Digimon Adventure Chronicles II: Secrets Revealed

Songs of the Chapter – Just What I Needed, by The Cars, and Shrei nach Liebe, by die Arzte.

...chapter TWENTY FOUR – Festive Preparations

“Are you just going to sit there all day?” Hikari wondered, poking at Vamdemon's shoulder from behind the couch. He turned around and glared at her, perturbed at being bothered. “I don't think you've moved since last night!”

“I would if you would let me be.” He grumbled and tried to ignore her.

“But where's the fun in that?”

“It's good to sleep all day and rest one's body.” He countered and tried to shut his eyes.

“Maybe for Tailmon or Meeko, but not for you!” She said with slight alarm. “Bad things happen when you sleep too much.”

Vamdemon nodded tiredly. “But not recently. I have the angel's protection.”

Hikari rolled her eyes and shoved him hard so that he fell off the couch and onto the floor. He landed with a yelp as the wounds on his arms opened beneath the layers of bandages from the impact. Pulling himself up, he strengthened his previous glare. “Are you trying to kill me, Brat?” He yelled. “I'm very fragile you know!”

“Yeah, I know, but that's your own fault isn't it. Anyway, now that you're up, do you want to come shopping with me?”

Vamdemon stared at her. “With a neurotic like you?”

“I wouldn't talk if I were you, Myotismon.” Hikari said with a laugh of frustration.

“Whatever. Where are you going and why?”

“Oh, I don't know... Why do you care, I thought you didn't want to go anywhere with a crazy person.?”

“Answer the question, Hikari.” He grumbled.

“Ooh, you said my name.” She teased. “That means you do want to come! I am going to a bakery, to pick up stuff for the party tomorrow.”

“Party?” He inquired.

“Yeah, a party.” She said. “For Christmas. Remember? I was talking about it the first time you were here.”

“Vaguely. I tune you out sometimes, child.”

“Gee, thanks.” She muttered. “So are you coming?”

“If I must.”

“You know you want to.” She taunted and threw her brothers jacket at him. He struggled to pull it over his arms and grumbled about her lack of help as they went outside and traveled down the elevator to street level.

They walked in relative silence for a number of blocks. Vamdemon had trouble keeping up, but didn't want to admit weakness to her. Finally she slowed as they approached a sweet smelling storefront. She entered and held open the door for him.

The place was surprisingly empty, with only a few people browsing the tables. Hikari abandoned him in the center to go pick up her order. Uneasily, he walked around and viewed the different desserts. He stepped backwards and bumped into a woman, then fell to the ground after becoming unbalanced, groaning as his wounds stretched even more.

Mumbling apologies, she bent down and helped him up and stared at him surprise. “You again?”

“Eh?” He wondered, still disoriented.

“I hit you...at the mall...” She said quietly.

“Oh...” He muttered and backed away to take in their appearance. The woman who helped him up appeared to be about thirty. Behind her and to her left was an older woman who appeared about fifty five, and to their right was a boy that appeared fifteen who Vamdemon had taken to staring at.

“My son.” The woman said, noticing his gaze, and Vamdemon took another step backwards. “......he was named after my grandma's brother, who disappeared after a storm over in the United States.”

Vamdemon collided with Hikari after stepping backwards even more. “Pleased to meet him...” He whispered dryly, then turned to the elder woman. “...are you Anna?”

She rose an eyebrow in surprise and smiled pleasantly.. “Yes... That was a good guess.”

Vamdemon didn't reply, seemingly shocked into silence. Hikari tapped his shoulder tentatively. “You know these people?”

He turned to her with uncertainty. “Sort of...the middle one was dinner a few years ago...”

Hikari appeared confused for a moment before the realization dawned on her, causing her to blush. “I'm sorry!”

The woman laughed a little and shook her head. “Its alright, I understand, and its not like you made him do it.”

Vamdemon had left the store without Hikari realizing. She mumbled an apology and took off after him, box of confections in her hand. “What was that about?” She asked after catching up and traveling down a number of blocks.

“Nothing.” He said distantly, and turned to her with a fake smile.

“How'd you know that old woman's name?”

“Lucky guess.” He muttered and pressed onwards.

“But-”

“Drop it.” He growled and walked even faster despite the pain associated with the movement. Now Hikari struggled to keep up.

“Where are you going?” She called, causing him to slow, stop, and look around.

“...I don't know.” He admitted and wiped at his eyes.

