked at the Yagami siblings. Hikari took a low, shuddering breath as she spoke a single word. “Myotismon.”

Yamato instantly winced. “Oh. I’m sorry, Hikari-”

“Don’t be. I have Tai.” Sora’s face was aghast as she remembered all the things the younger Yagami had been through, glancing over at Takeru who looked like he was considering standing to pull her into a hug. 

He was predictably beaten to it as Tai pulled his sister into a tight hug as the girl seemed to melt in her brother’s embrace, the hard lines in her expression dissolving into a soft expression as she relaxed into his arms...only to look at his raised hand. 

She wasn’t the only one, as everyone looked to him with interest. What could scare him so much that he woke up screaming?

“It’s dumb.” Was his response. 

“It obviously wasn’t, if you woke up screaming.” Joe inserted into the conversation, only to get a glare.

“It’s…it’s really not that bad. Kinda stupid. Wouldn’t be the first time, but the last one I had was really…” He trailed off, the truth field stopping him from saying it was just stupid, because even in his mind, it wasn’t, even if he thought it was after the fact. It wasn’t real, after all. 

“If it was really that dumb, then why not tell us?” Sora’s gentle coaxing had Hikari’s relaxation receding,  but Tai only held her tighter. 

“Have…any of you watched Ju-on?”

Izzy nodded, followed by Yamato and Sora, another thing that made Taichi tense as he tried not to think of the two of them alone in the dark on a couch, Sora’s face buried against the blond’s chest. He grit his teeth, pushing down jealousy and rage. Not the time for that. Never the time for that. Not anymore. 

“I had a nightmare about that one. I don’t know why I entered that house, but I started to have hallucinations of her in the dream, and I was seeing her everywhere. I remember doing everything to try and figure out how to be rid of her curse, to try and save myself, while keeping everyone else out of it…but the part that sticks out to me is the time I was recovering from a hallucination, and Hikari was there, shaking me, and I was...I was just so happy she was there that I...I scooped her up in my arms while she patted me on the back with a hug and her chin on my shoulder and asked where I had gone, and I remember being so confused.”

Taichi shivered at the memory, wrapping his arms slightly tighter around Hikari. “Her voice was her normal, sweet tone, but her hug had gotten…strange, like she was holding onto me not for comfort, but to keep me from escaping. And then Gatomon spoke up and said...and said 'Where did you go, Taichi? We waited for you.' I looked over and she was sitting on the counter, but she was...wrong. Like her smile was off, and I remember thinking her words made no sense, and why was she looking at me like that. And then I realized...it wasn't Gatomon. Her lips never moved, but it was her voice, and it was coming from Hikari. ”

Taichi shuddered, swallowing as he looked back at Hikari, who looked torn between hugging her brother, and staying seated to hear the rest. “And then...and then Hikari pulled back from the hug, and she....and she didn't have eyes anymore! It was just...black hair in her eye sockets and she whispered, still sweet and cheerful in Hikari's voice, that it was okay, it's over, we were together now.”

Hikari turned in place, wrapping her arms around Tai in an embrace as he swallowed, before continuing. “And...and she continued to whisper that, with Gatomon's voice layered under hers, and I realized she went to that house too, but unlike me, she didn't...didn't make it out in time. I didn't save...I didn't save my sister from the house, I brought it with me, and I left her there to die! ” His voice cracked, and he sounded like he was ready to burst into tears, and even Mimi looked shocked and slightly horrified. No one doubted how much Taichi treasured his sister, and not even Yamato could say he wouldn't have woken in tears if that had been Takeru.

Hikari shivered at the raw emotion in Taichi's voice, and hugged him, before pulling back so he could see her face...or more importantly, her eyes, amber pools glimmering with sympathy and gentle affection. “It's okay, Tai. I'm here. I'm safe.”

Tai gave a wane smile. “Yeah, but...well, I woke up nearly yelling your name, and I was surprised you didn't wake up to it. I...I went to your room afterward, and just...wanted to check. Wanted to see you with my own eyes, that you hadn't vanished somehow. Actually might have fallen asleep in your chair if mom hadn't come to investigate my yell and found my bed empty. She wasn't too happy to find me in your room in the dead of night, but when I explained...” He left the statement hanging, and Yamato smiled softly, sympathetic.

“You're a good brother, Tai. We all know you would walk through fire for Hikari.” Yamato's words made Taichi smile gently as he shot the blond with a thankful look. As someone with a brother, that compliment meant way more coming from him than anyone else bar Hikari.

Said girl was still wrapping her brother in a comforting hug. “It’s not stupid, Tai. It’s never stupid. It’s never stupid to be afraid of losing a loved one.”

Sora looked like she wanted to join, but when she started to get up, she saw Hikari peak at her over her shoulder, amber eyes promising murder if the girl touched her brother, and Sora once more felt prideful anger. Why was Hikari so adamant to pick a fight with her? Why couldn’t she support her best friend? What was Hikari’s freaking problem with her?!

Her rage was boiling over at this point, and she was getting tired of this. Even before this meeting, Hikari had been getting noticeably short with her, going out of her way to make it harder for her to even talk to Taichi outside of school, and she wanted to know why .

“Never have I ever stopped my brother’s best friend from speaking to him.” The words were snapped out, and wide eyes from nearly everyone turned to the Chosen of Love…who blinked when Hikari’s hand stayed firmly down.

“Sora..?” Yamato’s voice was worried, with an undertone of calm down added to it, but she didn’t need it as her rage cooled. Was she wrong? Was she imagining it? She felt her cheeks burning as Tai looked at her in confusion...and then Hikari met her eyes.

“I’ve done no such thing. I’ll tell you what, though, Sora. If I see his best friend, I’ll tell him she wants to talk to him.” The words were spoken plainly, but it was like a match thrown into a barrel of gunpowder as Sora saw red.

“ Ex - fucking - scuse me?!” Sora was never one much for profanity, but the words just spoken made something in her snap as she jumped to her feet…and instantly felt herself go cold when Taichi turned his body ever so slightly in an aborted instinct to shield his sister from her.

It was like taking a punch to the gut. She paled, and the implications sunk in. Taichi may have stopped, but for a moment, he had moved to protect Hikari from her. And if that didn’t hurt enough, he hadn’t refuted Hikari’s words…and Hikari had said them when she couldn’t lie .

Ruby eyes widened as tears prickled in them as rage gave way to fear and sorrow. Was it true? Had she…somehow lost her spot as best friend? But, that would just mean he was closer to Yamato, right?

...Right?

Somehow, as she sank back into her sitting position and Yamato’s arms wrapped around her, she felt like a fundamental law of her world had changed, and she…had no idea why or how. 

Oh, but you do, Sora. You really, really do.

Her breath was coming faster as she fought the urge to cry, glancing at Taichi, who strangely seemed unable to meet her eyes, which only heightened her feelings of distress. She looked to her best female friend, only to see Mimi’s pensive eyes on the Yagami siblings, before turning her attention to Sora and meeting her eyes.

There was something about the understanding in them that made Sora shiver. She could tell that Mimi had expected something like this, and for a moment, she felt betrayed…before she remembered Mimi’s words at the start. 

They really had been drifting apart…and worse, they hadn’t even realized it.

“Takeru’s turn.” Mimi’s voice was somber, containing none of the happy energy she normally had, which only made Sora more apprehensive.

“I’m…not sure I want to play anymore.” Mimi gave him a wane smile. “Mimi, we should stop. This…isn’t helping us be closer.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Takeru.” Mimi’s words were a death knell to anyone who thought maybe they could be done with this, that they could escape easily. “We all have been keeping secrets,  even if some of us don’t realize it, and it’s tearing some of us apart. There’s two ways to play this game.”

Her gaze passed over the rest of the group. “You can play to win, like we just were…or…you can play to confess. To say what you think you can’t say. It’s supposed to be a drinking game, and every time you raise your hand, you take a shot. In vino, Veritas.”

She turned her gaze back to Takeru, a gentle smile on her face that made the younger blond blush. “So what do you think, Takeru? Anything you want to get off your chest in the spirit of the game?”

Takeru looked down, fingers balling into fists as he swallowed. “Never have I ever...wondered what it would be like to kiss Daisuke.”

There was a soft gasp, and Hikari covered her mouth, just in time for Takeru to shoot her a glance. “I’m not gay, Hikari, but sometimes I think…he has so much energy, and while he’s an idiot, he’s…he’s actually…” 

“Kinda cute?” Mimi’s words were soft, and she reached out to pat him on the shoulder. “That’s really brave of you to admit. It’s not even gay. I’m a proud pansexual myself, even if I prefer boys.” The Chosen of Sincerity giggled, and Takeru let out a nervous chuckle as he glanced at Hikari, who sent him a warm smile.

“Daisuke is going to be devastated. You didn’t raise your hand, Hikari.” It was a teasing poke, and Hikari laughed softly. Her acceptance, however, meant the world to him as he shot her a thankful smile.

“Well, I will admit he’s kinda like a puppy, and puppies can be cute.”

The two laughed as Tai cracked a smile. 

Mimi’s smile turned bemused as she considered her words. “Never have I ever...Had a crush on multiple friends at once.” Her hand went into the air as soon as she finished talking, but what caused the other’s to let out soft gasps of shock was that there were more than just her hands in the air.

Yamato looked like he was ready to bolt, but his hand didn’t cause as much surprise as Sora’s, who looked like she wanted to die as she refused to look at anyone. She was looking down at her lap, and her hand trembled violently, like she wished she could just cut it off to remove it from the air. 

Mimi’s gaze was just as knowing as before, and she lowered her hand. Tai looked shocked, but didn’t dare ask as he looked away, at anything other than the couple next to himself and Hikari. Yamato’s eyes narrowed as he noticed that, and as Sora trembled in his embrace, he seemed to be putting the pieces together to a puzzle he wasn’t sure he liked. 

Izzy was next, and he looked ashamed of himself as he spoke. “Never have I ever hacked into one of my friends' computers remotely to check on their search history.”

That got a reaction. Hikari’s eyes turned huge as she met Izzy’s gaze, the wordless question in her eyes as Koushiro gave her the tiniest of sad nods, even as as Yamato, Joe, and surprisingly Sora sputtered in varying voices of dismay that such things were private , and how dare he! And even It was for research, not anything weird, I swear!

The roar died down after a few seconds as everyone slowly resolved to delete their search history the moment they got home, knowing that Izzy was their tech support, and probably could get into their computers whenever he wanted. 

It was Taichi’s turn, and he was rather silent. Mimi eyed him expectantly, waiting for him to speak. “Never have I ever…hid porn.” 

The outrage started again, but this time, Mimi was the loudest. “ Really , Taichi? Are we really doing this right now? There’s nothing you want to confess, nothing that you want to say to any of us? Say, to Sora or Yamato?” Her face was hard, and to many of the other’s shock, angry . 

Tai gave her a nervous smile. “I have…nothing really that I want to say.”

Mimi let out a frustrated scream. “For fuck’s sake, Taichi, you make this so much harder than it needs to be! We already know about your stupid porn mags, but that’s what you’re counting on, isn’t it? You know that you’re part of the problem , right? I’m trying to help you, but if you can’t even help yourself, then what is the point?! Go again, Taichi, but do it for real .”

Tai shook his head. “I already went, Mimi, it’s not my turn.”

Mimi’s face twisted, and she gritted her teeth, only for Hikari to cut in. 

“Never have I ever masturbated with someone else in the room.” Silence. Even Mimi seemed to have lost her head of steam as everyone stared at the raised hand from the girl who seemed the most pure…well, until a few moments ago.

Mimi blinked, before raising her hand. “I…I don’t know what to say to that, Hikari. Well played. You’re still not off the hook, though, Tai. You’ll regret not coming clean on your own.”

She sat down as Joe reached up, pushing his glasses up on his nose, considering. “Never have I ever...wanted to lock two of my friends in a room so they would talk to each other.”

Mimi’s choked laugh was loud, and nearly everyone raised their hand, with the exception of Taichi, oddly enough. Said boy blinked, looking from person to person as Sora laughed under her breath. “Bakaichi.”

She didn’t miss the way Taichi’s breath caught, and she realized how long it had been since she’s called him that. It had recently just been ‘Stupid Tai’, or ‘Idiot Taichi.’ 

Matt’s chuckle rumbled in his chest behind her, and she smiled slightly. Maybe she should start using that name again. Heck, she might start referring to him as Mister Alien, like she had when they were…so much younger. Her smile faltered as she remembered that, shoot Tai a glance. It had been…such a long time since she had that thought. That he was some sort of alien being. 

Yamato smirked. “Never have I ever…Bought a sex toy as a prank for a sibling.” Takeru’s sputter was music to his ears as the circle laughed, and like that, it was as if Mimi’s explosion was forgotten as cheer returned to the room. 

“Hey, you guys have no idea what it was like opening that gift from Yamato in a room with your friends! Everyone was laughing, but then some of the boys said that Yamato was the coolest older brother ever, getting me an adult toy. I had to hide that from mom, you know!?” Takeru’s whine might have had more weight if he wasn’t also laughing like a loon. He didn’t mind the prank, it was a good prank. It was embarrassing at the time, but it wasn’t like he hadn’t pranked his brother back with a gay porn mag he convinced Mimi to obtain for him. Yamato still freaked out about how Takeru got his hands on it.

Sora’s laugh slowed as she considered her words, before deciding to just say it. “Never have I ever seriously wondered if one of my friends was an alien.” 

The laughter died down as they looked at her with confusion…and Tai’s choked laugher drew gazes.

“Wait, seriously? I thought that was a joke , Sora.” 

Sora met his gaze with her own, and for a moment, the smile on her face was just like he remembered, carefree, bemused, and free. 

Sora, on the other hand, was thrown back to the past, where the two of them kicked a soccer ball around for hours, drenched in sweat and grinning like fools. Collapsing on their backs next to each other in the grass.

Promising to be best friends forever. 

Her smile lessened as she broke the gaze, instead leaning back against Yamato as her eyes turned to the ceiling. “It made sense at the time. You were always too energetic, Tai, and you were so fast I could barely keep up sometimes. Between your goofy antics and your mom’s weird cooking, I thought you had to be some sort of alien, and your mom was still trying to figure out what humans ate.”

Tai’s mouth opened…then closed. He pondered her statement, before sighing. “You know what? Fair point.”

The laughter that followed was natural, and Takeru grinned. “Never have I ever ordered a subscription to a gay porn magazine in my older brother’s name.”

Yamato’s eyes went wide as dinner plates as he hissed. “That was you?! Dad was the one who found it! He kept asking me if I wanted to tell him something and promising he wouldn’t think of me differently! I was so embarrassed when he showed me that it came in my name!”

The laugher that followed was nothing short of uproarious as they laughed at Takeru’s prank, and Yamato was forced to concede that his younger brother got him good .

It slowly petered out, and everyone turned to Mimi for the next bit of comedy, before noticing she wasn’t laughing at all, and even looked a bit hesitant. “Mimi?” Joe ventured, and Mimi’s eyes flicked to his before she fisted her hands on her skirt. 

“I’m sorry.” She whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear, before looking up and meeting Sora’s gaze, then Taichi’s. “Never have I ever had a crush on Taichi Yagami.”

“Skip!” Taichi instantly belted out, as well as Sora and surprisingly, Yamato. 

No one else spoke as the festive atmosphere evaporated instantly, before the three of them stood, and Hikari was unceremoniously dumped from Taichi’s lap. She didn’t hold it against him, however, as her accusing eyes found Mimi’s…who was raising her hand.

Then Takeru’s hand slowly raised, much to Yamato’s shock, and he instantly moved for the door. Tai and Sora were quick to join him, none of them looking at each other as Mimi stood, physically blocking the way. “You leave now, and I’ll tell him regardless, Sora!”

As one, the three froze, and Takeru gasped silently as Hikari’s hand, slowly, trembling…raised into the air.

Mimi’s eyes went to Hikari, noticing movement, then went wider than she’d thought they could go. “Oh. It looks like…there are more than just you three keeping secrets.”

Taichi didn’t turn around, but he didn’t have to.

“Sit back down, Onii-chan. We…we need to talk about this.” 

Sora was the first to turn, about to tell Hikari that they were all three leaving, that this was stupid , and that she should leave too..and saw the raised hand. “Oh.”

Yamato was the next to turn, noticing Sora had stopped, and he was the next to see Hikari’s raised hand…but unlike Sora, his mind made jumps instantly as he grabbed Tai’s arm and physically pulled him back into the room.

Normally, Tai would be able to outmuscle Yamato. Yamato stayed in shape, but Taichi was an athlete.

However, he wasn’t expecting to be pulled back into the room by Yamato, and he nearly sprawled out on the floor, landing on his ass. “What the fuck, Yamato, what-”

“Taichi, why is your sister raising her hand?” The cut off was words bitten out roughly, and Tai’s eyes went to his sister by simple instinct.

Hikari didn’t meet his eyes, though she was shaking so much he wanted to pull her into his arms to comfort her…and then the implications of her raised hand hit him. “I…Hikari? What…?” 

“I love you, Taichi.” Three words with dizzying meaning. Tai only gaped wordlessly. 

“What did you do, Taichi?” The words, sharp and deadly, pierced Tai as Sora looked at him with an unsure gaze, hand holding Yamato from advancing further.

“Yamato, he wouldn’t-”

“Then let him say it, Sora. If he can tell me now that he did nothing to her to cause that, then I will believe him, but I want to hear him say it out loud. ” Yamato’s look was torn between accusing, brotherly concern dictating he protect a younger sibling, and trust, trust that Taichi would never , wouldn’t even dream of touching his sister in such a way. 

“What the fuck, Yamato, I never touched her like that ever!” Tai’s words were both hurt and furious, and Sora almost sagged in relief as Yamato’s anger drained. 

Hikari scrambled forward to pull Taichi into her arms, glaring daggers at the two. “He never did anything to cause it; I fell in love with him on my own.”

Yamato cringed slightly. “Hikari, you can’t-”

“Oh, but can’t I ? You don’t get to decide who I love or don’t love, Yamato Ishida.”

“Hikari, he’s your brother.” Sora tried. “You’re probably just confusing-”

“And I suppose you would know, Miss Love herself. Do you have any Idea of what you’ve done?” Hikari’s voice was sharper than Yamato’s as Mimi cleared her throat, trying to step in, only for Koushiro to grab her arm, shaking his head. 

“What is that supposed to mean? Out of my way, Yamato.” Sora pushed past her boyfriend, even as he tried to keep them apart. “You’ve been taking shots at me for weeks now, just what the hell is your problem, Hikari?”

“The problem is that I know for a fact that you were in love with Tai!” The silence that fell over the room in the wake of Hikari’s words was heavy as Sora went pale as a sheet. 

“What…I…I’m with Yamato-”

“Oh, you don’t think I know that? That Tai knows that, with you all over each other?”

“Hikari-” Tai started weakly.

“You have no idea what you put him through, do you Sora? You think you were the only one who felt that spark? That you were the only one of you two to be attracted to each other?”

“ Hikari- ”

“I was there Sora! I watched it happen! I saw your crush on him, saw how things went, and I cheered for you every step of the way! I couldn’t have imagined a better person for my brother. If I couldn’t have him, then you would be the best person for him. I thought that, growing up, and then you broke his heart!”

“Well, what the hell was I supposed to do, Hikari? Just keep waiting my life away for a boy who was never going to see me for eternity? What do you think, huh? You think I didn’t wait? That I didn’t wish for him to see my feelings for him?!” Sora’s explosion caught both Taichi and Yamato by surprise, as Yamato slowly loosened his grip on Sora's arm, stepping away as she dissolved into angry tears.

“I waited on him for years , Hikari! I waited for him to realize…I waited for him to realize that I was right there, that I loved him, that I wanted him , but he never did, Hikari, so I moved on! You can’t hold that against me! I have a right to be happy too, dammit! Then you…you and Mimi…” She choked on a sob, reaching up to wipe her tears away as she fought to get out the words in her heart, the words she kept sealed away for so long..

“Then you and Mimi drag me here, and you..you bring up all this shit that I worked so hard to forget and then you get mad at me? I’m sorry I didn’t end up fulfilling your little storybook romance fantasy, Hikari, but he doesn’t see me like that!” 

“I did. Still do, actually.” Taichi’s quiet words were enough to send a jolt like an electric shock down Sora’s back as she met Taichi’s gaze. She saw him swallow, closing his eyes as he drummed up his courage, before opening them and speaking again. “I…never really knew how to put it into words. You were…important to me, Sora. I…I couldn’t really figure out until later what I felt for you, but…the world always seemed brighter with you in it. And…I…I just…couldn’t imagine a day without you by my side, and I just thought it was because we were best friends. But that always seemed wrong, always seemed like it wasn’t enough, that we were closer than that, and I tried to get you gifts, Sora, that could be tokens to tell you how I felt, but…”

“But they always turned out wrong, didn’t they? I’d always get mad, because I thought you were making fun of me. Stupid tomboy Sora, always one of the guys. I…I always got so mad at you, because my mind instantly thought if it was something girly, it was because you were making fun of me being a tomboy. But if it was something boyish…I got mad because I felt like you were dismissing me as a girl. And there were a couple times I tried to ask you out without actually saying the words…”

Taichi’s slow dawning comprehension was catching on, and Hikari watched along with the rest as the weird connection the two always had re-established itself, like a pair of computers sending things to each other wordlessly.

