James Reeve
Axis Mundi
James lagged behind the other Guardians as they moved through the crowds, held back not by exhaustion but by the weight of friendship. Of course they had been waiting. He had messaged Alexis on the train back to let them know he was safe, that he was coming. They'd want that. To know that James Reeve hadn't been snuffed out like a candle, impossible as that might seem to the Tamers he had watched drift into the depths of the city. Their lives in the hands of the Peacemakers he had bid farewell to with a respectful nod and a smile. Even though they surprised him, it was a good surprise, in a way. To know that there were more out there fighting the good fight. Even if he'd prefer to fight it himself so that no one else would have to risk being hurt or killed, he couldn't do it. Reality wouldn't back down for him, not even in the face of that legend that lit the eyes of others with hope.
Alexis was at his side, Artanis at his other, Cielstraza perched in her partner's arms. The googles, his googles rested atop Alexis's brow and to him it seemed like they fit better there. Behind them, the others walked with their partners, Ryuga and Kazumi trading banter, Tosh with them offering his own occasional quip, and Ariel listening with her smile that tried to be disapproval. It felt like home and yet between them there was still a hole that could never be filled. He knew they all felt it too. Matthew's silhouette was a void beyond Artanis and no one could ever erase that emptiness.
"What was it like?" Kazumi asked. He and Ryuga were Japanese, but both had picked up English well in Saga. "Fighting with the thunder god there." He gestured to where Thor's black and gold armor gleamed in the sunset light. James considered it a moment, remembering a storm of power making the horizon vanish into a field of white. The sword's energies vibrating through his bones.
"Incredible," he offered, forcing the smile. "You wouldn't believe that sword of his."
Kazumi nodded with a smirk. "Maybe he'd let us try it one day."
James laughed and shook his head. "I don't think it works like that." Not that he knew for sure. Hoshiko would, probably. She'd have read about what the sword had done, the monsters it had slain, the men and women its edge had made knights. But she was silent, walking with Okatsu ahead of them. The Gabumon X had awoken on the train just before they arrived, but what words the two had shared James hadn't heard. He just saw Hoshiko's hand never straying more than an inch from her partner. He couldn't blame her for that. How close had Samael come to getting Okatsu killed? The demon's shadow threatened to drown his joy at seeing his friends and he tried to force it away, but the Beelzemon's presence made it stick in his mind.
"But even with that sword," Tosh mused, "you didn't do it, did you, brother? They'd be here if you had. Them Royal Knights." The atmosphere fell.
He shook his head. "No. Not this time. But at least we saved people from them."
"Because surviving - because this - isn't enough." There were Thor's words again, reminding him. They hadn't gone there just to save people. They had gone there to stop this madness, to defeat the Knights and bring them to justice before the Council. And in that, they had failed.
Ryuga's hand fell on his shoulder. "Oh, man, Alexis has some news for you."
Alexis glanced back at him. "I was going to say! I just wanted to let James talk first!"
James looked between them as Ryuga backed up and Tosh gave a low chuckle. "What news?" She looked back at him and their eyes met, holding with each other for a moment. "What happened? You're okay, right?"
Alexis smiled. "More than okay. While you were gone, a group of Tamers got in touch, doing the last stretch to get here. They had Royal Knight forces in pursuit, some guy called Maleagant." She looked down at Cielstraza. "You know the score, just... Ciel and I Biomerged."
They all stopped as James looked at her. He felt happy, definitely. Knowing that Alexis and Cielstraza had become so close and gotten so strong as partners that they had become one. But his own doubts and worries welled up at the news. Shouldn't he and Artanis be there too? If they were, would things have been different? A WarGreymon or a ShineGreymon or something else could have stood there in Kaladesh and Glen Elendra, strong enough to protect more. Strong enough to find victory against the Knights. He forced them away. Not now. Not here.
He smiled. "That's great! What was it like?"
Alexis visibly struggled with the words. "It was... so amazing. Just feeling everything like I was Ciel. You know? Like I had her scales and wings and we were fighting together like that. Like when she was attacking it was me doing it too and we were thinking together and moving together and feeling together!" Cielstraza's eyes were gleaming.
"You have called it a miracle before," the Dorumon said. "All of you. And you were right. It truly is a miracle, something precious."
"Something we have to protect," Ariel said. They began walking again, for the Guardians were beginning to fade into the crowds.
"Something we will protect," James said firmly. "Absolutely." He looked at Alexis and Cielstraza and the former looked back at him, and as one they reached out to pull each other close, embracing with one arm each as they walked. "I'm so happy for you both. It really sounds so amazing!"