Hikari frowned but led him onwards. “You brought us close to Takeru's apartment.”

Vamdemon stared at her with surprise. “I did?”

She laughed. “Yep, and since we're over here we might as well visit. Do you mind?”

He smiled slightly. “Not at all.” She returned the gesture and led the way, down a few more blocks and up the elevator of another apartment building. They approached a door an knocked gently.

It opened to reveal Miyako. She smiled at first, when she saw Hikari, but it disappeared when she saw Vamdemon, who scowled at her in return. He rolled his eyes and brushed past her before shooting a glare of warning towards Hikari.”

“I didn't even bring it!” She called after him, and too rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to Miyako. “What are you doing here?”

“Me and Iori are helping make decorations with Takeru. What are you doing here?”

“I stopped at the bakery and picked up the pre-ordered stuff, then Myotismon freaked out about something and led us over this way. That guy confuses the hell out of me sometimes.”

“Language, Hikari.” Angemon muttered as he walked by with Vamdemon in tow, who ventured off a ways afterwards.

“Sorry.” She said sheepishly. “And what are you doing?”

“Supervising.” He stated. “Natsuko is at work, so I must watch over the children.” He glanced at the two small digimon in the center of the room.

“If you have your arms full, we can leave...”

Angemon turned his gaze backwards momentarily and shook his head. “No, its alright, I don't mind you coming here. Though a handful, he is a pleasant break from the monotony around here, and anyway, its probably for the best right now.”

“Why's that?” She wondered.

He hesitated. “I can't tell you.”

“Why not?”

“Its a secret of his. If he tells you himself, that is fine, but I will not divulge the information unless given permission.”

“Of course.” She said and laughed lightly. “But why, of all people, does he confide in you? I don't get it.”

“I don't give him much of a choice. I made him promise me that he would talk to me when he's upset about something.”

“And he's complied?” She asked with surprise.

“Yes.” Angemon said, not understanding her skepticism.

“I see. We've had this conversation before, haven't we?”

“I believe so.” Angemon said with a laugh, and turned to watch Vamdemon, who was on the phone.

“How long does it take you to learn a new song?” He asked, leaning against the table.

“A few days, why?” Yamato asked.

“Could you manage one night?”

“What! Why?”

“I want to sing something tomorrow...”

“Tomorrow? In front of everyone?”

“Yeah...” He said quietly. “Maybe it's a bad idea.”

“No, no it's a great idea. Everyone will enjoy it, I'm sure. What song did you have in mind?”

Angemon turned away, having already discussed the choice the night before over the phone. He too thought the performance would be a good idea and well accepted. His attention was turned upon Hawkmon and Armadimon once more, who were making a mess while trying to cut out paper snowflakes.

Hikari sat down beside them and began to put the finished ones into piles. Time elapsed, and the group of three grew to six, with the addition of Takeru, Iori, and Miyako. The pile of decorations grew enormous.

“Where's Angemon?” Miyako wondered. “That creep! He should be helping us.”

“I don't know.” Takeru said. “He always disappears when Myotismon is around.”

“Oh come on...” Hikari whispered.

“Well he does. It's not my fault if its true.”

“You know how Angemon is, Takeru.” Iori said, voice low. “He's always helping others, and after what happened to Myotismon...”

Takeru sat straight. “What are you talking about? Something happened?”

Hikari glanced at him uneasily and Iori continued. “Well, you know...it happened here didn't it?”

“What happened here?” Takeru wondered, truly confused. “Iori?”

“Myotismon tried to kill himself the night he stayed here.” Miyako said quietly and Takeru stared at her in disbelief, remembering a scream that night and discovering his partner in a different room the morning after. “Angemon stopped him just as he was about to deal the fatal blow...and saved his life. Since then they've been talking nonstop.”

“Why didn't I know about this?” Takeru asked dryly and slightly panicked.

Hikari shrugged uneasily and stood. After stretching she gathered all the cut paper into a box to be taken to the hall later. She called down the hallway, “Myo?” The door opened a crack.

“What?” Was the annoyed reply.

“We're leaving.”

“Do I have to?” He complained.

“Yes, you do.” The angel said, prodding him in the back, out of the room, and into the hallway.

“But-”

“No buts. You are going back with Hikari.”

Vamdemon growled and crossed his right arm over his left, though he did travel to her position. Takeru's eyes followed, searching for signs of injury.