Like a couple.

“..And I never asked, because I didn’t want to say it and be wrong. Because..”

“..I didn’t know if our friendship would survive if one of us was attracted to the other and it was one-sided.”

Sora cracked a smile, but it was a sad one, slightly despairing. “Stupid Tai…why…why didn’t you say something?”

“I tried. When I figured it out…I went to ask you out, but…I didn’t…use the right words. You were there, with those cookies…” Taichi trailed off, and Sora’s eyes widened.

“You..you were trying to ask me out at the concert.”

Taichi’s miserable smile was all the answer she needed as tears began to stream down her face anew.

“I figured that…I’d lost already, so…I just…wanted you to be happy. Even if..it wasn’t with me.”

Sora’s legs finally collapsed beneath her, and Yamato gave a panicked shout, but Sora only settled into a sitting position. “What a fucked up pair we make, right Tai?”

“At least you didn’t pick a fight with him at every chance, Sora.” Yamato’s words broke the shell that sealed the two off from the rest of the group, and both of the childhood friends started. Yamato sank into a sitting position beside Sora, and Tai instantly paled. 

“I’m not going to do anything! Sh-She’s with you, Yamato, and Sora would never cheat-”

“I know that, Tai. And I know you would never put her in that position, Taichi. Honestly, Sora, you had more competition for him than you thought.” Sora’s pale face turned to look at Yamato as he sighed. “Honestly, maybe this is a bad time, you two, but I also have a confession to make.You have something of a full sweep here, Taichi. Your sister clearly loves you more than she should…and uh, we’re going to need to talk about that later on-” Tai could feel Hikari’s arms tighten around him as he glanced back at her to see her glaring at the blond. “-But she’s not the only one. Obviously Sora here has never stopped loving you-”

“Yamato-”

“-And I’m not mad about that, Tai, Sora. Honestly, I…I had suspicions, but…he let you go for our happiness, Sora. There’s…not really any love stronger than that I could come up with aside from dying for you. But Takeru has a crush on you-”

“Had a crush on him, Yamato, you ass !”

“-Why is everyone interrupting me right now? I’m trying to confess here. Mimi has an interest in you..” He paused, glancing back at the bearer of Sincerity, who only waved.

“Don’t mind me, I’m just here to watch the drama.”

He only shook his head in exasperation. “And then…there’s me.”

Baffled chocolate and ruby eyes blinked owlishly at him, and he sighed.”I…Taichi, when we first met, I fucking hated you.”

Tai laughed softly. “I know. You told me. Many times.”

Yamato grinned. “Yeah, well…they do say there is a thin line between love and hate.” Tai continued to stare uncomprehending, but Sora’s eyes flicked between the two with dawning enlightenment.

“Yamato..You..?” She managed to croak out, and Yamato offered her a crooked, sheepish smile. 

“I…I may have been sort of in denial, but…when Mimi asked, my hand started to raise. Guess I can’t really deny it any longer. Let me try something. I duuuuuuh…” He seemed to stumble over his words, before swallowing and trying again. “I do want to kiss Taichi.” 

Four sets of eyes blinked. Yamato was the first to laugh, followed nervously by Sora, then by Tai, who suddenly found things hilarious. “Oh, I get it now! This is some weird dream. Had me going for a good while, have to admit.” 

“If it’s a dream, you won’t mind if I do this, right Tai?” The boy blinked, and Hikari lifted his head while dipping hers down to meet him with a sweet, on the lips kiss.

“Whoa, hey, what the fuck, you can’t just-” Yamato started, looking like he just got slapped with a fish. 

Hikari met his protests with a steely gaze. “Oh, but can’t I? I don’t love him any less than you.”

“But he’s your brother!” 

“And you’re a male. Do we really want to keep throwing reasons we can’t love him at each other?”

“Um…do I have any say in this?” Taichi’s voice was weak, trembling and lost.

“Shut up, Onii-chan, you’re dreaming.”

“No, I’m pretty sure now that I’m awake.”

Sora burst into a fit of hysterical laughter, and the other three turned their gaze to her as she chortled. “Sorry, it’s just that...It just hit me. We’re all three fighting over Taichi .”

“Four! Well, I’m okay with being a side chick or just popping in until I find a boyfriend or decide to really put myself into your relationship, but I think between the three of you he’s going to be busy for a while.” Mimi added her two cents, and suddenly, Yamato was chuckling too.

“Um. I’m pretty sure I should have some sort of say in this-”

Sora cut her idiot off, seizing him by the collar of his shirt and yanking him forward. His yelp was cut off by her lips crashing against his, and for a moment, he froze. 

“Really, Taichi? You just going to sit there or kiss her back? You really are an idiot.” Yamato’s voice made him blink, and Sora broke the kiss, looking a little sheepish as she started to turn to face Yamato…who smirked, putting a hand on the back of their heads and pushing them together again. “Now Kiss.”

The humor of the situation was not lost on the assorted audience, nor was it missed by the two being pressed into said action, and as Sora’s lips met his a second time, Taichi didn’t hesitate, savoring the moment he’d dreamed about many times. 

It was…less slimy than he expected. Her lips were soft, pressing against his as they slid against each other, and he could taste her lip balm. Tropical fruit. As the kiss broke, he blinked, a slightly lazy smile slipping over his lips as Sora’s face flush, though she was no less happy about it.

“You still use tropical fruit lip balm?” 

Sora giggled. “One of the few girly things you gave that I didn’t get mad about.”

“Wait, that’s because of you? I wondered why she always bought the same lip balm. I thought it was something special since she never uses the stuff I got her.” Yamato’s voice made Sora blush, and she shot him a glare. “What? I mean, you’ve always been very specific about your lip balm.”

As Sora and Yamato laughed at each other, Tai turned his attention to Hikari. He didn’t know what to say. What could he say? He never considered her like that, and judging by her sad smile, she knew that. “I know. You…you can be with them, Tai. But…if your feelings can change toward me…could we…at least try?”

Tai considered it. Every instinct as her brother screamed no, that he should be repulsed by the slightest suggestion…but he wasn’t. 

And what a damming thought that was. Or was it damning? “I…I think I could.” He tried to say. The words came easily, and the brilliant, teary smile she gave him cut straight through him. 

Oh. Oh no. Now that the thought was in his head, he wasn’t going to be rid of it, was he?

“Look at you two, getting all cozy.” Sora’s voice broke their little bubble of isolation, and both blushed. “Honestly, Hikari, I’m…not going to lie. That’s…pretty weird. But I’m not going to judge.”

“I will.” Yamato’s voice came out, and even he looked shocked by his own words. “Sorry, but…I can’t pretend to be okay with it. At least…not yet. I think…I think I could get over it. Eventually. But I’m…probably going to be a bit…squicked out by it for a while.”

Hikari giggled. “Yeah, I thought you might be. Um. Don’t tell our parents.” She added the last bit with a small voice, and Tai laughed. 

“Hikari, if it ever comes out, you know they’ll blame me first, right?”

Hikari instantly flipped from shy to spitting mad. “If they do, I’m going to make sure they know that you had no say in my feelings for you.”

“So…putting that aside…what are we, Tai?” Sora’s words were hesitant, unsure, and Tai shot her a simple, loving grin. 

“We’re us, Sora. Same as we’ve always been. Why put a label on it?”

Yamato’s laugh was loud, boisterous, and unrestrained. “Leave it to Tai to simplify if that much. Well, Tai, if you can put up with us, I guess we’re all three dating you.”

“Four!” Mimi interjected.

“Four dating you.” Yamato amended with a eye roll.

“Well…I’m not sure why you all want to, especially you, Yamato…but…well, I guess I could tolerate my love life growing by about 400%.”

“ That’s not how math works at all, Tai!”

“Shut up and be happy for them, Izzy!” Takeru shushed.

“And today, the establishment of the Taichi Harem was official!”

“Ohmygod Mimi stop-!”

“Taichi- Mimi! It’s not a harem!” Taichi’s words rang loud, and Mimi only laughed as Tai scrambled to his feet, much to the amusement of the others.

Hikari only smiled wryly. All’s well that ends well, she supposed, and yet again, Mimi proves that her chaos could either fix everything, or make it twice as bad. Weirdly enough, it was usually the former, and Hikari couldn’t be happier about it.

Chapter Text

Legends never die.

Taichi remembered reading that, somewhere. The idea was a comforting one, the idea that as long as you are remembered, you live on. That as long as your deeds were remembered, you still lived in the hearts of those who heard your story.

As he lay on the couch, listening to Yamato snore from the cot, he grimaced. He hated the silence. The darkness wasn’t so bad, but the cold that surrounded him was too familiar, too cloying…too empty. He missed his giant bed in his castle, but while he would never admit it to her face, right now, he missed Enmeros.

The conversation with Koushiro and the other two had gone about as well as he could expect, really, with Sora wordlessly tearing up and Yamato looking like he wanted to go a few rounds with fate, as well as Izzy repeating that it didn’t make sense, that the King’s Code couldn’t be analyzed, that even when directly scanned, it wasn’t detectable by any instruments he possessed. It showed to the naked eye and on camera, but anything more conclusive just…didn’t detect it. 

He’d run a battery of tests, coming back more frustrated each time, something it seemed Yamato and Sora also felt. More than anything, they seemed most frustrated that Taichi seemed to brush it off so easily, the fact that he nearly died.

As he lay there, though, missing the warm presence of either a Sora or Hikari lookalike beside him, he could only sigh softly, 

He wasn’t unaware that he had some unhealthy habits. Many of them stemmed from his time in the digital world, fighting as a powerless human, and then the Sovereign that everyone looked up to, King Kamiya.

The other bad habits had their start long before then. He rested the back of his hand against his forehead. There were certain things he saved, when there was a chance, knowing he may never be able to return; the Yagami Lullaby was only one of them, even if one of the most important. Music, pictures, thoughts…they all had their place in his memories, but some were stronger than others.

And today, this homework, about me?

A blank sheet.

Accomplished, content with this life I will now live.

‘Till I think, why are we, just sometimes, no always,

Saying how we’re sad and, 

Saying how we’re lonely?

He could remember the feeling, the bone deep sadness, the way the world dulled to gray, the muted colors. Sora hadn’t done that. Yamato hadn’t done that. Not alone. It was a number of things, a mishmash of darkness and repression that he kept deep inside. Idly, he wondered if his successor was doing well. What was his name…David? Daikari? No, Daisuke. That’s right.

He chuckled soundlessly. He could hope he didn’t do the kid a disservice, telling him what he thought a leader should do. It would work for a time, maybe, but in the end, would it break him like it had broken Taichi?

Taichi had never been suicidal to his memory, but he knew he was very close to that mindset. It was so easy, back then, to think that if his death could have meaning, he would be happy. To think that he was fine with leaving his mortal coil knowing that his heartache would end, and Sora could be happy with the one she’d chosen. 

Hikari wouldn’t need to worry about her brother anymore. She could be with Takeru or Daisuke without worry that he would run them off. He didn’t want to end himself; it would have left too many questions, too much sadness, too many what ifs.

But if he died saving the world, if his death was a noble sacrifice, he could be proud of it, right? His pain would end, and they could say they were proud to know him, even if it were just his friends. 

He didn’t seek out his death, but if it came to him, he would embrace it with a sad, yet hopeful smile. 

That was the thought he expected to die with, when he saved Yamato and the other girl he couldn’t even recall the name of. He thought that it wouldn’t be a problem, in the end, leaving Yamato what he seemed to want so desperately in their youth. Hell, Yamato probably would be twice the leader he was. 

It hadn’t been so.

He’d come back, in the end, unable to stay away. His death wasn’t here yet, and as long as he lived, he would fight.

Yamato and Sora were strange for a while, but all in all, seemed as strong as they ever were. 

Joe was always busy. Mimi was running all over. Koushiro was already employed and making the big checks.

Taichi was the only one without a clue. Failing in school. On the brink of losing his spot as Soccer Captain. Single. 

Unneeded.

The word reverberated in his mind, but it didn’t hurt like it did back then. Back then, there was one thing that kept him going; one person who would not let go, and made sure he knew it.

Hikari had been a godsend, and he thanked his luck every day that she decided not to let him slip into the darkness. Her constant presence was a balm to his fracturing sense of self worth, and she always seemed to know what to say. She was always there, with a gentle smile, a light hand, and the love that sought him out.

I’m here for you, Taichi. Forever and Always.  

She never passed up a chance to remind him that she needed him, and that if he needed her, she would be there. Her fingers running through his hair, a soft smile that left no doubt that she meant every word. 

She was a bulwark against his dark feelings, and he knew if he let himself, he would become dependent on her. Her touch chased away the pain in a way that Sora used to. While Sora was fire and drive, Hikari was comfortable and affectionate. Maybe that’s why Yamato and Sora’s offer was so jarring to him.

It was everything he wanted, once upon a time, to have Sora in his arms, to be able to kiss or touch her as he wished. But a part of him was still…bitter. He hated that he was hesitant. He should accept it, knowing that Sora was still a part of him he could never let go. Her smile was still a punch in the stomach, a powerful motivator that made him want to get up and run, to stand in front of the world and declare he would take them all on.

Sora…made him confident. Her snark and sarcastic tone was the whip that drove him forward, and he loved the way her fire burned him, turning him to ashes only to rise again each time better than before. It was hard to imagine what he would be without her, and just as hard to explain why he could never share the same easy affection and adoration he had for her with anyone else.

Or so he thought. 

Hikari was not like Sora. They both had a loving and doting personality that cared so deeply for others, but Hikari was…special. Sora and Taichi had so much trouble communicating sometimes, unable to speak without something being misunderstood. As they grew, they held more back, insecurity coloring their relationship, all caused by that seed of affection.

The love between them grew like a weed, unheeding of anything in its path, sucking up nutrients greedily until there was nothing Sora could do that Tai couldn’t say he loved in some way. It consumed him unknowingly, and it wasn’t until someone gave the weed a firm yank that he realized just how deeply rooted his feelings were.

Hikari wasn’t like that. 

Hikari was…warm. Gentle. She was the kind of person that patiently waited for her chance. In reality, he had no idea when Hikari had started liking him that way , but even if he knew, what would it matter? Hikari’s fingers put him back together. Her smiles lit his world. When the world seemed so cruel and unfeeling, she was his bright spot. 

When the sight of Sora and Yamato loving each other so openly when they thought he wasn’t looking sickened him, souring his stomach as he crushed the dark part of him screaming ‘It should have been me! It was supposed to be me!’ back into the dark box he kept such thoughts, he imagined Hikari’s gentle smile, the hug that awaited him at home. The lap pillow that confused him, yet never stopped making him feel better. 

It wasn’t healthy to put all that on his younger sister, and for a while, he hated himself for it. But he couldn’t give up her comfort. Couldn’t say no to her cuddling up to him as they watched whatever silly movie had been selected. 

And when he cried, she never pried. Never judged him. Never tried to figure out or confirm her suspicions. It wasn’t exactly hard for her to figure him out, probably, that he was torn up from losing the girl he thought to be his one and only. But he’d let her go, and she hadn’t returned to him; not then. So he’d been forced to assume she was never meant to be his. He was okay with that, sometimes; it wasn’t always that particular thing that pushed him over the edge.

Yamato’s snoring had quieted as Tai slid his eyes shut. 

No, Hikari had only waited until he fell apart, then put him back together again and held him while the glue dried.

Family? What was family? His father was never around. His mother cared; he knew she did, but Hikari was always the golden child, and after years of disappointment, even his mother had given up on him.

Everyone did, in the end. 

Everyone but Hikari. 

What did he do to deserve her? What did he need to do to keep deserving her?

He’d once seriously asked her what it would take to make sure she stayed with him forever, in a moment of weakness. She’d only laughed, her fingers threading through his brown locks as she gave him a soft, yet mysterious smile. 

Never leave me, Taichi. I won’t leave if you won’t.

In hindsight, maybe that should have been a warning sign. However, in the moment, he’d only turned away, considering her words. The hugs she received from him afterward only got tighter as time went on.

He sighed softly. Sleep would not be coming for him, it seemed. 

Sora and Yamato were persistent, yes, but in the end, could he say his love for Sora was stronger than his love for Hikari, taboo as it may be?

He wasn’t sure, and that wasn’t a comforting thought. 

No, maybe it was best that Sora…be forever the one that got away.

The thought tore at him, and the burn in his eyes as tears gathered frustrated him. He thought he was over this already, that he’d accepted this. Normally, this is when he would look over at Enmeros, whatever form she had chosen for the night, chasing his thoughts away with her features, but she wasn’t here, not now. 

It was just him and his thoughts.

Instead, he turned his eyes to the bracelet on his wrist, the physical manifestation of the King’s Code that changed his life so many years ago.

He’d been ready to die, he thought, when he picked it up, intending to throw it to Enmeros, to let it be his final sacrifice, to be the last duty before he rested. The pain had been ghastly, the feeling worse than anything he’d ever felt, but as death drew near, it awoke something primal within him.

He wished he could say it was something bright and powerful, something good and compelling. 

No, the force that had gripped him then was fear. Fear of the end, fear of death…

Fear of letting it all end.

It hadn’t ended like he thought it would before, but this was different.

It was a wake up call, somehow. It bubbled up inside him, hot, boiling, pressure that erupted.

I don’t want to die. I want to see them again. I want to hold Hikari! I want to apologize to Yamato and Sora! I want….to live!

Things were different after that. It was busy, and though it was hard at first, it was almost…therapeutic. Maybe the real world didn’t need him, but this world did. They never minded his mistakes, and the Angels and more senior digimon had been all too willing to help teach him on how a leader should be.

Even the fallen angel digimon had their parts to play, along with Enmeros.

“It’s not healthy to give endlessly. The more you give, the less you hold for yourself, the more you’ll come to resent the other person for not reciprocating. Everyone needs to be selfish sometimes. It’s not a bad thing to put yourself first sometimes, especially if you are giving so much of yourself.”

In the digital world, he had healed. Smiled. Loved. Perhaps not romantically; though some particular digimon did desire that of him. Laylamon seemed very interested in getting her hooks into him, not the Angewomon or Orphanimon would let her get too close.

He thought he’d grown strong, that he’d grown beyond his need for Sora’s affections. The more he thought about it, the more he had intended to ask Hikari to come back to the digital world with him, to live with him there. Sora and Yamato could be happy, and he could take the one that put him back together again. 

He could explore those taboo feelings with Hikari, and find out how real they were. 

But here he was. In the end, unable to let go of Sora…and now Yamato. Was he that love starved? He knew saying no to Sora would be painful, heartrending. But when Yamato had kissed him, he could feel the other boy’s unsure sincerity, and he wished he could say it hadn’t moved him.

Yamato had always been weird; or rather, their relationship had been weird. It bordered on hatred sometimes, and other times, they were the best of friends. Yamato made him better, rather, the dynamic of Yamato-Sora-Taichi was always incomplete without him. 

Yamato was…difficult. Taichi could say for certain that he could love Yamato. That was never something in doubt, as awkward as it was to admit. Maybe without Sora, there might have been a crush on Yamato; but there was Sora in the question.

And the tangled feelings of betrayal and love were nigh impossible to make sense of before he cut the whole tangle apart. The sword called friendship was enough; had to be enough to sever those messy feelings of love, hate, and betrayal.

He chuckled softly. It was a good thing that as a part Digimon that he required less sleep, just a steady flow of data. His ability to tap into the data flying through the air, invisible and untouchable was still something he could barely accomplish here in the real world, but it wasn’t impossible. 

Good thing, really. He had plans tomorrow. He knew he should go see his parents, wherever the DSTF was keeping them, but the thought was…daunting. More a chore than he was willing to admit. On the other hand, the other thing he had planned was for more entertaining, and he hadn’t even told the others yet. He’d be joining them at school tomorrow. 

He wasn’t going to be getting much sleep tonight. 

Sora and Yamato were hesitant to leave Taichi alone at his house, even as they watched him wave them off, telling them he’d be fine, that he wanted to…refamiliarize himself with their world and the life he’d had 14 years ago.

Whatever that meant. 

Sora had been adamant that she extract with great pains a promise from Tai that she wouldn’t find his house burned to the ground, and Taichi had been fast to give her said promise before rolling over on the couch. 

That had been enough to get a smile out of the bearer of love, and with a grin at Yamato, the two had departed…and Taichi hopped off the bed with none of the feigned sleepiness he’d had moments before. 

Honestly, did they really think that wouldn’t have changed in fourteen years? He took a moment to consider the question, then had to admit that it was very possible that he might not have changed. But, that was neither here nor there. A glance at the clock revealed a whole twenty minutes before school started, according to his scans of the internet. It was a roundabout way of doing things, but as he rushed to his room that only seemed vaguely familiar, he went to his closet…and did not find what he was looking for.

Strange. Was he really that disorderly?

Going through his dresser revealed the uniform he was searching for, wrinkled and messy. He smiled wryly. He knew he didn’t particularly enjoy school, and he really wasn’t a fan of the uniform, but jeez, past Taichi, have some pride.

He thought as much, grinning…then in a flash, sobered as he remembered the weeks leading up to his disappearance. Oh. Yeah…aside from Hikari, he hadn’t really had much he was proud of, much less himself. 

He tried to avoid thinking of that dark time when he could, but it tended to come up frequently. Eying the outfit, he considered his options…and decided not to wear it, but keep the appearance of it. 