Artanis finally chimed in. "You have found that strength, Alexis, Cielstraza. The strength of your bond." James nodded in acknowledgement. There was strength in the bond between Tamer and partner, they all knew that. That was why partners could reach new evolutions in fractions of the time it took their solo counterparts, why when times were desperate new power presented itself, and why human and Digimon could ultimately become one whole stronger by far than the sum of its parts. And yet even with that strength, they were failing, falling, dying. What chance did he and Artanis truly stand without it? They were just a symbol, nothing more. "Hold firm to one another and I hope to see you become stronger still. Stronger than James and I, perhaps." The Agumon gave a warm laugh.
"We'll see," Alexis chuckled back. "I mean, you guys are the Guardians. We're nobodies compared to you really."
"Always were," Kazumi laughed. "What are musclebrain here and I compared to the great James Reeve, huh?" He gestured to Ryuga.
"Who are you calling musclebrain, potato farmer?!" Ryuga grumbled back, his Vorvomon partner stifling a chuckle at his side. Zeta, Kazumi's Hagurumon partner, was as impassive as could be expected of a robot.
James chuckled himself at their antics. "I missed you guys."
"You've only been gone a day, brother," Tosh smirked. "But it's good to know that you miss it." It had only been a day, hadn't it? It felt like months had passed. But he had missed them in the midst of it all, missed their company, missed knowing they had his back. When Theo had gone his own way, when Samael had to be watched with one eye (or so it felt), he missed the teammates he knew so well and trusted absolutely. He saw that the other Guardians ahead were filing into a bar, presumably Serra's bar, and he stopped with the others.
"Going to leave us here?" Alexis asked. "If it's a Guardians-only thing, we totally get it, right guys?"
"Of course, man," Ryuga said with his smirk. "If you're going to hang out with the cool kids, we can go be places." He laughed.
"Go on, brother," Tosh added. "You're working with those guys now. You'd better get in your downtime with them." Did James even want to? He felt like the only people he wanted to be with right now were the ones he was standing next to. Not with Thor, who was so distant, not with Svarog, who was so full of scorn, not with Theo, who had given up and who James didn't truly know how he felt about, and especially not with Samael, who stank of blood and was a constant shadow of negative thoughts. But Hoshiko would feel the same, he was sure. And Hoshiko seemed so fragile right now in his eyes, even with Okatsu back on her feet.
"I'll come see you and everyone else when I can," he finally said. "Sorry. Serra offered us a place here."
"You've always got a place with us too," Alexis replied. "Always. If they kick you out, just come knocking." She smiled and reached out and they hugged. "I know tomorrow they'll probably have you running off to fight again, right?"
James nodded. "Wherever the Knights are." And tomorrow he and Artanis would be better. They had to be. He felt like a millstone around the Guardians' collective necks, useful as decoration, but only hindering the others. He knew Artanis felt it too. They had to be stronger. Faster. Whatever it took.
He and Alexis parted, only for Ariel to hold him next. "Stay safe," she said as they too parted. Digimon were spilling from the tavern now, grumbling about one thing or another as they made their way into the streets of Axis Mundi.
"Always," he smiled back, and she returned it weakly. Kazumi, Ryuga and Tosh followed with fistbumps, acting manly as they all always did. The way he tried to be, so energetic and inspirational.
"Kick some ass, man," Kazumi smirked. "Show them some soulfire." Soulfire. There was something these three had in spades.
"I'll crush them with it," he replied, making Kazumi laugh.
"Fight hard, brother," Tosh said last, as the others began to slowly move away. "You're gonna need to with these stakes." He had a dark glare in his eyes, surprisingly solemn, and James trusted it enough that his own reply was serious.
"I know," he said quietly. "I have to."
"You always got us out of those messes back in the day, mon," Tosh said. "I know they say all kinds of things about you. Making you this big hero, right, mon? But you know the biggest truth they be telling?" He pressed a fingertip to James's chest, right above his heart. "It's that right here there's a heart that doesn't know what quitting means." He gave a smile that was almost a smirk. "Like Kazumi said, brother, show them some of that soulfire you got there." He clenched hands with James in a tight handshake, clapping him on the back before walking away to leave Alexis and Cielstraza.
"Go on," she said softly as the others began to leave. "You're a Guardian. Be a Guardian with them." He wanted to say it to her, to them. Even if he couldn't bear to let anyone else see the doubts deep within, Alexis was the one he always debated letting down his guard for. He wanted to let it all out, the strife within the Guardians, his fears and worries. How he didn't feel strong enough to fight the Royal Knights, how he had failed to save Lyanna and so many others. But he couldn't do that. He couldn't break her faith in him, not when she and everyone else needed him to be strong for them. To be the hero his deeds had made him. Artanis lingered at his side too, reminding him of his duty.