“What?” He asked with annoyance at the boy's gaze.

“Attitude.” Angemon muttered, and Vamdemon grumbled something unintelligible in response.

“What were you two doing in there?” Takeru wondered suspiciously.

“Talking.” Angemon said, “About tomorrow. Myotismon is going to tell us the identity of our enemy and answer any questions we have, so long as they are appropriate.”

The group was silent for a moment. “And who decides that?” Takeru asked.

“I do.” Angemon told him, not registering the unhappiness in the boy's voice.

“You do, huh? Just like you decide who knows about his self mutilation?”

Unease hung in the air, and Vamdemon and Angemon stared down at him, one angry, the other extremely disappointed. “Would you rather make the choice? You, who cared so little that you did not get up when you heard his cry? You, who cared too little to monitor him at night, or to tell someone who does care? If you weren't so irresponsible in your duty as a chosen one he might not have been harmed.”

“Whatever he did was his own fault. No one guided his hands.” Takeru said coldly, voice dripping with anger at being accused by his partner.

Angemon watched the boy with a frown. “We will see.”

“Come on...” Hikari whispered, and pulled the fuming creature out of the doorway.

“I hate him.” Vamdemon growled as they walked down the streets and away from the building. “Damned self centered, arrogant, uninspired, heartless, cold blooded bastard!”

“You don't hate him, Myo.” Hikari muttered with frustration. He sent a dirty look her way at the attempt to challenge his words. “You can't hate him because that isn't how he normally behaves. He won't admit it, but Takeru is very jealous of you.” Vamdemon shifted his look to one of disbelief and surprise. She insisted, “He is! He thinks that you are trying to steal Angemon from him.”

Vamdemon choked on his own saliva and stared at her with a pale face. “What!? Why the hell would I want to do that?”

“Beats me,” Hikari said with a shrug, and thought for a moment, “but if you look at things from his point of view it makes a little sense. Ever since we took you in, Angemon's had a keen eye placed upon you, watching your every move. He is so focused on making you feel at ease among us that he hasn't spent as much time with Takeru, who also sees you running to him and looking to please him.”

“I don't run to him.” Vamdemon said with a mix of stubbornness and unease.

“You do so!” Hikari countered. “Okay, maybe not run, but you do flock to him whenever you see him. You share with him secrets you won't tell anyone else-”

“-he forces me to”

“-and you do aim to please him. You've admitted that you care what he thinks of you, and his is the only touch you don't shy away from. Its almost like theres something more than meets the eye. A crush, perhaps, or maybe you might love him.” Hikari teased and let out a big laugh.

“I do not...” Vamdemon said defensively. Hikari turned to look at him, noting the change in his speech, which was no longer joking and stubborn but sounded as if he was being attacked.

“There is no need to get so defensive.” She said.

“I'm not.” He said seriously.

“You are so. Almost like you're hiding something. Maybe there is some truth in what I say? Maybe you are in love.”

“No I'm not!” He said, starting to grow panicked.

Hikari laughed out loud. “You are! Wow, I can't believe it. I'm so happy for you!”

“But I don't love him!”

“You're a horrible liar, Myo.” She stated and stopped in front of the door of her home. “Why are you getting so upset anyway?”

“I'm not upset.”

“You're impossible.”

He glared at her with mixed emotions as he opened the door and disappeared inside after the box of pastries was shoved into his arm. Empty handed, Hikari turned around and headed towards the hall the party would be held at the next day.


Hikari stumbled into the building and out of the frigid air of the evening. Glancing around, she saw that most of the decorations had already been put up. She folded her arms and approached the group against the wall.

"Excuse me," She said with offense and stared at them. "But I believe you were supposed to wait for me before you started."

Ken glanced back at her and smiled. "Well, you were taking a long time, and we didn't want to waste any. There's still plenty to do."

She huffed. "It's not my fault Myo is so slow. He walks like a snail when he's not running away from something! Mind you, he's injured, but still! Plus, I had to go all the way back to my house to drop him off before I came here because SOMEBODY doesn't trust him."

"Do you really think he would make it to your apartment without being guided?" Angemon asked skeptically. "Even if he had intentions of following through, I bet he'd get lost."

Hikari sighed. "You're probably right... But my point still stands. His thick head and stubbornness caused my lateness. We weren't planning on showing up at your house, you know. He decided to run out of the bakery for no reason and we ended up over there."