Reaching a hand out, he closed his eyes, reaching inward to touch that part of him that had been thoroughly permeated by his new power, the part that declared him more than human.

The part of him that allowed him to unleash the power of the King’s Code.

“Data Reconfiguration.”

The outside of his body seemed to glitch as he overwrote his outward appearance, granting himself the ability to wear the outfit without actually changing. It was a useful ability, for the most part. He could change his outer appearance, not unlike Enmeros did, but his was much more intensive and cost far more to perform, not to mention he could only do clothes. Once his outfit matched, he frowned, going through and correcting the wrinkles in his new outfit, as well as removing stains that were clearly not part of the outfit. 

Once he was finished, he glanced at a mirror to confirm his mental image. Poofy hair, smirk for the joke no one but him saw, and the eyes that laughed at the joke everyone missed…

Perfect.

He looked down at the physical manifestation of the King’s Code, the only thing he could never change with his data manipulation. Oh well; let them try to give him detention.

Making his way outside, he took a last minute glance at the clock. Ten minutes left. That seemed about right, if he was running even later than usual, or if Hikari decided not to wake him. God, it’s like Hikari was the only one that kept him appearing as a functional human being sometimes.

Outside, the air was cool, almost natural, but there was still a difference from the real air to the digital air. It wasn’t bad, but it was different. The question was how much of a scene did he want to make arriving? 

The mental question made him smile, and he sank into a bunch start for sprinting. Breathing deep, he felt the world in contact with him ripple slightly, reinforced just enough that he would break anything…else, anyway. 

With explosive force in his legs, he launched himself into a sprint that nearly broke the sound barrier, before with a leap, he launched himself into the air. It was a trick it took him years to master in the digital world, ones that took focus, will, time, and who was he kidding, it was fun as hell, and he didn’t regret any of the time spent mastering it!

He seemed to hang in the air for several seconds while his eyes scanned for the telltale building of his school. Once it was spotted, he seemed to crouch midair, hands creating a platform of data beneath his feet. Hopefully the people who just experienced internet interruptions for the next few seconds would be forgiving. 

Pushing off from the platform, he launched himself toward the building, losing altitude as he flew through the air. He grinned as the ground approached, meeting the concrete with his feet and tumbling forward into a flip, bleeding off just enough momentum to roll into a sprint, thankful that no one seemed to see it as it was the last five minutes before the bell, and everyone was probably inside already. 

As he made it into the front of the school, he couldn’t help the grin on his face. “Nailed it.” He muttered.

He was lucky, though, that he was able to so easily access the school roster as he dusted himself off…not that he needed to, his appearance was made up purposefully to shrug off damage, not unlike his skin. 

Leisurely making his way into his classroom with hands behind his head at the last minute, he smirked, Sora’s expression looking bemused and slightly annoyed, while Yamato only facepalmed with a soft ‘goddammit, Taichi’.

The teacher, however, only stared, and Taichi grinned. “What’s wrong, teach? You look surprised to see me.”

The teacher’s mouth opened, and he worked his jaw for a few moments, seeming unsure of how to respond to the boy who had gone missing months ago, and suddenly walked in like nothing had happened. Eventually, he only sighed, pointing to Taichi’s desk (Which Tai actually appreciated; he had no idea where he used to sit) by the window. 

With a sunny grin, Taichi made his way to the desk, trying not to laugh at all the incredulous looks he was getting. As he passed Sora, however, he heard her hiss at him under the soft murmur of the class. 

“The hell are you doing, Bakaichi?!”

He only shot her a smile, before sitting, glancing out the window. It wasn’t a bad view, but he’d seen better. Glancing back into the classroom as the teacher began droning on about history, however, he decided it was a better view than the other option. 

Given the opportunity, however, he could remember hazy thoughts from the past. He’d wondered early on, why he had to be stuck inside on the beautiful days when he could be playing soccer…and then later, why he bothered. He felt his grin falter as he was once more propelled back to thoughts that haunted him earlier that morning. 

Glancing back into the room, he could see the back of Sora’s head, the curve of her back, and through the back of her chair, her waist and the way if flared into her shapely ass. Hormones probably wrecked him early on, and then, not too far behind her in the next row…Yamato. Ah. Yes, that would certainly ruin his days. A constant reminder of what he lost, and who he lost to. He could almost see the way Sora wanted to turn to look at him, and the way Yamato’s face sometimes turned and glanced at him through the corner of his eyes made Taichi smile.

Oh yes, this was certainly part of the reason he’d been so down. Trying so hard to forget, hiding everything instead of doing the healthy thing and talking about it. It didn’t even have to be with the two he was trying to hide from. He should have realized why just knowing Hikari understood and tried to run interference for him made such a difference. 

But Past Taichi hadn’t dared. He was the leader. He was the strong one. He was the one who was expected to give it all. The one to put himself in danger first.

He’d been so wrapped up in what he thought a leader should be that he refused himself the self care he needed to keep from falling apart. 

There was probably some fancy name for it, too. A quick search of the net revealed it, and he choked on a laugh. 

Martyr Complex.  

How…fitting.

“I’m sorry, Yagami. I didn’t realize that history was so funny to you.” The teacher’s voice cut across his musings, and Taichi turned his gaze to him, shooting him a bemused smile.

“Oh, Sorry teach. It’s just…it’s been fourteen years since I last sat in this chair and I’m just thinking about how little the world has changed when I've changed so much. It’s a little jarring, but you know how it is.”

The teacher’s brow raised as Sora covered her face and whimpered softly under her breath, pleading with him not to be weird. “I’m afraid your perception of time is skewed, Yagami. It’s barely been a few months, much less years.”

“Oh, maybe for you, it’s been months. For me, it’s been years.” The sound of a facepalm and soft snickers greeted his statement, but Tai’s grin never faltered as the teacher inhaled deeply in irritation, his eyebrow twitching. 

“Perhaps your time away may have seemed that way, but the facts you have do not match reality. If you are unable to tell your delusions from reality, I do not believe you should be back in school.” The teacher’s dry tone was unamused, long suffering, and ready to be done with the conversation as Taichi’s smile widened.

“Perhaps you’re right, teach. I’ll try to keep my…ah…delusions under control.” 

“Detention, Yagami.”

“As you command!” Taichi snapped off a mock salute, and the teachers turned, not saying a word. He was just ready to be done with this class. Yamato shot him with irritated looks for the rest of the class, and there was a festive feeling in the air that had nothing to do with goodwill. 

When the class ended, Taichi was the first out of his seat, vanishing into the hallway as one of their classmates stopped by Yamato and Sora’s desks. “Hey, looks like your friend has finally lost it.” The boy grinned, even as Yamato glared daggers at him. 

The boy was on the larger side, something of a brick wall with a demeanor of someone who was just as likely to punch you as talk to you, and Yamato knew that good times were not ahead of them. Yamato wasn’t arrogant enough to think that he was the brawn of the group; no, that normally went to Taichi, who was popular enough in middle school that no one dared pick on him. High school had been different, and Yamato knew that alone, they were easy pickings if some asshole picked a fight.

With one of the wonder trio presumably insane, well…it was open season.

The two of them stuck together, grumbling  to each other about how much Taichi had screwed them over, but as they walked into the next classroom, Sora froze. 

Taichi was sitting in one of the window seats, but he’d changed his outfit a bit. His right hand was wrapped in what appeared to be a long bandage, and his left eye was covered in an eyepatch. His jacket was worn halfway, his right arm outside of his sleeve as he grinned at the two dumbfounded Chosen of Love and Friendship.

Yamato was the first, storming over to him and  grabbing his arm. “Taichi, what the fuck. ”

Taichi only pulled his arm away, laughing eyes…or rather, eye staring into the ice blues of Yamato. “Careful, Yamato. The power of Wargreymon rests in my right arm, and if it gets released, it’ll destroy half the school.” His eyes were laughing, and his lips curled into a half smile as Yamato tried to decide between laughing or punching him in the face.

The classmates around them had no such difficulty, the girl in the seat next to Tai bursting into a giggling fit as Sora seethed . “Taichi, when I made you promise not to burn your house down, I didn’t mean come to school and make a mockery of it! ”

Taichi’s eyes went to the girl he’d once attempted to give his heart to, and his grin faltered. “The house still stands. I kept my promise, Sora.” But you didn’t.  

He didn’t hold it against her; it was such a tiny thing in the long scheme of things. The cookies, such a little, silly thing, but the past Taichi had seen that forgotten promise as an indicator that he was not needed anymore. Sora likely forgot them, just thinking she would do it later. He did it himself, put something off until he ended up forgetting.

It was hypocritical of him to hold it against her, but while he forgave her for it, it still…hurt. 

Then the smile was back, and he smirked as he traced Digital Script on his desk, knowing the odds were that Izzy and maybe Hikari were the only ones he knew of that actually tried to memorize it.

It’s my last day here.

The script read, but predictably, neither of the other two reacted to it. So he just smiled. “Let me have a little fun with my delusions, you two. Besides, it’s funny.”

Yamato ground his teeth. “You know that those detentions you’re about to get are probably going to make soccer impossible to play.” Taichi didn’t even bat an eye.

In fact, his grin widened. “You didn’t know? If my memory serves right, I’m pretty sure I was already about to lose that.” 

Yamato’s brow furrowed, but Sora’s reaction was more telling, her gaze that had strayed to the others watching the interaction snapping back to her childhood friend with wide eyed rubies. “What? But…why didn’t you say something, Tai? We could have helped you study if it was because of your grades! I may not play anymore, but you love soccer!”

Taichi’s grin faded. “Yeah…Yeah, I did, didn’t I?” He offered no other words after that, but Sora’s lips parted, ready to say something, but whatever it was, it was cut off by the arrival of the teacher. 

He came in with a coffee cup, which he promptly spat his mouthful back into when he caught sight of Taichi as he choked out his words. “Yagami! Fix your uniform!”

“Sorry, no can do teach. I have to keep the power inside me in check, and if I don’t keep them covered, I can’t promise it won’t destroy the school, and if I tried to restrict it anymore than it already is, it might get mad.” 

Sora’s expression turned stormy as she stretched her hand out, ready to drag him into the hallway to give her a piece of her mind…and she froze. 

She couldn’t say why, only that something in her was screaming at her to remain exactly how she was, not to move a muscle. It was a deep, primal fear, and she could only think it was coming from Taichi, but his expression hadn’t changed at all. His exposed eye stared into hers, and she pulled back her hand. 

As the pressure vanished and the fear faded as she walked back to her seat, she felt…hurt. He’d never rebuffed her like that before. It was so different from how he usually was…or how he used to be, she amended.

As she sat down, her mind raced. He’d been so silly she hadn’t really wondered, or thought of the ways he might have changed. How much he might have been through. She just assumed he would always be that goofy boy she grew up with, but…fourteen years was a long time. 

She didn’t even pay attention as the teacher barked ‘Detention!’ to her childhood friend. None of the class made it into her head, she was so deep in thought. How much had he changed? In what ways? And the most important one of the moment…did she, or could she still love the boy he’d become?

That thought doused her in ice, and she thought for a moment she might burst into tears at the thought that she missed her shot with the boy he was, the one she once loved so dearly. 

The rest of the day seemed to follow that same formula, Taichi vanishing as soon as class ended and showing up in the next one, outlandish tales on his lips about the Wargreymon sealed in his right hand, or the IceDevimon sealed in his left eye that allowed him to freeze things he looked at if he removed his eyepatch. His claim that he could solidify the air itself to allow him to hover in the air, or the ability to break the sound barrier when he ran if he allowed himself to use the incredible power he held inside.

Everyone laughed, and while he was the center of mockery, he laughed along with them. It was frustrating; insanely so, and Sora and Yamato both grew more and more angry as time passed. 

Yamato was nearly spitting mad at the last class, PE, and Sora couldn’t blame him in the least.

“What the fuck is he doing, Sora? Is he trying to humiliate us? I thought he cared about us, even a little, and now he pulls this shit?” Yamato’s fists were curled, and something told Sora that the moment school ended, Yamato was going to hit Taichi, regardless of his feelings for the asshole.

As they entered the track and field area, Taichi was predictably already there, but this time, the P.E. teacher was not having his bullshit. 

“-and it really wouldn’t be fair to them to have me take part.”

“Yagami, I don’t care how fast you were. You’re a good athlete, but you’ve let yourself go. You aren’t getting out of this no matter how fast you claim to be.” The man’s long suffering growl was covering up a budding temper that was threatening to explode if Taichi kept at it, but Taich wasn’t swayed.

“I mean it, teach, I’m not even human anymore, so there’s no point-”

“Yagami! You know what? If you really think you’re that fast, then put your words into action. I’ll give you a chance. Everyone can watch. If you can make it from one side of the field to the other in under 15 seconds, then I’ll exempt you.” The man’s smug grin was clearly intended to shut Taichi up by threatening him with public humiliation, but Tai met that grin with one of his own.

“Perfect.”

Suddenly, the two friends paled, looking at each other as the coach ordered everyone to take a seat. “He wouldn’t, right?” Yamato murmured. 

Sora swallowed. “He would.”

As they joined the others, the coach smirked. “Now, Yagami here says it’s not fair for him to run laps or do physical education like the rest of you. I’m offering him a chance to prove himself, with all of you as witnesses.” 

Sora could hear the giggles, the derisive laughs, and was torn. Should she hope him to succeed, or…should she hope he decides to play the clown?

She met Tai’s gaze, and he shot her a reassuring smile that did not reassure her in the slightest as he reached up, and dramatically unwrapped his right arm to reveal perfectly clear skin, much to the amusement of the other teens. 

He went to the starting point, sinking into the same crouch he had earlier in the morning. He breathed deep…and then there was the short blast of the coach’s whistle.

All hell broke loose.

For a moment it was silent. One second, Taichi was in a sprinter’s starting pose…and then he wasn’t. And there was thunder . He blasted through the air, leaving a blast of air rippling behind him. If there was laughing before, it was gone now, replaced by pale faces as Taichi left the ground, nearly drop kicking the wall on the other side of the field, crouching against it for a split second like a spring.

Then he was pushing off it, propelling his way back as he leaned forward, hands meeting the ground to launch into a flip as he went into the air, ripping off his eyepatch and blasting blue out of it, crystalizing the fog into a gleaming sword of ice as he pirouetted in midair, landing with a slide as he brought the blade up in a ready stance, blue left eye glowing as a snow sculpture was formed of a tall figure holding his own blade.

Taichi dashed forward, blade first, before blurring as he passed. In response, the sculpture fell to pieces as he exhaled a frosty breath, tossing the blade in the air before pointing his right hand at the remains of the sculpture. “Incinerate.” Said his lips.

Modify. Agumon, Pepper Breath. Said reality.

The blast of fire melted the ice nearly instantly before that same hand caught the sword, propping it on his shoulder.

Taichi turned to the awestruck and suddenly pale teenagers and the even more horrified coach. Even their teeth rattled from that first breaking of the sound barrier. The cracks on the opposing side from the starting point was enough proof, even before the fire. Taichi’s left eye continued to glow blue, a white misty flame coming off it until he closed his eyes, opening it to reveal his normal chocolate eye.

He wasn’t laughing anymore, and neither was anyone else.

“What’s wrong? Laugh. It’s funny, right? I mean, who would have guessed, the former soccer star might still be hiding things? The one that is the butt of the joke isn’t near as silly anymore, is he? Delusional, he was, but only he knew he wasn’t.” He stepped forward, and tossed the frozen blade to the couch, who barely caught the blade, nicking himself on the blade., “Careful, that’s sharp.”

He smirked, gesturing toward them all with a sweeping motion that had several flinching and a few girls yelping in fright. “I’m not trying to scare you. Not really. In fact, I want you to open your minds. Not everyone who seems harmless is harmless, and not everyone who acts silly is insane. Be careful who you bully. Sometimes, it's the little things that get to people, not the big things. This was going to be my last day here. I wanted to leave you all with something to laugh about, and a lesson.”

His smile turned sad. “The world is going to change soon. If you can’t adapt, you'll be swept aside. We may not have gotten along; like I said, it’s been fourteen years for me and I honestly could not name half of you without cheating, and that includes every one of the teachers. But in the end, things are going to change, and I hope that when they do, it won’t cost you all anything.” 

With that, he jumped in the air, and seemed to kick off multiple invisible platforms, before launching himself away from school.

“...He’s never going to go to those detentions, is he?” The voice from behind them made everyone turn to look at the speaker, a rather plain looking boy who blushed. “What? We all know it’s true. What could they possibly do to convince someone like that to sit and do homework?”

As the teens all launched into excited chatter about the day's events, Sora and Yamato glanced at each other. “We need to talk to him.” 

As if on cue, Sora’s phone announced a call, and as she took it from her pocket, she groaned before answering. “Hello-” She started with trepidation. 

“What. The fuck. Was that?” Noragami’s words were short, bitten off, and unbelievably furious .

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Was all Sora could think to say as Noragami sighed on the other end of the phone. 

“If we had a way to leash that boy-”

Sora bristled. “Don’t you dare. That’ll only make it worse , and you’re already on thin ice with him.”

“ I’m not the only one on thin ice. Once the government finds out, and trust me, they will, things are going to get a lot more rough for Yagami.”

“ Things were going to be rough no matter what I did. ” Sora started at the sound of Taichi’s voice on the line, but if the swearing she was hearing from Noragami was any indicator, her shock was better than the government agent’s. 

“Fucking…Yagami, that stunt likely undid any goodwill you earned earlier.”

“You know, it’s funny you should say that, considering you were just talking about putting me on a leash like some dog .”

“If you showed more self control, maybe we wouldn’t need to.”

“And what will you do when Digimon are walking the streets, huh? When there are shadowmon destroying buildings and destroying lives? There is never going to be a perfect way to introduce this. People will panic, no matter what you do, and when they do, I’m not going to have my people be vilified with the things we’re trying to protect you from. Because I can tell you who will be the ones that adapt fastest. It’ll be the shut-ins. The ones addicted to fantasy games and anime. The ones who look for the fantastical in their day to day life. They won’t question it or insist it can’t be real. Their grasp on reality and the supernatural will lead them to accept and work with us rather than against us. Covering everything up isn’t the way, Noragami.”

“Regardless of how you feel, Yagami, we adults have our way of doing things for a reason.”

“And how did those ways fair before I came with my people?”

“We wouldn’t have been in that state if not for your world in the first place!”

“Yes. You would.”

“...”

“Yamimon didn’t come for just our world. We found traces of other worlds too. We just happened to be the first to put up enough of a fight that he bothered to actually decide to attack the real world to get around us.”

“So you say. Next time you want to put on a show, Yagami, give us advance warning.” There was a click as Noragami hung up, and Sora looked down at the phone with trepidation. 

“He…” Yamato started, and Sora glanced at him.

“I heard it.” 

How long will it be before he accepts that we are his people, not the digimon?

Or rather, will he?

The house was still standing when they returned, but it was a cold comfort as they entered the dark house, flipping on lights as they went. They found him in Hikari’s room, rather than his own, and he was sitting on her bed, hugging her pillow to his chest. He looked up at him as they entered, a strange smile on his face. “You guys probably think I’m some sort of idiot, huh?”

Yamato paused, tempted to say yes, he thought Taichi had been a moron the entire day, but that…wasn’t what Taichi needed right now, and raking him over the coals wasn’t what they needed either. “Can you tell us why, at least?”

Taichi gave him a wan smile. “I didn’t…intend to stay. I thought I could come here, maybe say hello, help out, and leave you an army of my people to defend your world.”

Yamato’s eyebrows furrowed. “It’s your world, too-”

“No it isn’t!”

The yell caught them all by surprise if Taichi’s flinch was anything to go off of. “I thought I’d come back to you two happily enjoying each other. To a world that was better off without me. I thought I could show up, fix your problems, and maybe make off with Hikari if she chose to come back with me. You weren’t…You two weren’t…”

Supposed to miss me. Supposed to make me want to stay.

“...You weren’t supposed to be able to tempt me as much as you do. This world…doesn’t need Taichi Yagami. But the Digital World needs King Kamiya.”

“So that’s it, then? You wanted to just…to just come in and make a clean break with us? Abandon us, Taichi? How could you? You’re my best friend, Taichi; we grew up together. Do we mean so little to you?” Sora’s voice trembled, and Taichi hid his face behind Hikari’s pillow…

Only for Yamato to step forward and rip it from Taichi’s grasp, head full of steam…until he realized how much Taichi was trembling. Yamato’s eyes widened. “Tai…?”

“...please give it back.” 

Yamato hesitated, then handed it back, and Yamato watched him press it against his chest again. It was like he was a kid again, Taichi, that was. “Taichi…talk to us? Please?”

“...I wasn’t okay.” The once bearer of courage croaked. Sora and Yamato both sat on the edge of Hikari’s bed, patiently waiting for him to continue. “Before…before the thing. Before Meicoomon. I wasn’t…I wasn’t okay, but I tried to pretend I was. It wasn’t you two; or, it was kinda partly you two, but it was mostly a bunch of things all at once.”

Sora bit her lower lip, reaching a hand out hesitantly, only for Taichi to shy away. Both boys could tell how much that hurt her feelings as she drew her hand back. 

“I felt like I was falling apart at the seams. Every day, I had to get out of bed and pretend to be something I wasn’t anymore. Because…the leader doesn’t get to fall apart.”

