Chapter 3 - San

This chapter is filler and character development. Figured I’d warn you now.

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Cherubimon, Seraphimon, and Ophanimon ensured that their world’s heroes were well-fed before sending them all off to sleep in separate comfortable rooms that glowed a soft, soothing rainbow just bright enough to calm but not bright enough to keep a child awake. But all was not well. Kouichi, Kagami, and Lucemon all lay awake, minds clouded with confusion.

--Kouichi’s Room--

“Why did Kagami do that? He’s her cousin, but that didn’t look like a cousin kiss. Why am I even thinking about this? It’s her business, not mine,” Kouichi muttered to himself, sheets pulled up over his head to block the light. He glared at the soft light coming from the walls with nearly enough anger to scorch a hole in the glowing crystals.

--Kagami’s Room--

“Why did Kouichi look so angry? I was just trying to get Kyle to faint from shock, and it worked. Does he maybe think I’m interested in my cousin? That would be gross, it would be like Kouichi getting together with Koji,” Kagami said, laying on her back with her arms folded. She sighed.

--Kyle’s Room--

“Kagami… why? She hit me, yelled at me, then kissed me. I’ve never… been this confused… not even when I first awoke as a Digimon…” Kyle whimpered. He was sobbing into his pillow, speaking to himself between sobs and not even expending the effort to keep his white wings up, letting them droop and rest on the sides of his bed with the tips of the longest feathers touching the floor. A gentle knock came from the door. The small angel made no move to answer the knock, continuing to cry into his pillow. Ophanimon opened the door and entered, moving to his side. She lifted one of his wings up off the floor, and he pulled it out of her hand, folding the white wing against his back.

“Lucemon, it isn’t healthy to sulk like this. Why don’t you talk to me about your pain? It will help to make it feel better,” the celestial angel said in a soothing tone, resting her hand on Kyle’s back between his wings. At first, he didn’t respond, but his sobs slowed and before long he turned his head, looking up at Ophanimon with one eye, his face stained with tear streaks.

“Ophanimon, you only know my story since after I came to the Digital World. Before I died, Kagami and I were close… we might as well have been twins. When I first started to have trouble breathing just after we moved to Japan, Kagami was the one who told me to see a doctor. When I found out I had lung cancer that was too advanced for treatment, Kagami was there for me. I grew weaker, started to cough up blood, lost my voice, and Kagami still cared. At one point, I was suffering so much that if I wasn’t on pain medication, I would cry myself into passing out because it hurt so much just to exist. Kagami could sense my pain, and one day, she held up her dry-erase board for me with the words ‘Do you give up?’ written on it. I knew what she meant, so I nodded. One piece of duct tape sealed off my nose, a second one sealed off my mouth. I didn’t have to take any more painful breaths… she knew that I was at my limit… and the next thing I knew, I was a Digimon,” Kyle said. His voice was quiet and shaky, and after saying the last word, he started to cry again. “I’m so glad she did that for me… I could have been alive for another three months just suffering… but I’m so confused, I don’t know how she feels now…”

“Lucemon… no, Kyle… I am sure that she still cares about you. She may be more distant than when you parted, but your bond will heal in time. She most likely worries about ending your suffering for you, worrying if it was right. If you two indeed shared such a close mental bond that you could sense each other’s pain, your death would cause her unimaginable pain. She won’t be anywhere close to getting over it even with a year to recover. Give her time; it will end for the better. In the meantime, be kind to her and her friends,” Ophanimon said. As she spoke, Kyle’s sobs stopped, and when she finished, he sniffled and nodded.

“Ophanimon, thank you. I feel a little better. I’d better get to sleep, so I’ll be ready in the morning. Good night,” he said with a shaky smile on his lips. Ophanimon left as Kyle shifted position before slipping into a dreamless sleep.

--Kouichi’s Room--

Kouichi continued to glare at the wall until there was a soft knock on the door.

“If it’s Kagami, I’m not in the mood,” he growled. The door swung open, and instead of the Kagami he was expecting, Ophanimon and Cherubimon entered.

“What do you want?” the dark-haired boy said, barely holding back the anger he felt at Kyle, Kagami, and himself.

“We sense that your soul is in turmoil. I was worried, so we came to talk to you and make sure you understand Kagami and her cousin’s relationship so you don’t feel enraged at a misunderstood problem,” Cherubimon said. His voice alone was enough to settle Kouichi down a bit, and the dark-haired boy sat up and looked at the Celestial Digimon.

“Kyle and his cousin shared the type of bond that forms between twins who are never apart. They shared each other’s minds and pain, and to them, the thought of being romantically involved is as repulsive to them as it would be to you to imagine you being involved with Koji in the same way. She kissed him only to stun him into passing out, as putting him into a state of shock was her goal. Does this help?” Ophanimon said. Kouichi lowered his gaze.

“Partly. I’m confused as to why I felt angry and confused when Kagami kissed him. I have never felt like that before, and I don’t know why. I wanted to hurt him then… and I don’t know why,” he said, now looking down with his hands tight on the edge of the bed.

“Kouichi, you obviously care a great deal about Kagami. You care about her so much that you subconsciously think of her as yours, and feel angry at any indicator that she would feel that way about somebody else. Whether or not you two will grow closer has yet to be determined,” Cherubimon explained. Kouichi was silent.

“He needs time to think, Cherubimon. Kouichi, try to sleep. You can handle this in the morning,” Ophanimon said.

“Cherubimon… what you just said… were you trying to say that instead of Kagami being interested in her cousin, I’m interested in her?” the dark-haired boy asked.

“Yes, that’s exactly right,” the celestial bunny said.

“Cherubimon, Ophanimon… thanks. I’m a bit confused, but I don’t feel nearly as bad as I did before you two talked to me. I’ll go to sleep like Ophanimon suggested,” Kouichi said, his rage dissipated and replaced by mild confusion. The Digimon left, and he quickly fell asleep.

--Kagami’s Room--

As Ophanimon and Cherubimon were about to knock on Kagami’s door, the door opened to reveal Kagami standing there.

“Oh, you two were coming to talk to me? I was about to go see if I could ask you two about something,” the curly-haired girl said.

“That is good. Go back in and sit down,” Cherubimon said. Kagami walked back to her bed and sat on it. The Celestial Digimon followed her inside.

“It hurts so much to be around Kyle and not know what he’s thinking, and I feel so bad about making Kouichi jealous… I don’t know what to do,” Kagami sighed.

“I have already spoken to both your cousin and Kouichi. Kyle is still mentally hurt and trying to recover, and Kouichi is no longer angry or jealous, but is trying to sort out how he feels about you,” Ophanimon said. “Kyle wishes for your bond to be repaired. He loves you as he could only love a sister all the more for what you did for him when he was at his point of greatest suffering and ready to die. Kouichi subconsciously loves you in a different way, but has not realized it yet. You, meanwhile, care about both of them. You seem to adore Kyle as if he was your younger brother, and Kouichi like one who saved you from depression following Kyle’s death and who you still need to support you or you would shatter into an emotionless shell. Which is what he did for you, am I correct?”

“Y-Yes… if I had never met Kouichi, I would have broken and probably be in no condition to do anything. I depend on him for so much, and I would do anything for him to repay him for saving me,” Kagami said with a sigh.

“Do you feel better about admitting it?” Cherubimon asked. Kagami considered, then nodded.

“We knew you would. Now that you are less confused, get some rest. You’ll need it for tomorrow,” Ophanimon said. The Celestial Digimon left her alone, having visited their last guest for the night, and she fell asleep not too long after they left.

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End filler. NEXT chapter, we have adventure!

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