He smiled. "Guardian I am," he replied. Even with Thor and Svarog and Samael in there, he could do it. Be one of them, even if he didn't entirely feel it.
She smiled back and was gone, following the others with a last glance back. He watched her walk away into the twilight.
"Shall we proceed?" Artanis finally intruded.
James nodded, and made his way inside.
-
Artanis Dawnflame
Serra's Tavern
It was indeed a tavern, full of fond memories and the echoes of many a bar brawl. The Agumon took it in as he and James entered, the counter, the chairs that bore the scars of those brawls, the scent of ale and merriment. There were many places like it across the face of Saga, each with its own unique flavor, but Artanis had never had much time for it. Others among the Akilae were more lax than he, but Tassadar had impressed upon him the importance of a clear head. Merriment had its place, but he preferred to spend it sober.
The Guardians were the only occupants of the tavern now, the other patrons having clearly been vacated to leave the space for them alone. He was glad of that. The atmosphere was quiet, even with Samael skulking in the dark corner with those eyes glowing menacingly. Artanis met them for a moment, then turned his gaze elsewhere. His body ached with exhaustion, the wound in his shoulder still flaring with pain as he moved. But the most grievous wound was in his spirit. He knew as well as James did, as they all did perhaps, that this was only barely victory. They had saved many Tamers and partners, but many more had not been saved. And the Royal Knights had defeated the Guardians with little effort.
He looked about the room, seeing wounds both physical and mental apparent in healing scars and downcast eyes. The scar on Okatsu's chest caught his eyes in particular, most striking because it was an injury inflicted by a supposed ally rather than a noble foe. Mad as the Knights had become, they retained some of their nobility. He had weighed Tristan's actions and words long and hard on the train, the Gallantmon's statement echoing in his head. But regardless of how nobly they spoke, people were dying because of them. If the Knights truly cared, he had finally reasoned, then their crusade would have ended at the first death.
The Agumon's wandering eyes found Theo, the BlackWarGreymon despondent amidst the crowd. He felt the urge to go to the other Greymon and say something. Some inspiring speech perhaps. Tassadar would have had just the words to inspire new courage and resolve, but that skill was one his mentor had not quite passed to Artanis. James possessed it, but even he seemed struck dumb by Theo's current state. Was it the feeling of betrayal? The loss of such a comrade? Of all the Guardians, Theo had seemed among the most resolute, alongside Michael and the humans. And indeed, Theo knew what it was like to be Tamer and partner, and what it meant to lose that precious bond. He almost shivered at the thought.
As the others made their plans, he turned to Hoshiko. Okatsu too stared at Theo, her eyes unreadable. Did she too wish to try and snap the BlackWarGreymon from his despair?
"Are you well?" he asked, directing the question at them both.
Okatsu looked at him and gave a curt nod, a twitch of her mouth betraying her pain. "I will mend," she answered. "In body and mind." They all would, in body at least. Minds on the other hand...
"Glad to be back," Hoshiko murmured, her fingertips brushing on Okatsu's fur.
"What will you do?" Artanis queried. "You have your guild here, do you not?"
Hoshiko gave a weary nod in answer. "Yes. I... I want to check on them. See if-" She cut herself short a moment, as though exhaustion and fatigue had overwhelmed her. "If anyone else found their way here." Okatsu reached up to touch her partner's hand. "I should go." Her gaze wasn't on him, Artanis suddenly noticed. It was drawn across the room, to the darkest corner where Samael haunted them. And beneath the tiredness, it was like a dark fire burned in her eyes.
"Go and rest, Hoshiko Yukimura," the Agumon said softly. "It has been a taxing day. And there are more trials to come."
"I'll call if anything comes up," James added, stepping forward. "Artanis is right." He looked down. "We did well today, saving that many, but-"
"But just surviving isn't enough," Artanis finished softly. James gave a nod, but Hoshiko was silent.
"Then what is enough?" Okatsu posed. "Victory, correct? No matter what cost?"
Artanis frowned. "Victory, of course."
The Gabumon X faced him. "Defeating the Royal Knights, you mean. To write your saga." She seemed almost scornful again, as she had before.
James seemed to ponder this. "What else can we do, Okatsu? Just be satisfied with having saved some people, despite the fact that the Knights will just hit somewhere else tomorrow?" He frowned, and Artanis knew that he found that line of thinking painful. If James could have his way, he'd have saved everyone in Kaladesh and Glen Elendra. It was just the way he was.