“That’s bullshit , Taichi, and you know it! ” Yamato snapped, and Sora’s hand found his even as the blond turned to look the boy in the eye.

“Well, obviously I know that now , Matt, but at the time, it wasn’t exactly something that I accepted!” Tai’s answering snap was just as harsh, and Sora resisted the urge to reach out to try and calm him as well. 

“Tai…why didn’t you tell us?” Ruby eyes met brown, and Taichi looked away.

“For the same reason you never admitted that you gave up soccer because you wanted to make your mom proud, knowing that it would hurt you to give up something you love to do something she loved. It wasn’t your problem to fix or suffer through. It was mine.”

Sora flinched, and Yamato turned to look at his girlfriend, who shook her head. Later that would probably be coming up, knowing that Mrs. Takenouchi seemed to adore Yamato. “So you just held it in, huh?”

Taichi scoffed. “Yeah, as well as an idiot like me could.”

“You’re not an idiot, Taichi.” Sora refuted, and Tai laughed.

“Interesting that you would say that, considering your favorite thing to call me is stupid.”

Sora’s face fell. “I…I didn’t actually…”

“It’s fine, Sora. After a while, I just…thought of it as a term of endearment. Besides, I am pretty stupid.” Taichi reached out, placing a hand on Sora’s, and she sniffled, looking up at him, hoping he could see how much those words meant to her. “Really, I just…was trying to cope in so many of the wrong ways. Then Meicoomon happened, and I just…”

Yamato wondered if he should speak when Tai trailed off, and when Taichi seemed to be struggling, he decided that remaining quiet wasn’t in his best interests. “I could feel you, you know. When…Omegamon. I can feel you.”

Taichi’s smile was uneven, but it was present. “I was worried you might.”

Sora’s gaze flitted between the boys, feeling left out. Yamato decided to end her misery and answer her unasked question. “When I felt you take over Omegamon, to make him protect me and Meiko-”

Taichi snapped his fingers in enlightenment. “Ah! Meiko! That was her name. So close to her digimon; how did I forget?” 

Yamato shot him a glare, and he fell silent. “When I felt you take over Omegamon, I felt…a lot of things. But the part I always hoped I misunderstood was…”

“My hope that I would die heroically?” Sora’s gaze shot back to Taichi and she parted her lips, horror etched on her face before Taichi reached out and put a finger on her lips, making her stop, but also earning him a glare that promised a reckoning. “Yeah, I…wasn’t in a good place, especially after I came back.It was just…more of the same, except this time I had….I had blood on my hands. I tried to give you my burdens, hoping you would prove stronger than I was, but in the end, I couldn’t just stand by and watch. That wasn’t…it wasn’t the heroic death I wished for.”

“Taichi, how could you not tell me you were suicidal?” Sora finally burst out. “You…You can’t just…leave that unsaid, when you know that we would do anything to help you!”

“And if I did, you would have given up your own happiness for mine, Sora. We both have that, unfortunately. That desire to see others happy over ourselves. I wasn’t going to saddle you with that, not when you were so happy with Yamato.”

Sora’s response was a hiss of anger, and her hand lashed out as she burst into tears, even as Taichi cupped his stinging cheek. “I…I guess I kinda deserved that.”

And then, Sora was on him, wrapping him in her arms as she wept.”You idiot! You big, stupid idiot! Do you really think I wouldn’t miss my best friend?”

Tai wrapped her in his arms, before whispering possibly the most damning words he could have. “You would have gotten over it.” Sora froze, and even Yamato went still. “That was the sort of mindset I had. But this was back when…when I thought you felt nothing for me but friendship. You may not realize it, but..it was actually…really hard…pushing you through that door to Yamato. I…loved you, Sora. It took me so long to realize it, to understand what I was feeling, but by then, your heart wasn’t mine to ask for. You’d already chosen, and I just wanted you to be happy.”

Yamato gave a dry laugh. “This conversation is starting to sound like deja vu.” 

Tai snickered. “Yeah…But it’s how I felt. I was…failing. No amount of will or courage could help me. You told me to think more, Yamato, and I tried it. But the more I thought, the more I realized that the way I powered through things only ever worked out by chance, and when I thought about it, it was inevitable I would lose her to you. You were always more mature than I was.”

“Taichi…I was wrong-”

“No, Yamato. You weren’t. I was living in a dream world, where I thought that effort and will was all that was needed, and with it, anything was possible. But that’s not how this world is. And the more I realized that, the less I fit in. I felt like I was a burden, like I was the unneeded piece that was just being shuffled around while everyone tried to figure out where it belonged…not knowing that it never belonged to this puzzle.”

“Don’t say that, Tai, you belong here with us.” Sora’s words were welcome, but as Taichi smiled, Sora felt her heart fall. He was…going to say no. He was going to refuse their offer.

“Hikari saved me.” The words made both other occupants of the room blink in surprise. “She noticed. Noticed when even…she just…she was there, even before the thing with Meicoomon. And after, she went out of her way even more to make sure I was okay. She held me when I cried. Helped me put myself back together again. And the more she did it, the more I wondered if maybe things may not be as hopeless as I thought. That maybe…my place was to be hers. To do everything she needed me to. A brother, a lover, even a slave might have been acceptable, as long as she never left me. Her kindness was…addictive. But that wasn’t healthy either.”

He paused for a second, breathing deep. “I lived in the digital world for four years as a somewhat powerless human. It was a bit demeaning, but there, I felt like I belonged, like I had a purpose. I wasn’t really better , but I was in a better mental state. It gave me time, time to heal, to purge myself of those thoughts as I discarded what needed to be discarded, and worked on what I needed. It let me have a mental reset, and I needed that, so much. Without the world crushing in on me, I could…”

He trailed off, and Sora swallowed softly. “You could get over me?” Taichi's choked laugh was unexpected, and made her heart sink further.

“Well, yes and no. Sometimes I wonder about that, Sora; if loving you is just something hard coded into me. I thought I was over you, and then you come in and kiss me and I’m falling over myself again. You and Yamato, you completely wrecked my plan. I didn’t want to stay. I thought I made a clean break, that there was nothing here I couldn’t do without. Even soccer was something I had discarded.”

Yamato made a mock gasp of shock, and Sora was thankful for it, for the moment of levity as he spoke. “And that, more than anything, tells me you’re not okay, Tai.” The two boys chuckled, and Sora inhaled softly. Now that the panic in her heart over the thought of a suicidal Tai was beginning to fade, she was beginning to consider how to move this conversation to a more…constructive direction.

“Taichi..I’m sorry if we ever made you feel like you couldn’t talk to us. Above anything else, I never wanted you to think that…that I wasn’t there for you anymore.” Taichi’s return smile was small, but genuine. 

“It wasn’t just you, Sora. I didn’t tell anyone. I thought I did a good job, but somehow Hikari noticed. You have no idea how much Hikari bugged me until I admitted that I wasn’t okay…If it had been about anything else, I’d have probably gotten mad at her.” Taichi fell silent for a moment, and Sora considered speaking, but chose to remain silent, wrapping Taichi in a hug.

Yamato was likewise silent, swallowing his own self recriminations. How did he not see this? How did both of them miss that their idiot was suffering so much, and yet they never noticed? Tai had never really been a good actor, right? 

“Taichi…is there something we can do to help? Ignore our feelings for you for now, and just tell us. What can we do to help you?” Sora’s voice was steady, and her arms tightened around him as he considered.

“There’s…not really anything I can think of, you two, just…be by my side. I’m not suicidal anymore, honestly, I brushed death close enough getting this that I think my brain reset.” He lifted his right hand, the King’s Code gleaming on it. “I mean…you remember Datamon’s Pyramid, Sora?”

Sora drew away, giving him a flat look as Yamato snorted in bemusement. “You mean that place when I realized my crush on you for the first time? Yeah, I think I can remember a bit of it.”

Tai blushed, slightly, looking away, and Sora instantly felt a slight bit of shame, until she saw the tiny smile on his face. “Yeah…I guess that makes sense. Just…that firewall, or electric fence thing…I had to walk through one of those, but this one wasn’t so kind as to let me through.”

Yamato winced at the implication. “How bad was it?”

“Well, it atomized one of my legs, turned my hair to ash, and burned long cuts into my skin. Honestly, losing an arm was a cakewalk compared to that. Only reason you can recognize me is because the King’s Code restored my Data to its previously good configuration. First time I ever felt like a disney princess, let me say.”

Sora’s choked giggle was half amused and half hopeless. “Taichi, I can’t tell if I want to hit you or not for joking about a near death experience.”

“Laugh about it, Sora. It’s how I coped. It helped make me what I am now. An idiot with puffy hair and more responsibilities than ever, yet…I’m happy, Sora. I found my place as King Kamiya. My people to protect, my world I can shape in my image, that I can take care of. And once Yamimon is gone, it’ll be a place of peace, and maybe I’ll even open it to the real world, let people come to the Digital World for vacations, or when new Chosen Children are found, I can bring them to my kingdom to find their partners. I have so many plans, so much I can do, so much good I can inspire. I finally…know what I want to do with my life.”

“And what about us? Where do we fit into this amazing new world of yours? What was our place in it?” Yamato’s quiet words made Taichi pause, and he let his smile drop.

“I thought…the two of you…would be my counters over here. That you two could get married and have kids, maybe act as my liaisons over here, to be everything you wanted over here.” 

“And Hikari?” Sora hadn’t meant her tone to be accusatory, but it came out a little sharper than she intended.

Taichi pondered the question, before swallowing down his reluctance. “Like I said…I intended to ask her to come with me. To come to the Digital World, once we talked and I could figure out what I was to her, and what she could be to me.”

“And if she wanted you not as a sister?” Yamato couldn’t help his morbid curiosity, and Taichi’s hesitation spoke volumes.

“...Yamato…”

“A king needs his Queen, is it?” Sora spoke softly, and judging by how Taichi jolted, she could only laugh. “Taichi, tell the truth. Aside from Hikari, none of us factored into your future, did we?”

The telling silence was all she received, before she felt the hesitant, featherlight touch on her hand as Taichi’s fingers sought out hers. Looking up, she met his shimmering brown gaze. “...Come with me? Both of you. I can make you both happy, I promise. You want your own castle? I can make you one. If you want to be closer, you can have rooms in Castle Kamiya. If you two are both serious about me…” His cheeks nearly glowed as he swallowed. “My bed is huge, I bet it could fit four or five of us and still have room left over-”

“Taichi, you can’t just run away from your problems-” Yamato started soothingly, but Taichi cut him off.

“I’m not running! I just…this world isn’t mine anymore. It can never be mine. The moment I got the King’s Code, I was tied to the Digital World. I can’t take it off, it’s a part of me now. It’s the reason I survived the firewall, but I don't know if taking it off or separating it from me will kill me or not. It’s part of why I wanted Izzy to analyze it. Even he can’t make heads or tails of it.”

“You could always…try living in both worlds.” Sora’s words were soft, gentle, and above all, hopeful, even as Taichi shook his head. 

“The Digital World is my home now, Sora. But…I think I could probably do visits, aside from…well, you know, your government hating me and everything.”

Yamato didn’t mean to laugh, he really didn’t, but when he did, Taichi directed the most heartstopping smile he’d received yet. It made his laugh die in his throat, but Tai reached out and his warm fingers touched Yamato's cheeks as he spoke in a slightly watery tone.

“Thanks. F-For laughing. Maybe it seems silly, you two, but I don’t want to see you sad for me. I’m…maybe not completely better now, but I’m getting there. And seeing you two laugh…with me, at me, or at…anything really…it helps me. It makes me think that things could be okay. That maybe even if the real world is a cruel, heartless place, if it’s a world where those I care about can laugh and be happy…it’s a place I can be proud of. A place I could someday call home again.”

Yamato had never been a hugger. But as Taichi spoke, he felt the pain in his heart sharpen, before he lunged forward to embrace his lost best friend. “I’m sorry that we hurt you, Taichi.” He whispered brokenly as Sora wrapped an arm around both of them in a three way hug.

“It wasn’t you that hurt me. I hurt me. I didn’t say anything, and I let it explode when I couldn’t avoid it any more. But with it all out now, I can start to heal. I don’t know if you two can love the person I am now; I don’t think much about me has changed, other than some extra responsibilities and suddenly gaining the ability to be serious sometimes. But if you can both still love me…I’d like to try. We don’t have to get along all the time, or have the same viewpoints as each other, but as long as you’re willing to laugh with me, to love and share our lives with each other, I think we can make it work.”

Sora’s laugh was soft, slightly watery, but there was happiness there. “I’d like that, Mister Alien.”

Yamato had been ready to add to the sap, as uncomfortable as it made him to be so open about his feelings in something that wasn’t a song, but Sora’s words made him pause, pulling back as Taichi suddenly burst into a sudden laughing fit as the hug broke, and Taichi laughed uproariously for no real reason that he could see.

Sora was looking at Taichi with a soft, almost gooey look of adoration that he had seen occasionally directed at him, and once more, it hit him.

Sora really does love him.

Her smile was a familiar one that he hadn’t seen in a while, indulgent and amused, even as Taichi slowly brought his laugh under control. As his gaze turned to Taichi, though, he could see why Tai wanted them to laugh. 

The smile on Tai’s face was free, calm, and his eyes sparked in a way you wouldn’t expect from brown eyes. As Taichi’s gaze met his, the King of the Digital World spoke. “Did you ever tell him about that nickname, Sora?”

“No, she didn’t. Care to share?” Yamato and Tai both turned to Sora as one, and she blushed, smiling softly. 

“Back when we were kids, before I started calling him Bakaichi or Stupid Tai, I called him Mister Alien, cause he was weird .” 

Taichi bristled playfully. “I wasn’t that weird!”

“Your mom made a cake with spinach and you ate it ! That’s pretty fricking weird, Tai!”

“Well, it’s not like I had a choice, she was my mom!”

“You ran like the wind when you were like…6! You outran people several years older than you regularly!”

“I was always a fast runner, Sora!”

“Yeah, you were, because you were an alien! ”

As the two devolved into bickering with smiles on their faces, Yamato couldn’t help but laugh, only widening the smiles of the two childhood friends and hopefully soon, his lovers.

He sat back, watching the bickering with a soft smile, his own thoughts slowing. Next hour, Next Day, Next week…something bad could happen, but right now, there was peace, and there were smiles and laughter. The rest of the world could come later.

Right now, it was their time. He watched with a smile as the argument that seemed so spontaneous yet familiar between the two ended with no clear victory, and the two turned away from each other with crossed arms and a soft ‘hmph’.

But the smiles on their faces couldn’t be hidden. 

Yes. They’d be all right.

“We…still need to talk about Hikari at some point, though.”

Goddamit, Taichi.

Chapter Text

Yamato had never been one to panic easily, outside of certain situations. He may not have the same reckless courage that Taichi had, but as he lay in what he could only embarrassingly call a cuddle pile, he wondered if he was the first to wake up. He cracked his eyelids, a quick check to see if the mass of warmth he was a part of was really what it felt like, and unsurprisingly, it was.

From his vantage point, he could see Sora, reddish hair ruffled and messy as she breathed softly, pressed against Tai’s chest. She looked…peaceful. Like he hadn’t seen since her best friend and secret crush had vanished. There was the hint of a smile on her face, and Yamato thought back on the conversations and confessions of a couple, awkwardly explaining what they found so charming about the third outside their relationship.

Sora had taken several weeks to confess that she liked the way Taichi smelled. The faint, yet not overpowering hint of sweat after a run. The scent of soft grass and cool wind, and even the faint scent of his body wash. They mixed together in a scent that was unique to him, and she confessed with red cheeks that she found it comforting.

It wasn’t that Yamato could even say he disagreed, glancing up to see Tai’s eyes still neatly closed, and he couldn’t repress the soft smile on his lips. If you’d told him a year ago that he, Sora, and Tai would be sleeping together on the same bed, even if nothing sexy was happening, he’d likely have punched you. He himself was laying on his side, facing Taichi and Sora as he went over the last 24 four hours.

The thought made him blink, glancing at the window as he realized how long they must have been sleeping. It was still dark out, and he relaxed slightly. They’d all had a good, emotional heart to heart, even if he felt awkwardly out of his element talking about feelings rather than singing them, but he could tell the other two on the bed needed it. 

For all of Tai’s reckless fire, Yamato couldn’t believe how much he’d missed. He thought he knew their leader, his best friend, and maybe once he did. But they weren’t children anymore, and at some point, without either he or Sora realizing, Tai had begun to change, and not in a good way. Yamato had never realized how heavy the Goggles of Leadership weighed on the boy who seemed to carry it so casually, nor how much their leader hid his pain.

Maybe that had been the most jarring realization of the night. They knew he was drawing away, that things were changing for him, but not even Sora knew how much pain the boy had been hiding. Somehow the boy had decided that the ills and pressures of the world should fall to him as the leader, and that he was to carry all of those and their expectations without any sort of hint…or cry for help. 

He’d crumbled under the weight, but hid every crack and stress fracture under the veneer of a playful grin and a roguish smirk. 

And no one, save Hikari , had noticed. Was it any wonder why he clung so tightly to that one halo of comfort, the one safe space he had? Yamato shamefully admitted to himself that once, he thought maybe it was just losing Sora that had changed everything, but of course, with Tai, it could never be something so simple. No, losing Sora was just the tipping point, the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. He’d held together remarkably well, any traumas he had well hidden, but feeling like he lost Sora to his best friend had put just enough pressure on him that he broke, with no one the wiser.

The thing with Hikari had him divided, honestly. His instant reaction was disgust, an instinctive recoil that he knew Tai could see every time it was brought up. The very idea repulsed him, but as he looked at Taichi’s face, looking content, he realized he didn’t want to hold that against him. He didn’t want to be disgusted by the boy and his sister. He didn’t want to look at Tai, and hear him speak Hikari’s name, then feel his skin crawl in response. 

He didn’t want to be disgusted by the boy he had feelings for.

In his mind, the relationship between Hikari and her brother was clearly, unequivocally wrong. But if Tachi was to be believed (and he believed him, so help him, he believed him), Hikari had felt differently for him for a good while. She’d been there for him when no one else had, not even his parents.

And hadn’t that been a punch in the gut, for both Sora and Yamato. Sora knew Mrs. Yagami well, having grown up practically as their second daughter, but even Sora hadn’t put together the pieces. The tiny ways he fell to the wayside, never obvious, never large enough to trigger an intense reaction, but just enough that Taichi eventually came to the idea that he was…lesser.

Extra. 

An afterthought.

He’d never even known he’d thought that way until it had been mentioned by a nonhuman Digital Monster. The idea had snaked into his heart, entrenching itself until even his crest was corrupted by it. 

Did Hikari know? Had she put together the pieces? Yamato didn’t know, but odds are she knew at least a little bit. She’d always been very attached to her brother, even as she got older. With a slight pang of regret, he realized that she almost certainly knew. She wouldn’t leave him alone at all after Meicoomon, and while he knew she probably was afraid he might vanish and turn out that he never came back at all, Takeru had been slightly irritated. He was frustrated that she would stand him up to stay with her brother, and they’d had a small argument at one point, and Yamato couldn’t help but feel his mind catch on to a particular thing Takeru mentioned Hikari had said.

“I don’t want him to be alone right now.”

Not ‘I want to be there with him.’ She, specifically, did not want him to be alone. Little things that seemed so small over time that added up to a picture that had Yamato wondering how well any of them actually understood the relationship between the two. He wished he could say it was just codependency, but he wasn’t a therapist, and he knew quite well that Hikari didn’t… need her brother, as bad as that sounded. 

No, perhaps only Hikari really knew what Taichi needed to stay in one piece. All that time spent teasing her for her brother complex, and maybe she was the only one who actually realized that it wasn’t her that needed him, but him that needed her.

When he framed it that way, he could almost feel like he could understand it. Despite the instinctive cringe, he did know that trauma bonds people. Maybe the love she had for him was not a reaction to him nearly dying at all, and something that had been a long time coming. He had no way to be sure. 

Either way, Taichi had been forced to quit her cold turkey, as the Americans say. If there were still feelings there, then Yamato could consider that maybe, that love wasn’t a shallow attachment at all. He just…didn’t know enough about Hikari’s feelings to make a real judgment.

“Penny for your thoughts, Yamato?”

The voice made him start, and he looked at Tai’s still closed eyes in shock. The boy’s lips quirked into a soft smile, one that made him want to melt as one eyelid cracked open, revealing chocolate brown. “You’ve been staring for a while.”

Taichi’s voice was quiet, and he hadn’t moved for fear of waking Sora, who was snuggled against his chest, yet as deep brown met cool blue, Yamato hesitated. 

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, Yamato.” I respect your boundaries and your space.

Yamato hesitated, before whispering softly back, also trying not to wake the girl in bed with them. “How long have you been awake?”

Tai’s smile indicated he wanted to laugh, but he did not. “I don’t need to sleep much anymore. I also learned to be a light sleeper. Something is bothering you.” It wasn’t a question, and Yamato remained silent, gathering his thoughts. It was almost painful, how he saw Taichi waiting patiently. Tai had never been a bad listener, but as he saw him waiting, he wondered how much Tai might have craved the same patience, or understanding as he was breaking.

The same understanding that Hikari had given him.

“Tai..?”

