Digimon Adventure Tri: Echo

78) Broken Sword, Broken Soul

Imperialdramon curled around in his flight trajectory as soon as he noticed what was happening on the bridge with Omegamon, Meiko, and the new Digimon that had replaced Raguelmon. It didn't take long for the hatch to slide open, offering the perfect chance for the Chosen Children to all clamber out. It was around this point that Taichi fully registered that Homeostasis had left behind Hikari's body, likely her way of giving Hikari the time she needed to process what was happening with Meiko. It was certainly appreciated, and Taichi silently thanked Homeostasis for her generosity as he slid off Imperialdramon's body and landed on the ground not far from where Omegamon was still cradling Meiko's unconscious form.

Meiko was still as could be even as the Chosen Children continued to surround her. Imperialdramon was gone as soon as he had dropped off the Chosen Children, off to do what he could alongside the other Digimon to deal as much damage to Ordinemon as possible. Taichi barely noticed, instead simply getting as close as he could to Meiko without somehow doing something to interfere with her. He didn't want to frighten her, especially given the terrible circumstances that had led up to this point, so he watched her from afar and did what he could to see if there was anything wrong.

The orange cat Digimon reached out for Meiko, and it didn't take long for Omegamon to hand her over. Meiko stirred soon afterwards, her eyes fluttering open slowly and carefully. Everything about Meiko was ragged and torn apart, like she was on the verge of losing consciousness just as soon as she had managed to wake up. She couldn't bring herself to move much, but she still offered her partner a small smile as tears continued to stream down her cheeks in the silence.

"It's alright," her partner murmured, gently pulling her in closer. "I've got you." The wind blew gently through the area, rustling the hair at the Digimon's neck area, not that either one of them seemed to notice. They were too happy to be there together, and that was what mattered most.

Taichi found himself silently curious about who the Digimon could have been even though he already had a decent enough idea. This was the true Ultimate form of Meicoomon, the purified version of Raguelmon that hadn't seen the light of day until that point. He was quietly curious about her name, and he could only hope that she would reveal it soon. Somehow, he already knew that this was no longer Raguelmon, and he hoped that he would have his answers before they had to get back to fighting against Ordinemon. 

It didn't take long for the orange cat to start unfurling herself, still holding Meiko close as she looked at the Chosen Children nearby. "Thank you for all that you've done for us," she said. Her voice sounded like a more mature version of Meicoomon's cadence, and it was more than welcome after the nightmare they had suffered up to that point. "I don't know what we would do without you."

"What's your name now?" Mimi questioned as she took a small step closer. She clearly wanted to do what she could for Meiko, but at the same time, she didn't want to interfere on the sweet moment that was being shared by the partners.

"Rasielmon," the cat replied simply. She glanced down to Meiko where her partner had closed her eyes once again before leaning her head against her chest. Meiko was still smiling, though she hadn't acknowledged any of the other Chosen Children yet. Taichi could only assume that it was because of her exhaustion. After all, he would have been tired after expelling an ancient force of evil from his body too. Rasielmon smiled tenderly down at her partner as she spoke once again, though Meiko still didn't stir from her comfortable position against the cat's chest. "I don't know how, but I think she was able to break through the hold Entropy had on both of us through the Crest of Darkness."

At those words, Yamato leaned over and picked up the Digivice that Entropy had given Meiko so long ago. He frowned at the sight of the crack on the corner, and as soon as he touched it, another fracture appeared on the surface. He winced and handed it to Rasielmon carefully. "I would say that you managed to get through it too," he said softly.