Digimon Dark Worlds 02: Crests of the Sins

Back home || Chapter 25

The sky was a bright blue color, despite it being a bit later in the afternoon, as Axel's group continued their way down a path, making their way up a small hill, now looking for a place to rest their heads, as they currently didn't have a job or mission to do at the moment. As they were walking, Axel spoke to Taeka on a call, chatting about everyone's next plans. "Yeah, thanks so much for the update, Taeka...Bye!" Axel hung up, taking a deep breath. "Guys, I just got done talking to everyone, and...You all want the good news, or the bad news?" Axel asks.
"Get the bad news out of the way first." Lily responds.
"Alright...Well, the bad news is, we still don't know where any of the Demondestined kids currently are, and still have no idea how to get rid of them." Axel states.
"And... What's the good news?" Lopmon asks.
"That's all we have to do, actually. As of now, the other groups only have one mission each to deal with, and we have nothing, so...We're almost done with saving the Digital World!" Axel says, with a slight smile.
"Urgh, those stupid Demondestined are always hiding somewhere in the Digital World..." Tsukaimon grumbled, pounding his fists together. "We need to just... Find them, and finally take out their Digimon partners!"
"Easier said then done. Those Demondestined are impossible to find with the amount of land we have to cover." Lopmon says.
"Yeah, but for now, until we find the Demondestined...Let's take the day off and relax!" Axel says, everyone stopping when they reached the top of the hill, which was a flat, grassy area with a few trees, overlooking a small, lush forest.
"Whoa...This place is a perfect rest stop for the day..." Axel says.
"Gosh, it'll really be nice to rest my feet for the day..." Lily smiles, her and Axel sitting down on the grass next to each other, everyone looking up at the sky. "Guys, look at how beautiful the sky is today..." Lily says, with a sparkle in her eyes.
"I know...Remember how creepy it was when we first arrived here?" Veemon says. Memories flash through Lily's eyes, as she remembered that day, where the sky was a dark, crimson red that looked like it would swallow up the whole world...Now, it was bright and beautiful, allowing everyone to finally feel at peace.
"It must be a sign...That we're really doing some good for the Digital World." Lopmon says.
"Then let's keep up the good work!" ExTyrannomon cheers happily...As his stomach suddenly lets out a loud growl. "Oops, heh...I am pretty hungry..." ExTyrannomon chuckles.
"We should go look for food then. I'm sure there's some in that forest over there." Lopmon says, pointing towards the forest.
"Ooh, yay! Let's go look for some food then!" ExTyrannomon says.
"I'll help you guys too! Let's race to the forest!" Lily giggles, quickly standing up. "Axel, wanna come with us?" She asks.
"Nah, I wanna rest for a bit." Axel says, pulling his laptop out of his bag. "Besides, I got a few things to do anyways."
"Alright, then on the count of three...Two...One...Go!!" Lily yells, the three quickly sprinting away, into the forest. "Uh, you guys can do whatever you want." Axel says, turning to Logan and Allison. "Just try not to wander too far away from here." The two silently nod to Axel, walking as they both sit down on the ground, Logan and Veemon leaning against one tree, and Allison and Tsukaimon sitting next to one a few feet away. Despite everyone else in the group feeling pretty cheerful, Logan and Allison didn't feel the same, both having different things on their minds that only lowered their moods... And both their partners easily noticed this.
"Hey Logan, what's wrong?" Veemon asked, Logan not responding. "Come on... Cheer up!"
"Allison, what's your problem?" Tsukaimon asks, Allison only looking away from her partner. "Come on, we'll defeat those stupid Demondestined eventually!"
"Logan... Don't be sad! Look!" Logan looked up at Veemon, who started making a bunch of silly faces, getting Logan to chuckle and smile a bit. "Sorry Veemon, I just..." Logan sighed, frowning again. "I've had a lot on my mind lately."