“Matt?” The exchange of names was almost whimsical on Taichi’s side, and for a moment, Yamato wanted to be angry at the lighthearted way Tai used his nickname. But he knew that he wasn’t really mad. He was uncomfortable, pensive, and didn’t know how to put it in words.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to just spill it. “How much did you want us, any of us, to make you talk about your problems?”

The way Taichi’s eyes darkened and his eyes closed, Yamato knew he’d hit a sore spot, but Tai didn’t get angry, instead inhaling softly as he pondered. “Truthfully? I was torn. I wanted, more than anything, for someone to care enough to tear those feelings of regret and pain out of me by force if needed, because I was too proud and wrapped up in myself to ask for help. But I also knew…if it was you or Sora…I would hurt you both. What I did wasn’t right, Yamato, and I need you to know it wasn’t your fault. I was so alone in those final days that I felt that the only way out of drowning…was just to inhale the water. But Hikari was there, and I just…couldn’t give up while she believed in me.”

The two boys exhaled softly, a long moment passing between them, before Tai spoke again. “I know that this disgusts you, Yamato. The idea that I could feel this way about my younger sister. I never intended it to be like that, but-”

“Taichi.” The abrupt way Yamato said his name shut him up nicely, and the blond closed his eyes. “You’re right, it does disgust me. It makes my skin crawl, and I feel sick when I think about it.” Yamato could almost see the way Taichi shut down at the perceived rejection, and he reached out gently, extending a hand both literally and symbolically, and cupped Tai’s cheek. “But I don’t want it to. No matter how I look at it, or think about it, she saved you. I failed you, Taichi, even if you don’t see it that way. But Hikari, even if her reasons leave me feeling uncomfortable, she saved you in a way I never knew you needed saving. That alone would make me feel like the biggest dick in the world if I vilified her. She…she truly loves you. Just as much as Sora or I do. I can’t promise that I’m going to get over this in a week, a month, or even a year. But the facts still remain, Tai, that she is just as deserving as we are to…have her shot. Be patient with me, Taichi. I don’t want to feel disgust for you or her, so I’m trying to reason myself out of this. Give me some time to get over it.” Yamato hated talking about feelings. He always felt awkward about it, if there was no music to convey them. 

Oddly enough, as he looked at Taichi’s gentle smile, he felt he might have said it right as felt the skin of Tai’s cheek warming. “I appreciate that, Yamato. More than you know. I know that must be hard for you to say.”

That smile. That goddamn smile. Yamato’s cheeks burned in the darkness as he removed his hand from the cheek of Courage. Rolling on his back in feigned nonchalance, he hoped Taichi wouldn’t mention his blush. Tai was going to kill someone with that smile. “Yeah, well…don’t get used to it.” His grumble prompted a soft wheeze from the other boy, and he side eyed him as he tried not to laugh, tried not to wake Sora. “Hey Tai? You know…we’ve never wanted you to sacrifice yourself for us.”

There was a few brief seconds of silence before he got a response. “...Yeah. Yeah, I know. I just…wanted to be useful. It was the only way I could think of when I wasn’t…needed anymore. And before you say it, I know that you don’t think that way. But in my mind, back then…I didn’t think anyone wanted me around. I’d outlived my usefulness, so to speak.” The soft laugh in his voice made Yamato’s stomach twist unpleasantly, and he parted his lips to speak, only to press them back together. 

They’d corrected him time and time again, but maybe he needed to hear Taichi out. The silence was a bit longer this time, and a glance over at the leader of the Chosen Children revealed a slightly surprised look on his face. “Go on? I want a little insight into that mess you call a brain.”

Tai chuckled. “Unexpected, but not unwelcome. Anyway, I always figured that’s what a leader was supposed to do. Sacrifice for the greater good of the group. It was better that I suffer for it than you. Only…I didn’t realize how much I was hurting myself. It wasn’t until I was stuck in the Digital world that someone told me how stupid I was being. She told me all I was doing was making myself either hate everyone else…or making myself wish for death so the pain would end.”

Yamato felt his breath shorten slightly, but he wouldn’t let it show. “And which were you?” He had a fairly good idea, but he wanted to hear it from Tai. 

Tai hesitated, then spoke. “I was a fair bit of both, I think. I was already hurt that…that Sora decided you were what she wanted, and for a while, I actually wished I could hate her, but I couldn’t. It just…hurt. And yeah, I’ll admit, for a while, I sort of resented you. I felt…” He trailed off, and Yamto closed his eyes.

“You felt like I betrayed you.” It was out there now, and Yamato clenched hidden fists as he heard a slightly wet sniff. 

“I did.” The confession was small, ashamed, and Yamato glanced over to see Tai was avoiding meeting his eyes. “It wasn’t right to feel that way, and even as messed up as I was, I knew that. You had a right to be happy, and so did Sora. I wanted to be happy for you. I wanted…” He choked back a sob at the memory. “-I wanted so bad  to just be happy for the two of you. To just accept that Sora had made her choice and I was okay with that. I wanted to say that I could get over it so easily, but that built up resentment…it wouldn’t let me. I started to distance myself, trying to get over myself, to understand why I couldn’t just get over it.”

“I don’t blame you, Tai.” 

“Well, maybe you should!” It came out louder than Taichi intended, and Sora stirred slightly, before settling back into slumber. It was a good few minutes as both boys pondered Tai’s statement. “I’m sorry, Matt. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I guess I never knew...just how much I was starting to dislike my friends for never seeing past my facade of the happy go lucky leader. And then, while I was still wrestling with the darkest parts of me…Meicoomon happened.”

Yamato winced as he lined up the timelines. “I’m sorry for yelling at you. Back then, I mean. I was…I was so hopeful that the Taichi I used to know would come back, rather than…”

“Than the ones you’d come to know? I acted the coward there, Yamato, no need to sugar coat it.”

“You were never a coward, Tai. You were hurting, in pain, and to top it off, you had the weight of two worlds on your shoulders.”

The scoff cut him off as Taichi gave a self depreciating smirk. “Don’t try to make me out to be some sort of saint. I didn’t want you to feel my emotions through Omegamon. I didn’t want you to feel my anger and resentment. I was a coward, because I didn’t think I could lead you all again. It’s easy to lead a group of friends. It’s harder to lead a group of people you aren’t sure you even like anymore. That’s how deep in the pit I was, Yamato.”

Matt fell silent for a moment. “You know, I did feel your emotions that day. They never stuck out to me as much as when…you tried to sacrifice yourself, but I didn’t feel resentment, Tai. I felt fear. Dread. Uncertainty. But never resentment. You may not be a saint, Taichi, none of us are. But you’re also not the villain you try to make yourself out to be either. You were a teen, hurting and suffering from a broken heart. We’re kids, Tai. We were kids when we saved the Digital World the first time. We were kids the first time we saved our world. We were still kids when we had to save both at the same time. We were just kids, and we faced more danger than most adults do, and a small group of us took on threats that would have nations working together to stop. You led us through that. You’re not a coward, by any stretch of the word. You were scared, and you tried to take the easy way out of it, there’s no shame in that. You’ve paid your dues, and you deserve a break.”

Tai turned a shaky smile to his best friend that he wasn’t in love with. Well, yet. “I wanted to give it to you.”

“Hmm?” Yamato blinked, for a moment, not making the connection, but it snapped together just a split second before Tai spoke again.

“Leadership. I wanted to give it to you. I thought…that if I couldn’t lead, then you could. You and Sora were always smarter than me. I thought between the two of you, you could lead us more efficiently than I could, with less damage.” Yamato studied Tai’s face, as if looking for something, but not finding it as he frowned.

“Tai, I was brave because I had my friends at my side. Just like you. I might be more booksmart than you, but when I thought you died, I couldn’t….I couldn’t believe it. I…may not show it, but I do look up to you, you know? You always made things look so easy, when they always seemed so hard to me. You were so open, and I was…jealous. Takeru always looked up to you, and hell, I thought Hikari just had a brother complex, but she straight fell in love with you. Sora…she fell in love with you, too. She’s still in love with you. Even me, with my jealousy and the fact that you were the bane of my existence, ended up…developing feelings for you. We look to you as our leader not because you’re the smartest. It’s not even because you’re popular. It’s because you make us feel…unified. Confident. You’re an amazing leader, Taichi. You had a time of weakness; so what? We all have moments of weakness.” Yamato’s tone was matter of fact, as if he were stating the sky was blue, at least at first. He hadn’t been loud, but his voice got ever softer as it reached the end. Shooting the bearer of Courage a look, he saw Taichi covering his eyes with a hand, gritting his teeth slightly, before he gently reached out.

Pulling the hand away was an impulse, not really thought out, but as he did, the faint light from outside shone in from a full moon, revealing the silent tear tracks on his face. For a moment, Yamato was baffled, unsure what he might have said to trigger tears from their leader, before said boy turned his face to Yamato, fully meeting his gaze as he swallowed down his hesitation. 

“...I didn’t want to hate you. I didn’t want to hate Sora either. Or Koushiro. Or Mimi. Or Jyou. But I was afraid I would. My weakness could have ruined everything, and I was afraid it would start with you. If not for Enmeros, and surprisingly, Laylamon, I might have gone on thinking that self sacrifice was the way, and that I was just too weak to be a proper leader. What was that quote…”

Yamato remained silent as Tai considered, before sharing a sad smile. 

“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to become the villain.”  

Yamato’s breath came out a soft hiss as his eyes narrowed.

Taichi continued to smile. “Only reason I remember that is because I watched that movie with Hikari, and made the mistake of saying it along with the movie. She was not amused. Almost as mad as when she went snooping on my computer. She didn’t particularly like my taste in classical music.”

“Taichi.” Tai refocused on Yamato’s face as he came back from his thoughts. Yamato was looking at him with lips set in a line. There were so many questions he had, but he didn’t want to overwhelm Tai, or make him clam up. “...What did she find?” 

There was an abrupt exhale as Taichi half smiled. “A song. A piano version of a song called ‘Lost One’s Weeping.’” 

Matt tried to think if it might be one that he’s heard, but nothing came to mind. Soft humming caught his attention as Tai tried to match his memories, then gave up and used his connection to bring up the video in question from his mind. Synchronizing his tone with that of the video, he began to hum more accurately, before his lips parted to shape the lyrics that he knew likely had Hikari more panicked than he’d ever seen her outside of problems regarding the Digital World.

“Counting days, like numbers they all pass their prime,

And again, hypnotically swimming through time.

Beyond the powers and guards I put up, 

I hide;

Knowing they had long died! 

From problems, my resolve,

Just can’t solve that homework,

Accomplish content with this life I will now live,

Till I think, and he speaks, that Demon inside us,

Saying ‘Let me just leave’, saying ‘Someone kill me!’

He would have continued if Yamato hadn’t reached out to press a finger against his lips. It was oddly intimate in the dark, the way his finger pressed against the oddly soft lips of the fluffy haired teen. Except, he wasn’t even a teen anymore, was he?

The intrusive thought might have been funny if he hadn’t been more concerned about his….friend? Whatever Taichi was to him now. “That’s enough, Tai. Just…” What? Don’t do anything stupid? Taichi practically defined himself by acting stupid. “...I can see why Hikari told Takeru she didn’t want you alone.”

Tai’s smile went odd at that, and he closed his eyes. “Yeah, that doesn’t really surprise me. Then again, I never really complained that she stuck to me so much.” Yamato could tell he wanted to say more, but held it back, and guessed he was trying to avoid making him uncomfortable. The silence that fell persisted for a few moments then Taichi wordlessly reached out a hand. “I know you and Sora really mean it when you say you want me to join you, but I can’t just…leave her out. She deserves the best, but if for some reason, she decides that stupid, broken me is the best she wants…” He left the statement hanging, looking slightly defeated.

In response, Yamato reached out as well, and interlocked his fingers with Taichi’s, much to the surprise of the Bearer of Courage, and shot what he hoped was an encouraging smile, trying to project his sincerity. “I know, Taichi. I know. We can cross that bridge when we come to it, but for now, you are here with us.”

Tai looked at the clasped, interlocked hands with a slight look of wonder, and no small bit of nervousness. “If…” He swallowed. “If I do join you, and if we can do this without…leaving her outside of it and sad…I’m going to need you two to help me be brave. This is…not something I know how to deal with. It’s not a fight, and it’s not something I can just stumble my way through. If you could be patient with me, then I’ll do my best to learn. Sora as my proof, I’m utterly clueless when it comes to romance.”

Yamato smiled warmly, and even with his own nervousness, brought the joined hands to his lips and kissed Taichi’s fingers, one by one in a way that had chocolate eyes wide and cheeks burning. “You’re not the only one that can be courageous, but I’ll admit I’m scared too. So I’ll just hold your hand for now. You know, for Moral Support.”

The call back to the first time he held hands with Taichi and felt the butterflies made him feel like he went back in time, and for a moment, it was as if things had never changed as they smiled at each other. 

For Yamato, he had assurance that Taichi wouldn’t try to purposefully drive himself and Sora away in fear that he might destroy the couple.

For Taichi, it was a reminder that for all they fought, Yamato was still his best friend aside from Sora. Besides, with how popular Yamato was, he could trust him to at least tell him when he fucked up and how to fix it.

For Sora, who would wake up in the morning with her head on Taichi’s chest, it was proof that Taichi was very much okay with Yamato’s affections, seeing as the two were just as cuddly while asleep as Tai had been with her, and Yamato had his fingers entwined with Taichi’s at some point as she slept.

She was delighted.

The boys? Less so.

Seeing Castle Kamiya in a flashback had given Hikari the mistaken belief that she could easily imagine what her brother’s home looked like. The inside had been ornate and gilded, white and gold like a fairytale castle the prince would live in before running off with his princess. 

However, given the circumstances, she also expected it to be small, reasonable and well guarded.

She wasn’t entirely wrong, but the scale was nothing short of dwarfing. Towering walls of white, and numerous checkpoints. The massive gate that led into the outer circle, which contained varying sizes of accommodations for the various digimon seeking safe shelter in the city rather than the uncertain shelter outside. 

The first checkpoint had been passed surprisingly easily, which Hikari could only assume was due to Enmeros. Everyone else was being scanned as they entered, and asked many questions to ascertain their identities while they were checked for any signs of ill will…or shapeshifting. 

“It didn’t used to be so big.” Emmy commented as the group looked around in awe like tourists. “Most Digimon consider anywhere near King Kamiya to be the safest place, both because of his power and due to how many high powered digimon gather to ensure his safety. He keeps council with digimon of all factions, which has caused some friction, but in the end, they all work together to make his dreams a reality.” 

Hikari had the decency to blush at the blatant gaping. Honestly, she’d seen the cities in her world, yet seeing how haphazard everything seemed to be here was almost maddening to her. She was sure that many of the places and homes were perfectly comfortable, but there was little rhyme or reason to the layout. “It’s so…Chaotic.”

“I dunno, seems just fine to me.” Daisuke interjected, and got rolled eyes from nearly everyone else in the group. “What? They have homes and places to go, so I don’t see the problem.”

Yolei sighed. “You have no sense of aesthetics; no wonder your room is such an eyesore.” This drew a raised eyebrow from Hikari, and surprisingly a slight blush from Ken. 

“You’ve been to his room, Yolei?” Hikari’s tone was casual, but Yolei shut her mouth quickly, refusing to speak. It wasn’t quite insinuating anything, but it was poking her inner Mimi. 

Ken answered instead of Yolei, surprisingly, and while he usually seemed well in control, there was the slightest hint of underlying panic in his voice. “We all have. I’m surprised you haven’t.” Hikari’s eyes pierced through him, and she could see his pale cheeks getting more and more pink as he held himself still.

There was a secret there; Hikari could just tell. She didn’t often try to imitate Mimi’s spill-the-tea stare, but she did on occasion, usually to great effect. Ken was getting nervous, she could smell it. 

Much to her dismay, Emmy interrupted her in breaking Ken’s resistance. 

“We should get going. While we can go through the checkpoints fairly quickly, the outer rings tend to be a bit more hard to navigate and take longer. It gets more orderly the further you go in, but the outer rings are chaotic because the digimon wanted it to be. King Kamiya actually wanted it to be sectioned, with the different sized houses in different districts to keep it orderly like the inner rings, but many of the digimon rejected that idea because it felt too…artificial and segregating. I would have rather we’d gone with his idea, just because it would be safer if we got attacked, but he chose to indulge them. No one has dared to attack yet, so he’s hoping he never has to see if the cost of their comfort would have been a reasonable cost.” Emmy sighed softly, beckoning the group to move on.

“I’ll let you keep your secrets for now…but later, even if I don’t, Mimi will get it out of you.” Hikari’s tone was amused, and slightly devious as the other three paled. 

“That’s cruel and unusual punishment, Hikari.” Takeru mused. “Honestly, the queen of tea is relentless during the searching of said spilled tea.” 

“Moving on, I really think Tai should have taken his chances with a more ordered structure. The walls might be strong, but with the multiple entry points and nothing to stop flying digimon, it’s a security risk.” Ken coughed softly, trying to draw the attention away from Daisuke’s room and the contents and hijinks that may have taken place in such a place. It wasn’t the most graceful of subject changes, but it succeeded in slightly diverting Hikari’s attention as Emmy considered her words.

“You might have had a point, if not for the barrier.” 

“Barrier?” Takeru blinked, tilting his head slightly as they walked. The road they walked was wide, with assorted digimon making their way through. It appeared to be the central road, for the most part, with branches going off in different directions. 

It wasn’t odd to see a large house next to a house that could be crushed if the inhabitant of said house stepped on it, but as they reached the second gate, Emmy glanced back at him as she offered her hand to be scanned by the guard. The first time it had been much the same, just a scan of Enmeros’ hand, and they were given passage.

“The barrier is something King Kamiya created. It draws power from the excess data in the area, naturally occurring and that given out by digimon just going about their business. The strongest barrier is the outer barrier, though that is not something most of us are happy about. If that barrier breaks, it’ll be easier to break each barrier after, and it leaves him vulnerable. He’s the only one who can control that, even if we can strengthen it with our powers. He believes that it’s his duty to protect everyone, not just himself. An admirable choice, but a foolish one.” The tone of Enmeros’ voice dripped with her own disdain for his choice, and she glanced up at the sky, noting the position of the sun. Twilight was approaching, but she had no doubt they would make it to the inner rings before it truly got dark. 

Glancing back at the group she was escorting, she fell silent as they digested the contents of her words. It would be a decent walk, and silence reigned for a good while before Ken spoke up. 

“What sort of defensive structures and potential does this place have? Other than the wall itself and the barrier, I haven’t seen a single watchtower or defensive weapon.” Emmy’s lips quirked as she turned around, walking backwards without a care, Hikari’s amber eyes gazing at him with bemusement from the shapeshifter.

“Oh, we don’t have those out unless we need them. Ruins the sense of security and normality for many digimon. Not all of them are willing to live in a military state, you know. We have some defensive turrets that are on the walls for ground defenses, though the real weak spot is the sky. You aren’t wrong, if we get attacked the wall can last for a while. The Shadowmon that can fly are the biggest problem, but we aren’t exactly without options for an aerial battle either.” She grinned, turned back to walk with the ability to see where she was leading them again. “Honestly, while it’ll suck if they manage to break the barrier, we have a final trump card that I both don’t want to have to see used but very much want to witness.”

Hikari blinked as Takeru raised an eyebrow at the conflicting statement, but they all seemed to agree as one that they didn’t really need to know. The walk continued in silence until they reached the third gate, and that’s when things changed. The checkpoint was passed just as easily as the others, though the guards, a Monzaemon and an unknown bird digimon eyed the group with an appraising eye. 

Hikari couldn’t help but feel a bit on edge as they passed, before asking the question that was burning in at least her mind. “So…why do they just scan your hand and let you through?”

Emmy didn’t answer for a moment, but it wasn’t a long wait until she found her words. “I’m…a well known agent of King Kamiya. Like I said, I was with him long before he became King Kamiya. That has its own perks…and its own drawbacks.”

“Such as?” Daisuke’s voice was nonchalant, though the curiosity was palpable. Of course, he wasn’t the only one, and it showed as attention switched from the suddenly orderly layout of the housing from the unmitigated chaos that had been the previous rings.

Emmy chuckled a humorless laugh. “Well, I’m pretty much unrestricted anywhere I want to go. Of course, while they know the forms I take, they still test me for the mark King Kamiya left on my hand. Normal eyes can’t see it, but if there’s ever a time I don’t present my hand for the scanner, they’ll be far more wary of me. I imagine that the king will probably put a mark on you all, too. He’s never been the most…security minded person. Does a lot of risky things, if it only will affect him, but that mark is one of the few things he won’t budge on. The moment he found out I was a shapeshifter, he came up with all sorts of codes so he’d know it was me.”

Yolei tilted her head, confused. “Why? I mean, it’s not like there’s going to be much of a problem if he mixes you up with one of them, right?”

Hikari winced. “She’s referring to Dark Gennai.” Yolei instantly shut her mouth. 

“Oh…right. I forgot about him. I thought he would have disappeared or been caught by now.” 

Emmy shook her head. The houses were getting more sparse as they went, and soon, there were large gardens and orchards to take their place. There was even an expanse of flat, grassy ground that Hikari judged to be just about perfect for a soccer field. She giggled softly at the thought, drawing the attention of the others.

