Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Remembrance ❯ Renewal ( Chapter 2 )

Remembrance

Chapter 2

By Time Lady

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Disclaimer: Digimon is owned by Toei, not me.

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Author's note: The events of this story would take place at the end of the events of episode 50, but replace the original epilogue. In essence, this is an alternate future story. Only the DigiDestined have digivices and Digimon partners, not everyone in the world.

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According to the stories I was told, the surviving DigiDestined and their Digimon gathered wood and built a funeral pyre. They gathered the bodies of Taichi Yagami, Sora Takenouchi, Ken Ichijouji, Daisuke Motomiya, Iori Hida, Yamato Ishida, Takeru Takaishi, Mimi Tachikawa, and Miyako Inoue and laid them upon the makeshift bier. The other DigiDestined who had fallen in battle had been lost upon the battlefields. Mina's Candmon, the rookie form of Meramon, lit the pyre.

Each of the survivors said a prayer in their own way. Silently they remembered their friends who were lost as well. Once the fire died down and cooled, the ashes were gathered into one container. The Digimon, once rested, helped their partners build a simple stone structure. The ashes were sealed within and the names of those buried there inscribed upon the outside.

Years later a proper tomb was built to surround the makeshift one. Every year, upon the anniversary of the final battle, humans and Digimon make a pilgrimage to the site. I visit every year to lay a wreath in honor of those who fell that day.

After the makeshift funeral, five humans and five Digimon followed Gennai to a place of shelter, where they rested, recovered, and continued to privately mourn as the full realization of the previous events sank in. Mina was extremely distraught at the wasted lives snuffed out years before their time. Michael, who had lost several friends, tried to take things in stride, as difficult as it was. Derek didn't know as many of the other DigiDestined as Michael, Mina, and Hikari. He spent most of the time helping Gotsumon comfort Rosa. The youngest surviving DigiDestined was hysterical at the idea of never seeing her mother and father again. Hikari felt the loss of the other DigiDestined most acutely. Her brother was dead. Takeru and Daisuke, two boys about whom she cared deeply were gone. People who were like her extended family were no longer alive. Angewomon, her protector and confidant, would never be by her side again.

The Digimon tried to be sympathetic to their partners' feelings. It was difficult, as death for Digimon was completely different. Their fellow Digimon would be reconfigured and reborn in Primary Village. Only Magna Angemon didn't share their views. He and Angewomon shared a special bond, different than any of the other Digimon had with their comrades. Even that bond paled to the bond with Takeru. While there was the hope that Angewomon would be configured, Takeru was lost to him forever.

Gennai and his assistants, with the help of other Digimon, began to round up the displaced humans. All told, there were less than a hundred thousand humans currently on the world, far less than their original estimates. The world now had a hundred thousand confused humans in need of some sort of organization. Gennai couldn't allow the DigiDestined to lose themselves in their losses. The whole world still needed them.

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"I know your time for mourning was not long enough," said Gennai. "But there are humans out there who need help. _Your_ help."

"Why does it always have to be us?" asked Hikari. Her red, puffy eyes showed that she had been crying again.

"Aren't there Digimon out there capable of helping?" asked MagnaAngemon. "You are asking a lot out of these five humans."

"Because there are a hundred thousand humans, many of whom are panicking at the sight of Digimon," said Gennai. "They need to see that humans and Digimon can work in harmony as partners."

"What kind of example will I be?" returned Hikari. "My partner is dead."

"Hikari, you still have MagnaAngemon, who is also in need of a partner," said Gennai patiently. "You have both worked together. Remember, where there is light, there is hope." A tear rolled down Hikari's cheek. Gennai knew that what all of the remaining DigiDestined needed was to keep busy, otherwise they would lose themselves within their sorrows. "While we still have light and hope represented, the rest of you must symbolically take up one of the attributes that the other Japanese DigiDestined represented." Before Hikari or MagnaAngemon could protest, Gennai withdrew a leather case from his robes and opened it. "Each of these discs has two symbols, one on the front, and one on the back. Or it will after you receive it."

Suddenly, the discs rose into the air and floated in an increasingly rapid circle. Then the discs separated and flew to each of the DigiDestined. The humans looked at the symbols of their discs. Mina found the symbol of Courage engraved on one side of her disc, Love on the other. Rosa's disc had the symbols for Friendship and Perseverance. Michael discovered the symbols for Reliability and Kindness, while Derek found the symbols for Knowledge and Sincerity. Hikari wasn't surprised to find she had received the combined symbols of hope and light, but unlike the others, the two symbols were on one side.

"Turn your disc over Hikari," said Gennai. Hikari complied. A third symbol was engraved on the opposite side of the disc. "The symbol of peace, which will unite you and MagnaAngemon. Look at your Digivices." All of the DigiDestined pulled their Digivices out of pockets, or from where they were pinned. Mina, Derek, Rosa, and Michael found their older Digivices were now D-3s. Hikari's D-3, which had been white with pink edging, was now pink with green edging. She looked back and forth between her D-3 and the disc. "Before the symbol of peace can fully be activated, it must be charged by your light."