"Logan... You can tell me what's going on." Veemon says softly, patting Logan on the shoulder. "I'll listen." Logan was silent for a moment, thinking, before he let out a sigh.
"I don't know, it's just that... After we're all done fighting, and saving the Digital World... We're all gonna have to say goodbye, right? And go back home?" Logan asks.
"Yeah, that is true, but I'm sure we'll see each other again someday!" Veemon says.
"I know we will, it's just... It's really weird. At first, I didn't even wanna become a Digidestined... To do any of this fighting." Logan states. "But all the Digimon, and the other Digidestined have been so kind to me, I just... I don't even wanna leave. Or maybe, it's just the fact that... After all this... I really don't wanna go back home."
"You don't? But wouldn't your parents miss you?" Veemon asks.
"Yes, but... I just can't stand being around them anymore, Veemon! All they do is just... Yell at eachother. I've heard them doing nothing but scream at each other for years, and I can't take it anymore..." Logan says, his voice clearly sounding hurt. "It's gotten so bad to the point where... My home doesn't even feel like home anymore. That's why I spent all that time at the library before you met me... Why I was always so... Angry. As much as I hate fighting for my life, I'd rather spend my whole life fighting in the Digital World, then ever hear those two scream at each other again..." Logan's voice sounded like he was choking up, tears in his eyes, as Veemon reached his arms out, the two enveloping each other in a tight hug for a moment. After a little bit, Logan let go, wiping the tears off his eyes, with a weak smile. "Thanks for listening to me, Veemon..." He says. "I really appreciate it."
"Of course. I'm always here for you, Logan." Veemon says. Logan then looks away for a moment, thinking. "That day I left for the Digital World... My moms probably still mad about that...Since I never got her permission technically." Logan says. "Oh my gosh... Veemon, is it possible that my parents think I left for the Digital World... So I could get away from them?" He says, going wide eyed. "Oh no..."
"It's probably too late to tell them now..." Veemon says, sighing.
"Yeah, you're right..." Logan says. "I just wish there was... A way I could go back home and talk to them... Even if it was just for a few minutes."
"Hey! Where the heck are you going?" Tsukaimon's voice from nearby cuts through their conversation, the two looking over to see Allison stand up, walking away and out of sight, as Tsukaimon follows her.
"Allison! Slow down! What are you even doing anyways?" Tsukaimon kept calling out, but Allison kept ignoring him, until she eventually stopped, turning back to him with an angry expression on her face.
"Trying to give myself some space from everyone!" Allison snaps.
"Wait...Even from me?!" Tsukaimon asks, with a shocked expression. Allison didn't respond to his question, her glare already giving him his answer. "Allison, come on... If this is about the Demondestined, then don't worry... We'll destroy them all soon!"
"Is that all you care about, Tsukaimon? You just care about fighting?!" Allison snaps. "I don't care about the Demondestined!"
"Then what the heck are you so angry about?!" Tsukaimon says, a baffled and annoyed expression on his face.
"...Like you'd really care..." Allison mumbled.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tsukaimon asked. Allison was silent for a bit, taking a big, deep breath. "Tsukaimon, I... I don't feel like you care about being a serious Digidestined...Like you don't actually care about the others... Or me. Like you're just using me to become more powerful..."
"What...? Why on earth would you think that?" Tsukaimon asks, sounding offended.
"It's just that... That day, when we fought Scorpiomon in the underwater cave..." Allison stated quietly. "When you Digivolved into Devidramon, you we're suddenly able to fight perfectly fine, without fighting the others, like you usually did before... It just... It makes me think you're doing all that on purpose, like all you care about is fighting others..." Allison's words shocked Tsukaimon, not able to mutter a single word now.
"Tsukaimon...Are you hiding something from me?" Allison asks, weakly.
"What... No, I'm partner! I can't believe you'd ever say that!" Tsukaimon says, shocked and dumbfounded.