“Something funny Kari?” Yolei spoke up, hoping to change the topic from her forgetfulness.

Hikari smiled softly. “Not really, just…That field there looks just about right for Tai to kick a soccer ball around.”

Emmy laughed softly, giving Hikari a wink. “Oh, he says he’s discarded a lot of things as unneeded, and says soccer is one of them, but every now and then, I’ll catch him sneaking out to that patch of grass and just laying there under the stars after kicking a ball around.” 

She didn’t want to mention the time she joined him using Sora’s appearance…or what happened after they were both drained of energy. Especially since he fell asleep for a few hours and Emmy had taken advantage of his out of it state to convince him he was dreaming. 

Her slight blush was noticed, and Hikari narrowed her eyes. “Something wrong, Emmy?”

Enmeros nearly stumbled, which struck Hikari as odd, bringing the group to a stop as the digimon’s chatter ceased. Without the distractions, the digimon following them had fallen into their own discussions, not wanting to intrude on the humans discussion, but Veemon hadn’t been expecting the sudden stop, bouncing off of Ken’s legs. “Ow! Hey, why’d we stop?”

Gatomon promptly shushed him, covering his mouth as she looked up at her curious partner. Hikari didn’t speak, just watching Emmy as she hesitated, before speaking shyly. “He uh…he has a habit of taking off his shirt.”

That prompted a blush from Hikari as well as she mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like ‘Oh, yeah, forgot he did that.’ Hikari knew quite well how her brother’s upper body looked…as well as his abs, thighs, and everything in between. That thought brought a blush to her cheeks too, even if she felt Enmeros wasn’t telling the full story. 

The next twenty to thirty minutes passed in relative silence, making Hikari wonder why it seemed they passed through the residential area so quickly, while this area, while bigger, seemed like it shouldn’t take much longer, but she suspected it had something to do with some sort of digital wizardry.

However, the next checkpoint was a huge step up from before. 

The wall was shining white, marbled and patrolled with regular groups of digimon, and at the gates, a Meramon waited silently. At his back were two android digimon, who were humanoids cased in silver armor, and the only thing that Hikari could compare them to was Andromon…or Robocop from that movie she watched with Tai.

“Hey Helios. I’m back.” Emmy’s voice was cheerful, and Meramon cracked a fiery grin. 

“Came back before our king. And who are these fine people?” His voice rumbled, pleasant and affable as Enmeros offered her hand as the Meramon, Helios, held out a silver orb. As her hand lay on the orb, it glowed a soft purple as Helios smiled.

“Exactly who they look like. I know you’ve been to the Yagami temple, Helios.” Emmy was nearly audibly rolling her eyes as the walking humanoid fireball laughed. 

“I figured, but it’s my job to check. Go in, but be warned. Lillithmon is roaming about, and she and Ophanimon had a bit of a fight earlier.” 

Hikari raised an eyebrow in response to that. She didn’t know Lillithmon, but the name still pinged her memory for some reason. They passed through the gate, and she got her first proper look at the main castle rather than its outer fortifications. 

Unsurprisingly, it still looked like a fairytale castle for a prince to live in, but it seemed so much bigger up close. 

“You know, even as an emperor your house wasn’t this big, Ken.” Veemon mumbled, and was instantly whacked upside the head by Hawkmon. “Ow, it’s true!”

“I find it hard to believe that it actually hurt you, Veemon. You headbutt things when they threaten you.” Patamon chimed in with laughter in his voice. 

Ken cracked a smile. “Well, it is true. I could only manipulate what was already there. This was built from scratch if that vision was correct.”

That seemed to sober some of the group, though Ken was pulled into a blushing side hug by Yolei. The path was well lit, even as twilight approached, dying the sky a mix of beautiful orange and red. 

“Well, well, well…what have we here? Returning with guests, have we Enmeros?” The voice was sultry, on the verge of a laugh as shadows coalesced into a striking woman, dressed in a thin, almost teasingly thin purple robe, with what appeared to be a catsuit beneath it, black bat wings extending from her back. Her dark hair was silky as midnight, tied up in an ornate hairstyle that left her shoulders glowing pale and smooth.

Emmy rolled her eyes. “It wouldn’t be the first time, Lilithmon.” She grumped, looking slightly annoyed, but there was a conflicting smile on her face that was at odds with how she was acting. Lilithmon only laughed. 

“Perhaps, but it’s the first time you’ve brought humans to the castle. And look at that ! I see the the powers of fate at work here, given exactly who you have brought to see us.” She stepped forward, and Yolei’s eyes narrowed, stepping back as Ken did likewise. There was something… off about this digimon, but they couldn’t put their finger on it. Lilithmon smirked as Daisuke remained in place, even as she extended a single finger, placing the tip against Daisuke’s forehead and running it playfully down his face, from forehead to temple, cheek to chin as she raised it to get a better look. 

She clicked her tongue softly in such a human way that Hikari paused, unsure what this digimon was up to. She could tell Lilithmon was powerful; she had much the same sort of aura as Wargreymon, or even Omegamon, but she didn’t quite look as threatening as the pressure suggested.

“You’re not afraid of me, boy. Nor do you lust after me. How strange. Is my body not to your liking? Or perhaps, do you prefer someone more…furry?” Lilithmon seemed  slightly bemused as Davis didn’t even bat an eye, leaving her puzzled. “I could easily kill you right now. Just a twitch of my finger would be all it took.”

The second coming of Courage shrugged. “You could, but you won’t.”

The simple statement stymied the mega, and she blinked. She wasn’t the only one as Hikari gaped. Ken looked slightly proud, and Yolei raised an eyebrow as the digimon seemed to go into a nervous fit. It was clear they knew this digimon, or at least what she represented. 

“...curious. I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me that the one he chose would be so resilient.” The Demon Lord of Lust grinned suddenly, leaning in to whisper into Daisuke’s ear, her lips brushing his skin ever so slightly. “But I wonder. Has it infected you yet? The seed of resentment, the darkness that makes you question your friends? He had problems with that, too.”

Daisuke stepped back, blushing, but his face was not an expression she expected. It was a glare that met her eyes, lips twisted in a frown. “You don’t know anything about me, or about my friends, so don’t act like you do.”

Lilithmon laughed, loud and clear, a husky, sultry sound that made Takeru flush slightly. He could tell this digimon was evil, that she was up to no good; his entire being screamed it at him. But something also told him she could kill them at any time, before Patamon even had the chance to digivolve.

“Oh, I like you! Our King has that same fire, even if it burned him in the end. You’re right; it would be so silly to kill you. For one thing, My Lord would never forgive me. Second, well, it would be such a shame to kill a man like you. Not many can resist me so easily. You are a loyal one, and it happens that I respect that quite a lot.”

“Respect, since when has evil known what that is?” Takeru’s scathing comment was muttered under his breath, but Lilithmon heard it all the same, turning to look at the blond in the eye with a half lidded gaze.

“And here we have the child of Hope. Forever railing against the darkness, confusing it with evil.” Lilithmon’s smile faded as she stepped forward, and TK took a step back, hand wrapped around his Digivice as he resisted the urge to attack her. She didn’t give out the same vibe as Devimon, but there was a distinctly unsettling feeling surrounding her, and he was not comfortable with it. Especially given that he found his cheeks slightly flushed just looking at her. Yes, he’d gotten a bit of a reputation at his school as something of a ladies man, and yeah, he’s been on a good number of dates, but for some reason, there was a strange attraction welling up within him toward the avatar of lust. He shook his head at the thought. If Davis could resist it, so could he.

“Stay away from me!” His fingers tightened around his D3 hard enough he was surprised it didn’t crack, and he took another step back…and Enmeros stepped forward with a sigh. 

“Leave him alone, Lilithmon; you know that Ophanimon will be insufferable if you traumatize him.” Enmeros had the tone of a girl who was utterly done  with one of her friends' antics, and Lilithmon laughed, turning to her. 

“Oh, he’s already traumatized, Emmy, but if he doesn’t get over it at some point, it’ll only cause him pain down the line. Best start him healing sooner rather than later.” The way she spoke was whimsical, but Hikari couldn’t shake the feeling that this digimon was not what she appeared to be. No sooner did she have this thought did Lilithmon’s eyes fall to her, and for a moment, there was only shock in her eyes as their gazes met. “Oh. Now that is a surprise.”

Like a bullet, Takeru was between the two females, but Lilithmon didn’t bother with him, gesturing and stepping forward. His body moved against his will, sliding his feet over the ground as Lilithmon peered at the Hikari. Her eyes were searching, and Hikari felt the darkness within her stir. Lilithmon’s lips slowly curved into a smile as she leaned in closer, much like she had with Daisuke, and whispered into Hikari’s ear with a grin. “My Queen. Welcome to our ranks, and long may you Reign.”

“Unhand her, Impure One!” The voice that boomed from the sky was regal, shaking with barely suppressed rage as Lilithmon sighed, stepping back as an armored angelic figure slammed down into the place she once stood, spear impaled into the ground where her head may have been. 

“Ophanimon. So…good to see you.” Lilithmon greeted blandly. Her gaze was not focused on the female paragon of the Angels, though, instead flicking to Hikari. Ophanimon clearly wasn’t happy with that as her wings fully extended, blocking Hikari from sight. 

“Back off, Fallen. I will not allow you to taint our Chosen.” Ophanimon’s snarl was countered only with an unrestrained laugh from the Demon Lord of Lust. It sounded just as loud as Ophanimon’s angry laugh, echoing as Lilithmon expressed her mirth. 

“Oh, relax, you overzealous prude. I have no intention of threatening the tenuous peace between our factions.” Lilithmon’s chuckle was accompanied with a smirk that clearly implied she knew something Ophanimon did not. “I’ll leave you now, Enmeros. I expect to see you in the next meeting; we need a voice of reason while our King is away. Oh, that’s right! How are your attempts to create an Angelic line of succession with our king going?”

Ophanimon’s attack was sudden, and for a moment, Hikari thought the Angel had impaled the Demon Lord, but Lilithmon only laughed, dissolving into shadows. As she did, however, her voice rang out in Hikari’s mind, laughing and seductive.

Long may you reign, Queen of the Dark Ocean. If you require assistance in controlling your new power, seek me out. The Ocean will guide you to me. Until then, remember this: The first step to control is acknowledgement. To balance your darkness and light requires control. Find your greatest vice, and bend it to your bidding. Until then, the darkness will react only to your instincts.

With a mental whisper, Lilithmon was gone, and Ophanimon dislodged her spear from the path, glaring with barely repressed hostility where the dark digimon had vanished. “If our King did not demand cooperation with all factions, I would have smote her for her actions here today. Enjoy your reprieve, impure one, for the King will hear of this.” With a hiss of discontent, she turned to face Emmy and Hikari. “Chosen of Light, it is my great honor to welcome you to Castle Kamiya. Our King has long looked forward to seeing you again, but was not able to delay his departure.”

Hikari blinked. “Oh, Um. Nice to meet you?” She offered, feeling out of place. She’d never had a Mega treating her so respectfully, and it showed as Ophanimon laughed softly. 

“You may relax, Chosen of Light. Mind not the Fallen, they have long lost their way. That particular example, I fear, may never return to the Light.” Ophanimon sighed softly, then turned her attention to Enmeros. “I can guide them from here on if you have tasks yet to be done.”

Emmy shook her head. “None so pressing. I was investigating the movements of the Shadowmon when I stumbled across them, and I think King Kamiya will be more happy with their presence than extra paperwork and battle plans to look over when he returns.”

Ophanimon considered this, and nodded. “You speak the truth. I only wish you would perhaps address our King with more respect.”

Emmy laughed, and the human’s looked at her questioningly. “Ophanimon, I was with him long before he was King. It was hard enough getting used to calling him King Kamiya instead of Taichi Yagami.”

Ophanimon seemed to cringe at the informality. “You know we are not to address him by his True Name.”

Enmeros rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes, I know, his name is enshrined and thus is not to be spoken without just cause. You do know that people use his name to swear oaths now, right?”

Ophanimon’s sigh was audible. “I am aware of this, yes. Let us move past this long repeated discussion. Our guests are likely tired and hungry, are they not?”

As if reacting at the mention of food, Daisuke and Veemon’s stomach growled. The two had the decency to blush, and Daisuke smiled sheepishly. “Hey, we walked a lot, and got so distracted by the castle we forgot to stop to eat.”

Ophanimon gestured, and an Angewomon seemed to appear out of nowhere, sinking into a bow to Hikari, before turning to her superior. “What do you require, Holy one?”

Ophanimon indicated the group. “We have guests, please have rooms prepared for them and food prepared.”

The Angewomon nodded, giving Hikari another bow, then flying off to do as she was requested. Gatomon, however, seemed very perturbed. “Did you…are you using Angewomon as a maid?! ”

Both Ophanimon and Enmeros laughed. It was the latter that answered, lips curved in a grin. “Well…sort of. No one in the castle is a noncombatant, and well…how to put this…”

Ophanimon smiled. “Our King has shown to be more at ease around Angewomon, possibly because he connects them with you, Chosen of Light.”

Emmy’s grin turned to a smirk as she glanced over at Ophanimon. “And the fact that you’re trying to seduce him to the side of the Angels has no bearing on your choice to all but assign an Angewomon as his personal maid at all, right?”

The being present had the pleasure of seeing Ophanimon blush as she sputtered slightly. “I…We would never stoop to such…such vulgar means to secure his favor!”

“But should he develop such feelings for her, you would not stop her from being with him, even if it was a temporary union?” Emmy needled, much to Hikari’s surprise. Despite Ophanimon’s aura of holy light, it seemed even she was not immune to such things, and she and Enmeros seemed to be fairly good friends as Ophanimon tried to figure out how to answer without compromising her image as a holy angelic being.

“Well, should he desire to take her purity to create a child, that would of course be their choice, and I would not interfere as long as he did not force it upon her.” The Mega level angel finally answer, though her cheeks burned and Hikari suspected she was not meeting Emmy’s gaze.

It might have been funny, if the boy was anyone but her brother, but in this case, there was an itchy feeling in her chest. She didn’t have to speak, however, as Gatomon interjected in the conversation. 

“I don’t know if that’ll work. Hikari’s brother never really paid too much attention to me when I was Angewomon.” Gatomon inserted matter-of-factly. 

The shapeshifter turned her attention to the cat champion with a wan smile. “You would be right, King Kamiya prizes his bonds over appearance, but consider that until his ascension and life here, he had no interest in Digimon as a mate. Not in the same way he considered humans.”

Gatomon fell silent, before shooting her partner a glance. Hikari had paled slightly, as the realization struck her. He’d been here with only digimon for company, some which looked very human. Heck, Lilithmon alone would have been tempting to many males, boy or man. A glance at Takeru had her doing a double take. 

Takeru was blushing, though as soon as he caught Hikari looking at him, he paled. It was several seconds before she realized why. There had been a time or two that she’d caught him staring at Angewomon, and she almost laughed at the absurdity. 

To be fair, she didn’t hold it against him if he had been crushing on Angewomon; objectively, even she knew her partner’s natural ultimate form was quite attractive. A glance at said partner revealed her looking a bit pensive. Conflicted. It didn’t take much for her to understand that Gatomon was worried that Tai might take an interest in her, as she ticked more than a few boxes if he actually WAS into Digimon now, having lived among them for so long. 

She wouldn’t betray Hikari like that, but here, in the seat of his power, there was the certainty that if Tai were truly determined to have her, could she actually resist?

Hikari laughed inwardly. As if her brother would ever do something like that. Not in this universe, no way. The group talked among themselves, though Takeru had to deal with Daisuke’s needling of him with humor, commenting about how Takeru had retreated in the face of Lilithmon. 

He wasn’t trying to be mean, and Hikari knew it, but Takeru was taking it poorly. She finally had to tell Davis to stop, that it was making the child of Hope uncomfortable, and as she expected, he stopped instantly. What she didn’t expect was his apology.

Judging by the expression on TK’s face, he was just as shocked. 

Dinner was a short affair, with short conversations and chatter as they sampled the food Taichi likely ate every day, though Daisuke was a vacuum as usual. Ken only shook his head with a bemused smile as Yolei rolled her eyes. 

Nothing of note really happened until that night, as Hikari lay in the much too large bed. As it turned out, her brother had kept her in mind when he had created his castle. She knew it instantly, when led to her accommodations. 

Right next to his own room. 

The door was emblazoned with the Crest of Light, and there was a door connecting their rooms. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out, and she smiled to herself. He had no intention of staying separated from her, clearly. Her mind wandered as she considered the last few weeks and what it meant for her, but there were some very notable moments that stood out.

The first was obviously meeting Enmeros. Their guide, while mysterious, had led them safely through the much larger Digital World. 

The second was the encounter with the Dark Ocean’s previous ruler, and the consequences that followed. She’d never intended to become queen, but given her options, she didn’t regret it. Yet.

That particular train of thought made her pause. She knew that the Dark Ocean was powerful, but Lilithmon’s recognition had surprised her. She didn’t think her being queen of the dark sea would include dark digimon, let alone frigging DEMON LORDS. 

Especially Lilithmon's parting words, words only she heard. She already knew that darkness dwelled within her; she knew that particular fact rather well. The part that made her pause in confusion was what Lilithmon meant by ‘her greatest vice’. She had never been prone to any sorts of addictions or anything like that…

Oh, my silly Queen. Truly, while you have so much power, you will take a good while to learn.

“Lilithmon?” Hikari started, whispering out the name. She looked around, seeking out the buxom Demon of Lust.

I am not present in your room, Queen of Darkness. I am speaking to you through the connection between us, through the Dark Ocean.

“Okay, but what did you mean, ‘my greatest vice’?” She replied out loud, but as quietly as she could. She didn’t think she needed to worry, but she didn’t want to have to explain on the off chance someone WAS listening. 

Musical laughter greeted her as Lilithmon giggled. It wasn’t the low, husky and seductive sound she’d made earlier, but a full blown expression of mirth with no seductive intent. My dearest Queen, you are mistaken on what I mean by vice. Perhaps you are more familiar with the term…the seven deadly sins? Every human has certain…weaknesses…to certain vices. For instance, our King is most susceptible to Lust, Wrath, and Greed, in that order. But only in certain cases. He is only susceptible to lust when he is attached to the one provoking that vice. I detect much the same in you, My Queen.

Hikari turned red. Taichi? Weak to lust? She always thought he wouldn’t have such a vice, but as Lilithmon laughed, it was obvious she knew something. 

Oh, my inexperienced Queen, he would never show it if he did not love his target. I am the demon lord of Lust, trust me, I would know. You don’t know because he has never indulged. He struggles with keeping control in the presence of Enmeros, because she is so often in forms you find quite familiar, one of which is your own. 

Can you imagine him, My Queen? Hovering over you, pinning you down as he smiles. The way his hand trails down your cheek, then to your chest as he peppers your skin with his lips. The heat of his body against yours. The way he nibbles your neck, leaving marks. The way he whispers into your ear. 

Hikari could. All to well, in fact. As Lilithmon’s words rang in her mind, her breath shortened, a heat in her belly a testament to her imagination. She could imagine him, holding himself over her, eyes concerned yet wanting . Smile indulgent yet possessive. He wanted her, wanted all of her as he leaned down to nibble her ear, before moving down to her neck, passing to her collarbone. 

I love you, Hikari. He would whisper, nibbling her skin as his lips caressed her skin. Tonight is all about you. All about you, and how much I love you. The heat in her belly was growing. 

Tonight, he is all yours. At your beck and call. All for you, his beloved.

Yes. All for her. She would take all he had to offer. The heat in her belly traveled upward as his breath heated her skin, and his fingers trailed flames, dark and yet light. Taboo, yet pure. Love and lust. She embraced him, pulling him down for a kiss and burrowing her fingers into his hair, slipping the signature goggles off her brother’s head. They would lay on the bedside table for the rest of the night as she wrapped his waist with her legs. 

What do you desire from him, Hikari Yagami?

She smiled against his lips, tasting his favorite mint mouthwash as she greeted his tongue with hers, playfully exploring his mouth as he trembled above her. She knew he was afraid of hurting her, but she didn’t mind if he did. As long as she was his, and he was hers, she could bear some pain. “Taichi…” She would moan into his kiss, and when the kiss broke, he would be most displeased with her, but her words were important as she pulled him down, chest to chest so she could whisper into his ear. “Make a mess of me, oniichan. ”

Oooh, how daring~! And how would he respond, Hikari?

Taichi’s eyes darkened, much like hers. However, as he kissed her, Hikari didn’t realize her amber eyes had taken a red tint. Nor did she notice her brunette locks darkening to black. Their lips met yet again, crimson against Taichi’s soft pink. Passion spiked between them as with a feat of surprising strength, Hikari rolled them over, allowing her to take the top as Tai grinned up at her. Oh, so little Hikari wants to top?

Hikari only grinned down at him as she ran fingers over his bare chest, enjoying the feeling of warmth between her legs. She could feel him throbbing as she let out a soft giggle. “Oh, Taichi…this is the only way I can be sure I won’t be walking right tomorrow.”

Oh, wow, okay, this took a turn.

Taichi gaped up at her, but slowly his lips twisted into a smile as he grasped her hips. You really want this, huh? Okay then. If you insist~! She wasn’t expecting it, but apparently her Taichi wasn’t one to just give up control as he matched her strength, her dark locks falling over her back as he moved her. She gasped in shock, feeling him fill her, and she bit her lip. It…was rather large inside her as Tai looked at her with a gloating look. Something wrong, Hikari? You did ask for it.