"He didn't run out for no reason. Something upset him." Angemon said and placed down the box he had been holding.

"He told you that?" She asked with surprise.

"Of course he did. I told you before, I don't give him much of a choice. I made sure he understood after he hurt himself that he would never get another ounce of peace unless he talked to me when he was feeling new emotions."

"I find it incredible that he managed to run away in the direction of you." Ken said, motioning to Angemon. "The one creature that has the ability to keep him calm. Its almost like he was drawn there."

"I was thinking the same thing..." Hikari said quietly and turned to Angemon specifically. "You say that you've been watching him... Have you noticed any changes in his behavior?"

"No..." The angel said, confused.

"I have, when he's not around you at least." She continued. "He's very sarcastic and stubborn; we all know that, but lately there's been something else. Where as, in the past, I was able to tease him and be teased back, he's now been getting defensive."

"In what ways?" Angemon asked, growing uneasy with the prospect of something being hidden from him.

"Well, Takeru really upset him before with the things he said...and he didn't understand why he was being treated so badly by him. So, I was trying to explain what Takeru might be feeling by giving these events from his view. I was saying how since we caught you've been putting a lot of energy into keeping him comfortable and haven't had as much time for Takeru, then I said that he always seemed to flock to you when he saw you, so I started teasing him that maybe he had a crush on you or something and he got really pale and withdrawn." She paused, seeing Angemon's surprised face. "I was just joking...at first...but I think it might be true. I think he might like you..."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Ken commented "Doesn't he have to love someone to become a digimon again?"

"Yeah," Hikari admitted. "It's good in that aspect, but there are more parts to it. I think he's upset because he feels like he's stuck at a dead end.”

"In what way?" Angemon asked, and Hikari looked at him with surprise.

"Come on, think about it. Who wants to be told that their most deep feelings aren't reciprocated? Now that he knows what it is, he's becoming distant. He's probably upset that he fell in love with someone that won't be able to help him with his humanity predicament."

"Why wouldn't I be able to help?" He pushed, apparently not understanding what Hikari was trying to imply.

"...do you love him?" Ken asked, and stared up at the angel from his spot on the floor. "Because if you wanted to help him with that you would have to.”

"If he was in love he would tell me." Angemon said slowly.

Hikari laughed despite herself and the uncharacteristic dirty look she was given. "I'm sorry, I really am, but is that what you truly think? Do you think he would tell you that he loves you only to be told that you do not? It's hard enough coming to grips with the emotion yourself. Telling the person is even harder, especially when you believe you will be hated for revealing the feeling. He's done a lot of terrible things, even if there was someone else driving him. He probably believes that he is unlovable after his past deeds"

"I wouldn't hate him." Angemon said, also sounding defensive.

"You're dodging the issue..." She said with a pained expression, realizing the behavior of the two was strikingly similar. "Do you love him, Angemon?"

"I don't know." He said. There was no uncertainty or hesitance in his voice, nor embarrassment. "It is possible, but I have never given love much thought, in general, and as you've said, I've been busy making sure he stays in the realm of the living."

"But why?" Hikari pressed. "Why put so much effort into him? I mean, yeah, you want to keep us safe, but you've really gone above and beyond that in the things you've done for him. Maybe there is some ulterior motive deeply seated in your being?" She watched as the creature before her seriously considered her words. "Think about it tonight." She said. "Look deep in to your heart and ask yourself if maybe you are in love, or if you could fall into it, because I am positive that he loves you. Sora said his heart was set upon a male, and I can't see any of the others fitting. You comfort him because he loves you. That's the only reason I can think of, and it was probably going on before Myo ever realized what he was feeling. And honestly, I think that if anyone can get him back to normal and help him overcome his past, its you..."

"I will think about it..." Angemon said and resumed putting up foil on the wall.

“Promise you won't be too hard on him...for not telling you this...” Hikari said quietly.

Angemon turned to her slightly. “I will be gentle when he is reprimanded.”

Hikari stepped forward with a frustrated sigh and began to post things up on the wall as well, and the rest of the night was spent in silence.


Well, in the next chapter are the big revelations. I promise it to be a huge chapter. Hopefully some of you will have guessed by now who the 'big bad' is. (Its not that much of a surprise, I don't think...) Now is your last chance to request things to be answered! Thanks to those who have suggested songs. I am tracking them down and seeing where they fit, and I hope the one's I have chosen thus far have added in some way to your reading experience.