Digimon Adventure Tri: Echo

52) Fiery Revival

Something was different, and Kaya could see it.

Then again, it wasn't as if the issue in question was exactly hidden well. Of course she could see what was happening; Chisane hadn't been this upbeat and perky in ages, and Kaya had to wonder if she had ever seen her partner in life this excited to go up and face the day. Each customer that she spoke to was met with a bright smile and a promise of something great, and Kaya couldn't help but stare from afar. With how cheery Chisane was being, one never would have guessed that she had been left in bed for ages just a short while ago because she wasn't even able to stand up without being hit by a wave of dizziness. It didn't feel real in the slightest, and no matter how many times Kaya told herself that this was real, she couldn't seem to convince herself.

She was so focused on staring at Chisane that Kaya didn't even notice that the woman in question was approaching her, a notepad in hand from an order that she had just taken. "Is something the matter?" she questioned softly. "You've been staring all day."

Kaya snapped herself out of her trance. "I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about," she said even though there was clearly more than just 'nothing' on her mind. She had never been the best liar, truth be told. She did bottle up her emotions at times, but she wasn't as good at hiding it as some of her companions were. In some ways, that was a good thing, but in a thousand others, it was not.

Chisane started to walk to the kitchen to drop off the order, and Kaya followed after her. It wasn't until after Chisane had dropped off the pad with the orders that the two stopped moving, leaning against the wall to speak to one another briefly. "You know, you aren't very good at making me not worry," she joked to Kaya even though she meant it clear as could be. Kaya winced at her words, knowing that she was right but still not wanting to admit it openly. "You know that you can talk to me, right? If there's anything on your mind, you can just come out and say it. I mean that. I'm here to listen, and I'm not going to judge you or anything."

Of course Chisane wouldn't judge her. Chisane was perhaps the nicest person that had ever graced the face of the planet, something that Kaya had come to know all too well over the course of their many years together. She wound up letting out a sigh in the face of her partner's concern, shaking her head in the process. "Alright," she murmured. "I guess... I've just been thinking about the fact that you're doing so much better now. I never would have thought that you would be able to get back up and face the world so proudly given how sick you were just a little while ago."

Chisane's expression softened, and she looked up to the ceiling of the hallway. "I understand," she murmured under her breath. "But it's alright. I have been doing better, and I think that everything has been taken care of now. I mean... The Dark Ocean is out of the picture now. I can just feel it. Besides, we heard about it from the other members of the group. They told us that we aren't going to have to worry about it anymore, and I believe them. Plus, my instincts are making it loud and clear that we're safe as we are now."

Kaya nodded along, a light smile on her face. "It's times like these where I'm glad that you have cross-dimensional senses that will tell us if we have to fear for our lives or not," she muttered, earning herself a laugh from Chisane a moment later. Kaya simply shook her head. "Still... It really is nice to see you alright. I was really worried about you for a while there, and... I'm glad that you're feeling better."

"You worry about me every time that I wind up feeling sick. Even the slightest cold sends you into a panic," Chisane joked as she nudged Kaya with her elbow. The other woman rolled her eyes with a snicker as Chisane continued. "But I mean it. I think that we're going to be alright from here on out no matter what happens. The Dark Ocean is out of the picture. I can just feel that something is different."