Well, I think we both know which Vice is yours.

Hikari glared down with a playful pout, before rocking her hips. It was a double edged sword, moving in such a way as she let out a soft squeal. It was big, but when it moved, it felt even more intense. The way her brother’s face screwed up in surprised pleasure as he attempted to resist had heat flaring in her chest. “Oh, it’s a challenge now.” 

Um…My Queen, you can stop now.

Taichi never turned down a challenge, and gave her a heartstopping smirk, though it was undercut but his blush as the two looked at each other with a lustful grin, even if the love between them had started this. You’re on. The two words were the start of their battle, a battle with no weapons other than their bodies, and no armor other than skin and bedsheets.

My Queen?

Unfortunately, it looked like the older sibling was going to lose this battle, but it was a fight Hikari was very happy to win. He was growing erratic, desperate as she leaned down and whispered to him, faces inches apart. “I want a baby, Taichi. I want yours .”

Oh. Oh MY. My Queen, I think it’s time to wake up!

Hikari let out a whine of desperation as the dream state faded, even as she felt the phantom pleasure of Taichi climaxing inside her. “Nooooo…”

Sorry, My Queen. It was starting to get a bit…out of hand.

Hikari slammed her head back into the pillow as she growled. “I was so close! Why did you stop? I was right there on the edge!” She felt unnaturally annoyed at her dream being interrupted, and Lilithmon could feel it. 

Well, to be fair, it wouldn’t feel as good as the real thing. However, it turns out you and your brother have much the same three vices. Lust, greed, and wrath. Lust for him, greed for his love, and wrath for those who would harm him or wrong you. Get up and look into a mirror. Oh, and watch your step.

Hikari blinked, rolling onto her side and stepping out of bed. She promptly tripped as her foot stepped on her dress.

Wait, Dress? She looked down at a midnight black dress that looked like that gothic lolita dress that she once saw in a cosplay cafe she once passed. It was frilly, but not overly so, with red trim as she widened her eyes. That was not what she went to bed in. Hurrying to the bathroom, she gaped at her makeover. 

Long black hair fell over her shoulders, and deep red eyes stared back at her, the color of passion burning brightly. Her skin was a shade paler, fitting well with her ankle length dress. Her lips were a ruby color that reminded her of blood. “Lilithmon, what’s going on?”

Congratulations on your first transformation, My Queen, and I’d like to say I’m flattered. Normally, the hair color doesn’t change. What you’re looking at is your subconscious perception of yourself if you were dark. Not evil, as I doubt you’d ever be truly evil, but this is how you would expect a dark version of yourself to appear. 

“Is it…permanent?” There was no way she’d be able to explain this to her friends in the morning. Oh god, Takeru would have a heart attack!

However, as she watched, her dress began to flake away, dissolving into strips of darkness and vanishing. Her lips lightened, and her eyes returned to their normal amber. Her hair shortened, returning to the normal chocolate brown, and before long, she stood in her normal state.

As naked as the day she was born.

She gasped, rushing back to her room and dressing in the first outfit she pulled out. A tasteful white nightgown, it appeared. “What the hell was that?”

Your darkness form. As Queen of the Dark Ocean, that form will allow you to draw on much more of your power, but it will be fairly obvious when you do. That form is only when you need to drop all pretenses, and when you are comfortable with those around you knowing you can use the power of darkness. However, it does have a time limit. The more you stay in that form, the longer you will be able to use it. However, the heightened emotions will bleed into your normal form the more you get used to it. Even so, if you maintain control, the drawbacks can be minimized. 

Hikari frowned. “And how do I activate it?”

It should be much easier after the first time. Try to recall The feelings you felt, the desire in your heart, and try to channel the power of the Dark Ocean.

The nanascent Queen of Darkness inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as she tried to bring back that feeling. His lips on her neck, the way passion burned in his eyes, the feeling of his hands on her waist…

Little by little, she felt herself change, and once it started, the change snowballed. Her eyes were the first to change, gaining the red tint and darkening to red. Her lips were the next to change, though it was accompanied by her darkening hair. Lastly, the nightgown darkened, melting and reforming into the same gothic outfit she had before as her hair reached her mid back. As her eyes opened, she could feel the change that had occurred.

Very good. We’ll make a queen out of you yet. Well, a Queen of Darkness. I suspect that you may end up a queen anyway, eventually.

Before Hikari could ask what Lilithmon meant, there was a loud explosion and a bright light outside the window, shining through the curtains as Hikari dissolved her darkness form…and was naked once again. “Why?!” She yelped, but still hastened to the window, peeking out with the curtains covering her nakedness. Outside, she could see a dome like barrier lighting up as something hit it as lights beamed up at the attackers.

Shadowmon. They were under attack.

Chapter Text

Takeru considered himself a reasonable, sane person. Not prone to fits of incomprehensible impulse, not deeply fixed into a set of rules, and not overtaken by sudden moments of possessive rage and/or jealousy. Well adjusted and not at all crazy. Yet, for all that, there was a strange feeling of distaste at the fact that Lilithmon had affected him at all.

He’d spent dinner eating without tasting anything, and while he was pretty sure he’d eaten spaghetti, he wasn’t certain, and there was a slight moment when he wondered if or how Digimon knew how to make spaghetti. It wasn’t important in the long scheme of things, but it did make him realize how out of it he was.

There was something WRONG with that digimon. He could feel it. As sure as he was of his crest, he knew that digimon could not be trusted. He’d seen the way she looked at Hikari; and it sent a deep, yawning cold to the pit of his stomach. She had plans, and he knew that if he brought it up, he’d probably be told he was being silly. 

Lilithmon had instantly gone for Daisuke, as if attempting to influence him; and the ostensibly chosen leader hadn’t reacted in the slightest. Takeru found that to be…concerning. After all, Daisuke hadn’t ever really been the most…reserved of people. This whole day had been odd, and if Takeru was honest, he half expected to wake up tomorrow back home in bed. This whole thing being a dream made way more sense than meeting a shapeshifter who took the forms of Hikari, Yamato, and even Sora to comfort the guy who vanished.

It wasn’t that he had anything against Taichi, but given how the LAST shapeshifter they’d met was evil Gennai and what he’d done was reprehensible, you’d think that he’d know better. He wanted to trust Enmeros, and had. She’d led them where she said she would, as far as he could tell, but meeting Lilithmon, a digimon that made his instincts scream warnings had made him question everything.

It was only vaguely comforting that Ophanimon and the other Angel Types were about, and he was relieved to see that Ophanimon barely seemed to tolerate the evil digimon’s presence, else he might think this to be an elaborate trap.

As he lay on his back on the large, Hope themed bed (Taichi apparently made a room  for everyone, and it was only slightly concerning to him that Hikari’s room was right next to Taichi’s), he put a hand on his forehead as he sighed to himself. Patamon, on the other hand, was peacefully snoozing on his pillow, having inhaled a frankly shocking amount of pasta. He reached out, petting the Pataloaf with a gentle touch, an action that was a holdover from his younger days. It calmed him, reminding him that if it came down to it, he had a powerful partner who would trust and believe him, to the point of fighting…and while he hoped against it, dying for his beliefs. That said, don’t do that again, Patamon, once was enough.   

Why couldn’t the Digital World and everything else about it just be simple? He missed the old days; find the evil digimon, kick its ass, be done with it. A very Taichi way of doing things, but it worked. 

Rolling onto his side, he inhaled, looking out the large window out to the balcony. All of the Chosen’s rooms had one, for reasons unknown, but he wasn’t complaining about the huge window giving him a view of the night sky. 

His thoughts went back to Lilithmon, and he groaned. Fuck. It wasn’t bad enough that he was dismissed so easily by her, but some part of him wanted her to react to him. Positively, negatively, she’d simply dismissed him like he was…nothing. Unimportant. She’d gone from Daisuke to Hikari so easily, and when he’d tried to stand in the way, she’d brushed him off, almost literally. 

He felt the way his shoes had drug over the floor, as if she were pushing him telekinetically, unwilling to even touch him. It was infuriating, to be ignored so thoroughly. Her only remark had been about him, not even to him. It bothered him, and he couldn’t place exactly why. He considered getting up and going to talk to Hikari; the day had enough surprises and weirdness that he honestly thought there was plenty to talk about, even without bringing up…Taichi.

That had been a shock, he wasn’t going to lie. But he also was trying not to have the knee jerk reaction of getting upset or disgusted. She was his friend, and he doubted she came to that choice lightly or even easily. 

Also, he really wished he didn’t keep thinking about how well endowed Lilithmon was. For the love of all that was holy, that digimon deserved her name. He never envied Daisuke, and he wouldn’t start now, even if he’d gotten touched by Lust Incarnate. 

Closing his eyes, he willed any…physical reactions down. Nope. Nope. We’re done with this topic, brain. 

Lust is not as creative as its discovery.

The whisper made him bolt upright, sitting up, wide eyes scanning his room. The voice. Hikari’s voice. It sounded like her voice, but…not the words. He knew he was alone in his room. He was…fairly certain, but why was he imagining such a statement in Hikari’s voice? 

He was shaken by his musings as something outside rumbled, and a loud  explosion filled the air. Jumping off the bed, he ran to the window in a few, short strides. Outside, the sky lit up, not by the sun, but by arcs of something hitting an invisible dome and sliding off it as the darkness outside seemed to grow deeper. The air lit up, with what appeared to be giant, hanging orbs of light, casting light over the walls and the houses and fields below. From this vantage point, Takeru could see something he hadn’t been able to see before even as he walked through it.

Castle Kamiya, and the surrounding area protected by it…was absolutely MASSIVE. And yet…on the horizon, something colossal loomed. It was a shadow of sorts, tall, bipedal, but it was just that, a shadow. Takeru watched it lift a fist, and bring it down on the barrier, and the barrier crackled, lighting up into an opaque, yet bright sparkle of power. A second fist slammed into the dome, and it lit up again.

He’d seen the shadowmon. Most of them were some level of freaky, but this? This was the sort of thing that caused megalophobia. The thing towered over the walls, and as it put its full weight on the barrier, it shuddered. The shadow, that is. It convulsed, and its back exploded in shadowy mist as dozens of tendrils impacted the shield, snaking over it and putting pressure on it as it searched for a weak spot. He threw open his balcony door, stumbling out into the open air and against the railing. Hikari was already out on her balcony as well, and a ways down, he could see that Daisuke was also out.

He felt a little better, maybe a little smug, that he was closer to Hikari’s room than Daisuke; perhaps Taichi trusted Daisuke a little less than was portrayed, but he crushed down the feeling and thought. Honestly, ever since their little foray into the Dark Ocean, he’d been having weird thoughts. Just another reason to avoid it, and the Lillithmon. Dismissing the sudden attack of pride, he glanced to the other balcony. Yolei and Ken were on the same balcony as Daisuke, an observation that was a little odd, but he didn’t question it too much as another loud crackle of power filled the air like a high pitched and protesting whine. 

“What…IS that?” He heard Yolei’s question, full of uncertainty and more than a little fear as she gripped the railing. 

“One of our more troublesome attackers. There aren’t many of that size, but they are always a problem.” The voice caught them by surprise as Ophanimon floated down from somewhere above them. She offered them a wan smile, before turning her gaze to the colossal shadow, her eyes narrowed. Her lips parted, and when she spoke again, her voice vibrated the air, loud, authoritative, and factual. 

“Mega Level Shadowmon attacking the East Side Barrier. Defensive grids enabled; Outer ring, please remain calm.”

“Castle AI online, preparing defense. Warning, Multiple threats approaching the West Side barrier, North Side barrier, South Side barrier.. Multiple Mega Level Shadowmon detected, escalating threat response.” The voice was cold, detached, and did not hesitate, though Takeru could not tell where it came from. It wasn’t Ophanimon’s, nor did he know the voice, only that it seemed to come from the walls of the castle itself.

From multiple points in the rings, on the walls, and even some in the more wide open areas, tall towers rose from the ground, looking far more like futuristic cannons than anything Takeru had seen in most of the digital world. With a low hum that droned in the background, they powered up, and unleashed long beams of golden light, slicing through shadows and leaving thick lines of angry red that seemed to scab over with black mist on the massive black being trying to break into the barrier. 

“While the cat’s away, the mice will play.” The low, amused voice startled Takeru, and he looked over to see Lilithmon had joined Hikari on her balcony, and had a hand on her shoulder. The idle intimacy of the touch sent a burning fire into Takeru’s belly, and he felt his lips twist into a snarl, but he was spared from having to say anything as Ophanimon’s gaze turned back toward the voice, and upon spotting the unwanted touching of Hikari’s person, Ophanimon gave the absolute loudest glare of silent disapproval and imminent violence that Takeru had ever seen.

Ophanimon didn’t need to say a word; the look and the disgust in the glare was enough for the point to be clear as Lilithmon sighed a most put upon sigh and removed her hand. Hikari, weirdly enough, didn’t seem to mind it, her eyes scanning the massive creature, then looking to the side, where another one approached the castle. “They waited for Taichi to leave. But why not as soon as he left?” Hikari’s voice was quiet, yet Takeru heard the question in it.

Waiting for Taichi to be away, sure. But was it just coincidence that they were attacked when all of the second group were in the castle, or was it planned? And if so, how did they know that they were all there?

A low rumble shook the air again, but this time, it was different. Not the rumble of impact, but an almost gravelly sound…the sort made by amusement. Something large was laughing. As one, each of the creatures lifted a hand, balled into a fist, and as one, they all brought it down, making the barrier crackle and flare. 

“The cannons aren’t enough to repel them, it seems.” Lilithmon’s remark was almost conversational, and Takeru stiffened, before turning his gaze to the now awake, if still slightly befuddled Patamon waking up on his pillow. He reached into his pocket, feeling his D3 as he tried to decide if he should offer. He knew the others were as well; Daisuke already had his out and he could see Veemon looking through the railing bars. 

“Looks like it might be time for us to step up.” Daisuke’s voice was firm, though there was a hint of excitement. So much like Taichi. So ready to fight, balls to the wall, so ready to go in swinging- Takeru blinked. What had that been? He shook his head, looking up at the shadowmon sprawled over the barrier. Red. There were little pinpricks of red in it. “What…are those? Are those…eyes?”

Hikari turned to look at him. “Eyes? What do you mean?”

Takeru gestured up, looking at the little red dots that seemed to be growing. Larger. More noticeable. He could make out little black dots now, pupils it seemed, and something stirred in his chest, a deep seated horror, a terror that wailed in his mind. He could feel his body going cold, and his fingers trembled. He couldn’t look away.

The red dots were bigger now, the eyes growing. They weren’t getting closer; he could tell that somehow, but the eyes. They were getting larger. They were staring at him. They were looking deep within him, and picking him apart. His jaw was locked, and there was a ringing in his ears. It was a high pitched whine, and a pulsing sound seemed to vibrate through him. Like his veins were pumping black sludge through his body instead of blood. His body was shaking, but he’d made eye contact, he couldn’t look away, couldn’t move, couldn’t scream-

Then, as if his body operated without his say so, maybe autonomous functions finally kicking in...he blinked. The giant eyes were gone, and all the others were looking at him, Hikari with her face displaying open concern. 

“Takeru? You okay?” Patamon’s voice was perched on his shoulder, and without his voice, he wouldn’t have even known his digimon partner was there. The weight wasn’t even registering. “I don’t see any eyes, TK.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not…I’m not sure what that was all about.” He heard himself mumble, then there was the sound of crackling lightning as the entire barrier flashed. “I thought…I thought I saw…something.”

Hikari was looking at him, an unreadable expression on her face. Part worry, part…something else. For a moment, he thought her eyes had a reddish tint to them, but when he blinked, they were back to their warm, gentle brown. 

“Firepower is insufficient; upgrading threat level. The Titanfall Approval is in effect, authorizing use of Secondary power pool. A message from the Lord of the Castle: Happy hunting, make sure you come back alive.”

The voice from the castle was loud, sounding through the air in the same way that Ophanimon’s had, moments earlier. Lilithmon’s laugh, a peal of amusement, might have been worrying to Takeru if he wasn’t still shaking off the effects of…whatever that had been earlier. “Well, it seems that our King is going to miss the first time that we get to use these.” 

Ophanimon didn’t respond, drawing out a badge. It was blue, but shaped like a crown. Without a word, she slapped it onto her chest, where it seemed to melt into her armor. Takeru blinked as warmth washed over him, chasing away the shivers as she went rigid. Her wings fluttered slightly, shaking as white light seemed to burn within her chest. Over the land before them, similar lights were flickering into sight, growing brighter as the air hummed. 

The oppressive darkness seemed to recoil slightly, as light born of dozens, maybe hundreds of digimon activated similar badges, but Takeru’s eyes were fixed on the angel digimon as she shot up into the air, her wings curling around her as light balls began to orbit her like planets around a sun. Each light grew brighter, and Takeru couldn’t tear his eyes away for a different reason. 

Then, Ophanimon went supernova. The balls exploded away from her, as well as her armor, dissolving into motes of green code. Her hair fell free, and her body was a mass of white light as her hair flowed freely. She wasn’t wearing armor, but the light cloaked her better than it ever had. She lifted her hand, and a mass of light behind her formed, a halo of light that shaped itself into a sword. “By my decree, Fall!” The sword moved, not slowly, but not quickly. It was inevitable, and it would hit the target, no matter how it ran, no matter how it protected itself. The blade of light slid through the barrier chasing away the darkness and splitting shadow, and Takeru covered his ears as a piercing cry of rage shook the dome shield. 

“What…” Hikari managed to whisper. 

“These badges are your brother’s work.” Lilithmon’s voice managed to reach Takeru’s ear, and he tore his gaze away from Ophanimon, who was forming three more blades of light. He looked over to see Lilithmon smirking down at Hikari, before her eyes flicked back up at the angel Digimon. “This castle is so much more than just his home, it is a power source. Those living in it power it, the dome, the defenses, and him. There are several such castles, each one feeding him extra power over long distances and protecting both within by absorbing ambient data and energy given off by those in or around it. And these badges...well, they allow us to tap into that pool of data and energy, making even the weakest digimon capable of never tiring, never waning, and never falling as long as there is energy to draw on.”

Takeru was glad for the explanation, almost asking for more information…until Lilithmon drew forth her own crown badge. Before his horrified eyes, she pressed it against her middle, a little lower than he dared to look, and she closed her eyes, arms extended to her side with palms up. 

WHY. Why would you give that to an evil digimon, Taichi?!

The thought screamed through his mind, and Lilithmon’s lips twitched. “It’s such a…fascinating feeling~!” Lilithmon purred, her body shivering as shadows crawled over her body, swallowing her in darkness as she lost her form. The mass of black grew taller, and Takeru managed to stumble toward the side of his balcony.

“Hikari! Get away from there!” He wasn’t sure what he thought would happen, that the darkness would swallow Hikari, or maybe she’d be pushed away, or…she was just…standing there.

She was watching the dark blob turn into a ball, levitating over the balcony as Lilithmon’s throaty laugh grew louder. She wasn’t even…looking at him. He reached the rail, unsure what he would do, but he didn’t have to do anything. He saw it. For the briefest moment, her eyes met his, and he was so sure that the next thing he would see was the darkness absorbing her, dragging her into the ball.

It didn’t happen. 

She turned her eyes back to the ball, and Takeru felt a deep uncertainty. She’d been strange, stranger than normal since the Dark Ocean. Had she been…posessed, or corrupted in some way? 

The ball of darkness rose into the sky, and it exploded in dark purple light, revealing Lilithmon cloaked in shadows, much as Ophanimon was in light. But, where she had pressed the badge, a red outline of a crown glowed red. Takeru wasn’t an innocent child anymore, he’d…seen things online, so he felt, in hindsight, that being…a little shocked that Lilithmon had given herself some sort of…well, womb tattoo was perfectly natural. 

At the same time, a part of him was a little…weird at the idea that something supposedly given to her by Taichi was pushed there, and leaving a mark. What was that supposed to mean? 

Something else to note was that Lilithmon had more than tripled in size. Not just in…non-polite ways, but overall. She lifted her hand, and from her back sprouted eight black bat wings. Her lips curved into a smirk, a seductive smile that might have done things to him if she were looking at him, and her words whispered in the wind. A sultry, playful sound. “You’re playing a little rough there. Don’t worry, I can play rough too.” A single, long finger pointing at the closest titanic Shadowmon, and then…it’s head was gone. 

Her wrist twisted, and she beckoned with that same finger, and this time, the shadow was bisected. Lengthwise. It fell apart, and seemed to turn into thousands of smaller shadowmon. 

“Okay, I gotta say that’s actually pretty badass. These two could probably defend this entire castle alone.” Daisuke’s voice roused him from his stupified spectating, and he turned back to Hikari, and past her where Daisuke, Ken, and Miyako were. “Do they even need our help?”

Hikari answered him, though there was almost a tinge of amusement there. “I don’t think so, because it seems that more than just those two have those badges.” 

“You’re not wrong.” The voice of his brother came from behind him, and Takeru turned with a start, wide eyed as Patamon nearly fell off his shoulder. It took him a second to realize that this was Enmeros, not his brother, which left him feeling both annoyed and a little self conscious as Emmy strode to the railing, looking out as what appeared to be Meramon riding a flaming horse galloped through the sky, hurling giant fireballs at the mass of wriggling black outside the barrier walls. 