"My light?" asked Hikari.

"Hikari," said Derek, "have you ever done that light trick before? The one back in the battle?"

Hikari looked thoughtful. "Only twice that I can remember. Once when I was eight. I had been ill. A War Monzaemon had enslaved hundreds of Numemon. The second time was when I was about 12. I had been pulled into some strange dimension. I used the light energy to remove dark spirals from a group of Scubamon."

"Did any of the other of your group ever display this kind of ability?" continued Derek.

"Not that I know of, at least in the time I was with them. There was a time when I wasn't with the group though," explained Hikari.

"None of the other DigiDestined I knew ever displayed any sort of ability as Hikari has," interjected MagnaAngemon.

"You are unique among the DigiDestined," stated Mina. "None of the DigiDestined from around the world with whom I have communicated has ever mentioned anything such as you have."

"Then my guess is you would need to somehow use that gift of yours on your disc," surmised Derek.

"I don't know if I can," said Hikari softly.

"You will not know until you try," said Mina.

"What do you want me to do?" Hikari asked in a small voice. MagnaAngemon put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"Just hold the disc and concentrate," explained Gennai.

MagnaAngemon's hand remained upon her shoulder as she clasped the disc to her chest. She closed her eyes. The only times she had used this energy before the last time was to free the imprisoned. To bring light to the downtrodden. The light of hope. The light of peace.

"The light!" exclaimed Rosa. "Que bonita!"

"Amazing," said Michael as he watched the pink glow again envelop Hikari. Then the glow spread, slowly engulfing MagnaAngemon.

The angelic warrior felt the warmth begin to flow through his body. He watched as the pink light covered his hand. Part of his mind warned against continuing the contact, but another part resisted the urge to pull away. MagnaAngemon had been a being of war, a battle angel created to fight the forces of darkness. Now the dark forces were banished. There was no need for swords or armor. The light of peace flowed through him, flooding his entire essence.

"Is this supposed to be happening?" Derek asked.

"Don't look at me," said Betamon, who stood next to him.

"This isn't like any digivolution I have seen," said Meramon. He preferred to digivolve to his champion form while Betamon, Gotsumon, and Ganimon were more comfortable as rookies. "But something is happening."

Hikari sensed her light engulfing MagnaAngemon. In her head she felt a pulsing, heard a pounding in her ears. Her own heart began to beat in synch with the pulsing. Dimly she was aware of a fine connection forming between her and MagnaAngemon. The outside world didn't exist.

"Isn't there something we can do?" asked Mina. For several long minutes she watched as the DigiDestined of light and the Digimon of hope remained as still as two statues suffused in the pink glow.

"Nothing," said Gennai. "It is essential that Hikari and MagnaAngemon form some sort of connection. Each DigiDestined is connected to some sort of degree with their partner. Hikari lost Angewomon, and MagnaAngemon lost Takeru. They are forming new connections, binding one to the other. This is why there are three symbols on Hikari's disc. Hikari is light. MagnaAngemon is hope. Together they will help bring peace."

"But Hikari doesn't look well," returned Mina. "And MagnaAngemon appears to be in pain."

"We can not interrupt," said Gennai. "Not until it is over."

MagnaAngemon grimaced. The warmth became fire in his veins. He felt Hikari's pulse matching his beat for beat. Deep within him, the burning and the pulse reached a crescendo.

Abruptly Hikari collapsed to the ground. The others rushed to her, but were stopped as the luminescence surrounding MagnaAngemon turned into a raging pink fire. The DigiDestined were forced to shade their eyes.

"MagnaAngemon mode change to Holy Angemon!"

When the light at last dimmed enough for the others to look, a transformed angel stood before them. The eight small wings were now two large, full wings. Gone were the sword and heavy armor, the only reminder the visor of the helmet, now white instead of purple. A pure white tabard almost swept the ground. A golden belt emblazoned with the symbol of peace cinched the tabard at his waist. The angel's arms were bare, save finger-less white gloves that came midway up to his elbow. White drapings covered his chest and shoulders, ending behind him in the appearance of a long split cape surrounding his wings. His blonde hair reached down to his waist. White leggings ended in a feather-like fringe over his white boots.

"Holy Angemon," said Michael in an awed voice as the angel knelt and gently lifted Hikari.

"Dios mio! Que guapo!" exclaimed Rosa. "He is muy handsome."

"All right, enough gawking," said Michael. "Come on. We have a job to do."

- to be continued

Thanks to Susan, Renegade, Canopy4, donJaime, Beth, Jack, Ryuuoojo, and Gothic Zephyr for beta reading.