She turned to him. "They call you a hero, James Reeve. You want to save everyone, correct? Be the one who carries a child out of the fire, though you risk your own life to do so?" Her expression was curiously somewhere between a frown and a smile. "Ask yourself this. And you, Artanis Dawnflame. If surviving isn't enough, if only truly defeating the Royal Knights is victory, then does that mean that achieving that victory means more than anything else? Even the lives you so want to save?"
Artanis bristled, but caught himself. Beside him, James stared at Okatsu in surprise. "How can you ask that?" the young man asked.
-
Okatsu Sekishusai
Serra's Tavern
It was like the two of them hadn't found a conclusion themselves, she thought. Like they hadn't fully thought through those words. Even though the wound in her chest ached, even though Samael's presence was a constant tug on her thoughts, she could still feel it in how they'd spoken.
"Because if you are going to fight," she said softly, "then you should have no illusions about why. No doubts and no hesitation. Otherwise, you will be held back, no matter how subconsciously." She turned away, only to glance back. "We should all rest, for now. Perhaps you can meditate upon that question and find your answer. I hope it brings you clarity." They were looking at her with some confusion still.
"Do you think I could just let people suffer?" James said after a moment, quietly.
"I cannot know," Okatsu said quietly. "Only you can be certain if you're capable of that, James." She looked between the two. "Think on it. Perhaps answering it will give you strength."
"Do you think we need riddles and games at this moment?" Artanis pressed. "With everything that has happened and that we are doing?"
"I think that you need certainty," the Gabumon replied. "That right now, you wrestle with those words you both know, uncertain of the resolution they should lead to." She looked up at James and met his eyes. "A warrior without certainty about how and why they fight is like a house on unsteady foundations." An old lesson borrowed from her sensei, but apt. "Excuse me, sorry, but there is something I must do." She looked away from them now and found Theo. It seemed like he had been talking to the Lekismon bartender about something or other, but now he was turning to leave through the back.
"We should get back to the others," Hoshiko said. "Can't it wait, Okatsu?" Her partner sounded so weary, so worn by stress, but Okatsu had a concern she needed to lay to rest.
"I'm sorry," she murmured. "But I have to settle this, Hoshiko."
"Then I'll come with you," her partner said immediately. "Whatever it is, I can help-"
Okatsu shook her head, hating herself for it. Hoshiko didn't need to be left alone in this moment. But what Sir Gawain had said about Theo... she wanted to feel like it could be left for another time, but right now she wanted certainty. "I need to do this alone, Hoshiko."
The woman looked at her with a pain Okatsu very rarely saw. It occasionally filled Hoshiko's eyes in moments where she was wistful, always banished as soon as she noticed Okatsu looking. But now the Gabumon X saw it fully, an icy agony that stained Hoshiko's eyes with the ghosts of a terrible past. "Okay," Hoshiko murmured finally, her voice soft. "I'll wait for you."
Okatsu reached up, resting her hand on the back of Hoshiko's. "I'm sorry," she said, aware that James and Artanis watched. "I will be as quick as I can. I just need to find some answers." She let go and made her way across the bar, following Theo.
-
Hoshiko Yukimura
Serra's Tavern
She found a chair and slumped down into it, watching her partner vanish into the back of the bar. Separated again. Her hand came to her chest, where the merest phantom of pain still troubled her. Hoshiko looked around the bar, checking each Guardian in turn, skipping past Samael's dark corner now because whether imaginary or not, seeing him seemed to make that phantasmal pain spike. Theo and Okatsu were gone. Was it Theo Okatsu was going to talk to? Why? Had something else happened besides Samael's backstabbing?
She should explain. The thought came as her gaze found Serra and the Lekismon. It would only be polite. She didn't have much energy for politeness right now, but Serra had offered so much already, and otherwise she would sit in the chair and do nothing until Okatsu came back from her secret task. It stung that Okatsu hadn't told her what exactly was happening. Why she had to go alone. But she just felt uncertain, glad that Okatsu was safe, but fearful of the demon who had done it to her. Not knowing whether more of her lost guildmates had returned or if their unknown fates would still weigh on her mind as she tried to rest along with guilt and grief.
Hoshiko forced herself to rise from the chair, crossing the room to Serra and the Lekismon bartender. "I just wanted to thank you for your hospitality," she said quietly. "But I have people here, my colleagues, I suppose. My friends. I need to check that they're okay and if... if any more have come back." The last part was quieter. She didn't expect that they had.
But she could only hope right now.