By this time, Ophanimon wasn’t launching giant swords anymore, the massive Shadowmon seemingly cut down and breaking into thousands of tiny black shadowmon in the distance. She’d changed to carpet bombing them with hundreds of tiny, exploding balls of light like a machine gun with infinite ammo. 

“This isn’t as unusual as you think, being attacked. Sad part is, if you were to walk the streets in most of the inner rings, none of the digimon there are all that worried. Yeah, the big ones are scary, most of the time we only see maybe one or two of those, but concentrated fire usually is enough. Don’t usually get four of them. The barrier keeps them out pretty well; only reason we upped the threat level is because there were four. Outer rings might be a bit tense, but that’s where most of our stronger guards are. Well, aside from Helios. ChevalierMeramon is pretty good at bombing runs. Ophanimon usually isn’t actively defending like this.” Emmy, in Yamato’s form, turned his gaze to Takeru, reaching out to ruffle his hair. It was both comforting, and very much NOT when the younger blond considered this was just a shapeshifter, prompting him to step back belatedly. Emmy offered him a slightly sad smile, but said nothing about it as she stepped onto the balcony. 

“Sorry your sleep was interrupted; we didn’t think he’d pull something like this so suddenly. We were expecting an attack right after Taichi left, but…nothing until now.”

There’s a traitor among us.

The thought was in his head, but for the life of him, Takeru didn’t know where it came from. It was possible, sure, but he hadn’t consciously thought about it. For a moment, he worried that it wasn’t Hikari that had been affected by the Dark Ocean, but rather, him. He crushed that thought down ruthlessly, refusing to believe that he would be infected by the Dark Ocean’s insidious influence. The light of Hope wouldn’t fall so easily. 

Breathing deep, Takeru pushed the thought from his mind. Innocent until proven guilty. His friends could be trusted, though he’d be keeping an eye on Hikari, especially with Lilithmon hanging about. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Hikari, but that he didn’t trust Lilithmon. And Hikari was so often a target for darkness that he had always considered it his job to watch over her. Much as Taichi might dislike it.

Of course, with the reveal of Hikari’s feelings, that made things awkward, but time would help him get over it. Probably.

Emmy, still blond and very much taken by the view outside, was spectating the flashes of light and darkness that writhed outside. For a moment, Takeru’s vision blurred. Emmy didn’t look the same. Taller, red hair. Dark satin dress. She didn’t look like the scarred form she’d had when her powers broke before. 

His head throbbed, and he felt a similar feeling to earlier, but less…malevolent. But with it, he felt it. The familiar warmth on his chest, where once his Crest hung in its necklace. He trusted his eyes, but he trusted his crest more. The heat, the light, and the feelings chased away the darkness, even as Emmy’s form shimmered, from his brother’s form, to…whatever this was. 

Butterfly…from cocoon. Butterfly, confined in ice…

The words shimmered, the dome seeming to freeze over, snowflakes fluttering down. He could see the jagged ice shards making up the dome, and a cold buffeted his skin, kept at bay from the warmth in his chest.

Sail away, ship of fate, curtains raised, staging their follies!

Suddenly, he wasn’t in his body anymore. He wasn’t really sure WHERE he was. He was looking over a similar battlefield, digimon and shadowmon clashing over a ruined landscape. In the distance, something massive, shadowy and monstrous looked. It towered over the lands, and Takeru felt a chill down his spine that had nothing to do with cold. It was…huge. Mind breakingly massive. To the point that the idea that he could crack the planet in half with a swing of his fist wasn’t farfetched. It blotted out the sky, but as he turned his gaze down, unable to look at the thing, he could spot several places that seemed to draw his eyes. 

Near the front, a white haired woman(?) danced, a large crystalline scythe in her hands, twirling and cutting down any shadowmon who came near, and with a single gesture, a field of ice formed, freezing, shattering, and slicing whatever was unlucky enough to set foot in her domain. 

Elsewhere, a familiar looking redhead in black armor was wielding a living shadow like a whip, slashing through shadows that approached with finesse that was clearly practiced. She controlled shadows, he realized, fluttering in an out of proper sight as she traveled place to place using the same shadows that made up the Shadowmon. Was she fighting on the wrong side?

Your flame, set the world on fire, there’s no way back, take the Throne back from Firmament! The Flame, frozen in long night, never see the light, can you hear the mourning song tonight?

The song, the words, in his mind, seem to divide in two. He heard one thing, but understood another. Seize the throne of the blue sky? The elegy? He shuddered, and a loud voice, a familiar one, shouted to fire. Turning his gaze back, he saw…Taichi? But not? He was holding a sword, pointing to the dark horizon where the Thing was. That horrific Thing. A whine of power, then three beams of blinding light were fired from what appeared to be cannons. Were those…humans manning it?

Taichi. And his brother? What was he seeing? The world seemed to be cracking, space itself screaming. Those cannons were wrong. Something about them made him shudder. The THING over there was monstrous, but those cannons were...something about them made him want to look away from them. What had they built? What had they created? What insanity, what horrors had they made to combat another horror?

A cry from the front drew his attention, and the woman with the scythe was reaching skyward. She…appeared to be wearing a shrine maiden outfit? Something in the sky was glowing white, and he looked up to see a frozen moon in the sky, coming down with an inexorable glow. What Majora’s Mask bullshit was this?!

Yet, as it slammed into earth, or whatever this place was, it left no mark, though it crushed any shadowmon it hit. Had he been the type, maybe he might have thought more of a certain other silver haired character, pulling down a meteor, but he was more concerned with the Thing that took the reality cracking beams as if they were shots from a water pistol. Once more, those cannons fired, and the Thing reached out a hand, or what appeared to be such. A tendril of darkness raced over the ground, shattering anything in its path, heading toward the cannons, before rearing up in a huge black mass. It was aiming to crush the cannons! 

But another mass of darkness rose to meet it. The dark armored redhead was there, a hand raised as a thinner, but no less dark tentacle rose from the ground, swatting away the attacking mass. It was enough to divert it to save two of the cannons, though the third wasn’t so lucky. 

There was shouting, Taichi’s voice, something about the front lines stalling, before the Taichi look alike turned to a man who looked strikingly similar to his brother. The man nodded, and drew something from his pocket, He said something Takeru couldn’t quite make out, though he could swear he heard something about a commander on the front. 

Cold once more took over the battlefield, but unlike the cold from before, there was something…tranquil about it. He turned his gaze back to the front, where that same silver haired woman was now floating. Frost spread, forming a sheet of ice that would have been impressive even to MetalGarurumon. It spread, but Takeru’s was staring at the woman’s scythe, raised over her head as the blade thickened, growing wider, taller, longer. It was dozens of times her own size, then hundreds. It began to spin, slowly at first, slicing through earth and air with the same ease before being launched like a spinning buzz saw toward the Thing.

It left behind it a cold chill,  a trail of ice and death marked by frozen statues that were once shadows, which cracked and crumbled to ice chips before it, unexpectedly, lodged into the shadowy flesh of the Thing, leaving it embedded as the area froze into dark ice, spreading slowly. 

The fight continued.

But Takeru would not get to see it. Not like this.

He found himself back in his own body, jolted awake as Emmy lightly smacked his cheek. “Hey, are you okay there? Takeru? Talk to me, you’re starting to scare Hikari.” He blinked, a laborious effort that seemed to bring back his bodily functions as he looked at the body that belonged to his brother, but was really just a shapeshifter that was borrowing the form. 

“I’m fine! I’m just…tired.” He could tell that Emmy didn’t buy it, but she(he?) didn’t press it. A hand on his shoulder made him jolt as he turned his head, spotting Hikari’s concerned eyes. “Really, Hikari, I’m okay.” She was staring at him with an unreadable gaze, before she flicked her eyes to look outside the balcony. Looking out, he could see that the battle was still happening, but it seemed muted…and maybe less fierce? Maybe it was wrapping up.

Or maybe, what he’d seen made this seem like child’s play. What he’d seen had a feeling of dire consequence. It was two forces, backed into a corner and bringing everything they had to bear. A final battle. This was a fortress under siege, but on a level that suggested more ‘it would be nice to have this’ rather than ‘spare no expense, we take this or we die’.

“Takeru?” Hikari’s voice jolted him once more. “Are you sure you’re okay? You can talk to me, you know that, right?” Her voice made him swallow. Once upon a time, he’d told her the same about the Dark Ocean. His eyes turned back to Emmy, who sighed, giving a slight smile. 

“I’ll leave the two of you alone. May go talk to the others, might be shaken too.” Emmy in Yamato’s guise stood up (When had she knelt down? Come to think of it, why…and when had he collapsed to his knees?) She met Hikari’s eyes with a nod, before striding back into the castle, and out of Takeru’s room. 

Takeru stumbled to his own feet, and Hikari helped him regain his balance, wordless as she supported him in getting up. He made his way back inside, followed by Hikari as she closed the balcony door behind them. The outside noise seemed strangely muted as he sat on his bed, the same one that seemed so large and ostentatious before. As he did, an unusually quiet Patamon settled on his lap, staring up at him with big, expressive eyes. The concern was wordless, but appreciated all the same as his hands began to pet the angel potato. He felt, more than saw, Hikari sit on the bed next to him. 

She didn’t say a word, simply waiting for him to speak, and he felt his heart swell with love for the girl. It was only a little dimmed when the thought occurred that maybe this was part of the same reason Taichi found her so hard to resist, but truthfully, he didn’t want to think about that now. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders in a comforting hug, and he shuddered. 

He wasn’t a crybaby anymore. He was a strong, manly man who didn’t get shaken up by anything! But her embrace was warm, and he could smell her scent, her gentle fragrance that had always been uniquely Hikari. He didn’t want to admit it, but the day had shaken him, and he didn’t want to burden Hikari with whatever stupid thoughts were going through his head-

“You know, I never did talk about the Dark Ocean with you.” Her voice was conversational, and he froze for a moment, turning to look at her. She wasn’t looking at him, but rather, outside the window where the barrier still flashed on occasion. Yet he could tell, she wasn’t actually seeing the battle, only her own thoughts. “I trust you to keep this to yourself, Takeru, because you’re my friend, and one of my best friends. But the Dark Ocean…it didn’t scare me because of what it held.”

She turned her gaze back to him, and gave him a wan smile. “What scared me most about it was that it knew, somehow, exactly what I wanted, and offered it to me. It was scary, seeing Dagomon. The Scubamon weren’t exactly my favorite either. But it knew things about me, knew things I denied even to myself, and it…it just…told me. What it could and would do for me if I gave in. That’s why it terrified me. Not because it wanted to trap me, but because…for a while, I almost wanted to be trapped.”

Takeru looked down at his hands, a wry smile on his lips. “Yeah. Yeah, I can see how that might...make things weird. When we were there, I could…I could just…feel the darkness. The powerlessness. Like it was where hope went to die. It felt like watching Patamon…watching Angemon die, sacrificing himself to kill Devimon. It felt like fear. Like a vast, bottomless mass of darkness that nothing can fight, nothing COULD fight.”

Hikari’s fingers squeezed his shoulders. “But it’s not that, Takeru. It’s not evil. To be honest, I don’t know WHAT it is. I’ll probably learn someday, but for now, I have to accept that it is what it is, and while it scares me, it's still nothing compared to what I saw in the sky before we came here.”

The blond stiffened, his hand freezing mid pet of Patamon, who squirmed a little in annoyance. He knew his partner allowed this because it was calming, but as Patamon looked up at him, he resumed his strokes, not really seeing Patamon. “I probably just imagined it.”

“I don’t think you did, Takeru.”

The simple statement seemed to crack something in Takeru, and he began to tremble. “They were looking at me, Hikari. And I couldn’t move, couldn’t cry out, couldn’t…” He but his trembling lip, tears welling up in his eyes as he inwardly kicked himself for being so weak. How could he cry like a little child in front of the girl he’d been in love with?

He wasn’t sure what he expected, but Hikari pulling him against her in a hug wasn’t expected, but it was appreciated. He could feel his body trembling as she patted his back, Patamon’s squirming to escape not really noticed by either of them. The poor digimon managed to get free, looking at the two of them with blinking, maybe confused eyes, before settling on the pillow to watch them. 

“I believe you, Takeru. And if anyone knows what it’s like to be looked at by that…thing in the sky, it would be me. Or, well, maybe Taichi, but me for sure.” She gave a soft, slightly amused laugh as she felt Takeru wordlessly cry. “I felt like an ant under a microscope. It could have killed me. I felt it in every fiber of my being, that just looking at me could have killed my mind. I just…wanted it to stop looking at me.”

She understood, Takeru realized, with wordless horror. She understood, knew what it felt like, and it was both the most relieving and simultaneously enraging thing he ever thought. “I’m sorry.” He managed to get out, and he heard her giggle softly.

“I’m sorry too. I at least had others around me. But I don’t think anyone else saw what you did. But I believe that you saw it, same as me. The thing in the sky. Emmy says that the thing shouldn’t be able to see in the castle, but I think that he can see through his minions, if they can get in.” She patted his back, pulling back from the hug to look him in the eye, eyes that were red and still so expressive.

“I feel like I should have handled it better.” He confessed. “I’m just a little bit…mad at myself. I’ve never been the jealous type, but I feel like certain others would have handled it so much better.”

Hikari’s lips twitched. “You’ve got jealousy, Takeru, but that’s not a bad thing. Everyone feels it sometimes. Envy. If you’re talking about Daisuke, well...I mean, he’s Taichi’s successor. So, he’s either completely fearless to the point of foolish, or he’s just dumb enough to not realize that he’s in danger.” They both laughed softly at that, and Hikari reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder. “But that’s the problem, Takeru. You know I love my brother, but even I know that he has his flaws.”

His smile, small as it was, fell from his face, but Hikari wasn’t finished. “We’re all flawed in some way. Don’t think that you’ve failed. No one is perfect. I know part of the reason that Taichi was a good leader was because Sora and your brother kept him in check. Oniichan liked to joke that between the three of them, they made up two fully functional adults. But that’s why it’s a team effort.”

Takeru frowned, looking uncertain. “Two? I feel like someone’s being underestimated.”

Hikari’s reply came with a soft smile, and Takeru could tell she knew that was coming. “Taichi is a lot more emo when it comes to Sora and Yamato than is always obvious.”

That almost made the blond flinch, and Hikari leaned in, pressing her lips against his cheek, something that made his cheeks warm even if he hated himself for it. “Kinda giving me mixed signals here, Hikari.” He managed to mumble out.

To her credit, the youngest Yagami had the decency to look embarrassed. “Sorry. Not trying to. But I know it bothered you too, and I appreciate the thought for my brother. I think that I’m just…relieved that you don’t hate me. I was so worried that you’d think I was disgusting, or something. Especially since…the Dark Ocean was trying to use my brother to tempt me.” 

The last sentence hung in the air, accusing, and Takeru had a moment where he could only hang with it, trying to figure it out. “I’m not…disgusted by you.” He muttered quietly. “Maybe a little disappointed and uncomfortable. And maybe…honestly, disappointed. But I’m not…dusgusted by you. I don’t particularly LIKE that you like Taichi that way, and yes, it makes me a little…angry, maybe uncomfortable, but I don’t hate you for it.”

Hikari’s lips parted, but Takeru cut her off. “I’m going to be honest that it’ll take a while for me to get used to, like I said, but thats for me to adapt to. But, if I can be honest…I’m a bit more..worried about you, and the Dark Ocean. I know that it probably tries to tempt you, but…it feels evil to me, and I worry that you might..I don’t know, give into its promises.”

The laugh that came from Hikari was almost amused, but mostly humorless in that way that he’s heard from people who only laugh because they’d cry otherwise. “Well, I can’t say that it’s not…tempting. But I’ll keep handling it in my own way; I’m not...I’m not going to just let it do whatever it wants with me.” Something about the phrasing bothered him, but he didn’t want to be too nosy. He knew she was telling him these things to make him feel comfortable, a way to share burdens.

He appreciated it all the same. He fell silent, the companionship in the room gentle and patient. “I think I was seeing things, after… And I’ve been having weird thoughts. Like, they sound like me, but I don’t…think them. Not consciously. It’s bothering me. And Lilithmon. She seems too interested in you.”

Hikari’s expression froze, and she pressed her lips together, something flashing in her gaze. “Yeah. Yeah, I know. But Ophanimon won’t let her do anything too weird, I think. And even if she tried, Gatomon will stop her.” 

Takeru tried to ignore the worry, and the way that Hikari’s eyes seemed to contain something deeper. “Where is Gatomon, anyway?”

The girl laughed softly. “She’s curled up in my room. You know how she is. She’s protective, sure, but she knows when to be scarce.”

Takeru’s lips quirked into a smile. “She learn that from living with you and Taichi?” He made an attempt to waggle his eyebrows, ignoring the pit in his stomach, and Hikari shoved him playfully. 

“Ass. But maybe, in a way. Taichi doesn’t…didn’t, like people seeing he wasn’t as put together as he appears. Appeared. So when we could tell he’d had a bad day, Gatomon would head out to the hallway or the couch. She could probably hear every word, but still, we appreciated the attempt.” She reached up, tucking a hair out of her face, smiling to her lap. “I used to wonder why Taichi would hesitate to tell me anything. I had to drag it out of him when he was feeling alone. But, I’m glad I did.”

She met his eyes, a gentle, encouraging smile on her lips. “Honestly, you boys tend to bottle up your hurts until they explode, and I don’t think that’s healthy. Taichi never wanted to seem weak because he didn’t think he was allowed to be, as a leader. We’re not perfect beings, Takeru. If you need to talk, you can talk to me. I think even Daisuke would listen. Of course, he’s got a big mouth, so I can’t promise he’d be the best at keeping secrets, but I think he’d try, even if he thinks you’re his rival.”

Takeru snickered, shaking his head at the idea of Daisuke as a rival. “The only rivalry he had with me was purely in his head, and I’m pretty sure that was just due to his crush on you.”

The reaction he got was a laugh, crossed with an unladylike ‘snerk’. “Be nice, we both know that much like my brother, feelings of attraction are not his strong suit. Well, dealing with them anyway.” 

He only smiled, letting silence fall for a moment, before his smile waned slightly. “You know, you’re an amazing girl, Hikari. It’s no wonder you’re popular.” When Hikari opened her mouth to speak, he cut across her words, making her fall silent. “And I know, you don’t ask for it; I’m not unaware that you and Taichi sometimes plot together to scare your suitors off when they get..persistant. But really, you’re amazing. You listen, and don’t judge. You’re patient. You are cute, of course. And you just…you seem to get us. Like...I don’t think I’d be willing to just…air my woes to say, Miyako or Mimi. But you…I know that you won’t judge. You just have this…presence that’s calming, and you’re approachable. Well, when Taichi isn’t around, anyway.”

“I’m not that great.” Hikari started, and when Takeru prepared to rebut, she used his previous silencing technique of talking over him. “And I know, I know, you disagree. But I’ve learned a lot from Taichi, and Sora, in some ways. That’s something that most people don’t seem to get. Everyone thinks I’m some amazing girl who just…naturally is virtuous. But that’s not the case, obviously. I learned from Taichi, because for a long time, he was my only link to the outside world. He told me stories, shared his day, played with me, talked to me, and he was always kind. Sometimes he’d come by with Sora, sometimes Koushiro, but he was always there.”

She fidgeted with her pajamas, having decided that stepping out onto a balcony in a nightgown would have been…well, a little bold for her. “When I was sick, he made time for me, even when he wanted to hang out with Sora. He was the best.”

Takeru pressed his lips together. This was probably not a great topic to be on, but he was curious, perhaps morbidly so. “Is that why you fell in love with him?”

Hikari’s answering giggle held little humor. “To be honest, I don’t know. I don’t know when I stopped seeing him as a brother and when I started seeing him as a boy. I’ve looked it up, tried to figure out why I feel this way, but in the end, I just gave up and let it happen. I love him, and it’s not the sort of love a sister should have. I know that. I knew that. And yet…I’m not sure why, but I’m fine with it. I should feel repulsed by the idea of him like that, but I’m not. I don’t mind that we grew up together. Maybe some part of me that was supposed to see him as unattainable due to blood never activated. Maybe I’m just sick in the head. I’m not sure, but I’m not going to give him up.”

Takeru considered his words carefully, reaching out to grasp her hand, before thinking better of it. Swallowing down regrets, and pushing away thoughts of annoyance and distress for the situation, he sighed. “I don’t think you’re sick, Hikari. Not in that way. Maybe you’re not...well, orthodox, but it’s your feelings, and I don’t think that if they were that easy to change, you would be saying that you love him. If that falls through, I’ll be here, but…I think that while a part of me will always love you, I’d never want to make you sad by trying to force something.”

Her lips twitched, curving into a smile, and for a moment, Takeru thought he could see the shine of unshed tears in her eyes before she let herself flop backward on the bed. “You’re a good guy, Takeru. I think you’ll make someone very happy someday. It won’t be me, probably, but I think that as much as people think you’re a playboy, you have a good heart. You’ll find what you’re looking for; girl or boy.”

Takeru huffed, looking offended as he turned to look at her, laying back on the bed as well. “Why do people keep insinuating that I might like boys?”