"Sorry Tsukaimon, it's just that... For being someone who hates the Demondestined a lot... You sure act a lot like them." Allison says, shocking Tsukaimon again, who was at a loss for words. An awkward silence formed between the two of a moment, before Allison sighed, sinking to the ground slowly. "Allison... Is that... The only thing you're upset about?" Tsukaimon asks, his voice getting softer.
"...I've had a lot on my mind lately. Not that anyone would care, though." Allison mumbles. Tsukaimon then flies down to the ground, sitting next to Allison.
"Come on, Allison, I'm still your partner... Whether you like it or not. You can listen to me." Tsukaimon says softly. Allison was silent, all these thoughts swirling through her head, before she finally took a deep breath.
"It's just that... I've been thinking about my mother a lot lately... About whether or not she'll even want me back after all this is done." Allison states.
"What? Come on, why would you think that?" Tsukaimon asks.
"Because she doesn't care about me, obviously..." Allison says. "But after what happened with dad, I... I can't say I blame her."
"Your... Dad? You never told me anything about him... What happened?" Tsukaimon asked.
"He died a couple years ago. When I was around 10." Allison says.
"Oh... Sorry to hear about that..." Tsukaimon says, frowning. "You must've been pretty close to him, I'm guessing..."
"Yeah, you're right. Ever since I was a baby, I was never really good at making friends, but my dad was always like my best friend to me, so it never bothered me much..." Memories flooded through Allison's head, as she smiled a bit. "He really was the best dad I could have... He was a retired orchestra player, and he always loved playing on his instruments for me... He also played music for me too, like at nighttime, when I couldn't fall asleep... No matter how I was feeling, his music could always calm me down." Allison paused, her smile quickly then faltering again. "But, there was this one day... I found this video game that I wanted desperately. I constantly begged my parents to get it for me. Told them I needed it now, and I didn't care how busy they were. My dad caved in one day, went out to get it... And... He..." Allison was getting choked up, struggling to speak as tears started to form in her eyes. "He got... Into a car crash... On the way there. And died." Allison was silent for a moment, wiping some tears off, as Tsukaimon softly patted her on the arm.
"After that, my mom... My mom became completely broken when he passed." Allison continued. "Completely distanced herself from everyone... Including myself. I know she's never said it outright, but... I know she blames me for what happened to dad." Allison kept crying, tears falling down her face, as Tsukaimon hugged her softly.
"I'm so sorry, Allison..." Tsukaimon says softly. "You shouldn't blame yourself, though... You couldn't have possibly known that would happen to your dad." The two stay encased in each other's grasp for a moment, before finally letting go, Allison wiping her face dry.
"Thanks for listening to me, Tsukaimon... And I'm sorry for what I said earlier, I just... After everything that's happened, the only person me and my mom have left is eachother... I just wish there was a way I could make things up to her right now... Where I could go back... Even if it was just for a few minutes." Allison says.
"I... I wish I could help you with that." Tsukaimon says.
"HEY EVERYONE, LOOK!!" The moment was interrupted with Axel's yelling in the distance, Allison and Tsukaimon exchanging glances, as they quickly stand back up, walking through the trees as they arrived back in the area, where Axel, Logan, and Veemon waited... Alongside a familiar face.
"There you are, Allison! Look who I found!" Axel says excitedly, Allison's eyes widening with shock. "Woah... Maildramon? Where the heck did you come from?" Allison asked.
"I just saw him flying past us in the sky, and waved him down here." Axel says.
"Maildramon, how come you're not with the others?" Veemon asks.
"We all completed our tasks pretty easily, especially with Toropiamon and Surgemon's medicinal powers..." Maildramon says. "So we all split up, and headed back to our own places. I've just been flying around, since I have nowhere to go, but... I'll stick with you guys for now, and help with whatever you need." Maildramon yawns, then stretching his wings, as he walked over to the trees. Logan and Allison both exchanged glances with their partners, and at that very moment... Knew exactly what they all thought.